Lineup shifts across MLB this week signal value plays for fantasy managers. Atlanta leaned hard into Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter, riding nine straight starts and a .981 OPS with five homers in that stretch, while Michael Harris II has surged in the second half to a .398/.413/.732 line with nine homers, moving up to the fifth spot against right-handers in most recent games. Sean Murphy’s playing time has cooled with the DH being less available, and others like Drake Baldwin have seen splits in starts.

Miami’s Troy Johnston has dominated versus righties, starting 11 of 14, with Marsee showing league-winning potential since arriving and a two-hole stint that energized offense. The Mets have shuffled top of the order, with Lindor back leadoff and Nimmo up the order, while Brett Baty and Mauricio work for at-bats. Philadelphia has Bohm back in the cleanup spot, with Castellanos sliding in and Harrison Bader mixing in more against righties as Kepler’s slump persists.

Across the league, DeJong has started nine of 12 and hit third or fourth for Washington, Ian Happ has faced a positional shuffle in Chicago, and Arenado’s playing time is impacted by injuries in St. Louis. These trends create new buying opportunities for under-the-radar bats while signaling potential risk for players with fragile roles.

Padres host Giants at Petco Park with Nick Pivetta taking the mound after a season of elite strikeouts and solid run prevention, while Kai-Wei Teng looks to rebound from a rough prior start against San Diego. The night opened with a three-homer charge from the San Francisco lineup—Heliot Ramos, Rafael Devers, and Wilmer Flores—spotting the Giants an early cushion that San Diego could not fully erase. The betting edge leans toward the home club, who combine recent August splits against righties with a favorable park factor that boosts their lineup’s upside in fantasy lineups and daily bets.

Fantasy angles center on Pivetta’s high strikeout ceiling (7+ Ks in six of his last eight) and Teng’s shaky form, which could yield a short leash if the innings slip again. The Padres’ offense has shown life at home and against right-handed pitching, while the Giants’ reverse splits and early power provide potential for sneaky fantasy value from Ramos, Devers, and Flores if they stay hot. The Padres are favored to win, with the -1.5 line offering a slate-ready avenue for stacking Padres bats alongside Pivetta’s punchouts.

In DFS and betting terms, target Pivetta for strikeouts and a probably clean line, and consider Padres stacks if you expect Teng to yield loud hits early. Watch for late bullpen leverage and park-driven runs, which can swing a tight game in either direction. The Padres' home prowess and San Francisco’s occasional fatigue in this venue favor a smoother Padres win and a higher-probability pass for the -1.5 play.

Xander Bogaerts saw a potential go-ahead homer wiped off the board after fan interference in San Diego, a call that helped fuel a 4-3 defeat to San Francisco. Bogaerts’ ball appeared to clear the left-field wall but was overturned after a review determined a fan may have impeded the play. Mike Shildt was ejected for arguing from the dugout as the Padres’ late rally never came together. Heliot Ramos provided context on the play, while Giants manager Bob Melvin backed the overturn. The Giants surged early with three homers off Nestor Cortes to go up 4-0, shaping a tense finish for fantasy managers watching the Padres and their top bat.

The overturned call and Shildt’s ejection amplified the game’s late-inning drama and cast light on how review timelines can swing momentum. Fantasy players should weigh Bogaerts’ steady bat and Ramos’ evolving role against a San Francisco rotation that capitalized on early offense. The result tightens a tight NL West narrative and offers care points for daily fantasy and betting lines, especially when interference-adjacent plays loom in high-leverage moments.

Ramos’s perspective on the interference and Melvin’s stance highlight how perception of a play can shift the scoreboard and manager moves. For fantasy purposes, Bogaerts remains a primary middle-infield option, Ramos adds opportunistic upside for Giants nights, and Cortes’s spot starts or divisional matchups become more situational as the Padres navigate this setback.

Giants at Padres under the lights at Petco Park, with Kai-Wei Teng taking the mound for San Francisco against Nick Pivetta for San Diego. San Francisco arrives after snapping a seven-game skid; San Diego comes in on a four-game losing streak after a five-game win streak. The four-game set could be a back-and-forth affair, especially with the specified pitching matchup and the recent momentum swings for both clubs.

Odds lean toward the Padres on the moneyline (-232) with the Giants at +190, while the spread sits at Padres -1.5 and the total at 8.0. NBC Sports Bet projects betting lines by weighing past performance, park factors and matchups, and it flags a Padres play on the moneyline, a Giants plus-1.5 angle, and no strong lean on the total.

Season series drama is alive, as San Diego owns a 7-3 edge this year. San Francisco has scuffled (2-7 in their last nine), while San Diego has cooled (0-4 in their last four), yet the Padres still hold home-field NL strength (5-4 in their last nine at home). The night’s fantasy takeaway centers on whether Teng can stabilize against a Padres lineup that has shown steady cadence of thump when he’s struggling, and whether Pivetta can anchor a San Diego win with sustained contact and strikeout upside.

Week 21 fantasy baseball focuses on 2025 redraft value from a curated top-25 stash list. Prospect call-ups that debut this year preserve rookie eligibility for 2026, broadening short- and long-term value. Promoted last week: Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo, Drew Gilbert, Nolan McLean and Owen Caissie, with Eldridge and Sal Stewart standing out for immediate impact in power and solid hitting floors. The piece highlights Spencer Jones’s sky-high upside despite strikeout risk, JJ Wetherholt’s Triple-A dominance, and Robby Snelling’s near‑MLB-ready pitcher profile.

Analysis dives into Bryce Eldridge’s likely Giants cup of coffee, Sal Stewart’s advanced hit tool, and Wetherholt’s polished approach at the plate. It maps out why these names belong on rosters in 2025 redraft and how late-season call-ups could shape Week 21 lineups. Honorable mentions add depth across teams, while the feature ties in DFS and lineup tools to sharpen Week 21 decisions.