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 or 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 21 (8/17-8/23) 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
Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds get a rare eight-game week this week thanks to a doubleheader on Monday, and on top of that, they’ll have some pretty solid hitting matchups.
They kick off the week with a five-game series against the Cardinals (including that doubleheader), who have been a pretty middling pitching staff so far this year. In that series, they’ll see Andre Pallante, Quinn Mathews, Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore, and Michael McGreevy.
After that, the Reds will have three games against the Diamondbacks, who currently own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Soroka, and Mitch Bratt.
None of those matchups really concern me all that much (save for maybe the Soroka matchup), and give the volume you’ll have with eight games this week, I think there’s plenty of value to be had from your Reds hitters.
Sal Stewart owns a .319/.353/.511 line over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups. Also Matt McLain owns a decent .250/.333/.583 line over the past two weeks (you could do worse than a .333 ISO) and could have some value in deeper leagues.
Colorado Rockies hitters – The Rockies get six games this week all at home in Coors Field, but I’m not as enthusiastic about their week from a hitters’ perspective as I normally would be, however I still think there’s some value to be had here.
They kick the week off with three games against the Dodgers, and that’s what puts a slight damper on it, as the Dodgers’ pitching staff has generally been pretty good. Luckily, the Rockies dodge (pun intended) a lot of the worst matchups, getting to face Blake Snell, Eric Lauer, and Roki Sasaki. Snell’s tough, but I think ultimately Coors Field will even things out.
After that, the Rockies get three games against the Guardians where they’ll see Joey Cantillo, Tanner Bibee, and Foster Griffin.
In a normal week, this would be a pretty mediocre week for your Rockies hitters, but given its six games in Coors, I find that hard to pass up, so I think you should be good to go.
Jake McCarthy owns a .327/.333/.558 line with three steals over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look this week, especially since he’s generally leading off for the Rockies. Cole Carrigg is also worth a look, as he owns a .289/.347/.400 line with four steals over the past two weeks. And in deeper leagues, Ezequiel Tovar is worth a look, as he has a .353/.395/.500 line over the past two weeks.
Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have six games this week and are slated for some pretty darn solid matchups for their hitters.
They kick the week off with three games against the Angels, who own the 10th-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see George Klassen, Walbert Ureña, and Grayson Rodriguez. After that, they’ll get three games against the Athletics who own the worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Jacob Lopez, Mason Barnett, and Jack Perkins.
Honestly if any of those matchups concern me, it might be Ureña, as he’s looked pretty good, but on the whole I think you’re good to start your Astros hitters this week.
Cam Smith is worth a look this week, as he’s been hitting .378/.410/.703 over the past two weeks.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you’re looking for some help at the catcher position, Christian Vázquez has a pretty solid set of matchups this week and owns a .215 ISO over the past two weeks, so there could be some value there in deeper two-catcher leagues.
Cleveland Guardians hitters – The Guardians have six games this week, kicking off with three against the Giants (thankfully not in Oracle Park, which is very pitcher-friendly), where they’ll see Carson Whisenhunt, Adrian Houser, and Landen Roupp.
After that, the Guardians get three games in Coors Field against the Rockies, who own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll see Michael Lorenzen, Gabriel Hughes, and Tomoyuki Sugano.
The matchup against Roupp might be worth avoiding in daily leagues, but otherwise I think you should be all set to get your Guardians hitters out there this week.
Steven Kwan is worth a look this week, as he’s slashing .341/.453/.432 line over the past two weeks (that’s not a lot of power but that average and OBP are really solid). same with Chase DeLauter, who owns a .360/.448/.460 line with three steals over the past two weeks. In deeper leagues, Nathaniel Lowe is worth a look, as he owns a .343/.368/.629 line over the past two weeks and is pretty widely available.
AVOID
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants get six games this week, kicking off with three games against the Guardians, who own the seventh-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Foster Griffin, Parker Messick, and Gavin Williams.
After that, the Giants get there games against the Red Sox, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Sonny Gray, Patrick Sandoval, and Ranger Suarez.
There are maybe a couple of matchups you could exploit in there, but generally speaking, I’d be avoiding my mid-tier Giants hitters this week.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Yankees, who own the third-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Will Warren, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole.
After that, the O’s get three games against the the Rays where they’ll see Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, and Drew Rasmussen.
Again, a matchup or two you could probably use in daily leagues, but on the whole in a weekly league, I think I’d be avoiding my mid-level Orioles hitters this week.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates get six games this week, starting off with three against the Tigers, who own the sixth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, and Jackson Jobe.
After that, the Pirates get three games against the Dodgers, who own the ninth-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, and Tarik Skubal.
Similar to the other two teams, maybe a matchup or two you could utilize in a daily league, but in a weekly league, there’s enough uncertainty here that I’d be avoiding if I could.
