RADIO
Welcome back to another installment of the hitting streamers column! This edition is for August 17 through August 23.
As will be the case every week, I will offer a couple of worthy streamers for each position (catcher, corner infield, middle infield, outfield) based on the number of games the players have for the upcoming week, favorable matchups, or injury replacements. You may not always see well-known names in this column; my goal is to identify hitters who I think have the best chance to do well for the following week, not just to identify names you may recognize who are available.
This column will highlight players owned in roughly fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues who could present as nice streaming options for the upcoming week. It may be hard to believe, but we have already completed about one third of the regular season. Fantasy players are starting to get a clearer picture of holes in their lineups or categories they need to catch up on, so streaming now is becoming even more important. That being said, let's find some streamers!
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Behind the Plate
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (C/3B, TEX) - 51% owned
This catcher has been hitting well and providing some surprising fantasy value this season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hasn't hit for much power (.321/.379/.434 slash line with no home runs and two RBI), but he does has four steals. The Rangers get two great matchups (seven games) this week against the Padres and Mariners. Catcher production is always hard to come by in fantasy, and Kiner-Falefa can help in batting average and steals, which makes him an appealing streamer for this week.
Travis d'Arnaud (C/1B, ATL) - 51% owned
This veteran has shown up to hit so far this season. Travis d'Arnaud has been mashing the baseball with a .350/.357/.600 slash line, two HR, 11 RBI, and a 56.5% hard-hit rate. The Braves will have all six games at home this week, three against a decent Nationals rotation and three against a struggling Phillies rotation. d'Arnaud has been crushing the baseball lately, making him a worthy catching streamer this week.
Also Consider: James McCann (C, CHW) 17% owned, Pedro Severino (C, BAL) 16% owned
At the Corners
Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - 33% owned
Mitch Moreland has always been a useful fantasy option and this season has been no different. He has gotten off to a particularly hot start, batting .303 with and impressive six HR and 12 RBI. He should be able to keep it going this week, with one game at the Yankees but then two games against the Phillies and four games on the road at the Orioles. The pitching matchups and stadiums are a perfect combination for Moreland to produce more power.
Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIA) - 19% owned
Jesus Aguilar had a breakout 2018 season but has not been fantasy relevant since then, until now. Like the Marlins in general, Aguilar has been a surprise this season, looking like his 2018 self with a .311 batting average, .622 slugging percentage, four HR, and 12 RBI. His power has been on display and he will have potentially eight games to show it this week. His matchups aren't the best (four against Mets, four at Nationals), but they aren't terrible overall and eight games in one week is a rare occurrence. If Aguilar and the Marlins continue to perform, he could be a useful add for more than just this week.
Also Consider: Asdrubal Cabrera (2B/3B, WAS) 22% owned, Todd Frazier (1B/3B, NYM) 11% owned
Up the Middle
Cesar Hernandez (2B, CLE) - 46% owned
This is now the third time I have written about this guy and he is still under 50% owned. Cesar Hernandez has not disappointed hitting leadoff for the Indians, hitting .279 with a .380 on-base percentage and seven RBI. He will face some great matchups this week with three games at the Pirates (5.32 team ERA) and three games against the Tigers (5.23 team ERA). The Indians offense may be slumping overall, but Hernandez has been providing fantasy value and should continue to do so this week.
Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B/SS, SD) - 11% owned
This rookie has come out of nowhere for the Padres this season. Jake Cronenworth has done a great job hitting for average this season, batting at a .333 clip. He hardly walks (2.5% walk rate), making me question if his numbers are legit, but I think he can stay hot for at least another week. The Padres as a whole are running hot and will get four games against the Rangers and three against the Astros this week. Both rotations have been hittable this season, which combined with Cronenworth's insane batting average and multi-position eligibility makes me think he could be a useful streamer this week.
Also Consider: Howie Kendrick (1B/2B/3B, WAS) 43% owned, J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) 30% owned, Joey Wendle (2B/3B/SS, TB) 5% owned
In the Outfield
Austin Slater (1B/OF, SF) - 31% owned
Austin Slater has been one of the bright spots for the Giants this season. The 27-year-old has been on a tear with a .342/.444/.632 slash line with three HR and five stolen bases. The Giants get some favorable matchups this week with four games at the Angels and three games at home against the dreadful Diamondbacks rotation. The matchups set Slater up with a good chance to continue to be a spark plug for the Giants offense. The one caveat here is that Slater has recently been dealing with elbow soreness. If this proves to be a substantial issue and he misses time then he obviously would not be a useful streamer.
Brian Anderson (3B/OF, MIA) - 31% owned
Like Aguilar, Brian Anderson is performing well in the middle of a hot Marlins lineup. He has been hitting for both average (.286 batting average) and power (.619 slugging percentage, four HR, 13 RBI). As mentioned above, Anderson will have eight games this week, making him a great streaming choice for this week and beyond.
Also Consider: JaCoby Jones (OF, DET) 42% owned, Anthony Santander (OF, BAL) 37% owned, Marwin Gonzalez (1B/3B/OF, HOU) 10% owned
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