Fantasy Baseball Weekend Preview: Mickey Moniak leads waiver wire pickups
Baseball fans should buckle up this weekend, as they will be treated to some extremely exciting matchups. The Rays will face the Orioles in a battle for AL supremacy, and an exciting interleague series will feature the Dodgers on the road against the Rangers. From a fantasy perspective, there are plenty of players to stream, both on the hitting side and on the pitching side.
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I’ll start by highlighting the best options and then move on to a deeper look into the weekend action.
Top players to add off waiver wire
Edouard Julien (2B, Minnesota Twins, 13% rostered)
Julien has fared as well as any hitter in baseball this month (1.677 OPS) and is regularly hitting out of premium lineup spots. I mention the rookie later in the article as a great candidate to go deep on Friday, but his value extends beyond one game. The White Sox will send out right-handed starters all weekend, which perfectly suits Julien, who has posted a 1.053 OPS against righties.
Mickey Moniak (OF, Los Angeles Angels, 41%)
Moniak has tormented right-handers this season (1.092 OPS) and is scheduled to face unimposing righties in his next six games. The 25-year-old should be rostered in the majority of Yahoo leagues until Mike Trout returns at some point in August. With continued excellent play, Moniak could lock up a full-time role for the rest of the season.
Yainer Díaz (C, Houston Astros, 24%)
Díaz should be rostered in far more leagues after collecting eight homers and 18 RBI since June 1. He has thrived against right-handers this year (.866 OPS) and should do plenty of damage when he faces an A’s staff that is deploying right-handed starters twice this weekend as part of a staff with a 6.00 ERA.
Jesús Sánchez (OF, Miami Marlins, 4%)
Sánchez draws nearly all his plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, which sets him up for great success this weekend against three Colorado righty starters who each have an ERA over 6.00.
Seth Lugo (SP, San Diego Padres, 33%)
Lugo is my favorite widely available starter to stream this weekend. The right-hander is in an excellent position to post low ratios and earn a win when he faces a Tigers lineup that ranks 29th in OPS vs. righties. Since returning from the injured list on June 20, Lugo has posted a 3.29 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and a 26:2 K:BB ratio.
Matchups to target
Reds vs. D-backs
Cincinnati will face left-handed starters Friday and Saturday, which creates a wide discrepancy of values for their players. Matt McLain (79%) and Nick Senzel (3%) have thrived against lefties this year, while Jake Fraley must be benched, and Joey Votto is less appealing as well.
Marlins vs. Rockies
Although Miami’s hitters will not get the benefit of playing at Coors Field, they should still thrive against a staff with a 5.09 road ERA. With Colorado deploying three starters who throw from the right side, Jesús Sánchez (4%) and Joey Wendle (3%) should be more productive than usual.
Astros at A’s
Oakland has pitched better of late but still not well enough to avoid being a target for fantasy managers who are looking to create offense. And there are good odds that the A’s won’t be up to the task of slowing down a Houston offense that has been above average this month despite working without Yordan Álvarez and José Altuve. Yaíner Diaz (24%) is a terrific option for those who stream catchers, while Chas McCormick (38%) and Corey Julks (15%) can provide outfield assistance.
Angels vs. Pirates
Los Angeles could score early and often against three unimposing right-handed starters from the Pirates. Mickey Moniak (41%) is a must-start player this weekend, while Mike Moustakas (2%) can be considered in deeper formats.
Matchups to avoid
White Sox at Twins
The White Sox will be in a tough spot against three talented right-handed starters: Joe Ryan, Sonny Gray and Bailey Ober. Aside from Luis Robert Jr., there aren’t any Chicago hitters I would be excited to put into my lineup.
Seeking steals
Those who hope to pick up a couple of extra steals this week should target speedsters in these contests.
Luis Matos vs. Nationals: Matos is not an elite base stealer, but he is the best the Giants can offer while Thairo Estrada is on the IL. The rookie could reach base often against three Washington starters who each own a WHIP over 1.45. Once on base, Matos will be in prime position to run aggressively against Keibert Ruiz, who leads all catchers in steals allowed.
Leody Taveras, Travis Jankowski vs. Dodgers: The Dodgers have been easy to run on all season, as both of their catchers rank among the top eight in steals allowed. This trend is unlikely to change when they send three right-handed starters to the mound this weekend, which makes the Rangers' top two base-stealing threats at the moment — Taveras and Jankowski — targets in roto leagues.
Big boppers
Looking to add a homer or two to your total this week? Consider streaming one of these players.
Edouard Julien vs. Lance Lynn (Friday): A left-handed batter, Julien has thrived against righties this year, providing nine homers in 128 at-bats. The rookie could add to his homer total when he faces Lynn, who leads the majors in long balls allowed.
Teoscar Hernández vs. Yusei Kikuchi (Saturday): Hernandez has been a fantasy disappointment overall, mostly due to his poor play against right-handers (.665 OPS). But the right-handed slugger continues to thrive against southpaws, producing six homers and 84 at-bats during those matchups. He could go deep against Kikuchi, who has allowed more round-trippers than all but four pitchers.
Streaming starters
In order, here are the best streamers from Friday to Sunday, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in parentheses.
Seth Lugo @ DET (Friday, 33)
Clarke Schmidt vs. KC (Friday, 24)
Ranger Suárez @ CLE (Friday, 42)
Tarik Skubal vs. SD (Sunday, 53)
Matt Manning vs. SD (Saturday, 21)
Kyle Bradish @ TB (Friday, 69)
Bryan Woo vs. TOR (Sunday, 47)
Tanner Bibee vs. PHI (Saturday, 56)
Kutter Crawford vs. NYM (Saturday, 9)
Gavin Williams vs. PHI (Friday, 33)
Andrew Heaney vs. LAD (Friday, 54)
Logan Allen vs. PHI (Sunday, 25)
Reese Olson vs. SD (Friday, 6)
Josiah Gray vs. SF (Saturday, 38)
Alex Wood @ WSH (Friday, 5)
Jameson Taillon vs. STL (Sunday, 23)
Mike Soroka @ MIL (Friday, 25)
Grayson Rodriguez @ TB (Saturday, 51)
