June 23-29 Fantasy Baseball Expert Tips: Streamers, Prospects and More

I don't know when the Dog Days of Summer officially start; some time in July? Maybe it's more of a feeling than an actual date, like summer and winter starting before their respective solstices. I think I start feeling it most when MLB is the only major sport in action, which has now arrived.

Fantasy baseball keeps chugging on, though, and the experts at FantasySP are here to help you prepare. Morgan Rode and Daniel Hepner answered five questions in advance of another week of fantasy baseball.

Use the FantasySP Trade Value Chart and Trade Analyzer all season when assessing fantasy baseball trades. Also be sure to check out the new “Ask Fantasy Expert” tool inside the analyzer.

1. Give us a team with good matchups who is in line for a big week.

Daniel: The San Francisco Giants play three games apiece against the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox. Those teams have a combined 54-98 record after Saturday's games; they are two of four teams (along with Pittsburgh and Colorado) who haven't won more than 30 games (again, after Saturday's results). San Fran has the schedule on their side this week.

Morgan: The Los Angeles Dodgers have favorable series against the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals. Most Dodgers are owned in a lot of fantasy leagues, but some of the lesser-owned guys could be in store for monster weeks.

I like the Seattle Mariners in matchups against the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers as well. This could be a big week for several Mariners.

2. Do you have a few offensive players who are probably available in fantasy leagues and are in line for possible success?

Daniel: I'll go right back to the Giants. The pitching staffs of the Marlins and White Sox both rank among the 10 worst in essentially every box stat, including runs, hits, and home runs allowed, strikeouts, and walks. San Francisco plays seven games on the road against the Diamondbacks and Athletics next week, two of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league, so there is some long-term value in their players.

Giant hitters who have been in the lineup often and are widely available in fantasy leagues include infielders Casey Schmitt, Wilmer Flores, and Tyler Fitzgerald and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, with some of their better players (Heliot Ramos, Willy Adames) still having a little availability.

Morgan: St. Louis' Masyn Winn is owned in 53% of leagues and has seven games this coming week. He faces the Cubs and Guardians, and faces five starting pitchers with an ERA over 4.00. St. Louis' Alec Burleson could also be in for a big week, and is owned in just 51% of leagues right now.

3. How about a pitcher or two who have matchups pointing toward fantasy success?

Daniel: The Milwaukee Brewers are another team with a pair of great matchups this week: They play three games apiece against the Pirates and Rockies, all at home (skipping Coors Field). Those are two of our top streaming opponents, making Milwaukee the team to stream with pitchers.

They also have a lot of pitchers available in fantasy leagues. Chad Patrick will likely make two starts, one against each team; that's a sneaky pickup if you're in a weekly league. Jose Quintana and Quinn Priester will both likely make one start and are available in pretty much every league. Rookie Jacob Misiorowski is owned in more than half of leagues, but he still has some availability, and he might be a keeper already. Pick him up if you can.

Morgan: Tampa Bay's Taj Bradley has favorable starts against the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles. Bradley has struggles of late, but has the right matchups to turn things around.

San Diego's Stephen Kolek has probable starts agains the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds. Those are favorable matchups, and Kolek has been pretty solid already this season, so I really like adding Kolek for this week.

4. How do you recommend handling top prospects getting called up to the big leagues, like recent Red Sox promotion Roman Anthony?

Daniel: I love betting on upside. Keeping the bottom of my roster flexible is preferable so that I can take a shot on someone like Anthony or Misiorowski who is highly regarded. The worst-case scenario is that they flail early and you drop them; that's much more valuable than holding onto some middling player.

Morgan: I'm in the same boat as Daniel here. I love betting on upside and always suggest fantasy owners add highly-regarded prospects in all leagues immediately after they get called up. Of course, you don't want to drop a great player for an unknown guy, but most fantasy teams have a few players who are streaming options, or have players who are past time to be dropped. Add the high-upside prospect and hope you strike gold.

5. Who is the next Anthony who fantasy owners should be on the lookout for?

Daniel: Starting pitcher Ryan Bergert currently has a spot in the Padres rotation, having made four starts and four relief appearances for 24 innings. He did really good strikeout work in the minors and has looked good in his short time in the big leagues. Bergert will likely face the Nationals and Rangers in two of his next three starts, two teams on our streamer target list.

Morgan: I wrote a couple stories about prospects on the verge of promotions last week (NL and AL), and will mention a couple guys in Triple-A who should be called up soon and be capable of being instant fantasy assets.

Atlanta's Ian Mejia is an under-the-radar pitching prospect. He has good minor league numbers and the Braves have a need for more pitching, so it's a perfect match. Mejia could become a fantasy asset in all leagues in a hurry. Samuel Basallo should be nearing a call up for the Orioles. He's a highly-regarded prospect, and is expected to star for years to come. Hopefully, he gets the chance to play in the big leagues soon.