Fantasy Baseball H2H Streamers – Week 14

We had another solid showing last week, but Hayden Birdsong crapped on our car once again. That’s the second time he’s burned me this month, and we just have to let those guys go sometimes. I’m still happy with the results, but this will be a tough week. There weren’t many streamers who stood out from the pitching side because most of the must-roster pitchers face easy offenses. That can make it difficult to pick streamers, but it makes the hitters much easier. With that said, let’s look at some favorable matchups and then dive into those streamers.

Favorable Team Matchups

7 Games

New York Yankees (at TOR, at NYM)

San Francisco Giants (at ARI, at ATH)

Seattle Mariners (vs. KC, vs. PIT)

Toronto Blue Jays (vs. NYY, vs. LAA)

6 Games

Atlanta Braves (vs. LAA, vs. BAL)

Chicago Cubs (vs. CLE, vs. STL)

Colorado Rockies (vs. HOU, vs. CWS)

Houston Astros (at COL, at LAD)

Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. CWS, vs. HOU)

Pitching Streamers

Eduardo Rodriguez, ARI (vs. KC)

We had E-Rod in last week’s article as one of our streamers, and he rewarded us with one of the best starts of his career. All the same factors come into play this week because Rodriguez has been much better than the 5.40 ERA and 1.48 WHIP would indicate. In fact, Rodriguez has allowed two runs or fewer in four straight starts, sporting a 2.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9 rate in that span. That includes 10 strikeouts across six scoreless innings in his most recent outing, but that’s more in line with his 3.70 xERA and 3.85 XFIP. A home matchup with Kansas City should keep E-Rod cruising, with the Royals ranked 26th in OBP, 28th in wOB,A and last in runs scored. In his last three starts against the Royals, Rodriguez has allowed four runs across 18.2 innings while striking out 19 batters.

Streamonator Valuation: $-0.1

Jacob Lopez, ATH (at TB, vs. SF)

I didn’t think much of Lopez when he allowed seven runs across 1.2 innings in one of his first starts of the season, but he’s been outstanding outside of that. The lefty has a 2.18 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 12.0 K/9 rate across 41.1 innings if you remove that one outlier. We’re willing to do that because Lopez has a 0.39 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9 rate across his last four starts. It’s rare to hit on all three of those categories, but that’s exactly what you’re looking for from one of your streamers. These matchups against Tampa and San Fran aren’t the best, but the Rays were one of the worst offenses in baseball before June, while the Giants are 18th in K rate, 21st in OBP, 22nd in wOBA, and 25th in xwOBA.

Streamonator Valuation: $14.4

Edward Cabrera, MIA (vs. MIN)

I’ve always thought Cabrera carries a ton of talent, but it’s taken this righty some time to find his form at this level. There was some discussion about Cabrera changing his arm slot, and the numbers directly correlate with that adjustment. That’s led to Cabrera allowing three runs or fewer in nine straight starts, compiling a 2.36 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 9.7 K/9 rate in that span. There are simply not many better pitchers at limiting hits right now, and getting to pitch in a pitcher’s haven like Marlins Park only adds to Cabrera’s intrigue. This guy’s career ERA is 1.50 runs lower at home than on the road! A matchup with Minnesota might sound concerning on the surface, but this has been one of the worst offenses outside of Byron Buxton. The Twins rank 17th in xwOBA, 16th in K rate, and 20th in OBP

Streamonator Valuation: $8.0

Grant Holmes, ATL (vs. LAA)

Holmes has been on and off the waiver wire all season, but he’s an excellent choice as one of your streamers on any given week. This righty broke out last season with a 3.56 ERA and 1.19 WHIP but has backed it with a 3.70 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this year. One stinker against Arizona is the only true blemish on the baseball card, with Holmes allowing four runs or fewer in his other 15 starts. He’s also got a 3.02 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 rate across his last nine starts, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 11.9 K/9 rate at home in that span. That should bode well against an atrocious Angels offense, with LA ranked 29th in OBP and dead last in K rate. All of that will have Holmes entering this matchup as a -200 favorite as well!

Streamonator Valuation: $13.6

Eric Lauer, TOR (vs. LAA)

Lauer was a sneaky signing by Toronto because many people forget how good he was before blowing up last season. Between 2021 and 2022, Lauer amassed a 3.47 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 49 starts. That’s more in line with what we’ve seen this season, with the lefty totaling a 2.21 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Those are averages you typically see from an elite reliever, making Lauer one of the best streamers of the season. He’s also allowed three runs or fewer every game this year while tallying a 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9 rate at home. We already talked about how poor LA’s offense has been, and it should lead to another comfortable home start for this underrated arm.

Streamonator Valuation: $-5.5

Hitting Streamers

Trent Grisham, NYY (at TOR, at NYM)

Grisham is strictly a platoon player at this point, but that makes him one of the best streamers of the week. Not only are the Yankees one of the few teams with seven games, but six of them are against right-handers! That couldn’t be better for a guy like Grisham, with the outfielder batting leadoff in those circumstances. He’s earned that prominent lineup spot with one of the best seasons of his career, collecting a .351 OBP and .832 OPS. His splits are even better, sporting a .370 OBP and .913 OPS against right-handers. Hitting leadoff in front of Aaron Judge couldn’t be better from a fantasy perspective, especially since Toronto sits 19th in wOBA, 2oth in xwOBA and 21st in ERA. He also faces Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas in two of his three matchups with the Mets.

Mike Toglia/Tyler Freeman/Jordan Beck, COL (vs. HOU, vs. CWS)

We rarely do this, but finding every prominent piece of a lineup available off the waiver wire is irregular. That’s why these Rockies will be great streamers all season, because they’ll always be one of the highest projected offenses when they’re at home. That becomes even more beneficial when they have a full slate of home games because Colorado is always projected to score at least 4-5 runs in Coors Field. That spacious ballpark has always been the highest-scoring park for decades, and it should have Colorado in line for 30 runs this week. It’s not like these are pitchers we need to worry about anyway, facing Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter in the Stros rotation while the White Sox rank 22nd in ERA, 26th in WHIP and 29th in xwOBA.

All of that couldn’t put these players in better spots as streamers, with Toglia being the best power option of the bunch. He’s been hitting cleanup since his promotion, providing a .437 SLG and .765 OPS at home since the start of last season. Freeman appeared to be a bizarre acquisition from Cleveland, but he’s quietly been a fantastic pickup for this team. He’s been hitting leadoff recently, registering a .389 AVG, .477 OBP and 1.005 OPS across his last 23 games while stealing six bases in that span. Beck has been the surprise for this team, on pace for nearly 20 homers and 20 steals. He has a .310 AVG,.370 OBP and .846 OPS across his last 21 games while generating a .344 OBP and .820 OPS at home this year.

SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)

Steals Specialists

Tyler Freeman (COL)

We included Freeman in the previous section because he should be able to steal some bases as the leadoff hitter for a team playing six games at Coors Field.

Jasson Dominguez (NYY)

Dominguez is clinging to a role in NY, forcing him to run to show his worth. The outfielder has eight steals across his last 26 games, despite recording just 77 at-bats.

In Consideration: Jose Caballero and Victor Scott are in this article nearly every week, and they’re still great options for some speed.

Saves Specialists

Dylan Lee (ATL)

Raisel Iglesias has lost some favor in ATL, which led to Lee securing a save this week, their first in a month! He earned that opportunity behind his 1.24 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 rate.

Robert Garcia (TEX)

Garcia has struggled since taking over as the closer, but he has five saves over his last 10 outings.

In Consideration: Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm are splitting saves in Philly right now.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!