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We have entered the dog days of August, and your roster might be bogged down with injuries or even some borderline hitters who are slumping. I always like to be aggressive with roster management, leaving a few slots open to add hitters each week to capitalize on hot streaks and good matchups.
Our hitter streamers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify hitters with good matchups that can be considered waiver wire streamers ahead of the Sunday night waiver wire runs for leagues with weekly transactions.
In this piece, every week, I'll look to find hitters playing in the most games and who have the most favorable matchups to help you plug those gaps and fill those holes in your roster. You can also check out the rest of our fantasy baseball streamer content here at RotoBaller.
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What Teams Offer The Most Streaming Value?
Six teams are playing seven games this week - the D-Backs, Reds, Marlins, Phillies, Giants and Nationals.
Four teams play only five games this week - the Cubs, White Sox, Royals, and Cardinals.
Park Factors and Matchups: Upgrades and Downgrades:
The Braves play a series at Coors -- UPGRADE
The Mets play a series at Coors -- UPGRADE
The Rockies play all six games at home (in Coors) -- UPGRADE
Week 20 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers
I'll recommend only players who are 40% rostered or lower, and all roster percentages are from Yahoo!
Josh Bell, 1B - ARI (39%)
Bell has been a streaky hitter this season, but right now, he's on some kind of tear at the plate. The switch-hitting first baseman slugged seven home runs over the last two weeks while hitting .350. Two of those long balls came on Friday night in his debut as an Arizona Diamondback.
Josh Bell making his Dbacks debut has a HR from both sides of the plate
You know he’s gonna make an impact on the NL West/Wild Card race pic.twitter.com/JNLmGjoYB6
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) August 3, 2024
He's been a top-25 asset over the short term, and he should be rostered in all formats until he cools off. But for now, his playing time is secure as regular first baseman Christian Walker is out for an undefined amount of time with an injury.
Gavin Lux, 2B/OF - LAD (32%)
If you happen to grind DFS every day like I do, you probably have had Lux in your lineup quite often the last few weeks, as the DFS sites have not priced him up despite his exemplary play.
He's hitting over .400 at the plate over the last two weeks with 11 RBI and seven runs scored. He's been hitting third in the lineup while Freddie Freeman is out and has been incredibly productive for the Dodgers. Somewhere in Southern California, my colleague Kev Mahserejian is smirking as he's always been one of the biggest Lux backers in the fantasy baseball industry.
Austin Wells, C - NYY (32%)
The cleanup hitter for the New York Yankees is available in almost 70% of Yahoo! leagues. Say it ain't so!
Wells sports a .372 average over the last two weeks with a pair of home runs and eight RBI. He's turned it on in the second half and has been fantastic for the Bronx Bombers since sliding into the cleanup spot.
Austin Wells entering today
2nd Half: .333/.434/.548 (54 PA)
July: .277/.388/.554 (81 PA)
Batting 4th: .342/.396/.561 (48 PA)— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) August 3, 2024
He looks poised for a big finish to the season, if you need a catcher - or even just a better one, Wells could be the answer.
Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B - SEA (26%)
The veteran second baseman has battled some injuries this season, his first in Seattle. But he's starting to really get it going at the plate, and the Mariners needed his injection of offense in the worst way.
Polanco is hitting .293 over the last two weeks with five home runs, 10 RBI, and 11 runs scored. That's good enough to earn him a top-30 ranking in that timeframe. He sat out Friday's game but returned yesterday to go 2-4 at the plate. He's always been a somewhat underrated hitter during his career and he has sneaky power from a middle infield position.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B - LAA (19%)
Not many first-basemen lead off for their clubs, but Schanuel is a really good contact hitter who doesn't strike out very often. He's not a big power hitter with only 11 home runs on the season, but he can be a solid source of runs scored and batting average. He's scored 11 runs in the Angels' last 11 games while hitting .357 in the process.
Victor Robles, OF - SEA (19%)
This is another guy who DFS peeps have been using as a cheat code lately. Victor Robles has long teased fantasy baseball players with his talent and upside but has finally put up numbers in Seattle as their leadoff hitter over the last month and a half.
Victor Robles since joining the Seattle Mariners has become a Top 10 hitter in all of baseball.
No, this isn't a typo. pic.twitter.com/YrAZ9y4Svv
— Cam 🔱 (@Camd3n_10) August 3, 2024
He's contributing across the board, including four steals in the last two weeks. He is badly under-rostered right now and is one of my favorite adds this week.
Wilyer Abreu, OF - BOS (18%)
I don't like recommending platoon players in this column all that often, but Abreu is heating up again and is simply too good of a hitter to ignore. He's up to a .380 wOBA and 142 wRC+ against RHP this season, trailing only Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran on the Sox. He's hitting .345 over the last two weeks with nine runs scored and nine RBI.
Orlando Arcia, SS - ATL (12%)
Arcia had a pretty miserable first half but was excellent in July and has stepped up lately to help fill the void on offense left behind by Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, and Ozzie Albies. He just had a 14-game hitting streak snapped yesterday, and he's hit four home runs in his last seven games.
Fantasy Baseball Deep League Hitter Streamers to Consider
Some widely available hitters (under 10% rostered) could be worth a look this week.
Brendan Rodgers, 2B - COL (8%)
Jake McCarthy, OF - ARI (7%)
Leody Taveras, OF - TEX (6%)
Freddy Fermin, C - KCR (6%)
Parker Meadows, OF - DET (4%)
Good luck this week, and choose those streaming options wisely!
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