Lose a stud bat to injury and need a fill-in in a pinch? Tired of that dead weight in your utility spot and looking to catch lightning in a bottle? Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in no more than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're not must-starts by any means, but they're the best you'll be able to do off the waiver wire.
- Week 25: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 25 (Sept. 19-25)
The matchups could be better, no doubt, but the bottom line is that Gonzalez is severely under-rostered at 47 percent, especially now that his power stroke is beginning to come through with four homers in his past 11 games. With all the scrubs I'm having to call sleepers this week, I can't afford to balk at Gonzalez's matchups.
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Having picked up third base eligibility in addition to shortstop, Henderson is primed to be a big Fantasy help down the stretch. The Astros series to close out Week 25 could be tough, but he's proven too talented to pass up if you're scrounging the waiver wire for sleeper plays.
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Pederson is the ultimate matchups play this week. Not only do the Giants have the most hitter-friendly schedule, which includes four games at Coors Field, but they're also facing just one left-hander, which will keep Pederson's bat in the lineup. He's also batting .326 (28 for 86) since the start of August.
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Andrus has gotten back to stealing bases in addition to everything he's doing with the bat, hitting .351 (26 for 74) with five homers and five steals in September alone. There's no explanation as to why he's suddenly so productive, but it kind of makes sense just to ride the hot hand this time of the year. He gets the Tigers pitching staff to end Week 25.
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With another big performance against the Pirates over the weekend, Escobar is proving to be a key contributor at a weak position down the stretch. He faces another slate of questionable pitchers this week, including Adrian Houser, Cole Irvin, Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears.
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Kiner-Falefa has done his best to hold off Oswald Peraza here in September, batting .313 (15 for 48) with two of his three home runs on the year and five of his 20 stolen bases. The Yankees have only six games this week but not a single tough pitcher on the schedule, unless you count Roansy Contreras.
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It's hard to believe I'm recommending Santana, but he has hit five home runs in his past eight games and will enjoy the second-best hitter matchups next week with a seven-game slate against the Athletics and Royals (plus one against the Angels). Three of those games are in Oakland, too, which has turned into a launching pad lately, being one of the venues most helped by the humidor.
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Berti's stolen base pace has slowed a bit, but he's still a threat to run every time he gets on base and is still holding down the leadoff spot for the Marlins. Their matchups this week are pretty spectacular, featuring pitchers like Adrian Sampson, Erick Fedde, Anibal Sanchez and Cory Abbott.
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It's the last chance to take advantage of Coors Field for this power-hitting September call-up, though Toglia's strikeout tendencies could present a problem, particularly given the quality of the opposing pitchers.
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Some tough matchups have cooled off Villar in recent days and possibly put his starting job in jeopardy, but if he keeps getting at-bats, he's in a good spot to bounce back this week with an especially favorable hitter slate that includes four games at Colorado. Let's not forget he has 32 homers between the majors and minors this year.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 25
1. Giants @COL4, @ARI3
2. Mariners @LAA1, @OAK3, @KC3
3. Dodgers ARI5, STL3
4. Yankees PIT2, BOS4
5. Cubs @MIA3, @PIT4
Worst hitter matchups for Week 25
1. Athletics SEA3, NYM3
2. Nationals @ATL3, @MIA3
3. Phillies TOR2, ATL4
4. Cardinals @SD3, @LAD3
5. Rays HOU3, TOR4
