Fantasy Baseball Week 22 Preview: Top 10 sleeper hitters include Steven Kwan, Zack Gelof

August 17, 2026 No Comments

Whether you’re in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They’re not must-starts by any estimation, but they’re often the best you’ll find off the waiver wire.All information is up to date as of late Sunday.Sleeper hitters for Week 22 (Aug. 17-23)

Cole Carrigg

COL

Colorado

• #16

•

Age: 24

Matchups

LAD3, CLE3

Rostered

74%

Rarely have the Rockies gotten a full week at their hitter-friendly home, but that’s the case in Week 22, which should be good news for all of their hitters. Unfortunately, the four lefties on tap ruin it for some, but not Cole Carrigg, who’s so far batting .354 at Coors Field and .329 against lefties.

Steven Kwan

CLE

Cleveland

• #38

•

Age: 28

Matchups

SF3, @COL3

Rostered

75%

After a miserable first three months, Steven Kwan has come around and then some since the start of July, batting .377 (49 for 130) in 37 games. The Guardians’ top-ranked hitter schedule, which includes three games at Coors Field, makes him an easy call in all formats this week.

Chandler Simpson

TB

Tampa Bay

• #14

•

Age: 25

Matchups

BAL1, TOR3, @BAL3

Rostered

77%

Chandler Simpson has begun to hit like he did in the minors, batting .386 (66 for 171) over his past 45 games. There’s no power, of course, but as long as your league doesn’t cheapen the value of steals (he has 21 during this 45-game stretch), he’s a must right now.

Willi Castro

COL

Colorado

• #3

•

Age: 29

Matchups

LAD3, CLE3

Rostered

51%

Like Cole Carrigg, Willi Castro is a switch-hitter, so this week’s lefty surplus isn’t a problem for him. Of greater import is that he’ll be playing all six of his games at a venue where he’s batting .311 with an .840 OPS, and he’s also been hot in general, batting .293 (17 for 58) with four homers and a steal in his past 16 games.

Josh Bell

MIN

Minnesota

• #56

•

Age: 34

Matchups

ATL3, @SD3

Rostered

39%

Josh Bell is having a solid year overall for the Twins — the kind that’s deserving of better than a 39 percent roster rate — and has been particularly productive in August, batting .333 (17 for 51) with three home runs. The Twins’ matchups this week aren’t especially good or bad, so you should consider Bell to be more of a hot-hand play.

Zack Gelof

ATH

Athletics

• #20

•

Age: 26

Matchups

@KC4, @HOU3

Rostered

66%

Zack Gelof has come back from a month-long absence for a knee laceration performing just as well as he did before it, going 7 for 23 (.304) with three homers and a double. The power/speed combo from a triple-eligible player is particularly handy, and the Athletics do have some pretty nice matchups this week with seven games against the Royals and Astros pitching staffs. Then again, all seven of their games on the road, which doesn’t favor Gelof, knocking him down a few spots on this list.

Abimelec Ortiz

WAS

Washington

• #81

•

Age: 24

Matchups

@TEX3, @MIA3

Rostered

10%

Abimelec Ortiz is the player the Nationals called up to replace Luis Garcia at first base, and there’s no denying the 24-year-old’s power. He homered 18 times in 85 games at Triple-A this year and is already up to five in 15 games in the majors. His biggest issue is that he doesn’t play against lefties and shouldn’t, judging by his minor league splits, but the Nationals don’t have a single one of those on the schedule this week.

Ryan Waldschmidt

ARI

Arizona

• #15

•

Age: 23

Matchups

@BOS3, CIN3

Rostered

28%

The Diamondbacks’ schedule this week is a lefty masher’s dream, featuring five such pitchers over a six-game slate. Rookie Ryan Waldschmidt is batting about 35 points higher against lefties than righties (.300 vs .266) and overall has performed much better since returning from the minors in mid-July, batting .299 (23 for 77) with two homers.

Angel Martinez

CLE

Cleveland

• #1

•

Age: 24

Matchups

SF3, @COL3

Rostered

36%

Angel Martinez has been working his way back into everyday duty since returning from a fractured foot, and his performance so far in August certainly helps his cause. He’s batting .33 (14 for 42) with a homer and five doubles in 13 games. He’s playable at second base and outfield in Fantasy and is worth a look with such a favorable hitter slate this week, which includes a series at Coors Field.

Jake Burger

TEX

Texas

• #21

•

Age: 30

Matchups

WAS3, LAA3

Rostered

47%

Jake Burger has a tendency to run hot and cold, which is why it’s particularly noteworthy that he just had a big series at the Athletics, going 5 for 10 with two homers and a double. The Rangers’ matchups are pretty favorable this week, including vulnerable pitchers like Jackson Kent, Andrew Alvarez, Ryan Johnson and George Klassen.

Best hitter matchups for Week 22

1. Guardians SF3, @COL3
2. Reds STL5, @ARI3
3. Red Sox ARI3, SF3
4. Rockies LAD3, CLE3
5. Dodgers @COL3, PIT3

Worst hitter matchups for Week 22

1. Blue Jays @TB3, @NYY3
2. Giants @CLE3, @BOS3
3. Orioles @TB1, NYY3, TB3
4. Pirates DET3, @LAD3
5. Mariners @MIL3, CHC3

Add CBS Sports on Google

✔ today silver rate

✔ 2026 winter olympics

✔ chat gtp

✔ silver rate today

✔ silver rate today live

✔ 2030 winter olympics

Sports

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Matchups

Rostered

Best hitter matchups for Week 22

Worst hitter matchups for Week 22

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply