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 21 (Aug. 10-16)
Ezequiel Duran
SS
TEX
Texas
• #20
•
Age: 27
Matchups
@LAA4, @ATH3
Rostered
77%
Ezequiel Duran has continued to produce in a utility role for the Rangers, most recently filling in for Josh Jung at third base, and is batting .299 (40 for 134) with seven home runs, four stolen bases in his past 37 games. He’s a good bet to keep it going with the Rangers having the top-ranked hitter schedule this week.
A.J. Ewing
CF
NYM
N.Y. Mets
• #9
•
Age: 22
Matchups
@ATL3, WAS3
Rostered
68%
A.J. Ewing has been cold to begin August, taking a little bit of the wind out of his sails in Fantasy, but the Mets’ matchups this week are the kind that could quickly get the power/speed threat on track. The toughest pitcher they’re facing in a six-game slate against the Braves and Nationals is probably Bryce Elder.
Andrew Vaughn
1B
MIL
Milwaukee
• #28
•
Age: 28
Matchups
@SD3, @LAD4
Rostered
28%
Andrew Vaughn has been playing more regularly of late with a couple Brewers infielders being banged up, and he remains particularly formidable against left-handed pitchers, batting .371 with a 1.119 OPS. He’s scheduled to face three of those this week.
Bryce Eldridge
DH
SF
San Francisco
• #8
•
Age: 21
Matchups
HOU3, COL3
Rostered
66%
You’re probably tired of reading about Bryce Eldridge here, for as consistently as he’s fallen short of expectations, but the Giants’ matchups this week are so favorable that I’d be acting irrationally if I didn’t tout him once more. He impacts the ball like an elite slugger and has pitchers like Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Michael Lorenzen and Gabriel Hughes on the schedule.
Jung Hoo Lee
RF
SF
San Francisco
• #51
•
Age: 27
Matchups
HOU3, COL3
Rostered
75%
Jung Hoo Lee has been one of the few Giants hitters who have actually been pulling their weight, batting .294 (15 for 51) with three homers and two steals in his past 13 games. It sets him up well for the third-best hitter schedule this week.
Jake Burger
1B
TEX
Texas
• #21
•
Age: 30
Matchups
@LAA4, @ATH3
Rostered
47%
Jake Burger has been characteristically inconsistent this season, but the home run and RBI production has been strong, putting him on pace for 26 of the former and 91 of the latter. You should bet on his best version showing up in a week when the Rangers have the most favorable hitter schedule, particularly with all seven of their games being on the road (where Burger’s OPS is 100 points higher) at homer-happy parks.
Nolan Arenado
3B
ARI
Arizona
• #28
•
Age: 35
Matchups
COL3, @ATL3
Rostered
68%
Though his exit velocity readings remain pretty sad, Nolan Arenado has been hitting for decent power recently, batting .246 with nine home runs and an OPS around .875 in his past 34 games. He’s going against a number of mashable pitchers this week, too, including Gabriel Hughes, Tomoyuki Sugano, Ryan Feltner and Grant Holmes.
Griffin Conine
RF
MIA
Miami
• #18
•
Age: 29
Matchups
PIT3, @CIN3
Rostered
16%
Griffin Conine may not make enough contact overall, but he’s fully capable of putting a charge in the ball and is batting .294 with nine homers in his past 29 games. He plays almost exclusively against righties, but that’s what the Marlins are facing in all but one of their games this week.
Lawrence Butler
RF
ATH
Athletics
• #4
•
Age: 26
Matchups
TB3, TEX3
Rostered
41%
Once a Fantasy standout, Lawrence Butler is showing signs that he may be coming around finally, sporting an OPS of around .800 two home runs and three stolen bases in his past 19 games. Only two of the pitchers he’s facing this week throw left-handed, and all six of his games are at home, where his OPS is more than 200 points better than on the road.
Jonah Heim
C
ATH
Athletics
• #15
•
Age: 31
Matchups
TB3, TEX3
Rostered
24%
Jonah Heim has been a quality contributor for the Athletics since joining them in May and has taken on a predominant role following the injury to Shea Langeliers. His numbers are significantly better at the Athletics’ hitter-friendly home, where they play all six of their games this week, and some of the matchups include vulnerable pitchers like Freddy Peralta, Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford.