If your league has chosen to combine this opening weekend with the first full week of the season for a massive 11-day scoring period, I'm going to stop you right now: This article isn't for you.
I'm glad that you're here, and you're welcome to stick around, but the content isn't so actionable for you. Your lineup is already locked, you see.
The default CBS setting is to treat this opening weekend as its own scoring period, so in leagues that use the default setting, a new scoring period is set to begin Monday -- a scoring period commonly referred to as Week 2.
Week 2: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
But then when Week 3 comes, it'll actually be your Week 2, oh participant in the 11-day scoring period, and those numbers will remain out of sync for the rest of the year. It's a logistical nightmare, but the only way through it is one week at a time.
Just know your situation and accept it.
As for the rest of us, I have 10 sleeper hitter recommendations, though you should note that I've limited my selection to those rostered in less than 75 percent of CBS Sports leagues. These players are, by the nature of this exercise, not the surest of things, so don't go sitting studs for them or anything. But if you have a need, they could maybe help you to meet it.
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
The Royals are one of just two teams scheduled for seven games this week, and four are against the White Sox's ramshackle rotation. Perhaps no hitter is better equipped to take advantage than MJ Melendez, who followed a big second half with a big spring training and should benefit from the lack of lefties (meaning two) on the schedule.
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The Orioles, on the other hand, have a lefty-heavy schedule, with three on tap for their six-game slate, and it's fair to say that pitching is a weakness in general for both the Royals and Pirates. Ryan Mountcastle hit .338 with a 1.052 OPS against lefties last year.
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The White Sox are one of just two teams scheduled for seven games this week, and all are against righties, which actually works to Andrew Vaughn's benefit given that his batting average and OPS were both higher against righties than lefties last year (by 40 points and 133 points, respectively).
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Jack Suwinski is a Statcast darling whose usefulness is limited by his streakiness and platoon splits. There's only one lefty on tap for the Pirates this week, though, and his matchups against Trevor Williams, Josiah Gray and Dean Kremer should help him get off on the right foot.
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Henry Davis is on his way to catcher eligibility but may be worth using as an outfielder in the meantime, particularly with matchups as good as the ones I listed off for Suwinski.
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If it's true the Royals have the best matchups this week (one of just two teams playing seven games, remember), then surely their leadoff hitter figures to benefit. Garcia is enough of a line-drive hitter and base-stealer to pass as another Nico Hoerner type when the rest of the lineup is pulling its weight.
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Jarred Kelenic spent this spring reworking his swing to keep the head of his bat in the zone longer and was just beginning to get his timing down when it ended, hitting a 452-foot home run in the finale. He'll sit against some lefties, but the righties on tap this week -- Chris Flexen, Nick Nastrini, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson -- are particularly mashable
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The Marlins have the fifth-best hitter matchups this week, facing no pitcher better than Chase Silseth in their six games against the Angels and Cardinals, which makes it a good time to gamble on the possibility that Tim Anderson really was plagued by a sprained knee last year and could get back to delivering high-end numbers this year.
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Swing decisions remain a hurdle for Rafaela, but the Red Sox apparently saw enough progress this spring to award him the center field job. There's enough power and speed here for you to roll the dice against the Athletics and Angels pitching staffs this week.
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Austin Hays doesn't bring much value on his own, but he's a cog in an Orioles machine that can be difficult to stop once it gets rolling. And it might well get rolling against pitchers like Alec Marsh, Jared Jones, Bailey Falter and Marco Gonzales this week.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 2
1. Royals @BAL3, CHW4
2. Phillies CIN3, @WAS3
3. Rays TEX3, @COL3
4. Padres STL3, @SF3
5. Marlins LAA3, @STL3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 2
1. Guardians @SEA3, @MIN3
2. Giants @LAD3, SD3
3. Yankees @ARI3, TOR3
4. Brewers MIN2, SEA3
5. Rangers @TB3, HOU3
