The fantasy baseball playoffs are here, and with them comes the mad, four-week dash to the finish line. Good luck to everyone who qualified! In addition to my general strategic outline from Wednesday of what lies ahead, you should take a "today and what lies immediately ahead" viewpoint to how you view free agent pickups. Production in the short term is now the most important thing! Today's column takes two different approaches to September pickups: Players who should help you over the entirety of September's schedule and then players to get you through this first playoff week.

Go-get-'em guys for the duration: Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox (61.0% rostered in ESPN leagues): At only 39% available, Anthony typically wouldn't make the cut for this column, but I'm making the exception due to his having just returned from a 117-day IL absence due to a torn tendon in his right hand, not to mention the fact that he should not be left out there in any leagues. Yes, Anthony has now spent 53% of his big league time on the IL since his June 9, 2025, debut, but he's still only 22 years old and this most recent issue could be classified as the "fluky" variety. Certainly it's too soon to give up on his massive potential, which to this point has seen him hit .276/.384/.424 in 102 games as a big leaguer, while posting the third-highest hard hit rate (56.7%) among hitters with at least as many as his 437 trips to the plate.

Mickey Moniak, OF, Colorado Rockies (28.3% rostered): Trivia time. Which regular Rockies hitter has the widest OPS split between home and road games? Oh, right, I've given you the answer first. It's Moniak, whose .997 OPS at Coors Field is 410 points higher than his rate on the road -- and it's not the first season in which he has done that, as his split was 266 points last season. He simply loves hitting in the thinner air in Denver. The good news is that the Rockies have the most remaining home games (16) in the league.

Cal Quantrill, SP/RP, Texas Rangers (18.6% rostered): How about some more trivia -- or reverse trivia? Over the past five weeks, which pitcher is the MLB leader in ERA? It's Quantrill, whose 1.49 mark bests the numbers posted by other greats Chris Sale (1.64), Cristopher Sanchez (1.72) and Dylan Cease (1.95). To think, Quantrill was inserted into the Rangers rotation only due to injuries to their more proven starters, but over the season's second half he has transformed into one of their most reliable hurlers. Plus, he's going to face one of the most favorable pitching schedules in the league the rest of the way.

Potential pickups just for the week ahead: Elmer Rodriguez, SP, New York Yankees (2.5% rostered): He could fit into either group and lands on this side only because of the Yankees' rotational depth. Max Fried's return to action Saturday restored the team's original five-man arrangement, meaning Rodriguez isn't guaranteed starts beyond Monday. That said, the right-hander could prove useful -- perhaps even essential -- lightening young ace Cam Schlittler's workload should the team settle its playoff.