If you need a fill-in for an injury or are simply looking for a 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.
All information is up to date as of Saturday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 15 (July 3-9)
TJ Friedl has been hitting well all year but has taken it to another level in June, earning the right to start against lefties as well as righties. His matchups this week are decent, but the bottom line is he's under-rostered as a player who can help in batting average and stolen bases while contributing a little pop.
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Tommy Pham thrived in June, batting .349 with six homers and four steals to claim the starting left field job, but Statcast nonetheless has him as one of this year's biggest underachievers. There's no better time to take notice than with matchups like Zach Davies, Tommy Henry, whoever is taking the place of Brandon Pfaadt and Seth Lugo.
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Jake Fraley, like his teammate TJ Friedl, is a well-rounded outfielder who has been passed over long enough in Fantasy leagues, though unlike Friedl, he still tends to sit against lefties. Fortunately, the Reds are facing only two of those in a week with seven games against some of the worst the Nationals and Brewers can throw at them.
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It's true Jeimer Candelario is batting .355 (11 for 31) with two homers and four doubles in his past eight games, but he's actually been a quality performer for the better part of two months now. The Nationals have the third-best hitter matchups this week, going against pitchers like Luke Weaver, Graham Ashcraft, Brandon Williamson and Andrew Heaney.
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After going cold in the middle of June, Bryan De La Cruz seems to be coming around again, having an 11-game hitting streak snapped Saturday The Marlins have seven games this week, which opens against pitchers like Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Matthew Liberatore and Jack Flaherty.
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With several multi-hit games in the past week, Anthony Volpe seems to be heating up just in time for the Yankees to have the second-best hitter matchups, facing pitchers like Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly over seven games.
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Eligible at second base, third base and shortstop and a relevant contributor in stolen bases, Ha-seong Kim seems to have hit his stride at the plate, homering four times in his past nine games. His matchups this week are merely so-so, but he's capable of meeting so many needs that he's worth acknowledging when he's going this well.
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Garrett Cooper has performed below his usual standards for most of this year but has been hot lately, batting .353 (12 for 34) with two homers and three doubles in his past nine games. He opens this week with four games against a Cardinals pitching staff that's a total mess right now.
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Spencer Torkelson homered once Tuesday and then twice Thursday, which is notable mostly because his Statcast readings suggest he deserves way better than he's gotten so far. With the Tigers boasting the third-best hitter matchups next week, opening with a three-game series against the Athletics, perhaps he can keep it going.
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Harrison Bader has yet to homer and has stolen only one base since returning from the IL on June 20, but he entered play Saturday with three multi-hit games in his past four. That's enough momentum to take a shot on him with the Yankees having the second-best hitter matchups this week.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 15
1. Guardians ATL3, KC4
2. Yankees BAL4, CHC3
3. Nationals CIN4, TEX3
4. Twins KC3, BAL3
5. Tigers OAK3, TOR3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 15
1. Angels @SD3, @LAD2
2. Phillies @TB3, @MIA3
3. Rays PHI3, ATL3
4. Braves @CLE3, @TB3
5. Royals @MIN3, @CLE4
