Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 17)

July 17, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 17 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 17 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The goal of this article is to highlight players who could be breaking out, diving into current active hitting streaks, along with recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

With no games since Sunday due to the All-Star break, this edition is going to have less data to go on, but we've got some interesting players to look at anyway. In this week's article, we're going to cover players like Gabriel Moreno, Ezequiel Duran, and Ty France. The good news for you is that most of the hitters discussed in this column are widely available, so you can use this article to unearth some gems to help out your fantasy teams.

Remember that any time we talk about rostered percentages or positional eligibility, we're referring to Yahoo! leagues. With that in mind, let's dive into potential hitter breakouts for Week 17 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 7/15

We all know Ben Rice has been good; he's the fifth-most valuable hitter for fantasy at the moment, so no need to talk about him, not to mention he's not available on any waiver wire. When on the field, Wyatt Langford has been pretty good this season, hitting for decent average, power, and stealing some bases, but we won't discuss him either. Instead, let's talk about a guy who was highlighted in my Week 12 article.

Gabriel Moreno (seven games)

Back in Week 12, I discussed Gabriel Moreno because of his outstanding xwOBA over the prior week and explained how his average exit velocity (EV) and hard-hit rate had increased notably, which, coupled with a career-high barrel rate, could indicate more success to come. In the 26 games since then, the Venezuelan backstop has produced a .396 wOBA and 151 wRC+.

Now here he is, currently riding a seven-game hit streak which includes five multi-hit performances while hitting .444 with a pair of doubles, three RBI, four runs scored, and a 4:4 BB:K during that span. Sure, some more RBIs and runs would be nice, but regardless, the 26-year-old is the sixth-most productive catcher for fantasy over the last 30 days.

ARI - Gabriel Moreno Solo HR (5)

📏 417 ft | 💨 106.1 mph | 📐 33°
⚾️ 93.8 mph four-seam fastball (MIA - RHP Max Meyer)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 parks 💣

ARI (2) @ MIA (3)
🔺 4th#Dbacks pic.twitter.com/A3S06aSAJm

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) June 9, 2026

And guess what? He was available in over 50 percent of leagues back in Week 12, and the 5-foot-9 backstop is still available in over 50 percent of leagues. If you need some help at catcher, what are you waiting for?

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 7/15

Nolan Schanuel (.563 BA)

Nolan Schanuel is swinging a hot bat lately, currently in the midst of a five-game hit streak, during which time he's gone 10-for-19 (.526) with three doubles, four RBI, two runs scored, and a 3:4 BB:K. But he's actually been hitting well for a while now.

The left-handed hitter batted just .200 through the first 17 games of the season, but since then, he's hitting .300 over a span of 60 games. You won't get much help in the counting categories as the 24-year-old has just 35 RBI, 31 runs scored, and zero stolen bases, but if you need batting average help, Schanuel could be your guy. The former first-round draft pick is available in 90 percent of leagues.

Tim Tawa (.467 BA)

Tim Tawa debuted with Arizona in 2025 and didn't see much success. He also spent time with the club earlier this season, but again, without much success. The team recalled him from Triple-A after the first week of July, where he was hitting .320 with a 1.142 OPS and seven home runs in 20 games for Reno.

King of the Court 👑 pic.twitter.com/a7N9ltmQIt

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 12, 2026

Although the 27-year-old went 0-for-10 in his first three games back in the big leagues, his bat had begun to come around right before the All-Star break. The right-handed hitter was 7-for-13 (.538) over his last three games with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base.

He was hitting the ball hard, too, with an average EV of 91.8 mph, a hard-hit rate of 54.5 percent, and a 27.3 percent barrel rate in that small three-game sample. Perhaps the success he was having at Triple-A has started to translate to the majors. If so, fantasy managers can still get in at the ground floor, as the Stanford product is available in nearly every league and is eligible at 1B, 2B, and OF.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 7/15

Ezequiel Duran (.692 ISO)

Ezequiel Duran is having the most productive season of his career in 2026, currently the author of a .270-10-50-40-7 stat line with a .331 wOBA and 112 wRC+. The RBIs, wOBA, and wRC+ are all career highs, and he'll likely set a new career high in runs scored and in walk rate before the season is over.

Ezequiel Duran adds on for the @Rangers with a 419-foot homer 😯 pic.twitter.com/ltZMUXGFLm

— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2026

He smacked a pair of home runs in a single game before the break which got him on this list, but four of his 10 home runs have come in the last seven games alone, so it looks like the 5-foot-10 Dominican has kicked it up a notch in the power department as he registered a 16.7 percent barrel rate during that time compared to a 6.2 percent rate for the season.

If you're looking for a player who can contribute across categories (aren't we all??), then Duran should be on your roster, yet he's rostered in just 40 percent of leagues. Need more convincing? The 27-year-old is a Swiss Army Knife, eligible to play at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and OF. Go get him.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 7/15

Derek Hill (three SB)

Derek Hill isn't going to be on the radar for many fantasy managers, but he had some notable performances just before the break. One was a three-hit game on July 10, which included his seventh home run of the year, and the other was the effort that got him on this list, which was a three-steal game on July 11.

That gives the former first-round draft pick 10 steals on the year, which is a new career high. He strikes out quite a bit (35.9 percent) and walks at a rate less than average (6.2 percent), which is going to limit his batting average and on-base percentage, but he's just one home run away from a new career high and on pace for double digits in that category, with a solid 11.0 percent barrel rate that should get him there.

While that may not move the needle for some managers, those who are desperate for steals should give the 30-year-old a look, because with a 97th-percentile sprint speed, more should be on the way so long as he can keep getting semi-regular playing time. The veteran is available in nearly all leagues.

xwOBA Leaders July 9 - July 15

Data through 7/15

Ty France (.584 xwOBA)

Ty France is having his most productive season since 2022, when he hit 20 home runs and carried a 127 wRC+, currently sitting with 11 homers and sporting a .349 wOBA with 124 wRC+. While that is nice, more production could be on the way. The 32-year-old was 6-for-12 over his last four games before the break, with a phenomenal 96.1 average EV and 61.5 percent hard-hit rate.

Ty France gives the lead right back to the @Padres with a solo TANK 😤 pic.twitter.com/lAvFQtSOqF

— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2026

What is intriguing is that his average EV has been stellar all season, currently ranking in the 84th percentile. Even in the aforementioned 2022 campaign, the right-handed hitter's average EV ranked in the 24th percentile.

Unfortunately, the counting stats haven't been there, with San Diego sitting dead last in the league in runs per game at the moment (3.95 runs/game). If the team as a whole can pick it up in the second half, then France could stand to benefit. The 5-foot-10 slugger is still available in nearly all leagues.

xwOBA Laggards July 9 - July 15

Data through 7/15

A.J. Ewing (.186 xwOBA)

A.J. Ewing's productivity has been strikingly similar to that of the aforementioned France's, with Ewing currently the owner of a .347 wOBA and 122 wRC+ through the first 57 games of his big league career. The 21-year-old has seven home runs, with 27 RBI, 24 runs scored, and nine steals so far this year.

He also hit safely in five of six games before the break, including a four-hit game, so he doesn't appear to be on the verge of a cold spell. In the three games that our timeframe is looking at, though, the former fourth-round draft pick had a .186 xwOBA versus an actual wOBA of .231.

He may not finish with a .276 average like he currently has, but I suspect that he'll be sufficiently productive in the second half, so I wouldn't overreact to this small sample.

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