With just a few days remaining until the All-Star break, this is a great weekend to stream players and maximize production in fantasy baseball. After all, most of the players who are dropped in order to make streaming possible can be scooped back up while Major League teams and fantasy managers take a collective break at the outset of next week.
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Fantasy Baseball Weekend Preview
Matchups to Target
D-backs @ Angels
Arizona should have plenty of baserunners against three starters who each have a WHIP over 1.37 and a bullpen with a 1.51 WHIP. Arizona knows what to do when they get runners on base, ranking 5th in runs scored. With lefties starting the initial two games of the series, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (50%) is the top player to add.
Reds vs. Rockies
The Reds should score often at their hitter-friendly home park against a Rockies staff that ranks last in baseball with a 5.66 ERA. Austin Hays (16%) should hit cleanup in all three games and could really thrive against left-handed starters on Saturday and Sunday. He has a career .821 OPS in those matchups that includes an 1.154 mark this season.
Brewers vs. Nationals
The Brewers should have their way against Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Mitchell Parker, Cade Cavalli and baseball’s worst bullpen. Leadoff hitter Sal Frelick (42%) is an easy candidate to join fantasy rosters, while righty batters Andrew Vaughn (5%) and Caleb Durbin (16%) make sense in deeper leagues, especially with lefties set to start on Friday and Saturday.
Blue Jays @ Athletics
The Blue Jays could stay hot offensively when they visit Sutter Health Park, which has already become one of the most offense-inducing parks in baseball. Their cause will be helped by facing three unimpressive starters and a relief corps that ranks 29th in ERA. The Athletics will start lefties on Saturday and Sunday, and Ernie Clement (29%) has thrived in those matchups this year (1.074 OPS). Davis Schneider (1%) is another righty batter who mashes lefties and has been playing well of late.
Matchups to Avoid
Padres vs. Phillies
San Diego could struggle to score against three starters who each have an ERA below 2.60. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are the only must-start Padres. Before you ask, I did not forget to include Jackson Merrill.
Tigers vs. Mariners
The Tigers may not look like a team that ranks 6th in runs scored when they face three effective starters (Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert) this weekend. Riley Greene is the only must-start Tiger for this series.
Astros vs. Rangers
The Astros will hopefully score often against Jack Leiter (4.32 ERA) on Friday, as they will be in tough vs. Jacob deGrom (2.29 ERA) and Nathan Eovaldi (1.62 ERA) during the subsequent two days. With Jeremy Peña on the injured list, Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes are the only appealing Astros.
Yankees vs. Cubs
Some players on the Yankees could have an excellent series against two left-handed starters, but this is bad news for Jasson Domínguez, Ben Rice and Trent Grisham. All three should be benched wherever possible.
Seeking Saves
Ronny Henriquez, Marlins, 38% Rostered
Miami has improved lately, posting an 18-9 record since June 10. The Marlins should continue to win games this weekend with arguably the better starting pitcher in each of their three games in Baltimore. Henriquez has emerged as the team’s closer, and this season he has five wins and five saves, to go along with a 60:16 K:BB ratio.
Seeking Steals
Evan Carter, Rangers, 18%
Although Carter may sit against a lefty on Saturday, he has an excellent chance to steal a base in the other two games against the Astros, who have allowed the second-most steals this season. Carter has improved his aggressiveness on the basepaths this year by swiping 11 bags in 120 at-bats. In shallow leagues, Cedric Mullins (54%) is a terrific option for steals, as he faces a Marlins team that is baseball’s easiest to run against.
Streaming starters
In order, here are the best streamers for the weekend, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in brackets.
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Chase Burns vs. COL (Friday, 50%)
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Eury Pérez @ BAL (Sunday, 47%)
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Simeon Woods Richardson vs. PIT (Sunday, 9%)
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Sean Manaea @ KC (Sunday, 41%)
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Ryne Nelson @ LAA (Friday, 46%)
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Nick Martinez vs. COL (Sunday, 28%)
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Brady Singer vs. COL (Saturday, 46%)
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Gavin Williams @ CWS (Friday, 44%)
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Michael Wacha vs. NYM (Friday, 40%)
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Noah Cameron vs. NYM (Sunday, 46%)
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Jansen Junk @ BAL (Saturday, 8%)
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Dean Kremer vs. MIA (Friday, 20%)
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Trevor Rogers vs. MIA (Saturday, 32%)
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Jose Soriano vs. ARI (Sunday, 41%)
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Joey Cantillo @ CWS (Sunday, 3%)
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Brayan Bello vs. TB (Sunday, 40%)
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Jake Irvin @ MIL (Sunday, 17%)
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