Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 7)

May 9, 2026

Frank's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 7 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 7 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The focus of this column is to highlight players who could be breaking out, taking a look at current active hitting streaks along with recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

Some of the highlights for this week include Zack Gelof, Ezequiel Duran, and Brandon Marsh. Each of these hitters is widely available in fantasy leagues, so it's a good move to give them a chance here.

Do note 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 7 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Chase DeLauter (11 games)

Chase DeLauter Ranks among MLB Qualified Hitters (April 25 - May 6)

AVG (1st, .514)
OBP (1st, .564)
H (1st, 18)
BABIP (1st, .567)
wOBA (3rd, .557)
wRC+ (3rd, 262)
OPS (4th, 1.278)

His 10-game active hit streak is T-longest in the AL entering May 7.#GuardsBall | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/ceecrX6914

— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) May 7, 2026

Chase DeLauter started off the year on fire, then cooled off a bit, and is now back in top form. The Guardians' outfielder is now slashing .306/.392/.548 with six home runs in 143 plate appearances. While he's not going to contribute in speed, you're getting a 25+ homer hitter with a strong batting average and on-base percentage. DeLauter is here to stay.

Jacob Wilson (11 games)

Jacob Wilson started the year ice cold, but he's on fire right now. Since April 15th, Wilson is slashing .333/.352/.500 with three homers and two steals in 89 plate appearances. You have to like that Wilson is running a bit more this year, as he's almost halfway to last season's total output (five SB). If he can get to 10+ steals this year, he'll be much more appealing as a .300/10/10 type of bat.

Otto Lopez (10 games)

Otto Lopez is interesting because he's slashing .340/.372/.510 with four homers and five steals in 156 plate appearances. He's hitting the ball much harder this season, bumping up his barrel rate from 7.1% to 10.8% and hard-hit rate from 38.3% to 45.8%. This could be the case of a 27-year-old tapping into his power more. There's a chance that he can get to 20-20 this season.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 5/8

Cody Bellinger (.545 BA)

Cody Bellinger has been scorching hot at the plate over the last week, homering twice and swiping one bag while leading the league in batting average. This bumps up his season-long numbers to .299/.394/.530 with five homers and four steals. It's clear that we're headed for another strong year from Bellinger. He's a great fit with the Yankees, so it's good that he re-signed with them.

Jonathan Aranda (.478 BA)

Jonathan Aranda hit .478 with zero homers in the last seven days. He's now slashing .263/.365/.459 with seven homers in 159 plate appearances. You have to like how Aranda has improved his walk rate from 9.7% to 13.2% this season. This is a rock-solid hitter who can provide you with 25+ homers while maintaining a decent batting average.

Brandon Marsh (.476 BA)

Marsh was red-hot over the last week, but he didn't hit a home run or steal a base. With that said, I'm intrigued here, as he's slashing .333/.359/.504 with four homers and three steals. Marsh has trimmed his strikeout rate from 25.9% to 19.8%. This was once a 30+% strikeout hitter, so the improvement here is especially notable. Still only 28, Marsh looks headed for a career year.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 5/8

Matt Olson (.611 ISO)

Bellinger actually led the league in ISO in the last seven days, but we've already highlighted him, so we'll move to Matt Olson. It's been a massive resurgence for the veteran first baseman, as he's now slashing .301/.388/.671 with 13 home runs in 170 plate appearances. There's a chance that he can get to 50 home runs again with how well he's swinging the bat.

Zack Gelof (.600 ISO)

Now here's an interesting one. Remember when Gelof was intriguing in fantasy for his power-speed profile? Well, he's rolling right now, slashing .269/.309/.519 with three home runs and two stolen bases. What's most interesting here is that Gelof's strikeout rate is only 24.6%. Last year, it was 45.5%, and in 2024, it was 34.4%. Perhaps this is a 26-year-old hitter who is finally figuring it all out.

Mickey Moniak (.563 ISO)

It's Waiver Wire Time 🎯👀

My 7 MUST-ADD players for #FantasyBaseball @RotoBallerMLB

Carter Jensen 🔥
Garrett Mitchell 🚀
Mickey Moniak 🪨https://t.co/Lnga1ELv2d

— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) April 12, 2026

Mickey Moniak has found a home in Colorado, building off a breakout 2025 season with a great start to this year. He's now slashing .318/.367/.700 with 11 homers and one steal in 120 plate appearances. It's clear that this is a 30+ homer hitter who is here to stay. Give yourself a pat on the back if you picked up Moniak when he was first activated off the IL.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 5/8

Travis Bazzana (4 SB)

Travis Bazzana's first home run in the big leagues: 427 feet and 102.3 mph. pic.twitter.com/mLE7v8mmuu

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 8, 2026

Travis Bazzana has been running wild on the basepaths since being called up. The rookie second baseman has shown terrific plate discipline in a limited sample, including an impressive 20.6% walk rate. Bazzana has the ability to hit 15+ homers while stealing 20+ bases, so he's definitely worth a pick-up if he's still available in your league.

Josh Naylor (3 SB)

Josh Naylor has erased that early cold start to the season, now slashing .234/.298/.343 with four homers and seven steals in 151 plate appearances. The seven stolen bases are notable because last year looked like a massive outlier at 30 SB, since his previous career-high was 10. Naylor is putting those concerns to bed, continuing to be aggressive on the basepaths.

Oneil Cruz (3 SB)

Oneil Cruz continues his career year, now slashing .245/.309/.464 with nine home runs and 13 stolen bases in 165 plate appearances. There's a legit chance that we see 30-30+ from Cruz this season. While he's going to hurt you in batting average, it won't be as bad as last year, when he was below the Mendoza line. Cruz simply hits the ball too hard and runs too fast to have that low of an average once again.

xwOBA Leaders April 30 - May 8

Data through 5/8

Brandon Lowe (.586 xwOBA)

Brandon Lowe continues to get it done for the Pirates, now slashing .266/.368/.573 with 10 home runs in 144 plate appearances. What's most intriguing is that he's cut his strikeout rate down from 26.9% to 20.8%. This is a 30+ home run hitter who you can slot in at second base. He's been an excellent pickup for the Pirates and should remain a fixture for your fantasy team. The veteran is showing no signs of slowing down.

Ezequiel Duran (.544 xwOBA)

Duran has been filling in for the injured Josh Smith and is doing an admirable job. He's now slashing .304/.385/.494 with two home runs and four stolen bases in 92 plate appearances. We've seen Duran perform well in a small sample in the past, so it's a good idea to ride the wave here. Pick him up for a short-term boost to your fantasy teams.

Mark Vientos (.538 xwOBA)

Mark Vientos is finding his power stroke for the Mets, which is perfect for that struggling team. He's now slashing .229/.279/.396 with four home runs in 104 plate appearances, which doesn't jump off the page. However, given how hard he's hitting the ball right now, it makes sense to give him a shot as a waiver wire pick-up. He can provide a power boost for your fantasy teams.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice