Hey everybody!
If you’re unfamiliar with this series, each week I highlight hitting matchups you should take advantage of in your fantasy baseball league and ones that you should try to avoid based on the pitching matchups those hitters are slated to face that week. I also try to highlight a catcher to two to stream (if there are catchers worth streaming) because that position can be a real pain.
So let’s take a look at the hitters you should start and avoid for Week 19 (8/3-8/9) 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.
Additional important note for this week: The trade deadline is on Monday and I am writing this up on Saturday, which means that some of these potential matchups could change.
START
Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds have six games this week with some pretty favorable matchups ahead, kicking off with three games against the Athletics, who own the worst team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll see J.T. Ginn, Jacob Lopez, and Jeffrey Springs.
After that, the Reds will get three games against the Nationals, who own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Cade Cavalli, Zack Littell, and Jake Irvin.
Honestly, none of those matchups really worry me all that much, so I think you should be good to toss your Reds hitters out there this week.
Nathaniel Lowe owns a .300/.317/.500 line over the past two weeks is worth a look this week, especially since he generally hits in the middle of the Reds’ lineup. Also, Dane Myers owns a .371/.450/.400 line with a couple of steals over the past two weeks and could have some value in deeper leagues.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at the catcher position this week, Tyler Stephenson owns a .355/.474/.710 line over the past two weeks and could have some value, provided he doesn’t end up getting traded.
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies get a full seven-game week this week, kicking off with four games against the Nationals who, as I mentioned earlier, own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Zack Littell, Jake Irvin, Foster Griffin, and Miles Mikolas.
After that, the Phils will get three games against the Blue Jays where they’ll face off against Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage. The matchup against Yesavage worries me a bit, so I’d avoid that in daily leagues if I can, but other than that, I think you’re good to start your Phillies hitters this week.
Alec Bohm is hitting .286/.333/.476 over the past two weeks and is worth a look this week, as is Bryson Stott, who’s hitting .297/.381/.541 over the same time period.
Boston Red Sox hitters – The Red Sox get six games this week, starting off with three games against the White Sox, who own the 13th-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Erick Fedde.
After that, the Sox get three games against the Athletics who, as I mentioned earlier, have the worst team FIP in all of baseball. In that series, they’ll face off against Jack Perkins, Gage Jump, and J.T. Ginn.
Virtually none of these matchups concern me from a hitter perspective, so I think your Sox hitters should be good to go this week.
Ceddanne Rafaela is slashing .333/.333/.608 over the past two weeks with a couple of stolen bases and is worth a look this week. Also, Caleb Durbin is hitting .317/.404/.439 over the past two weeks and could have some value this week, as could Andruw Monasterio in deeper leagues, as he’s hitting .353/.425/.559 over the past two weeks.
AVOID
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers have a six-game week this week starting off with three games against the Mariners, who own the third-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see whoever replaces Luis Castillo, Emerson Hancock, and Bryan Woo.
After that, the Tigers get three games against the Giants in Oracle Park, one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the league, where they’ll see Tyler Mahle, Landen Roupp, and Logan Webb.
The matchups against the Castillo replacement and Mahle don’t worry me, but on the whole, I think this week looks a little tough for your Tigers hitters, especially in weekly leagues, so I’d be looking elsewhere.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox also have six games this week and are slated for some fairly difficult matchups ahead.
They kick off the week with three games against the Red Sox, who own the fourth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Patrick Sandoval, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez.
After that, the White Sox get three games against the Guardians, who own the fifth-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, and Slade Cecconi.
There are a couple of matchups in there that you could probably utilize without much problem in daily leagues, but in weekly leagues, I’d likely be looking elsewhere than my mid-tier White Sox hitters this week.
Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats have a seven-game week this week but unfortunately it comes with some pretty tough matchups for their hitters.
They kick the week off with four games against the Phillies, who own the seventh-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Andrew Painter, and Cristopher Sánchez.
After that, the Nats will have three games against the Reds where they’ll see Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, and Brady Singer.
Similar to what I said about the White Sox, there are definitely a few matchups in there you could take advantage of in daily leagues, but in weekly leagues, I’m not seeing enough value here to warrant starting my mid-level Nats hitters.
