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 23 (8/31-9/6) 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
Colorado Rockies hitters – It’s one of those beautiful weeks this week, a week where the Rockies have all of their games at home in Coors Field. Unfortunately it’s six games instead of seven (would’ve loved to maximize that value but oh well), but there should still be plenty of value to be had here.
They kick off the week with three games against the Orioles, whose pitching staff has been fairly middle-of-the-road so far this year. In that series, they’ll see Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, and Brandon Young, and while Bradish and Rogers would potentially make me a little nervous, I think you should be fine, especially in Coors Field.
After that, the Rockies will get three games against the Cardinals, who have also been fairly middle-of-the-road as far as pitching goes this year. In that series, they’ll see Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore, and Michael McGreevy.
With six games in Coors Field, none of them against pitchers that strike absolute fear in your heart, I think you’re good to get your Rockies in your lineups this week.
Willi Castro has been sporting a very respectable .262/.360/.452 line with two stolen bases over the past two weeks and could certainly have some value this week, especially given his positional flexibility. And Connor Norby has been lighting it up lately, slashing .325/.386/.575 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look, especially since he’s pretty widely available.
Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have a full seven-game week this week with some pretty great matchups ahead.
They start the week off with four games against the White Sox, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball right now. There, they’ll see Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Luis Castillo, and José Urquidy.
After that, the Astros will get three games against the Diamondbacks, who own the eighth-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Kohl Drake, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt.
None of those matchups worry me all that much, so with seven games all against bottom-10 pitching staffs, you should be able to get some value out of your Astros hitters this week.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at the catcher position this week, Yainer Diaz is worth a look if he’s out there in your league, as he’s been hitting .333/.355/.567 over the past two weeks.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers get six games this week, kicking off with three games against the Cardinals who, as I mentioned earlier, have been fairly middle-of-the-road as far as pitching goes. In that series, they’ll see Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, and Quinn Mathews.
One note here, the Pallante start is a possibility but not a guarantee. He’s eligible to come off the IL on Sept. 2, so I’d anticipate that as long as he’s healthy, the Cardinals are going to roll him out there. Pallante has been pretty darn good this year, and especially good in the second half of the season, but I’m more bullish starting my Dodgers hitters against him since this will be his first start back from injury.
After that series, the Dodgers will get three games against the Nationals, who own the third-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Cade Cavalli, Andrew Alvarez, and Will Dion. Cavalli has been pretty excellent this year, so I might dodge him in a daily league, but otherwise I think you should be good.
AVOID
Chicago Cubs hitters – While the Cubs have a full, seven-game week this week, they’re slated for some tough matchups that make this week one to likely avoid.
The bulk of the problem is their first series of the week, a four-game series against the Brewers, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll see Kyle Harrison, Robert Gasser, Jacob Misiorowski, and Logan Henderson.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Marlins, who own the 11th-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips, and Ryan Gusto.
In a daily league, there are a couple of matchups here you could probably be fine taking advantage of, but on the whole (and especially in weekly leagues), I’d be avoiding my Cubs hitters this week.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels get six games this week and are also slated with some pretty tough matchups.
They kick the week off with three games against the Yankees, who own the third-best team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Elmer Rodríguez, Gerrit Cole, and Cam Schlittler.
After that, the Angels will have three games against the Pirates, who own the sixth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, and Paul Skenes.
Again, there are probably a couple of matchups you could exploit this week in a daily league, but in a weekly league, there’s just not enough value here to warrant starting your mid-tier Angels hitters.
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta is one of the few teams this week with just five games, which already puts them at a disadvantage. Even worse, three of those five games will be against the Phillies, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball. In that series, they’ll face-off against Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola.
Now, their first series of the week is a two-game series against the Nationals where they’ll see Jake Irvin and Jackson Kent. If you’re in a daily league, go ahead and start your Atlanta hitters in that series, I’m not worried about that in the least.
But I’m recommending you avoid your mid-level Atlanta hitters this week if you’re in a weekly league. With just five games, the majority of which will be against one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, I think you’re better off looking elsewhere.
