If you need a fill-in for an injury or are simply looking for a short-term spark, 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 7: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 7 (May 8-14)
Just as soon as Jack Suwinski began to attract attention in Fantasy Baseball circles, his bat went into hiding. But his Statcast page is still lit up like a Christmas tree, and he should bounce back with the Pirates boasting the best hitter matchups this week, including just one game against a lefty.
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It says something about the state of the sleeper hitter market that my second choice is scheduled for only five games. It also says something about Jarren Duran, who ended the weekend batting .366. I don't see how you sit him.
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With the way LaMonte Wade has hit lately, batting .306 (15 for 49) with five homers in his past 15 games, you can at least trust him to be in the lineup against righties. The Giants have five of those on the schedule this week, and they also happen to have the fifth-best hitter matchups.
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Miguel Vargas looks to be heating up finally with two home runs and a four-hit game over the past week. The Dodgers' matchups are middling, but if you've been itching to use him, now is a good time, particularly in a points league.
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Brett Baty's bat seems to be waking up, and manager Buck Showalter seems to be taking notice, giving him a start against a left-hander Wednesday. There's only two of those on the schedule this week -- with some of the righties being Luke Weaver, Trevor Williams and Jake Irvin -- so if there was ever a time for Baty to take off, this is it.
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Harold Ramirez still boasts a batting average over .300 and an OPS over 1.000, but those numbers are undermined by his inconsistent playing time. It's less of an issue this week with the Rays being one just eight teams scheduled for seven games, and he could feast on pitchers like Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer and Clarke Schmidt.
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Week 7 may be Ezequiel Duran's last hurrah as a fill-in for Corey Seager, but it's gone well so far, with him batting .369 (24 for 65) with four homers and two steals in his past 17 games. With the Rangers having seven games this week, you could do worse at any of the positions where he's eligible (third base, shortstop and outfield).
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As feared, Esteury Ruiz hasn't shown much pop in his rookie season, but he's making up for it with an AL-leading steals pace. His ceiling is only so high in a given week, but since he'll be batting leadoff for one of the eight teams playing seven games, he'll have extra reps to differentiate himself.
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Joc Pederson pretty much only starts against righties, but the Giants are scheduled to face five of them in their seven games this week. He's always a threat for a home run binge and is facing some homer-prone pitchers in Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt.
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After putting himself back on the map with a big April, J.D. Davis has cooled off in May, but he's still playing fairly consistently and still delivering premium exit velocities. He's a reasonable bet to bounce back with the Giants boasting the fifth-best hitter matchups.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 7
1. Pirates COL3, @BAL3
2. Brewers LAD3, KC3
3. White Sox @KC4, HOU3
4. Guardians DET3, LAA3
5. Giants WAS3, @ARI4
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Worst hitter matchups for Week 7
1. Blue Jays @PHI2, ATL3
2. Padres @MIN3, @LAD3
3. Astros @LAA3, @CHW3
4. Reds NYM3, @MIA3
5. Braves BOS2, @TOR3