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In this space, Scott White will highlight some of the more notable changes to his rest-of-season rankings. You'll find said rankings here and are urged to bookmark them if you haven't already. There's no better resource for gauging player value throughout the long season.

If you haven't noticed, the Twins have been a run-generating menace of late, and it's not like they have a lineup full of Fantasy mainstays. Instead, the credit goes to relative newcomers and former standouts, two categories of players that allow for significant rankings movement.

And for two of their biggest risers, Jose Miranda and Brooks Lee, the impact is at two positions rather than one.

First base

  • Before I talk about Miranda's placement, let me note that Christian Walker hasn't budged from his No. 7 spot in the rankings. He's been incredibly hot, homering five times in the team's first three July games, which has put him on pace for career-best numbers across the board. But he was performing at about his usual clip prior to that very recent surge, and as I often say, you shouldn't let a player's hottest stretch determine his ranking. He may be a top-two first baseman in both scoring formats now, but moving forward, I expect six others to outperform him.
  • The most questionable of those six is Matt Olson, who I still rank third at the position even though he's come nowhere close so far. The proper takeaway is that I expect a huge second half from him, though I'll admit my resolve is on a knife's edge at this point. If signs of this turnaround don't come soon, he may begin to tumble.
  • The tumble has begun for Cody Bellinger, who lacks both Olson's track record and his exit velocity readings. There was much skepticism he could replicate his production from his first year with the Cubs, and while his reduced strikeout rate at least makes him some manner of asset, he's not one on the level of Spencer Steer or Alec Bohm.
  • OK, so what of Miranda? He's one of four players with primary eligibility elsewhere who I only now had reason to add to the first base rankings. Alec Burleson is the highest among them at 16, followed by Miranda at 21, then Ben Rice at 24, and, finally, Spencer Horwitz at 28. Miranda comes in behind troubled but potentially high-end targets like Paul Goldschmidt and Triston Casas and ahead of underachievers with middling upside like Rhys Hoskins and Yandy Diaz. In shallower leagues where you may be faced with such a decision, I can imagine dropping the latter two for him, but not the former two.

Third base

  • Third base is Miranda's primary position, and his placement among other risers there will shed even more light on his viability for Fantasy. Rounding out the top 20 are Ryan McMahon and Jeimer Candelario, and then behind them, in order, are Noelvi Marte, Mark Vientos, Brooks Lee, and Miranda. It's a fittingly conservative placement for that foursome, none of whom is anywhere close to proven in the majors and still faces the possibility of slumping his way out of a job, but in shallower leagues where you can sell out harder for the upside, you could make the case to add any over Luis Rengifo or even Nolan Arenado, who I rank several spots ahead.
  • One player leapfrogging that fascinating foursome is Matt Chapman, whose reduced strikeout rate and newfound interest in stealing bases have made him a top-10 performer in both categories and points leagues so far. I'm at least willing to put him 15th, up from 23rd a week ago.

Shortstop

  • I mentioned having Brooks Lee outside of my top 20 at third base, and his ranking is similar at shortstop -- a little higher, actually, in Head-to-Head points leagues, where I don't have to give deference to base-stealers like David Hamilton and Jose Caballero. If this seems tepid to you, consider that it's ahead of notables like Jeremy Pena, Nico Hoerner, and Ezequiel Tovar.
  • Another shortstop-eligible Twins player, Carlos Correa, has moved into even more distinguished company. He's now top 12 at the position after a month-long surge that's taken him from a .247 batting average and .742 OPS to a .303 batting average and .886 OPS. Injuries have inhibited him from meeting such standards in recent years, but he's no stranger to them. His 3.31 Head-to-Head points per game rank eighth at the position, closer to Francisco Lindor than Brice Turang.

Second base

Catcher

  • It feels like I never have the 5-12 range at this position quite right (meaning beyond the obvious top four of Adley Rutschman, William Contreras, Will Smith, and Salvador Perez), with the latest revelation being that I've sold Yainer Diaz short. A recent surge has brought his actual batting average in line with his expected batting average (as calculated by Statcast), making him one of this position's few standouts in that category. I actually prefer him in points leagues due to his low strikeout rate, slotting him fifth there compared to sixth in categories leagues.
  • I mentioned Ben Rice's placement at first base, but the ranking we care about more for Fantasy is catcher. And yeah, I'm ready to move him into my top 12 there. It's not just the three-homer game Saturday. It's the low ground-ball rate, the high pull rate, and the superlative plate discipline. His swing is optimized for damage, and both the minor-league production and the expected stats since his call-up confirms it. It's also the broad interchangeability in that range of the catcher rankings for one-catcher leagues, where so few are rostered at any given time that there's little penalty for trying out someone new.

