Sleeper hitters for Week 26 (Sept. 14-20)
The most under-rostered player in Fantasy has an easy spot atop this list, with the Padres having the second-best hitter matchups this week. I'd expect Ty France's .294 batting and .873 OPS to go up in a four-game series at Coors Field.
| ||
The Rockies are looking at not just four games at Coors Field but a full week there. Cole Carrigg is among the players most impacted, seeing as his batting average and OPS are both about 200 points higher at home than on the road, and he's capable of contributing in a wide enough variety of ways to be of interest in all formats.
| ||
TJ Rumfield is one of the few Rockies hitters who's playable even on the road, but you certainly don't mind him having a full week at home, where he's batting .307 with an .890 OPS. He's been cooking so far in September, too, batting .367 (11 for 30) with two homers.
| ||
Griffin Conine has emerged as a legitimate slugger in the second half -- and with the exit velocities to back it up -- but because he's a strict platoon player, the opportunities to use him can be few and far between. Clearly, one exists this week, with the Marlins scheduled to face nothing but right-handers, which include mashables like Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Walker Buehler.
| ||
Jakob Marsee has shown himself to be not such a big deal in Fantasy this year, but he's also in a good position to take advantage of this week's favorable hitter slate just by virtue of him batting .611 (11 for 18) in his past four games.
| ||
I'm normally hesitant to recommend catchers here since nobody is looking to use one in a utility spot. Still, Leonardo Bernal might be an exception given that he's started all nine of the Cardinals' games since arriving from Triple-A. They like his bat enough to slot it at first base or DH on his "off" days, and it's come through to the tune of a .278/.350/.472 slash line so far. His six-game slate against the Giants and Nationals is looking pretty favorable as well.
| ||
Looking even more favorable is the Dodgers' seven-game slate against the Reds and Giants pitching staffs, which rates it as the fourth-best for this week. Tommy Edman seems like the best bet on the waiver wire to take advantage because you know he's going to be in the lineup against both the lefties and the righties (unlike, presumably, Josue De Paula) and because he's getting the chance to bat leadoff with Shohei Ohtani out.
| ||
You know the drill with Christian Encarnacion-Strand by now. He may not play quite every day, but if enough left-handers are on the schedule for the Orioles (three in six games in this case), then his .310 batting average and 1.066 OPS against lefties are enough to justify a look, particularly at third base.
| ||
I could say almost the exact same thing for Coby Mayo that I said for Encarnacion-Strand. He seems more volatile because of his 31 percent strikeout rate, but he's been even more productive versus lefties, having hit more home runs against them (16) than any other big leaguer this year.
| ||
Newly back from the concussion IL, Kyle Karros has started three straight games for the Rockies, confirming that he remains the primary third baseman, and hit a home run Thursday, confirming that his swing is in good form. He's another strong bet to take advantage of their full slate of home games, seeing as he's batting .282 with an .827 OPS at Coors Field this year.
|
