Chris Welsh acknowledged Michael Harris II has been "not remotely worth the cost"—he is hitting just .122 (6-for-49) with zero homers and two steals over his last 15 games and has now been benched on back-to-back days. Even so, Welsh urged fantasy managers to keep him rostered. He expects Atlanta, currently well out of both the division race and wild-card picture, to give Harris everyday run in the second half rather than option or platoon him. With no threat of a demotion or trade and plenty of time for a second-half adjustment, Welsh believes patient managers could still recoup value in steals and counting stats once the pressure of contention is gone.

Chris Welsh advised fantasy managers to scoop up Lawrence Butler immediately, expecting another trademark July-August tear. Welsh reminded listeners that Butler was a "stud" during those exact two months last year and is already heating up with two homers and three runs scored against Atlanta. What really impressed Welsh is that Butler is doing it without selling out for pull power: only one true pull-side homer all season and an 11 percent pull rate, yet he is still posting premium hard-hit numbers. With the weather warming in Sacramento (the A’s Triple-A affiliate location where Butler historically torches pitching) and no obvious playing-time threat on Oakland’s big-league roster, Welsh sees a perfect window to buy before the rest of the market prices in another mid-summer binge.

Lindquist recommended firing an Austin Riley home-run prop (and even sprinkling a two-homer ladder) against J.P. Sears in Oakland. He argued Riley has been unlucky: his expected slugging is still hovering near .500 despite the surface dip to .431, and his hard-hit profile mirrors the 37-homer 2023 campaign. Sears provides the perfect get-right spot with a 21.8-degree average launch angle allowed, a flattened four-seam, and a 0.462 expected slugging that plays even worse in the Coliseum’s AAA-style environment with wind blowing out. With Riley locked into a top-four lineup slot and Atlanta’s surrounding bats forcing Sears to pitch to him, Lindquist sees plus-money value on a long ball.

Brad Francis played Braves team total over 5.5, noting Atlanta’s bats "came alive" with nine runs on Wednesday and now face JP Sears, whom he says "hasn’t looked the same this season." Francis also torched the A’s bullpen, calling it "dog meat," and expects the combination of a struggling starter plus a bottom-tier relief corps to let Atlanta plate at least six runs again.

Rockford scooped Oakland at +115, asking “who’s still backing the Braves?” Bryce Elder owns a 5.92 ERA, has surrendered four-plus earned in four consecutive starts, walked seven over his last two, and coughed up six homers in his last three outings. Mitch Spence is no ace, but his 4.06 ERA and above-average ground-ball rate give him a clear edge. The ball carries at Sutter Health Park, where the A’s slash .261/.333/.419, and Atlanta’s lineup has cratered to 3.2 runs per game since June 15. With Oakland 25-19 to the over at home and Atlanta hemorrhaging value as a brand-name road favorite, Rockford sees the A’s as mis-priced; he would play them down to +105.

Bill Harrelson wants to keep fading Marcell Ozuna with UNDER 7.5 fantasy points on Underdog. Ozuna has fallen short of this total in nine of his last ten games and 15 of his last 20, collecting a hit in only half of those contests. While he torched Oakland over a year ago, Harrelson dismissed that data point because it was "13 months ago" and emphasized that the 2025 version of Ozuna is ice-cold despite clearing the number in 60% of his 85 games overall. The recent slump—combined with Underdog being the lone book hanging a fantasy-score line—creates what Harrelson views as a mis-priced opportunity to bet against the Braves slugger staying hot.

Eric Lindquist circled Brent Rooker’s home-run prop and would bet anything north of +255 despite Tuesday’s bomb likely shortening the price. He’s attacking Bryce Elder’s 0.530 expected slugging, 47.4 % hard-hit rate, and 10.7 % barrel rate—numbers that stay red across both lefties and righties. Rooker’s own batted-ball profile (19 ° average launch angle, 15 % barrel) perfectly leverages Elder’s low-whiff, sinker-heavy approach, and Truist Park’s summer weather adds extra carry. Lindquist warned Atlanta occasionally deploys an opener, but with Oakland essentially mailing in the season he expects Spence straight up, giving Rooker at least two cracks at Elder. He set his fair odds at +255, anything longer is “fire it.”

Malcom Bamford is done waiting on Atlanta’s offense and happily laid –112 with Oakland. The Braves have dropped three straight series and were just swept by Baltimore, managing two runs or fewer in six of their last eight. Didier Fuentes has not made it past the fourth inning in any of his recent starts, and Bamford notes the show has cashed multiple tickets fading him. By contrast, Jeffrey Springs has led Oakland to victories in three of his last four turns and owns a 3.18 ERA over that span. With the Athletics slugging well at home and Atlanta’s lineup still MIA, Bamford refused to back the Braves at any price and took Oakland to win outright.

Ron Pick Dawgz is rolling with Oakland as a home underdog. He detailed how Didier Fuentes has struggled at the major-league level and now pitches in one of the league’s more hitter-friendly parks, giving the A’s a tangible edge early. Jeffrey Springs has won three of his last four starts and owns strong recent peripherals. Importantly, Ron highlighted Atlanta’s severe drop-off versus lefties over the past month—23rd in team OPS, 29th in ISO, with an elevated strikeout rate—making Springs a favorable matchup. Expecting 5–6 effective innings from Springs and early damage against Fuentes, Ron labeled the Athletics money line his play.

Drew Martin took the Oakland Athletics at –105 in the series opener. He emphasized that Atlanta’s offense has cratered to bottom-10 status and the club is 2-8 in its last 10 games, more than 10 below .500 overall. Rookie Dieter Fuentes fills an injury-ravaged Braves rotation and owns a 9.00 ERA, surrendering 18 hits and 12 runs in 12 innings. Oakland counters with Jeffrey Springs, who has spun a 2.20 ERA over his last four starts—including quality outings versus Tampa Bay and Detroit. The A’s are a top-10 lineup over the past week and above-average on the season, giving them edges both on the mound and at the plate. Martin called this a "fade city" spot on Atlanta and fired on the hotter Athletics at a pick’em price.

It's The Final Round targeted Lawrence Butler to tally a hit versus Atlanta rookie Didier Fuentes. Fuentes has made three big-league starts, reaching five innings only once and giving up six hits and four earned runs in that outing. Scouts noted good control but minimal pitch movement, and left-handed batters are punishing him for a .360 average. Butler, a lefty, is swinging well—five hits in five games last week (.313) and a .268 season average against right-handers compared to .194 versus southpaws. Expect Butler to cash his hit prop early, and pairing him with Juan Soto yields even-money odds on most books.