Hitter Streamers (Week 8) - Head-to-Head Leagues

Welcome back to my hitting streamers column for Week 8, taking a look at hitters to add or stream off the waiver wire for this week's scheduled games.

To keep things simple, I pick from players who are 50% owned or less and who play at least seven games in the week.  If someone jumps off the page at me as a less than seven game player, I may make an exception, but otherwise the advantage in number of games dictates my choices. This week, due to the extremely shallow pool of streamers, I have included two others who only have six games but who play three of them at Coors.

Streaming can be a valuable tool, by allowing you to feast on favorable pitching matchups and simply have your hitters play more games than your opponents' hitters. If you have the roster space, streaming a hitter can be useful not only to fill a vacant lineup spot, but also to fill in for someone who has five games that week or faces tough matchups. In 5x5 leagues, four of the five hitting categories are counting stats, making the value of extra games significant. Streaming also can allow you to target a specific category of need. Even though this week's pool of streaming options is not as strong as usual, there is still value to be had. With that said, let’s dive right in.

Bats to Stream and Start in Week 8

Mark Trumbo (OF, BAL) - 30% owned

Trumbo was on the DL for most of the year, and thus it is hard to tell if he is more the 2016 version who swatted 47 homers with 108 RBIs or the 2017 version who batted .234 with 23 homers. However, Trumbo is a player who has seasons of 34, 32, and 29 homers in addition to his 47 homer campaign. This week he faces good pitching matchups, including three lefties against whom he has historically been better. If you are seeking a source of power and run production, he is your best bet this week.

Jonathan Villar (2B/OF, MIL) - 42% owned

Villar is another player who posted a career year in 2016 (.285/19/92/63/62) only to fail to live up to expectations in 2017 (.241/11/49/40/23). While he is unlikely to ever match his 62 steals from 2016, he is nonetheless a great source of stolen bases with seven in just 38 games this year. He also can provide double digit homers along with a somewhat stomachable average. While I wouldn’t look to him for run production, he is your best bet this week for stolen bases while not hurting you too badly in the remaining categories.

Michael Conforto (OF, NYM) - 45% owned

Conforto provided a pleasant surprise to fantasy owners early this year when he returned from injury much sooner than expected. However, he has followed that pleasant surprise with disappointment, starting the year with an extremely underwhelming line of .200/3/15/9/1. While there are not many positive signs in his batted ball profile to suggest that he is simply unlucky (other than a low BABIP which is reflective of other poor aspects of his profile rather than bad luck), he simply has too much talent to be left off this list. If Conforto is healthy, he will show the promise at some point that led to his 146 wRC+ last year with a line of .279/27/72/68/2 in just 109 games. He is a gamble due to possible lingering health issues, but the upside is hard to ignore.

Alex Gordon (OF, KC) - 7% owned

After an OPS of .608 in 2017, Gordon started the season with a .623 OPS in March and April.  Yikes!  However, after coming off the DL, he has rebounded nicely in May, going .308/3/10/7/1 in just 14 games. While his batted ball profile suggests this may be just good luck, in a week of shallow streaming options, he is worth the gamble. Before his collapse in 2017, there was a lot to like about Gordon as a fantasy player, and thus him showing signs of life is an indication that he may be returning to fantasy relevancy. With decent pitching matchups this week, he is worth a look.

Yolmer Sanchez (2B/3B, CHW) - 19% owned

Yolmer may be the most unexciting fantasy option who continues to appear on this list. In 2017, he posted a .267/12/63/59/8 line. In 39 games so far this year, he has a batting line of .286/2/16/20/3. He provides just enough all around production that he is a valuable asset in weeks where he has seven games against good pitching matchups. That is the case this week, and he is a good bet to provide balanced production without helping too much in any particular category.

Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIL) - 4% owned

With Eric Thames injured, Aguilar has seen more playing time. In just 106 plate appearances this year, he has a line of .308/3/15/14/0. While he has hit lefties better than righties, he has the ability to provide power against either, albeit at a low batting average. If the other options are off the board and you are seeking to gamble on power and run production, he is a good bet.

Chris Davis (1B, BAL) - 30% owned

Speaking of low batting averages….Davis has been nothing short of putrid in 2018, compiling a -1.0 fWAR in just 39 games. He has a wRC+ of 41. After hitting .215 last year and .221 in 2016, he is batting a robust .169 on the year. The power (four homers) and run production aren’t there either. So why is he on the list? Well, he’s been a streaky player. This week, he faces good pitching matchups and has seven games in a week with a shallow streaming pool. He has the chance to bring down your team with him, but if you’re a gambler, there’s some upside here.

Others to Consider

Shin Soo Choo (OF, TEX) - 39% owned - Choo is nearing his 36th birthday, but he still has decent power and is a good source of run production, with the ability to steal you a base here and there.

Jose Peraza (2B/SS, CIN) - 50% owned - Despite only playing six games this week, Peraza is a great source of speed (53 steals in 265 games) and has good matchups this week.

Adam Duvall (OF, CIN) - 41% owned - Despite his low average on the year, Duvall is still a great source of power and has three games in Coors Field this week.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers