What’s up, everyone!
If you’re unfamiliar with this series, each week I take a look at some hitting matchups you should take advantage of and some hitting matchups you should avoid, based on who the hitters will likely be facing on the mound. I’ll also be focusing on catchers you can stream each week, since we all know that catchers can be an especially tricky position in fantasy.
Also wanted to note that PL Pro member LarryV, who is a former meteorologist at the National Weather Service, has been kind enough to lend his expertise to provide insights on which teams are likely to have the best/worst weather this week, so I’ll be including that where it’s relevant (and thanks Larry!).
And shoutout to Michael Hanlon for covering for me while I was out of town last week!
Now, let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 18 (8/4-8/10) of the fantasy baseball season.
Notes: All pitching matchups mentioned here are based on projections as of this post’s publication. It is entirely possible that the actual matchups could change for any number of reasons. Keep in mind, this article is geared toward middle-of-the-road players, meaning you should be starting top-of-the-line bats regardless of the matchup. Always start your studs.
START
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta and Miami both have a rare week this week—an eight-game week (more on Miami in a second). Whenever that happens, usually you’ve got to take advantage of it, especially in weekly leagues.
Even better for Atlanta, they’ve got some pretty favorable matchups this week, and the weather is slated to be good. They start the week off with three games against the Brewers, where they’ll see Quinn Priester, Freddy Peralta, and Jose Quintana. Peralta can be a problem, but overall, I’m not worried about those matchups.
After that, they’ll have their five-game series against the Marlins, a team that owns the 13th-worst FIP in the league, which will include a doubleheader on Saturday. There, they’ll see Janson Junk, Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, and Cal Quantrill, and on the whole, I’m not overly worried about that series either.
Honestly, regardless of who they’re going against, you’ve got to take advantage of the production potential of an eight-game week in a weekly league.
Make sure you’ve got Michael Harris II in your lineups this week as he’s been hot lately, slashing .417/.440/.708 over the past two weeks. And for OBP leagues, it’s worth noting Ozzie Albies is sporting a .412 OBP over the past two weeks (though just a .317 SLG, so not really any power lately).
Miami Marlins hitters – Now, normally, given the teams they’re up against, I probably wouldn’t recommend Marlins hitters. The matchups are pretty okay, some tough ones for sure, but given they also have an eight-game week, I think you’ve got to take a shot at the potential production, as I was saying earlier.
They start the week off with three games against the Astros, which could be a tough start to the week, given how good the Astros’ pitching has been. They’re slated to see Jason Alexander, Spencer Arrighetti, and Hunter Brown, so not the worst slate in the world, but not the best either.
After that, they’ll have their five-game series against Atlanta that I mentioned earlier, a team that ranks 14th in the league in FIP, so fairly middle-of-the-pack. In that series, they’re slated to see Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider, Erick Fedde, Joey Wentz, and whoever they elect to use in their doubleheader alongside Fedde. Strider’s a tough matchup, but the others I’m not worried about.
Kyle Stowers is still hitting well, slashing .278/.381/.639 over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups.
Colorado Rockies hitters – The Rockies get six games this week, kicking off with a three-game homestand in Coors Field against the Blue Jays, who currently own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball.
There, they’ll see Eric Lauer, José Berríos, and Kevin Gausman, none of whom worry me all that much, especially in Coors.
After that, they’ll have three games on the road against the Diamondbacks, who own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt, again, none of whom concern me much.
All in all, it’s slated to be a pretty solid week for your Rockies hitters, especially given they’re expected to have pretty warm weather all week.
Mickey Moniak has been hitting well lately, slashing .278/.308/.556 over the past two weeks, and is worth a look. Same with Jordan Beck, who’s hitting .308/.413/.410 over the past two weeks. And in deeper leagues, Warming Bernabel has been slashing .440/.462/.960 over the past two weeks and could have some value.
AVOID
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox have six games this week with some fairly difficult matchups ahead.
They start the week off with three games against the Mariners in Seattle, where it’s expected to be a bit cool. In that series, they’ll see Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert, all of whom are likely to be pretty tough matchups.
Then, the White Sox will have three games against the Guardians where they’ll see Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, and Slade Cecconi. I’m not worried about Cantillo, but Bibee and Cecconi certainly have the potential to be tough matchups.
All in all, there are really only a couple of games I’d feel comfortable starting my White Sox hitters in, and in a weekly league, I don’t think it’s worth it.
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers also have six games this week, starting off with a three-game series against the Yankees, where they’re slated to see Max Fried, Will Warren, and Carlos Rodón. Warren doesn’t worry me too much, but Fried and Rodon do.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Phillies, who own the third-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo, making this a pretty tough week to start your Rangers hitters.
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees also have a six-game slate this week with some likely tough matchups for their hitters.
They start the week off with the three-game series against the Rangers that I mentioned earlier, a team that owns the second-best team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jack Leiter.
Then, the Yanks will have three games against the Astros, who own the fourth-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Colton Goedon, Framber Valdez, and Jason Alexander.
There are a couple of matchups you could take advantage of in daily leagues, but on the whole, I think it’s best to look elsewhere than the Yankees this week in weekly leagues.
