Fantasy Baseball Weekend Preview: Yankees, Twins should feast
Managers who need to stream a starter this weekend are in luck, as there are three exciting youngsters who are set to face baseball’s lowest-scoring lineups. On the offensive side, the Yankees and Twins are the best sources of temporary assistance.
Matchups to Target
Yankees vs. Blue Jays
The Yankees should score plenty of runs at their hitter-friendly home park this weekend. They will face Kevin Gausman, whom they have knocked around this year, José Berríos, who has struggled at times of late, and Yariel Rodríguez, who couldn’t get out of the first inning in his most recent start. And late in the games, they will tangle with a Blue Jays bullpen that owns a 5.09 ERA. Alex Verdugo (46%) is regularly hitting leadoff, and Austin Wells has been batting cleanup (30%).
Twins vs. White Sox
Outside of a few innings in what is expected to be a short start by Garrett Crochet on Saturday, Minnesota hitters should have their way with a pitching staff that ranks 29th in baseball in ERA. Ryan Jeffers (42%) is an option to stream at catcher, while Carlos Santana (21%), Brooks Lee (20%) and Matt Wallner (4%) are some of the best options in the entirety of this week’s article.
Dodgers @ A’s
The Dodgers' productive offense should continue to mash when they face three weak starters and a bullpen that lacks established hurlers. Gavin Lux (26%) is a terrific streamer for the upcoming matchups, and Andy Pages (12%) is an option in deep leagues.
Padres vs. Rockies
San Diego should score early and often against the pitching staff with the worst ERA in baseball. Unfortunately, the key members of this offense are widely rostered. Still, this is a reminder to get every Padres hitter into the lineup in shallow leagues.
Braves vs. Marlins
Braves hitters should fare well overall against three beatable righties and a bullpen that lost its best relievers at the deadline. Orlando Arcia (8%) is the best streamer from this lineup, while Jarred Kelenic (34%) and Eddie Rosario (2%) can be considered in deep leagues.
Astros vs. Rays
Houston hitters should reach base often against three starters with a WHIP over 1.30 and a relief corps that lost key members at the deadline. Outfielder Jake Meyers (7%) is the top waiver wire target, while Jeremy Peña can remain active in shallow leagues where he sometimes sits on the bench.
Matchups to Avoid
White Sox @ Twins
Not that they would garner much attention in the first place, but the White Sox hitters could struggle against three solid Minnesota righties and an effective relief corps. Luis Robert Jr. is the only man to start from this lineup.
Phillies @ Mariners
Players in one of baseball’s best lineups may struggle to reach base against three Seattle starters who each own an ERA under 1.05. The superstars will need to stay in fantasy lineups, but this is a bad weekend to start Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh and Austin Hays.
Guardians vs. Orioles
The Guardians are unlikely to have offensive outbursts against a solid trio of Baltimore starters. José Ramírez, Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor are the three men who need to remain active in all leagues.
Seeking Steals
Harrison Bader (OF, New York Mets, 10%)
Bader ranks second on the Mets with 14 steals, and he has an excellent opportunity to add to that total this weekend. The speedy outfielder will face an Angels staff that lacks elite starters and ranks 27th in baseball with a 4.60 ERA, and once he reaches base, he will undoubtedly run aggressively against Logan O’Hoppe, who has allowed more steals than any other catcher.
Seeking Saves
Chad Green (Toronto Blue Jays, 45%)
This is likely the last week Green will appear in this space, as his roster rate will increase substantially now that he made it through the trade deadline with his closer’s role intact. The right-hander is having an excellent season (1.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP) and should be Toronto’s closer for the remainder of the campaign. Those in deeper formats can instead target Tyler Ferguson (14%), who is currently closing for the A’s. Unfortunately, Oakland may not be able to beat the Dodgers this weekend.
Streaming Starters
In order, here are the best streamers for the weekend, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in brackets.
Spencer Schwellenbach vs. MIA (Friday, 49)
Tyler Phillips @SEA (Friday, 38)
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. CWS (Sunday, 24)
Hayden Birdsong @CIN (Sunday, 19)
Carson Spiers vs. SF (Sunday, 11)
Kyle Gibson @CHC (Saturday, 34)
José Quintana @LAA (Sunday, 29)
José Soriano vs. NYM (Saturday, 23)
David Peterson @LAA (Saturday, 17)
Paul Blackburn @LAA (Friday, 8)
Michael Lorenzen @DET (Saturday, 17)
Aaron Civale @WSH (Saturday, 34)
Javier Assad vs. STL (Friday, 30)
Dean Kremer @CLE (Friday, 22)
