Weekly Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Time to Snag Peralta?

The 2014 baseball season is barreling ahead at full steam, but a number of injuries in Week 3 seriously threaten a number of owner’s fantasy seasons. The good news is, there’s always someone out there primed for a big week, so here’s a look at five low-key guys that should put up big numbers over the next two series.

Wily Peralta - SP, Milwaukee Brewers

Two pitchers in two weeks? Something must be wrong with me. While I know that the Sean Doolittle advice didn’t pan out as well as hoped, Peralta is set up much better for a huge week. The Brewers’ big hurler is scheduled for two starts this week, one against the San Diego Padres and the other versus the Chicago Cubs. Both matchups are at home, where Peralta has pitched 13.1 innings, striking out seven with a 1.35 ERA. There, opponents are also batting just .200 against him. The situation gets even better given that the Padres are hitting .233 as a team on the road (fifth worst in the league), and the Cubs .237 (eighth worst). Peralta is generally dirt cheap on daily sites, so enjoy the value!

Dee Gordon - IF, Los Angeles Dodgers

While Gordon is owned in every league, this is simply to say that he could be in store for a fantastic week. After an abysmal 2013 season, many had written Gordon off. But he’s off to a great start, going 14 for 37 with a home run, 3 RBI, 7 stolen bases (leads the league with 10 total) and a .378 average over the last two weeks. Gordon seems to have finally arrived, which is great with the gravy matchups he has at home this week. First up are the Philadelphia Phillies and their 4.88 team ERA (third worst in the league) and .285 batting average against (league worst). This will be followed by the Colorado Rockies, who are currently sporting a 4.19 team ERA (ninth worst) and .255 BAA (18th). Gordon is set up perfectly for a huge week, so don’t miss out on starting him.

Mike Moustakas - 3B, Kansas City Royals

Everyone just keeps waiting for Moustakas to break out after his two straight electric springs. Things have recently started to look up for Moose though, who's now hit a homer, two doubles and only struck out once over his last six games. If there was ever a week to finally get on track, it’s this week against the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles, as the Royals face seven right-handed pitchers in those eight games, meaning you won’t have to worry about Moustakas getting benched for the lefty platoon. He’s a bit of a risk, but his terrible start has made his price hit nearly rock bottom. If he produces, the value in daily leagues, for example, will be ridiculous.

Mike Morse - OF, San Francisco Giants

After a hot start, things cooled off for Morse, who was battling a bit of a hamstring injury. He's now gone just 2 for 16 in his last five games. He’s still hitting .286 on the season with 16 hits and three home runs though, and should have an easy time getting back on track, as he plays three straight games at Coors Field in Colorado, where Morse is a lifetime .500 hitter (20 for 40.) He then faces the likes of Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, who are a combined 0-4 with a 7.51 ERA. Don’t worry about Morse’s mini slump this week, he’s going to be just fine.

Craig Gentry - OF, Oakland Athletics

Gentry started the season on the DL, but has been on a tear ever since being activated. Last week he went 7 for 16 with an RBI, three stolen bases and a .438 average. Don’t be fooled by Gentry’s 0.00 numberFire fantasy score, as his 21 plate appearances are skewing that number, and his promising 1.40 nERD (86th best) and .449 wOBA point to continued production. The one problem with Gentry is he platoons with Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick, so you’ll have to keep an extra-close eye on lineups daily when they’re released. The A’s have the second-easiest hitting schedule this week, with three games against the Texas Rangers and four games on the road against the Houston Astros.