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 the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
Week 3: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 3 (April 8-14)
One of the hottest hitters to begin the season happens to have good matchups again. Maikel Garcia is elevating the ball for more power and is still plenty capable as a base-stealer, so now may be your last chance to buy in.
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Tyler O'Neill is off to a great start with the Red Sox and still has yet to play a game at Fenway Park, where his right-handed power stroke should play up. That changes with him having a full week of games there in Week 3 (April 8-14).
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The Diamondbacks are the lucky team making a trip to Coors Field this week, which gives them the most favorable matchups of any team. Among their hitters available enough to recommend here, Eugenio Suarez seems like the best bet to take advantage, and he's already off to a promising start at the plate.
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MJ Melendez's exit velocities and plate discipline have been excellent so far, and he's now homered in three of his past four games. As mentioned, the Royals' schedule is pretty favorable this week, with some of the matchups including Hunter Brown, J.P. France, Julio Teheran and Adrian Houser.
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Michael Conforto is off to a terrific start with three home runs already, and while I'm not convinced it'll last, the odds are good that it will carry over to Week 3, at least, with the Nationals pitching staff coming to town.
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Though Jonathan India has yet to get going at the plate, he's been a fixture at the top of the Reds lineup so far and of course has a track record of success, for points leagues especially. A seven-game week against some truly dreadful pitchers in the Brewers and White Sox rotations makes for a good time to bet on him.
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Some swing changes for Jeremy Pena this offseason may be paying off already, most notably with a reduction in strikeout rate. The Astros have the fifth-best hitter matchups this week, facing Andrew Heaney twice and Brady Singer and Dane Dunning once each in a seven-game slate.
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The more righties the better for Will Benson, and the Reds are scheduled to face five in their seven games this week. Of course, he's been getting to play against lefties too, unlike teammate Jake Fraley, so there's actual hope for him taking advantage of the full schedule.
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J.D. Davis has been delivering premium exit velocities in his short stint as the Athletics third baseman, and if he keeps it up this week, you're probably going to like the sort of numbers he puts up against pitchers like Cody Bradford, Jon Gray, Jake Irvin and Trevor Williams.
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J.J. Bleday has the same favorable matchups as J.D. Davis and is even more available, being the surprise choice to start over Esteury Ruiz in center field to begin the year. He's a former No. 4 overall pick with a knack for getting on base and seems to have more of a plan at the plate this year, taking his strong spring performance with him into the regular season, at least so far.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 3
1. Diamondbacks @COL3, STL3
2. Athletics @TEX3, WAS3
3. Phillies @STL3, PIT4
4. Reds MIL4, @CHW3
5. Astros @TEX1, @KC3, TEX3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 3
1. Cardinals PHI3, @ARI3
2. Cubs @SD3, @SEA3
3. Angels TB3, @BOS3
4. Twins LAD3, @DET4
5. Mets @ATL4, KC3
