Top 5 Hitter Streamers & Waiver Wire Targets For Week 22

August 24, 2014

Kyle Braver analyzes the top 5 MLB hitter streamers and waiver wire targets for week 22 of fantasy baseball. These waiver wire pickups can be sleepers for your fantasy teams.

Depending on the league you play in, your fantasy season may be almost over at this point in the year. Especially if you play in any sort of format involving a playoff bracket, this could very well be the last week that you have to make a difference before the playoff spots are determined. That makes this next week all that more important.

Don't worry though. Just like always I have my fantasy streamer picks for you to make use of in order to get the most out of your matchup this coming week. Like always, these will be players owned in less than 50% of leagues who I think could make a difference in weekly formats next week. Check these guys out.

1) Kennys Vargas, Minnesota Twins,  1B

2014 Stats: .316 BA, 12 Runs, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 0 SB

Ownership: 33.1% (ESPN)

Schedule: (at) Royals, (at) Orioles

Games Scheduled: 6

A relatively fresh face in the fantasy community, Vargas may only have 82 plate appearances under his belt at the major league level, but he's been quite impressive so far.

He has shown the ability to hit for power at the minor league level in the past, hitting 19 home runs in high A ball in 2013, and 17 in AA this year before being promoted. Toss that in with the white hot .316 batting average he's produced so far in the big leagues this year and you have a nice power bat on a hot streak, music to the ears of any fantasy owner going down the home stretch.

Of course all the usual caveats with rookies apply to Vargas. He's young, new to the majors, and probably prone to slumping at some point in the near future. For now though, he's a prime 'ride the streak' guy. If you've got a spot in your lineup for him, I think he's a must add, especially playing against an Orioles pitching staff which has allowed the eighth  most home runs in all of baseball so far this year.

2) Wil Myers, Tampa Rays, OF

2014 Stats: .221 BA, 26 Runs, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 3 SB

Ownership: 44.9% (ESPN)

Schedule: (at) Orioles, (at) Red Sox

Games Scheduled: 7

After his ice cold start to the season and an extended stint on the DL, a lot of the shine has worn off of Wil Myers. That said I think it's important to remember the kind of talent we're talking about when we look at this player. Myers hit 13 home runs in only 88 games as a rookie last season, while batting .293. Of course there's risk with Myers. Anyone owned in less than 50% of leagues at this point in the season is going to come with some risk. The point with Myers is that he also comes with so much more upside than anyone else you're likely to find out there.

Then there's the matter of his schedule. I already covered the homer prone nature of Baltimore's pitching staff when talking about Vargas, but after the Orioles the Rays will take on the Red Sox at home. Keep in mind that the Red Sox just went through an offseason in which they pretty much traded away every starter in the building not named Clay Buchholz. That's a great schedule for any player, much less a proven power hitter like Wil Myers. I'd grab him.

3) Dexter Fowler, Houston Astros, OF

2014 Stats: .279 BA, 48 Runs, 7 HR, 27 RBI, 6 SB

Ownership: 23.0% (ESPN)

Schedule: A's, Rangers

Games Scheduled: 7

The main knock on Dexter Fowler next week is his schedule and while I don't like the fact that he will have to take on the A's quite formidable pitching staff, I tend to feel that the mix between having all his games at home next week and the four game series against the much weaker Rangers tend to cancel out this disadvantage.

Once you get beyond that, Dexter Fowler is probably the safest guy on this list. His excellent walk rate and .386 OBP all but assure you he'll be giving you some run production next week. While he doesn't necessarily excel in any other category with regard to skill set, he's at least solid across the board and has the potential to offer a little help pretty much anywhere in any given week. Especially when you add in the fact that he's hitting .367 this past August, a hot streak by any definition of the word, I think that Fowler's a good play for a fantasy owner looking to play it safe this next week while consolidating his lead over his opponents.

4) Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics, OF

2014 Stats: .255 BA, 39 Runs, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 1 SB

Ownership: 47.7% (ESPN)

Schedule: (at) Astros, (at) Angels

Games Scheduled: 7

Josh Reddick is another one of those guys who's terrible start to the season has somewhat masked just how good he's been in the second half. In the last 27 games since the All Star Break, he's hitting .302 with 5 home runs, numbers that can't help but remind fantasy owners of what Reddick did back in 2012 when he hit 32 home runs for the A's.

Batting average is always a concern for Reddick owners, even while he's on a hot streak like this (keep in mind that he only hit .242 in that 2012 season) so if you're someone especially fragile in that category I might look elsewhere on this list for help. But if you can take a chance on him in that regard and hope that his bat stays hot over the next week, he's got big time power potential going against a weak Astros pitching staff which ranks in the bottom five in ERA allowed (4.37 team ERA) and an Angels staff that just lost Garrett Richards.

5) Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres, 2B

2014 Stats: .202 BA, 23 Runs, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB

Ownership: 43.6% (ESPN)

Schedule: Brewers, Dodgers

Games Scheduled: 6

I'll fully admit that Jedd Gyorko probably doesn't make this list if he played anything other than middle infield. The fact of the matter is that I make a point of trying to include as diverse a positional makeup as I can in these articles so as to help as many owners as possible. This is something of a problem at middle infield right now because there frankly aren't very many attractive options readily available.

That said even if Gyorko carries a lot of risk, he also has just as much upside as any other guy on this list. He's been much better since coming off the DL, hitting .261 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI this August. Those aren't numbers you'll find from any other second baseman available through free agency at this time of year. Couple that with his performance from last year and you have a guy who's more than just a second baseman fill in. Gyorko is worth owning next week based on his own merits.