Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 sleeper hitters for Week 11 include Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland
A light schedule puts even more emphasis on matchups, according to Scott White, who offers his sleeper hitters for Week 11 (June 4-10).
More: Ranking Week 11 two-start pitchers | Waiver Wire | Prospects
Last Monday, there were 16 games. To kick off Week 11 (June 4-10), there will be only five.
It's a light schedule, to be sure, with only five teams playing as many seven games -- and it takes two doubleheaders to get us to that many. The Tigers actually play eight, but against the Yankees, Red Sox and Indians pitching staffs, it's not much of an advantage, really.
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So in terms of number of games, hitters are on more or less equal footing this week, putting an emphasis on matchups. With that in mind, here are my 10 favorite hitters owned in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Here's a hitter likely to benefit from an extra game this week. Not only do the Royals play seven games, but three are against undesirables like Nick Tropeano, Frankie Montas and Daniel Gossett. And with four homers in his past eight games, Jorge Soler seems to be heating up again.
Thanks to a doubleheader Monday, the Yankees are also playing seven games this week, and while it's possible Aaron Hicks loses a start during their three-game series at the Mets, Brett Gardner is the more likely odd man out. Batting in a deep lineup and armed with excellent plate discipline, Hicks has a high floor from week to week.
Jeimer Candelario has come back from the DL strong and is one of the few Tigers' hitters you can trust to take advantage of the eight-game week. Again, the matchups could be better, but he's good at working the count and has been so reliable from week to week that there's little risk of this move backfiring.
You couldn't ask for much better matchups than the Tigers and White Sox pitching staffs, and now that Mitch Moreland is playing every day, you don't worry so much about the two left-handers on the schedule. He hasn't been a disaster against lefties in his career anyway, even boasting an .783 OPS against them this year.
Ian Kinsler has been making more contact than ever while hitting the ball harder than ever, so his 11-for-20 performance with three doubles and three home runs over his past five games may be the start of a long-awaited turnaround. The Royals and Twins pitching staffs figure to keep it going.
The personal favorite of mine has underwhelmed of late, but his matchups this week, particularly the four games against White Sox pitchers, offer Max Kepler the perfect chance to bounce back. His career-high hard-contact and fly-ball rates still point to a power breakthrough.
Like Hicks, Miguel Andujar is the beneficiary of a seven-game slate this week, and the Yankees' matchups also happen to be among the best for any team, going against bottom-feeders like Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, Sam Gaviglio and Steven Matz. Doesn't hurt that he's batting .368 (14 for 38) over his past 10 games.
Eduardo Escobar's home run Thursday was his first in 20 games, but his fly-ball and hard-contact rates suggested he was overdue. Sure enough, he hit two more Friday. With shortstop eligibility and matchups against pitchers like Lucas Giolito, Hector Santiago and James Shields, he's startable in any format.
My usual caveat for catchers in this column: You're not starting them anywhere but catcher. But with Brian McCann sidelined for at least another week with a sore knee, Max Stassi has a golden opportunity to translate his .870 OPS as a part-timer to a full-time role, especially with four games against the Rangers staff.
Trey Mancini is coming off a miserable May, but it's hard to overlook his matchups against Jason Vargas, Zack Wheeler, Jaime Garcia, Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada, especially since he bats leadoff for the Orioles most days.
Best hitter matchups for Week 11
1. Yankees @DET2, @TOR2, @NYM3
2. Red Sox DET3, CHW3
3. Cardinals MIA3, @CIN3
4. Twins CHW4, LAA3
5. Orioles @NYM2, @TOR4
Worst hitter matchups for Week 11
1. Rangers OAK2, HOU4
2. Brewers @CLE2, @PHI3
3. Rays @WAS2, SEA4
4. Mets BAL2, NYY3
5. Marlins @STL3, SD3

























