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Harris Yudin analyzes fantasy baseball hitter streamers on the waiver wire, to consider adding and streaming in week 24 of the 2016 MLB season.
Whether it’s because of an injury or poor performance, there are always opportunities to stream players off the waiver wire. The best players to stream are those who are under-owned and face appealing match-ups for the upcoming week.
Here are five players who are readily available in Fleaflicker leagues and have attractive match-ups during the 24th week of the season.
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Top Hitter Streamers for Week 24
Michael Saunders (TOR, OF) - 45 % Fleaflicker
Saunders has played a large role for the Blue Jays this season with Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki missing time with injuries. He has served largely as the cleanup hitter, and is third on the team in homers and runs scored. The left-handed Saunders has actually fared better against lefties (.969 OPS, eight homers), but is still slashing .260/.341/.476 with a 25-homer pace against righties.
In the upcoming week, the Blue Jays will face right-handers Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb, Daniel Wright, Jered Weaver, Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer, as well as lefty Drew Smyly. Saunders is currently in the midst of a 3-for-17 slump, but a string of hittable righties could help him get back on track as the Jays push for the wild card.
Josh Reddick (LAD, OF) - 41% Fleaflicker
Reddick began his stay in Los Angeles with an 11-for-79 stretch, but has since picked up the pace, going 10-for-20 over his last six games played. Even with his inconsistent play, he has still managed a .313/.381/.480 slash line with nine homers against righties on the season (.156 with no homers vs. southpaws).
Luckily, the Dodgers approach a seven-game week in which the Yankees and Diamondbacks will send out five righties— Bryan Mitchell , Michael Pineda (.801 OPS vs. lefties), Archie Bradley (.936), Zack Greinke (.777) and Shelby Miller (.984). Mitchell has pitched to just two lefties in his five innings of work so far this year. With favorable match-ups throughout the week, Reddick should be able to provide solid value as a streamer in all formats.
Asdrubal Cabrera (NYM, SS) - 31% Fleaflicker
Cabrera has been the Mets’ hottest hitter of late. He is 25-for-64 (.391) with six homers since returning from a knee injury that is reportedly still bothering him. Despite hitting better against lefties (.321) than righties (.260), just about all of Cabrera’s power has come from the left side of the plate.
The Mets are scheduled to draw A.J. Cole, Tanner Roark, Jose Berrios, Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson — all righties — in Week 24. Washington’s projected starter for Monday has yet to be determined, but that spot will likely go to either Lucas Giolito or Reynaldo Lopez, both of whom are righties. Look for Cabrera to continue his hot hitting and crank out a few more homers in the near future.
Justin Bour (MIA, 1B) - 18% Fleaflicker
Bour returned to the Marlins’ starting lineup Thursday for the first time since early July. He had been 16-for-42 (.381) with five homers over his last 14 games played before hitting the disabled list, and is batting .269/.350/.523 with 15 HR, 30 R and 46 RBI on the season. Just about all of Bour’s success at the plate has come against righties— .914 OPS with all 15 HR, all 30 R and 44 of his RBI.
The Marlins are currently scheduled to see Matt Wisler (.772 OPS vs. left-handed hitters), Mike Foltynewicz (.777), John Gant (.795), Adam Morgan (.673), Jeremy Hellickson (.797) and Alec Asher (.545) over the next two series. Morgan is the only southpaw of the group, and Asher has just six career innings under his belt. Bour could be in for a power surge over the next few days.
Yulieski Gurriel (HOU, 3B) - 17% Fleaflicker
Between time at third base and as the designated hitter, Gurriel has been raking over the last two weeks. He is slashing .333/.353/.521 through 51 plate appearances, and heads into the weekend with homers in back-to-back games— the first two long balls of his career. Gurriel, a righty, is hitting just .267 vs. left-handed pitchers, but he did go 5-for-17 (.294) against southpaws throughout the minor leagues earlier this year. Plus, in his most recent at-bat against a lefty, he took Andrew Miller deep.
This week, the Astros will see four lefties— Martin Perez, Derek Holland, James Paxton and Ariel Miranda. The week is broken up by two tougher righties in Yu Darvish and Felix Hernandez, but there are plenty of other opportunities for Gurriel to produce. He is available in a majority of leagues, and can be a strong streaming option down the stretch.
Bonus: Byron Buxton (MIN, OF) - 42% Fleaflicker
Buxton, who is owned in just 42% of leagues, doesn’t have particularly appealing match-ups this week, but if he is still available, scoop him up— at least as a streamer.
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