The second half just started, and you’ve already set your lineup once. Time to do it again.That is, if your league treated the first weekend after the All-Star break, meaning Thursday through Sunday, as its own distinct scoring period. Some instead opted to combine it with the first full week for a supersized 11-day scoring period. If that’s your league, then this article doesn’t apply to you. Check back in during what will officially be known as Week 19 (July 27-Aug. 2), though it will almost certainly be known to you as something else due to your combined weeks throwing off the numbering scheme. Way to go.For the rest of you needing to set your lineup again Monday, I have some hitters to stream, as usual. Also, as usual, I’ve limited my selection to those rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Be sure to check back Sunday for the recent updates.Sleeper hitters for Week 18 (July 20-26)
Curtis Mead
3B
WAS
Washington
• #45
•
Age: 25
Matchups
@COL3, ARI3
Rostered
75%
Though he still sits a little too often for my liking, Curtis Mead has caught fire again, batting .400 (14 for 35) with three homers in his past nine games, and seems like a legitimate breakthrough hitter for the Nationals this season. Between his eligibility at first, second and third base and his upcoming series in Colorado, now seems like the perfect time to give him a try.
J.J. Bleday
LF
CIN
Cincinnati
• #22
•
Age: 28
Matchups
@SEA3, @STL3
Rostered
66%
Another who went from breakout to fakeout in June, J.J. Bleday likewise has come roaring back here in July, batting .333 (7 for 21) with three home runs in his past six games. The big jumps in average bat speed and fast-swing percentage are why you should remain hopeful in him this season, and the lack of lefties on the schedule is why you should remain hopeful in him this week.
Heriberto Hernandez
LF
MIA
Miami
• #13
•
Age: 26
Matchups
@HOU3, SD3
Rostered
18%
Heriberto Hernandez has been getting more regular playing time with Owen Caissie on the IL, and he deserves it, having hit .286 (34 for 119) with 12 homers and a 1.015 OPS in his past 37 games. There isn’t much fault to be found in the underlying data set either, with the expected stats suggesting that Hernandez has actually underperformed overall, and I’m noticing this all in a week when the Marlins happen to have the fifth-best hitter matchups.
Royce Lewis
3B
MIN
Minnesota
• #23
•
Age: 27
Matchups
@CLE4, ATH3
Rostered
59%
It’ll take some time for Royce Lewis to pull his numbers out of the deep chasm they were in when the Twins sent him to the minors in mid-May, but he seems to be back on track as a hitter, batting .266 (33 for 124) with seven homers and an .828 OPS in 32 games since returning. The Twins are one of just 10 teams with seven games on the schedule this week.
Gabriel Moreno
C
ARI
Arizona
• #14
•
Age: 26
Matchups
ATH3, @STL1, @WAS3
Rostered
78%
It may seem like Gabriel Moreno has receded into irrelevance since returning from a stained oblique in early May, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Over his past 47 games, which is going back quite a ways, he’s batting .341 with five homers and a .913 OPS, making him an excellent choice to capitalize on the Diamondbacks’ second-best hitter matchups this week.
Tristan Peters
CF
CHW
Chi. White Sox
• #29
•
Age: 26
Matchups
@TEX3, HOU3
Rostered
26%
The unlikeliest of All-Stars may actually have some use in Fantasy Baseball, despite his underwhelming power and speed numbers. Tristan Peters has hit right-handers to the tune of a .324 batting average and .899 OPS, and that’s all the White Sox are scheduled to face this week.
Mauricio Dubon
LF
ATL
Atlanta
• #14
•
Age: 31
Matchups
SD4, @BAL3
Rostered
70%
The ability to slot Mauricio Dubon at four different positions makes him an easy recommendation whenever the Braves have favorable matchups, as they do this week. He doesn’t excel at any one thing as a hitter, but the whole has been greater than the sum of the parts this year.
Dylan Crews
RF
WAS
Washington
• #3
•
Age: 24
Matchups
@COL3, ARI3
Rostered
47%
Though it seemed like Dylan Crews was coming into his own finally, his performance has receded since the calendar flipped to July. A series at Coors Field might wake him back up, though, and his multi-faceted skill set is enough for even those in three-outfielder leagues to take notice.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer
2B
ATH
Athletics
• #44
•
Age: 23
Matchups
@ARI3, @MIN3
Rostered
16%
Called up in late June and now filling in for Max Muncy at third base, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has the sort of high-contact, line-drive approach that should yield a high batting average, and it certainly has so far. He has the same limitations as Luis Arraez, while not being nearly as proven, but he should be able to rack up some multi-hit games with the Athletics having the fourth-best hitter matchups this week.
Ryan Waldschmidt
CF
ARI
Arizona
• #15
•
Age: 23
Matchups
ATH3, @STL1, @WAS3
Rostered
26%
Ryan Waldschmidt just made it back from the minors, but it wasn’t his performance vs. lefties that got him sent down. Small though the sample is, he’s gone 10 for 29 (.345) against them and is now looking at four in a week when the Diamondbacks are facing two of the five worst pitching staffs in baseball. He’s a big gamble since we don’t know how this second stint will go (or how much he’ll even play), but in five-outfielder leagues, gambles are par for the course.
