Fantasy Baseball Weekend Preview: Waiver wire adds to consider to take advantage of matchups

Yahoo

4 days ago

This has been a tough week to stream hitters. Just two teams (Blue Jays, Twins) have 7-game weeks, and they are far from the most productive offenses. And some of the best parks for inducing offense, such as those in Colorado and Cincinnati, are sitting empty this weekend. Still, managers can find a few good streaming options, with Ryan O'Hearn and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. leading the list. And there are a handful of good streamers on the pitching side, as there were several promising two-start pitchers this week who are making their second start on the weekend.
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Matchups to Target
Diamondbacks vs. Nationals: Arizona's offense ranks 5th in runs scored and should continue to excel against three unimposing Washington starters from a pitching staff with a 5.04 ERA. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (47%) and Gabriel Moreno (32%) have both swung the bat well of late and would be solid roster additions for this series. Pavin Smith (12%) is a fine option when the D-backs face righties on Friday and Saturday.
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Orioles vs. White Sox: Not only do the Orioles get to face a team that ranks 22nd in ERA, but they will miss Chicago's best starter, Shane Smith. Ryan O'Hearn (22%) has been on fire in recent games and should be added in most leagues. In 15-team leagues, Heston Kjerstad (3%) can be considered.
Guardians vs. Angels: Cleveland should have plenty of baserunners this weekend, as the respective WHIPs of the three Los Angeles starters are 1.53, 1.25 and 1.52. And the Angels bullpen owns a 1.67 WHIP. The Guardians have just two hitters who are rostered in more than 30% of leagues, which leaves managers with plenty of options. Kyle Manzardo (25%), Carlos Santana (8%), Angel Martínez (1%) and Gabriel Arias (12%) are all worth consideration and have been listed in order of my personal preference.
Mets vs. Rockies: New York gets their turn to face baseball's worst pitching staff (5.55 ERA). The Rockies will deploy two southpaw starters in this series, and Starling Marte (1%) often bats second in the lineup against lefties. Infielder Luisangel Acuña (6%) is another right-handed hitter who starts against left-handers, and Brett Baty (7%) has been hitting so well of late that he may be the best option of them all.
Matchups to Avoid
Pirates @ Padres: Pittsburgh's low-scoring offense should be limited on Friday and Saturday by effective starters Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease. Oneil Cruz is the only Pirate who should remain in lineups.
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Rays @ Astros: The left-handed hitters on the Rays have their work cut out for them this weekend, as they will face two southpaws before tangling with talented righty Hunter Brown (2.00 ERA) on Sunday. Depending on league size, it makes sense to bench or drop Josh Lowe, Brandon Lowe, Jonathan Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Kameron Misner.
Twins @ Mariners: Minnesota will face two tough righties, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo, and could finish the series with the return of Bryce Miller. Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach can remain active in deep leagues, but the outlook is grim for other Minnesota hitters.
Marlins vs. Giants: The Marlins will face lefties in the initial two games of this series. For the deep-league crowd, Jesús Sánchez is Miami's leadoff man vs. right-handers but typically bats at the bottom of the lineup against southpaws and is therefore a weak option. Slumping slugger Matt Mervis should be benched everywhere, but it's worth noting that lefty Kyle Stowers has been effective against same-sided hurlers in 2025.
Seeking Saves
Will Vest, Tigers, 41%: Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is regularly deploying Vest in high-leverage situations, and the right-hander is delivering by posting a 0.69 ERA in May. The pivotal role has led to Vest compiling three wins and four saves so far this month, and he should be involved in some close contests this weekend, when Detroit faces a Royals team that has played many low-scoring games thanks to an effective pitching staff and middling offense.
Seeking Steals
Tyler Fitzgerald, Giants, 26%: Streaming speedsters against the Marlins continues to be a smart move, as Miami has allowed 18 more steals than any other team. Fitzgerald is the obvious player to add this weekend, as he is the one San Francisco player who could take advantage of Miami's struggles to limit the running game, having compiled 23 steals in 429 at-bats across 2024-25.
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Streaming starters
In order, here are the best streamers for the weekend, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in brackets.