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Harris Yudin analyzes fantasy baseball hitter streamers on the waiver wire, to consider adding and streaming in week 26 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 final week of the season.
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Top Hitter Streamers for Week 26
Chris Carter (1B, MIL) - 51% Fleaflicker
Carter has seven homers in September, giving him 37 on the year (tied for his career high). He has hit 12 long balls in 126 AB against lefties with a .922 OPS— 25 HR and a .776 OPS in 389 AB vs. righties.
In the final week of the season, Carter will get to play in Texas and Colorado, in two very homer-friendly ballparks. Within those six games, the Brewers are scheduled to face three lefties in Martin Perez (.764 OPS vs. righties), Derek Holland (.819) and Tyler Anderson (.779). Carter is a solid streamer for those games for owners in need of a last-minute power boost.
Alex Gordon (OF, KC) - 42% Fleaflicker
Gordon was scorching hot in August, posting an .858 OPS with seven homers, but has since cooled off. He is batting just .188 with two dingers in September. However, he is more than capable of heating up and stringing a bunch of hits together— including some home runs.
Excluding Corey Kluber, the Royals will see five favorable righties this week— Jose Berrios, Ervin Santana , Kyle Gibson, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger. Berrios (.918 OPS vs. lefties) and Gibson (.904) offer particularly appealing match-ups. Gordon isn’t the most exciting option at this point, but for owners looking for a last-ditch injury replacement, Gordon likely has higher upside than most other available players.
Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX) - 39% Fleaflicker
Mazara had been a key part of Texas’ pennant chase in his rookie season, swatting 20 HR with 64 RBI in 495 AB. Only one homer and six RBI have come against lefties, however, and he owns an .826 OPS against righties. Additionally, he is 10-for-21 with three homers and seven RBI over his last seven games played.
The Rangers will face five right-handers this week — Matt Garza, Jimmy Nelson, Chase Anderson, Matt Andriese and Jake Odorizzi — none of whom are particularly dominant. In mixed leagues with five outfield spots, Mazara can provide solid value over the last few days of the season.
Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, NYM) - 37% Fleaflicker
Cabrera is hitting .365 with nine homers since returning from the DL on Aug. 19, and has shown no signs of slowing down— he is 7-for-14 with two homers and five RBI over his last two games. He now has 22 HR on the year and has a chance to match or surpass his career high of 25, which was set in 2011.
Over the last week of the season, the Mets will draw six righties— Tom Koehler (.767 OPS vs. left-hander hitters), Jose Urena (.822), Andrew Cashner (.907), Alec Asher (.720), Jake Thompson (.893) and Jerad Eickhoff (.828). While Cabrera is batting just .271 against righties, 19 of his long balls have come against such pitchers. The red-hot Mets shortstop is definitely someone to own in all mixed leagues the rest of the way.
Brandon Moss (1B/OF, STL) - 32% Fleaflicker
Moss is within striking distance of his second career 30-HR season, and his current .807 OPS is his best mark since 2013. Even though he is hitting just .082 with two long balls in September, he has been known to hit homers in bunches— he hit seven in a span of 12 games back in August. On the year, he is slashing .229/.308/.541 with 24 HR vs. right-handed pitching.
The Cardinals finish the regular season at home against the Reds and Pirates. Those teams are scheduled to send out Tim Adleman, Robert Stephenson, Anthony DeSclafani, Dan Straily, Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Ryan Vogelsong. Brault is the only lefty of the bunch, while all six righties boast an above-average fly ball percentage. Owners in desperate need of some added power over the final two series of the season can take a flier on Moss, if he’s available.
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