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Hitter Streamers (Week 18): Head-to-Head Leagues

Jeff Kahntroff analyzes hitter streamers and starts for Week 18. These bats are potential fantasy baseball waiver wire adds to stream for head-to-head leagues.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! As a reminder, in this piece we're looking for weekly streamers in head-to-head leagues, which means players who are 50% owned or less in Yahoo! leagues and who have seven games in the week. These players could provide great value off the waiver wire, particularly in head-to-head leagues, for week 18 of the 2017 baseball season.

To catch my streamers column each and every week, add me on Twitter @rotonails and always check the RotoBaller MLB page.

With that said, let’s dive into the stream(ers).

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Bats to Stream and Start in Week 18

Aaron Altherr (OF, PHI) - 26% owned

The Phillies face favorable pitching matchups this week and six righties. Altherr was just activated from the DL on Wednesday, but in 80 games he has a .290/14/42/44/5 line. He has hit righties significantly better this year and throughout his young career, and he gets to play in Coors Field this week. What is not to like? So long as he has no further issues with his hamstring in the next day or two, stream him with confidence.

Matt Adams (1B/OF, ATL) - 34% owned

Adams has a .286 average on the year with 16 homers in only 250 at bats. Against righties, he’s batting .313 with 13 homers in 201 at bats. This week, he faces five righties in acceptable pitching matchups. With Freddie Freeman back, he is part of an under the radar, but decent, offense. If you don’t need steals, Adams is a good bet in the other four categories.

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - 45% owned

Expectations were high for Franco heading into the season. He followed up on a .280/14/45/50/1 line in 80 games as a rookie with a .255/25/67/88/1 line in 2016. His batted ball profile had many predicting a breakout in 2017. However, he has disappointed with a .226/15/39/54/0 start to the year. Nevertheless, it looks like his bat may finally be coming around, and even if the average does not, he still provides some power and run production. Facing favorable pitching matchups, he is a good option.

Nick Williams (OF, PHI) - 27% owned

Williams is a highly-regarded Phillies’ prospect off to a hot start. The 23 year-old is batting .309/4/11/19/0 in his first 22 games. Before the callup, he was posting a .280/15/43/44/5 stat line in just 76 AAA games. While his strikeout rate makes it difficult to see him maintaining a good average, he should provide you with some pop and the chance for a stolen base. The young lefty gets to face six righties and overall favorable pitching matchups, making him worth a look.

Jorge Bonifacio (OF, KC) - 3% owned

Who? Bonifacio is a 24 year-old Royals rookie who has ranked among their top prospects in various seasons. In 76 games, he is hitting .264/14/44/32/1. He has decent power, but is unlikely to produce too much in the way of average. However, the reason he is this high on the list is due to favorable pitching matchups. If you need a lesser-owned player, he is worth the gamble.

Brandon Phillips (2B, ATL) - 29% owned

Phillips represents a change on the list from young prospects to an aging vet. Phillips is 36 years old, but he has back-to-back double-doubles if you will (i.e. years with double-digit steals and homers). In those two years, he had 23 homers and 37 steals. This year, he already has eight homers and seven steals while batting .286 (after averages of .291 and .294 the prior two seasons). He is an unexciting option, but could provide decent value this week.

Joey Gallo (1B/3B, TEX) - 33% owned

If you look at Gallo’s 5x5 statline with your finger over his average, he looks like a superstar. He has also been fairly immune to splits this year, making the decision to play him almost solely based on the difficulty of the opposing pitchers. Gallo takes his .200/25/54/47/6 line up against average pitching matchups this week. He is worth the play if you can stomach the hit to batting average.

 

Also worth monitoring

Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) – Semien already has three homers and three steals in his 17 games back from the DL.

Brandon Moss (1B/OF, KC) – Moss gets to take his lefty power against favorable matchups.

Freddy Galvis (SS, PHI) – Galvis is again flying under the radar, with a .251/11/39/41/7 line to follow up on his 2016 statline of .241/20/61/67/17.

Trey Mancini (1B/OF, BAL) – Mancini has suffered a bit of a power outage lately, but still boasts a .301/16/38/53/1 line in his rookie year.

Danny Valencia (1B/3B/OF, SEA) – Valencia provides multipositional eligibility, and is sporting a respectable .265/11/43/50/1 line.

 

More Streamers and Head-to-Head League Columns

 

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RANKINGS
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