Outfield

  • I've finally moved season-long underachiever Corbin Carroll out of the No. 7 spot in my outfield rankings, replacing him with Jarren Duran, whose studly stat line is darn near unimpeachable, so far as I can tell. I wasn't willing to go a step further and move Duran ahead of Julio Rodriguez, who I think is one of the more obvious candidates for a second-half correction, but the point is that I now consider Duran to be one of the elites at the position.
  • The point is also that I'm no longer whistling past the graveyard on Carroll -- too late in the eyes of many, I'm sure. I'm not totally burying him, given his first-round upside at a weak position, but I've settled on several outfielders who I'm comfortable moving ahead of him, including Christian Yelich, Kyle Schwarber, Teoscar Hernandez, Steven Kwan, and Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo is the big riser there. In a year when many have failed to deliver on their power potential, he's actually taken a step forward, and even with his recent surge, his actual stats still trail his expected stats (as calculated by Statcast) to a considerable degree.
  • I mentioned how I've moved Cody Bellinger down at first base. It's even more apparent in the outfield, where he's gone from 18th to 29th, most notably putting him behind rookies Jackson Merrill and James Wood. Listen, the heart wants what it wants, and right now, Bellinger ain't it. Other (less significant) fallers this week include Adolis Garcia (from 14th to 18th) and Christopher Morel (32nd to 39th).
  • Brent Rooker is back inside the top 36 with his latest power surge and should probably just stay there, understanding that he's the sort of player who runs hot and cold. Joining him in the top 36 is Alec Burleson, and right behind him is Brenton Doyle, who has the broader toolset but also the misfortune of playing half his games away from Coors Field.
  • Another Twins hitter gets the benefit of a significant bump this week, with Byron Buxton climbing to 50th (a cautious ranking given his injury history). Others moving inside the top 60 include Willi Castro, Jarred Kelenic, and Tommy Edman, putting them ahead of early-season flavors of the week Andy Pages, Jacob Young, and Wilyer Abreu.

Starting pitcher

  • Another week, another move up the rankings for Paul Skenes, who's now inside the top 10, climbing ahead of Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, and Max Fried. As I've said before, I don't think the Pirates will need to limit his innings much, if at all, given how they held him back at the start of the year.
  • Shota Imanaga has come back down to earth now that the ball is carrying better and some teams are seeing him for a second time. He's gone from 16th to 21st, and even that's being generous given that his overall stat line now isn't too far off from Erick Fedde.
  • Ranger Suarez has slipped modestly, from 22nd to 25th, after a couple of rough starts. All along, my ranking has factored in the likelihood of some regression.
  • Luis Gil has slid to 41st, which is a notable drop, but clearly, I'm not looking to bury him in light of his recent struggles. That was true even before his bounce-back effort Sunday. The talent to me is evident -- when he throws strikes, no one can touch him -- which makes it reminiscent of that three-game blip for Garrett Crochet in April. I don't think Gil is as good as Crochet, but the panic is similarly overblown. If not for the likelihood of some innings management in the second half, I'd have him 10 spots higher.
  • Jared Jones is down 15 spots, from 24th to 44th, with his diagnosis of a strained lat. I'm not sure it's enough, but the timetables offered so far aren't so bad, really.
  • Some risers a little further down the rankings include Spencer Schwellenbach and Andrew Heaney, who I analyzed in my latest Weekend Stockwatch. They've climbed from 92-93 to 79-80. Begrudgingly, I've slotted Tyler Anderson right behind them at 81. He's maintained an ERA below 3.00 in spite of some truly dreadful ratios, but his latest start was far and away his most impressive. I still wouldn't hesitate to drop him if something more interesting came along, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't roster him over Charlie Morton and Luis Severino at this point.

Relief pitcher

  • I've gone ahead and moved Ryan Helsley and Craig Kimbrel ahead of Josh Hader and Edwin Diaz. I still think the latter two are more talented, but the former two have excellent ratios in their own right and have had a much easier time accumulating saves this year. Those can come in fits and starts, so I'm always reluctant to downgrade the mainstays at this position. But the truth is that Hader and Diaz haven't pitched all that well either.
  • Speaking of fits and starts, Kirby Yates got a save on back-to-back days last week after recording only a handful in May and June combined. He's the undisputed closer for the Rangers, though, and has elite ratios across the board. I've moved him and the highly underappreciated Kyle Finnegan ahead of Evan Phillips and Andres Munoz, who seem like they're having to split save duties for their respective clubs.
  • Clay Holmes is a big faller amid his recent struggles, dropping behind Kenley Jansen, Jhoan Duran, Pete Fairbanks, and Camilo Doval. I have a hunch the Yankees will find a way to upgrade that spot before the trade deadline.
  • Devin Williams (back fractures) is up to 28th -- notably, ahead of fill-in Trevor Megill -- as he looks to make his season debut early in the second half.
  • Yimi Garcia, who's nearing a return from a nerve issue in his elbow and may finish out the year as the Blue Jays closer with Jordan Romano having undergone elbow surgery, has moved up to 35th, ahead of uninspired closers like Jason Foley and James McArthur. He could climb another 20 spots before all is said and done.