Today, we look at the best available options in fantasy for batters to pick up for the long term or to stream. These are the hottest and more likely to be available in leagues with the potential to continue their success.
Isaac Paredes (2B, 3B) – Tampa Bay Rays
The hottest batter in baseball last week was Isaac Paredes, but he is still only rostered in 27 percent of leagues. Over the past week, he hit for a batting average of .579, led all players in home runs with five, and had the third-most RBIs of anyone in the league.
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He has shown offensive potential where not many have this year for the defensive Tampa Bay Rays, and if he even hits the ball somewhat well, he will get ample amounts of opportunity to play. Paredes is 25-for-98 on the season but had 12 hits just this past week. He nearly recorded half of his season total last week and you should take advantage of his very hot bat while it lasts and he’s available.
Jarren Duran (OF) – Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox’s outfielder Jarren Duran was ranked 12th in Yahoo leagues over the past seven days as he will add to a specific category that is hard to find and you may be lacking: stolen bases. He may have hit .385, which is still impressive, but his four stolen bases are what make him a valuable pick-up and hard to come by from players who can also add stats to other areas of offense.
Duran had just five runs and three RBIs last week and was 7-for-26 before the week with just three runs, but if he continues to get the playing time and chances to steal bases, his batting average will help him get your fantasy team points in multiple areas. He shouldn’t be too difficult to come by as he’s owned in just 21 percent of leagues.
Nico Hoerner (2B, SS) – Chicago Cubs
Nico Hoerner had hits in six of the seven games last week and multiple hits in five of them. You can’t ask for a better opportunity for fantasy points than being able to hit the ball and get on base, even if he is on the Chicago Cubs. He may be the lowest-ranked of the three last week at 24th but is the highest-ranked on the season due to his ability to steal bases.
His stat line was five runs, one home run, five RBIs, and a batting average of .480 last week, so if you pick him up, you can expect a stolen base or two to follow. Owned in just 18 percent of leagues, he is a player to consider due to the Cubs facing the Cincinnati Reds to lead off their week and the team not playing too badly.
Roster Percentages courtesy of Yahoo.
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