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Elliott Baas analyzes hitter streamers and starts for Week 11. These bats are potential fantasy baseball waiver wire adds to stream for head-to-head leagues.
Welcome to the hitting streamers column for the week of 06/10-06/16. Whether you're looking to maximize the number of games played, exploit favorable matchups, or fill in for injured players, streaming hitters can be a fruitful strategy for those willing to put in a little work every week.
Keep in mind that this column highlights players owned in approximately 50% or fewer of Yahoo leagues who could present nice streaming options for the upcoming week. This applies to any league but specifically is geared toward head-to-head weekly leagues where matchups are more critical.
If the following names aren't available, don't hesitate to check our famous waiver wire pickups list to find some appealing alternatives. Let's get to it.
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 11
Seven-Game Weeks: ARI, ATL, BOS, CHC, COL, PIT, STL, TB, TEX
Streamer of the Week
Jarrod Dyson (OF, ARI): 12% Owned
Dyson isn’t the stereotypical stream of the week. He won’t boost your power numbers, and he won’t pile up RBI, but Dyson’s speed and plate discipline give him a rare skillset for a player who is available in almost 90% of Yahoo leagues. Even at age 34 Dyson is in the 87th percentile of sprint speed, and is tied for third in the league with 12 stolen bases.
His career-high .354 OBP gives him even more opportunities to rack up steals, and gives him added value in on-base percentage formats. Dyson leads off for Arizona against right-handed pitchers, which means he should be atop the Diamondbacks’ lineup all week as they take on seven righties. In weekly leagues, Dyson could give owners an edge in speed while chipping in a decent average and runs scored.
Behind the Plate
Matt Wieters (C, STL): 3% Owned
More than decade before the Orioles sunk their hopes into top catching prospect Adley Rutschman, they sunk them into top catching prospect Matt Wieters. 12 years later Wieters is backing up Yadier Molina, but with Molina landing on the IL with a thumb injury, Wieters is seeing regular playing time once again. Wieters has performed well thus far, hitting .302 with a .256 ISO in 46 PA. While his 13:1 K:BB and .357 BABIP suggest this production isn’t sustainable, owners must remember that we’re talking about Matt Freakin’ Wieters here. He’s starting nearly every day for St. Louis and hitting fifth in the order. Chances are, if you are streaming your catcher off waivers, you could do much worse than Matt Wieters on a hot streak.
Elias Diaz (C, PIT): 7% Owned
In case Wieters is unavailable, or you don’t trust him, Elias Diaz is another decent streaming option at catcher this week. Like Yadier Molina, Pittsburgh starting catcher Francisco Cervelli is on the injured list. Unlike Molina, Cervelli may not win his job back when he returns. That’s partially because Cervelli had been terrible, but also because Elias Diaz has hit well in Cervelli’s absence. He has a .291 BA in 108 PA thus far, though a lack of power and poor walk rate cap his upside. Still, a near .300 BA from a catcher is a rarity for a player this widely available. With seven games ahead for Pittsburgh, Diaz could certainly prove to be a solid volume play this week.
Also Consider: Christian Vazquez (C, BOS): 39% Owned, Tony Wolters (C, COL): 1% Owned
At the Corners
Colin Moran (3B, PIT): 4% Owned
Moran is off to a scorching start this June, hitting .353 with two home runs already. He’s actually been hot for much longer than that. He had a four-RBI day back on May 19, and since then Moran is hitting .353 with a 1.024 OPS and four home runs in 63 PA. Pittsburgh has a seven-game week coming up, and all seven games are against right-handed starters. Moran has feasted on righties this year for a .286 AVG and .834 OPS. He’s a great option in deeper leagues during this hot streak.
Yandy Diaz (1B/3B, TB): 30% Owned
Diaz is the opposite to Colin Moran right now, because Moran is tearing things up at the plate while Diaz has been scuffling over the past month. Since May 1 Diaz is hitting .181 with a .591 OPS and .139 ISO. He spent a few weeks on the injured list mixed in there, but he hasn’t performed well since returning either. He has just the week to turn things around, however, as Diaz gets seven games against the Athletics and Angels pitching staffs. He won’t even have to face Frankie Montas either. There are some really bad pitchers upcoming for Diaz, making him a nice alternative to Moran or an option at first base where needed.
Also Consider: Ji-Man Choi (1B, TB): 3% Owned, David Bote (2B/3B, CHC): 5% Owned
Up the Middle
Asdrubal Cabrera (2B/3B/SS, TEX): 42% Owned
Unfortunately, the Rangers have seven games on the road this week, meaning Cabrera will be away from the friendly confines of Globe Life Park in Arlington. Their seven games are in Boston and Cincinnati, so Cabrera still gets to play in hitter’s parks this week. His multi-positional eligibility and ability to switch-hit means there’s a place in the lineup for Cabrera every day, both in fantasy and reality. He is great in weekly leagues and daily lineup leagues where he can be swapped around between positions as needed.
Brock Holt (2B/SS/CI/OF, BOS): 1% Owned
It doesn’t get more boring that Brock Holt, but sometimes boring can be good in fantasy. Holt is multi-position eligible and plays nearly every day for Boston. He also has a .293/.356/.341 triple slash in 45 PA this year. He gets seven games against Texas and Baltimore pitching, so Holt should have plenty of chances to up his numbers this week. He’s a good deep league or AL-only option since he’s available in 99% of Yahoo leagues.
Also Consider: Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT): 2% Owned, Rougned Odor (2B, TEX): 45% Owned
In the Outfield
Avisail Garcia (OF, TB): 48% Owned
Why is this man only 48% owned? Why? Not only are his surface stats incredible (.300/.358/.530 triple slash, 11 HR and six SB), but the underlying numbers support the production. Garcia has raised his average launch angle to 11 degrees, and he has a .296 xBA and .557 xSLG. His 91 MPH average exit velocity is a career-high, and Garcia has also cut his chase rate to 36.8%. Tampa Bay faces some soft pitching this week against Oakland and Anaheim, so Garcia should get a chance to boost his numbers even more. Pick him up for the stream, hang onto him for much longer.
Kyle Schwarber (OF, CHC): 46% Owned
Schwarber will be a top streaming outfielder as long as he remains under 50% owned and hits leadoff for the Cubs. He has an .835 OPS and .282 ISO since moving to leadoff, and Schwarber has begun playing against left-handed pitching since moving up as well. That’s great news for this week, as the Cubs take on the Dodgers, who will throw three southpaws at Chicago. A three-game series in Coors Field should help offset some of the damage the lefties might cause to Schwarber’s numbers. Schwarber is hitting .294 against lefties this season, so it may not make a difference regardless. Consider him the top alternative to Garcia where available.
Also Consider: Gregory Polanco (OF, PIT): 36% Owned, Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB): 17% Owned, Delino DeShields (OF, TEX): 2% Owned, Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT): 27% Owned
More Streamers and Head-to-Head League Columns
