Each week, I’ll be taking a look at five hitting matchups you should take advantage of and five hitting matchups you should avoid. Here are the batters you should start and avoid for Week 7 (9/7-9/13) 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, especially given how fluid things are this season. 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
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers get a pretty nice schedule this week, starting with one game against the Mariners to finish out a four-game series, then a three-game series against the Angels and four games against the Athletics. So yes, that’s eight games this week, mostly against bad pitching staffs (save for the A’s, but that’s just three games). Over the past two weeks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been slashing .357/.372/.524 and is worth a look (or pick up if he’s available) this week. Also, Ronald Guzman is slashing .389/.450/.722 over the past two weeks, and is also worth a look for a stream this week.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels arguably have the best week for hitters this week, starting with a three-game series against the Rangers. In that series, they’ll face Lance Lynn, who can be a difficult matchup, so in daily leagues, I might dodge him, but otherwise, you’re good to go in that series. Then, the Angels get to be the only team to go to Coors Field this week to face the Rockies, who own the second-worst team ERA in baseball. If someone dropped Justin Upton, he might be worth a look this week, as he’s been looking better lately, slashing .333/.407/.625 over the past two weeks. And if you’re looking for some batting average, Andrelton Simmons is slashing .385/.455/.385 over the past two weeks.
St. Louis Cardinals hitters – Similar to the Rangers, the Cardinals also get an eight-game week that looks pretty favorable. They finish off a five-game series against the Cubs on Monday, then they’ll host a doubleheader against the Twins (where they will face Jose Berrios, so maybe skip that one in daily leagues). After that, it’s a doubleheader against the Tigers, and then it’s a three-game weekend series against the Reds. That’s….a lot of team variety, but mostly pretty good matchups, aside from the aforementioned Berrios matchup. Luckily against the Reds, they get to dodge both Trevor Bauer and Luis Castillo, but they will have to face Sonny Gray, so again, in daily leagues, maybe skip that one. But overall, it’s a really solid week for your Cardinals hitters with plenty of value to be had. If you still haven’t hopped on the Brad Miller hype train, this is the week to do it. The guy has been slashing .304/.439/.609 over the past two weeks and is still pretty available.
San Diego Padres hitters – I know, pretty bold of me to tell you to start your Padres hitters, but they get a pretty sweet week this week, with a seven-game week starting with a three-game series against the Rockies (who, again, have the second-worst team ERA in baseball), and then a four-game series against the Giants, who own the seventh-worst team ERA in baseball. There aren’t too many Padres who aren’t widely owned, but someone like Jurickson Profar, who’s been slashing .290/.303/.484 over the past two weeks, could give you some value.
Martin Maldonado – The Astros are slated to face four lefties this week, and if you’re looking for a catcher to stream, Maldonado is worth a look. He’s been crushing lefties so far, slashing .393/.514/.679 against them.
AVOID
Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s have a nine-game week this week, which on its face sounds super appealing, but they’re going to have five of those games against the Astros, who own the ninth-best team ERA in baseball. Then, they’ll have three games against the Rangers, where they’ll face Lance Lynn and Kolby Allard, who, it’s worth noting, has posted a 2.92 ERA over the past two weeks.
Minnesota Twins hitters – The Twins have six games this week, starting with a game against the Tigers on Monday to finish out a five-game series. In daily leagues, go ahead and start your Twins there. Then, they’ll have a doubleheader against the Cardinals, who own the fifth-best ERA in baseball, and they’ll finish the week off with a three-game series against the Indians, who own the second-best ERA in baseball.
Houston Astros hitters – I know I recommended Martin Maldonado, and that’s fine, but otherwise, I’d likely skip your middle-of-the-road Astros hitters this week. I know, it’s a seven-game week, but they’ll have five games against the A’s, who own the fourth-best team ERA in baseball, and they’ll close with two games against the Dodgers, who have the best team ERA in baseball. Aside from Maldonado and your Astros studs, I’d skip your Astros hitters.
Atlanta Braves hitters – The Braves start their week against the Marlins where they’ll get to face Sixto Sanchez, who has been excellent so far this year, and Pablo Lopez, who’s also looked good this year. Then, they’ll close the week with a four-game series against the Nationals, where they’ll get to see both Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer, so aside from your Braves studs, I’d bench your Braves hitters.
David Peralta – The Diamondbacks are slated to face three lefties this week, and if you’ve been a David Peralta owner over the years, you know what that means—you should sit him. On his career, Peralta’s a pretty underwhelming .241/.306/.365 hitter against lefties.
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)