Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran tallied his 17th save of the campaign on Thursday evening as he tossed a clean ninth inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and earned the third out via a ground out. Duran has earned two saves this month with a strong 1.80 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. Overall, the 26-year-old holds a 3.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 12:41 BB:K ratio through 39 innings of work. However, he sports an excellent 2.82 xERA, which suggests he should continue to lower his ratios during the second half. In addition, he excels at generating ground balls at an impressive 59.4% rate which also shows he could continue to succeed. Duran remains one of the better relief options in fantasy and should continue to see a majority of the save opportunities in Minnesota.

Oakland Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday had a monster day at the dish on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a grand slam. Bleday also walked, scored two runs, and stole a base to add to his line. Bleday's grand slam came off southpaw Jose Quintana, making it even more impressive for the lefty. The 26-year-old has been impressive all year, but has really turned it up in August, slashing .341/.431/.545 with two homers and a steal. While he isn't must-roster, Bleday should be owned in all 15-team leagues or anything deeper at this point and isn't a bad hot-hand play in shallower leagues either.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin had another great start on Thursday, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Boston Red Sox while picking up his fourth consecutive win. Eflin struck out eight while walking none and allowed just five hits in the contest. It has been a night-and-day difference for Eflin since being acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays. With Tampa, Eflin seldom went six innings, had trouble picking up wins, and just didn't look like his 2023 self. With Baltimore, though, Eflin now has a quality start and a win in all four of his starts, and he's looked much better while doing it. The veteran righty should be rostered universally at this point and could be a big part of fantasy rotations down the stretch.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitching Zack Wheeler tossed six innings of two-run ball (one earned) en route to earning his 12th victory of the campaign. He allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out six. The one blemish on Wheeler's start came in the fifth inning as he served up a solo shot to Washington backstop Keibert Ruiz. Since allowing seven earned runs on July 29, the right-hander has held a strong 1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and a 3:23 BB:K ratio across his past 20 innings. Under the hood, he boasts an excellent 33.2% hard-hit rate and 27.5% K rate, which suggests he should continue to enjoy a nice second half. Wheeler should always remain in your starting lineup and is worth a look in DFS in any matchup.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio continued his hot stretch at the plate on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chourio started the season slow, but has posted an OPS of .897, .876, and .935 in June, July, and August respectively. He appears to be figuring out major league pitching and has an extremely high ceiling considering his power-speed combination. He should be rostered in all formats and is one of the top players in dynasty leagues.