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 5: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 5 (April 22-28)
The Orioles not only have the fourth-best hitter matchups this week but are also scheduled to face three lefties. Ryan Mountcastle is a certified lefty masher, having hit .338 with a 1.052 OPS against them last year, and is off to such a nice start this season that I'm surprised he's so available still.
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Anthony Rizzo's grand return to form following last season's upsetting post-concussion situation hasn't materialized yet, and he'll need to deliver some results soon to keep us from throwing in the towel. Those results may be forthcoming with the Yankees scheduled to face the Athletics pitching staff for four games and the Brewers pitching staff (Freddy Peralta excluded) for three.
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The Rockies have a full week of home games, but two are actually in Mexico City rather than Coors Field. It's an even more favorable hitting environment, one could argue, and Ezequiel Tovar stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
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Alex Verdugo is the sort of stable but unflashy hitter worth considering whenever the matchups are right, and they're certainly right this week. They're the best for any team, in fact, with the toughest pitcher on the schedule probably being Paul Blackburn.
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Bryan De La Cruz is on a nice little run, batting .308 (16 for 52) with four homers in his past 13 games, and his expected stats are all in the 75th-90th percentile so far, according to Statcast. His matchups are decent this week, including a three-game series against the Nationals, and the four lefties on the schedule could also work to his benefit.
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Ryan Jeffers has built off last year's success in a more regular role for the Twins, having hit .353 (12 for 34) with two homers in his past eight games. It's good timing with the Twins having the fifth-best hitter matchups this week, going against the White Sox and Angels pitching staffs.
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The Rockies begin the week with four games at home in Coors Field, where Charlie Blackmon batted .309 with a .905 OPS last year. Considering how well he performs in that environment, he should fare even better in his two games in Mexico City to close out the week, where the dimensions are smaller and elevation even higher than Coors Field.
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The Brewers' seven games against the Pirates and Yankees make for decent enough matchups, but Sal Frelick's placement here is more just a factor of him being undervalued in Fantasy. From April 3 on, he's batted .356 (21 for 59) with two stolen bases, living up to the batting average potential he showed in the minors.
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The Yankees' matchups are so good this week that even the less heralded members of their lineup, like third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, are worth considering. He hasn't been a total pushover at the plate and will likely have a role to play if they run up the score against pitchers like Joe Boyle, Alex Wood, Joe Ross and Wade Miley.
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We all know that Jurickson Profar's hot start ultimately ends in mediocrity, but if he can keep it going for just another week, he'll get to take advantage of a four-game series in Colorado. His high on-base rate will pay off nicely if the Padres have a couple of those patented Coors Field games wherein they score in double digits.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 5
1. Yankees OAK4, @MIL3
2. Padres @COL4, PHI3
3. Red Sox @CLE3, CHC3
4. Orioles @LAA3, OAK3
5. Twins CHW4, @LAA3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 5
1. White Sox @MIN4, TB3
2. Diamondbacks @STL3, @SEA3
3. Dodgers @WAS3, @TOR3
4. Phillies @CIN4, @SD3
5. Nationals LAD3, @MIA3
