We were really pleased with last week’s results. The only blunder was that Garrett Whitlock faced New York instead of Cleveland, but he had a quality outing nonetheless. Everybody else in the article played well, and it has me excited to keep rolling here. Banking on streamers is one of the riskiest variables in fantasy baseball, but it’s a great way to put yourself ahead of the pack. I ride streamers in every league I play in, and you better believe I use the players I write up. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the favorable matchups for this week!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Atlanta Braves (at DET, vs. COL)
Philadelphia Phillies (at ARI, at PHI)
Tampa Bay Rays (at OAK, at SD)
Texas Rangers (vs. LAA, vs. TOR)
6 Games
Boston Red Sox (vs. COL, vs. NYY)
Chicago Cubs (vs. PIT, vs. BAL)
Houston Astros (vs. WAS, vs. CIN)
Kansas City Royals (vs. CIN, vs. LAA)
Minnesota Twins (vs. MIL, vs. DET)
Pitching Streamers
A.J. Smith-Shawver, ATL (at DET)
It’s hard to look at this rotation and not think of Juju Smith-Schuster. That’s a story for another day because this rookie is looking like a massive find for this beat-up Braves pitching staff. The youngster threw 5.1 scoreless innings in his debut start earlier in the week and has a 0.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in the early going. That’s not far off his minor league averages this season, generating a 1.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 33 percent K rate across three different levels. That’s why he keeps moving up, and this Detroit lineup is on par with some of the minor league lineups he’s faced. The Motor City Kitties rank 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and wOBA.
James Paxton, BOS (vs. COL)
I just checked Paxton’s roster percentage on Yahoo, and it’s still well below 50 percent. Fantasy managers need to step up their game over there because this former ace always performs when he’s healthy. That’s a rare occurrence, but we’re talking about a pitcher with a 3.69 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 32 percent K rate since 2017. That’s pretty much what we’ve seen from Pax this season, providing a 3.81 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 12.5 K/9 rate. He’s also allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts and should be able to do that against Colorado. The Rockies have ranked last in runs scored and OPS on the road in each of the last two years and are currently without their two best hitters right now. Paxton is The Streamonator’s favorite pick of the season, projected to provide $39.9 worth of value in this spot.
Julio Teheran MIL (vs. PIT)
I never thought Teheran would be pitching again, let alone be one of our streamers. That’s just how baseball works sometimes because this guy looks as good as he did in 2014. The right-hander had a 3.61 ERA and 1.19 WHIP between 2014 and 2018 but was out of the league after making just one start across the last two years. It’s clear Julio has been working hard to recapture that early-career form, providing a 1.48 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in a shocking resurgent season. He’s also allowed two runs or fewer in all four starts, striking out at least five batters in three of those. Both of those totals should be easy to reach against Pittsburgh, who have the lowest run total in baseball since the beginning of May.
J.P. France, HOU (vs. CIN)
The Astros always seem to develop elite streamers, and France has become one of those. The 28-year-old rookie has allowed one run or fewer in four of his seven starts, tallying a 3.54 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. That’s all you can hope for from one of your streamers, especially since France gets a home matchup against one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Reds rank 24th in K rate and 27th in xwOBA. This is also the best bet to get a win from any of our streamers because France will likely be a -200 favorite in this sensational spot.
Hitting Streamers
Luke Raley, TB (at OAK, at SD)
It feels like we have a new Tampa player in here every week. This organization is incredible at developing talent, and they have new guys in the heart of their order every week. That’s what we’ve seen with Raley, playing in six of the last seven games while batting third or fourth in most of those. The promotion in the lineup is no surprise when looking at the production, accruing a .303 AVG, .398 OBP, .663 SLG, and 1.061 OPS across his last 32 games. That doesn’t even consider his power-speed combination, picking up seven homers and seven steals in that span. That should keep him in the lineup for the majority of this seven-game week, which is amazing since four of those come against an A’s pitching staff that ranks dead-last with a 6.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.
Alex Kirilloff, MIN (vs. MIL, vs. DET)
It’s hard to understand why Kirilloff remains on everyone’s waiver wire. This guy has been a monster all season, totaling a .432 OBP and .888 OPS. It’s hard to believe that a guy with a .432 OBP is sitting on everyone’s waiver wire, especially since Kiriloff compiled a .455 OBP and 1.108 OPS at the minors over the last three years. It’s clear this kid can rake, and it’s why Minnesota has been batting him second and third over the last few weeks. The matchups with Milwaukee and Detroit aren’t too bad either, facing guys like Collin Rea, Joey Wentz, Tyler Alexander, Reese Olson, and Matthew Boyd.
Marcell Ozuna, ATL (at DET, vs. COL)
We’ve had Ozuna in here multiple times as one of our streamers, and it’s hard to understand why no one wants to pick this guy up. This masher was the top hitter in fantasy back in 2020 and has recaptured that form over the last month. Ozuna has a .315 AVG, .382 OBP, .631 SLG, and 1.013 OPS across his last 30 outings. That’s hard to overlook because Ozuna is getting a ton of RBI opportunities batting in the second half of this bludgeoning Braves lineup. Atlanta should be in line to score a ton of runs this week, facing a Detroit team that ranks 22nd in ERA, while Colorado sits 29th in ERA, WHIP, and xwOBA. We didn’t even mention that he gets seven games in those sensational matchups!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Nolan Jones (COL)
Jones is one of the top prospects in Colorado’s organization and has swiped a bag in three of his last four games. He’s also got a .985 OPS in his first 13 outings and could develop into a must-roster player.
Michael A. Taylor (MIN)
Taylor has been starting every day since Byron Buxton went down, picking up four steals over the last five games. He’s also got 10 on the year and should pick up a couple more this week in an everyday role.
Saves Specialists
Justin Lawrence (COL)
If this doesn’t show you how ugly the relievers are this week, I don’t know what will! Riding a Rockies reliever is like brushing your teeth with your finger, but it needs to be done sometimes. Pierce Johnson had the first 11 saves for this team, but he’s got a 7.50 ERA and 1.96 WHIP. His recent struggles have allowed Lawrence to pick up the two most recent saves, and he might be the closer as we advance. J-Law has a 3.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, while the Rockies look hesitant to stick Daniel Bard back in the closer’s role after his bout with anxiety.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
