The Smash and Grab: 4 Teams With Elite Hitting Opportunities in Week 21

One thing I have learned in my journey in fantasy baseball is that volume is key -- especially in hitting.

In standard rotisserie leagues, only one category is ratio-based (batting average), which allows us to maximize at-bats and plate appearances to rack up those counting statistics in runs, home runs, runs batted in, and stolen bases. And as simplistic as the approach seems, the best fantasy players find ways to garner as many shots as possible -- via volume.

Each week, this report will analyze the matchups for the upcoming week to see if any teams, in particular, stand out from a volume perspective as we gear up for those Free Agent Budget (FAB) bids.

The seven-game teams? Those are obvious. But what about the other matchups? Let's dig in and find out.

Seven-Game Teams (13)

There is a lot of high-powered volume this week. The following teams play seven games: Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays.

With so much volume, who sticks out?

Cincinnati Reds: Rinse and repeat. rinse and repeat. The Reds make this list yet again. It's a homestand, which only helps one of the most prodigious offenses in all of baseball, and they get a very bad Chicago Cubs staff to start the week. Give me all of the Cincy hitters I can get. They'll face just two lefties are out of the seven, so it's probably not a big volume week for Aristides Aquino.

Houston Astros: The Houston Astros are another top-shelf offense in a money spot this week. First, they will have to deal with Carlos Hernandez of the Kansas City Royals, but after that, they line up against some of the worst pitching in baseball with Daniel Lynch, Brady Singer and Mike Minor. And over the weekend, they will lock horns with the Seattle Mariners, another not-so-intimidating rotation.

New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers may finally be letting loose, and it's not just a seven-game set -- it's eight. At the jump, the week starts with a date against southpaw Jose Suarez, and then it's three against the Red Sox and four versus a bad Twins rotation. What makes this even spicier? All seven games are in Yankee Stadium. If the Yankees still don't get right this week, I'm not sure it's ever going to happen in 2021.

Six-Game Teams (15)

Atlanta Braves: It's another week where we are gonna highlight the Braves, who have a solid slate of matchups. They start the week with the Miami Marlins, and in that three-game series, they will face not one but two left-handed pitchers. That makes Joc Pederson a tough-to-roster hitter on a site like the NFBC. The week then turns to Baltimore, and that's when things get even more intriguing. Baltimore is slated to trot out Bruce Zimmermann, Matt Harvey and the struggling John Means in hitter-friendly Camden Yards. Fire up the Braves.

Five-Game Teams (2)

Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Coors Field

San Diego Padres (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (3)