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AVG
Nico Hoerner, SS, Cubs -- Available in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues
Hoerner added two hits against the Cardinals on Sunday, ending the day with a .295/.330/.415 triple-slash line across 212 plate appearances. And he has been empty batting average, either. The 25-year-old infielder has added four homers and six steals, providing some production across the board. Hoerner has been particularly hot at the dish of late, going 12-for-25 in the last week. The hit tool is legit, as he has just a 9.4 percent strikeout rate. And a .311 BABIP, 22.6 percent line-drive rate, and 36.2 percent hard-hit rate gives little reason to believe he can’t sustain his production going forward. With today’s hitting environment, someone like Hoerner can make a difference for fantasy teams looking to improve their batting average.
HR
Jack Suwinski, OF, Pirates -- Available in 86 percent of Yahoo leagues
What an appropriate name for Suwinski, who’s hit 12 jacks (see what I did there) on the year across 190 plate appearances. The 23-year-old rookie has shown impressive power so far, backed up by a 12.9 percent barrel rate. Just don’t expect any help in batting average. Suwinski is hitting .211/.289/.456 on the year with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate. It is clear he’s swinging for the fences. Fantasy managers looking to add some power could do the same by taking a chance on Suwinski with a full seven-game slate ahead for the Pirates.
R
Steven Kwan, OF, Guardians -- Available in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues
The hype on Kwan has certainly cooled after his incredible start. Still, he’s hitting .286/.367/.370 with one homer, 28 runs scored, and four steals across 221 plate appearances. And after an abysmal month of May, he’s bounced back in June, hitting .362. Part of that is attributed to his strict platoon. While Kwan isn’t getting many starts against left-handed pitchers these days, he’s been hitting leadoff against right-handers over the last week. With five right-handed starters on the schedule for Cleveland, fantasy managers in deeper leagues could look to add him for help in the runs category, given his ability to get on base.
RBI
David Peralta, OF, Diamondbacks -- Available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues
Any time a team is playing in Coors Field, we’re going to take a look at some matchups we can take advantage of. This week, the Diamondbacks go to Colorado for a three-game set against the Rockies. All three of those games are projected to come against right-handed starters. So it could be a good opportunity to stream Peralta in deeper leagues. The 34-year-old outfielder has a .808 OPS with all nine of his homers against right-handers. Batting fifth in the Arizona lineup, we’ll look for Peralta to drive in some runs in next weekend’s series.
SB
Nick Senzel, OF, Reds -- Available in 97 percent of Yahoo leagues
Senzel has been hot at the plate with multiple hits in three of his last four games. He’s been aggressive on the basepaths in that time as well, stealing three bases this week. While he hasn’t hit for much power with only one homer, it’s encouraging that he’s been looking to make an impact in other ways. And it might be a good idea to get him on rosters this week before he becomes a popular waiver target as the Reds play eight games at home next week.
W
Dane Dunning, SP, Rangers -- Available in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues
Dunning gets another favorable matchup this week against the Royals after holding the Nationals to one run over six innings on Friday. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a respectable 4.17 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts across 82 innings. And his underlying 3.90 FIP and 3.87 xFIP indicate he’s been slightly unlucky. Dunning has excelled at keeping the ball in the yard and limiting damage with a 52.5 percent ground ball rate. Some of his improvements this season have come from a decreased usage of his fastball, down 12 percent from 2021. Instead, he’s relied more on his slider and changeup. There’s a decent chance he could be in line for a win this week as he faces off against Zack Greinke and the Royals in Kansas City.
ERA
Dean Kremer, SP, Orioles -- Available in 94 percent of Yahoo leagues
Kremer has gotten his season off to a good start since joining the Orioles’ starting rotation on June 5. He’s posted a 1.71 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts across 21 innings. And after giving up three runs in his first start, he’s allowed one over 16 2/3 in the last three. Kremer tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings against White Sox in Chicago on Thursday. The 26-year-old right-hander has done a good job limiting runners with a 5.8 percent walk rate. Despite the low strikeout total, a 10.2 percent swinging-strike rate leaves room for improvement on his 16.3 percent strikeout rate. This week, he makes for an interesting streamer in deep leagues with a decent matchup against the Mariners.
WHIP
Graham Ashcraft, SP, Reds -- Available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues
Ashcraft is coming off his best start of the season after holding the Giants to two runs with eight strikeouts and zero walks over eight innings on Friday. Over seven starts, he has a 3.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts across 41 1/3 innings. Ashcraft has excelled at limiting baserunners with an impressive 4.1 percent walk rate. He’s also kept runners off by inducing weak contact with a 57.5 percent ground ball rate and 34.8 percent hard-hit rate. And his 85.2 mile-per-hour average exit velocity allowed ranks in the top 95th percentile. Ashcraft doesn’t get many whiffs, so there’s some volatility. But he’s shown enough to be rostered in deeper mixed leagues for teams looking to improve their ratios.
K
José Quintana, SP, Pirates -- Available in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues
Quintana has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence with the Pirates this season, posting a respectable 3.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts over 70 innings. And the underlying numbers suggest what he’s done so far is legit, with a 3.70 FIP and 3.85 xFIP. There’s reason to believe he could be better going forward with some strikeout upside. Over his last seven starts dating back to May 21, Quintana has produced a 14.1 percent swinging-strike rate, a five percent jump over his first seven starts. He’s coming off a quality start against the Cubs, giving up two runs with six strikeouts over six innings. Quintana could make for a decent streamer in deeper mixed leagues with starts against the Nationals and Brewers this week.
SV
John Schreiber, RP, Red Sox -- Available in 80 percent of Yahoo leagues
The Red Sox start the week with a three-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Tanner Houck will be required to sit the series out as he did earlier this year due to a policy preventing unvaccinated players from entering Canada. Houck has solidified his role in the ninth inning with six saves this season and doesn’t appear to be at risk of losing it. But the team could turn to Schreiber in a save situation over the next three games. He’s been Boston’s best reliever all season, with an 0.79 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. Schreiber has even stepped in when necessary, picking up two saves. Teams looking for a chance to pick up a cheap save or two could look to stream him in deeper leagues.
