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 25 (9/14-9/20) 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 – If you’re in your league’s playoffs or championship and you need some offense this week, the Rockies should help provide it (through either their offense or their terrible pitching). Why’s that? Because they get a full seven-game week all at home in Coors Field.
Now, the pitching matchups for the Rockies this week aren’t incredible, but they’re solid. They kick off the week with four games against the Padres, who own the 13th-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Casey Mize, Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray, and Michael King.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Mariners where they’ll see Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock, and Kade Anderson (avoiding both Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, which is nice).
These are solid enough matchups that, alongside the fact that all seven games will be in Coors Field, you can’t ignore your Rockies hitters this week.
Jake McCarthy has been on fire lately, slashing .347/.407/.592 over the past two weeks and generally leading off for the Rockies, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups. TJ Rumfield has been similar, slashing .390/.479/.659 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a start this week. And in deeper leagues, Adael Amador is worth a look, as he’s been slashing .344/.400/.594 over the past two weeks.
San Diego Padres hitters – A rising tide lifts all boats, and in this case that rising tide is the Rockies having seven games at home in Coors Field, which also helps their opponent’s offenses.
The Padres benefit quite a bit from this, as they’ll have their first four games of the week in Coors Field against the Rockies, who own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball.
After that, the Padres get three games against the Marlins, who have been fairly middle-of-the-road in pitching, where they’ll see Tyler Phillips, Eury Pérez, and Sandy Alcantara. I might avoid that matchup against Alcantara in a daily league, but otherwise you should be in good shape to get some production out of your Padres hitters this week.
Jackson Merrill has been on fire lately, slashing .340/.373/.638 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth starting this week.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at the catcher position this week, Luis Campusano has been slashing a pretty respectable .282/.349/.462 over the past two weeks and should be pretty available. He also generally hits in the middle of the Padres’ lineup, so there should be some good opportunities for him.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers get a pretty nice schedule for their hitters this week, kicking off with four games against the Reds, who own the third-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder, Andrew Abbott, and Brady Singer. And even better, the games will all be in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark.
After that, the Dodgers get three games against the Giants, who own the 11th-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Cesar Perdomo, Logan Webb, and Landen Roupp.
In daily leagues, you might want to avoid the matchup with Webb, but generally speaking, this should be a pretty favorable week for your Dodgers hitters.
Cleveland Guardians hitters – The Guardians get six games this week with some pretty favorable matchups ahead.
They kick things off with three games against the White Sox, who own the 10th-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Davis Martin, Erick Fedde, and Anthony Kay. After that, they’ll get three games against the A’s, who own the worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Gage Jump, Jacob Lopez, and Jack Perkins.
Chase DeLauter has been hitting exceptionally well lately, slashing .353/.405/.618 over the past two weeks, so make sure he’s in your lineup, same with Travis Bazzana, who’s hitting .323/.447/.581 over the past two weeks.
AVOID
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers have six games this week with some pretty tough matchups ahead.
They kick things off with three games against the Red Sox, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball, where they’ll see Patrick Sandoval, Jake Bennett, and Sonny Gray. After that, it’s three games against the Blue Jays, who own the eighth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Dylan Cease, Spencer Arrighetti, and José Soriano.
In daily leagues, there might be a matchup or two here you could exploit, but in weekly leagues, I’d be looking elsewhere than my Rangers hitters this week if I could.
Washington Nationals hitters – I’m avoiding my Nats hitters this week mainly in weekly leagues because they only have five games this week, and in weekly leagues (especially towards the end of the season), you really need more opportunities for volume.
The Nats start off the week with a two-game series against the Phillies, who own the fourth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler.
After that, they get three games against the Cardinals, who have generally been middle-of-the-road in pitching, where they’ll see Cooper Hjerpe, Michael McGreevy, and Quinn Mathews.
In daily leagues, that series against the Cardinals should probably be fine, but in weekly leagues with two tough matchups right off the bat, I just don’t think it’s worth it to start my mid-tier Nats hitters this week.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs get six games this week, starting off with three games against the Marlins where they’ll see Sandy Alcantara, Janson Junk, and Ryan Gusto.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Yankees, who own the third-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren.
In daily leagues, I’m fine starting my D’Backs hitters against Junk and Gusto, but in weekly leagues, I don’t think it’s worth starting my mid-level D’Backs hitters when there are really just two games I’d feel comfortable starting them in.
