I can’t believe we’re writing the final article of the year! That always saddens me because I truly love writing these streamers articles. It also led to one of my best seasons ever, landing in the semi-finals of 24 of my 31 head-to-head leagues. Finding the right streamers has been all over the map, but it’s one of my favorite parts of fantasy baseball! This week could be challenging, though, because these teams do some bizarre things with their rotation in the final days of the year. With that in mind, let’s find some guys for this final week of the season!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Colorado Rockies (vs. LAD, vs. MIN)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at COL, at SF)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (at CWS, vs. HOU)
Atlanta Braves (vs. CHC, vs. WAS)
Baltimore Orioles (vs. WAS, vs. BOS)
Detroit Tigers (vs. KC, vs. CLE)
Kansas City Royals (at DET, vs. NYY)
Miami Marlins (at NYM, at PIT)
Minnesota Twins (vs. OAK, at COL)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. PIT, at NYM)
Pitching Streamers
Reese Olson. DET (vs. KC, vs. CLE)
Picking two start streamers in the final week is a challenge, but we have to assume this youngster will get both of his scheduled starts. That makes Olson tough to avoid because he’s been outstanding over the last month. The right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in five straight starts, tallying a 1.50 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in that span. He even threw a quality start against the Dodgers in his most recent outing, and these two opponents have nowhere near the quality of that LA lineup. The Royals rank bottom five in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA, while the Guardians sit 26th in xwOBA and 27th in runs scored. Not to mention, it’s two home starts in one of the most spacious ballparks in the league. The Streamonator loves him, too, projecting Olson to provide $20.5 worth of value.
Bailey Ober, MIN (vs. OAK)
Ober was demoted to the minors a month ago, and it’s hard to understand why. The Twinkies righty 2.76 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through his first 12 starts and has returned to that form recently. Ober has allowed just two runs in four of his last five starts, despite one terrible outing against Texas. We’re willing to overlook that because the Rangers have one of the best offenses, while Oakland has one of the worst. In fact, the A’s are last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA since the start of last season. That’ll likely have Ober entering this matchup as a -250 favorite! This is one of the Streamonator’s favorite streamers of the season, projected to provide $36.1 worth of value.
Edward Cabrera, MIA (at PIT)
Cabrera can’t go more than a few hitters without walking a batter, but it’s because he has such nasty stuff. The 3.83 xERA is a better indicator of how good this kid can be, with Cabrera compiling a 3.72 ERA, 1.24 vWHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate across his last 12 starts. That even includes two ugly outings against the Rays and Phillies, but that shouldn’t be an issue against the Pirates. Pittsburgh ranks 24th in xwOBA, 25th in OBP, and 29th in K rate, with Cabrera striking out seven Buccos across four scoreless innings in their most recent matchup.
Michael King, NYY (at KC)
King has been dominant in the bullpen at times throughout his career, and the Yanks made a wise decision to move him into the rotation. The season-long numbers speak for themselves, with King collecting a 2.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 11.5 K/9 rate. He’s actually been even better since becoming a starter, sporting a 1.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 13.7 K/9 rate across his last five starts. That makes it hard to understand why he’s around 50 percent rostered on most sites, but it’s likely because many fantasy managers have given up. The matchup with the Royals is the best part, ranked 27th in OBP and 28th in wOBA.
Cal Quantrill, CLE (at DET)
Quantrill has been one of our streamers numerous times this season, and we’re going back to the well in the final week! The season-long numbers are far from pretty, but it’s hard to overlook what Quantrill has done recently and throughout his career. Let’s start there because CQ has a 3.08 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over the last three years. We’ve seen him return to that player recently, registering a 1.95 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across his last five starts. That run is amazing in a spacious ballpark like Comerica, especially since Detroit is near the bottom of every offensive statistic. In their one matchup this season, Quantrill threw six scoreless innings in one of his best starts of the season!
Hitting Streamers
Jorge Polanco/Willi Castro (MIN)
These couldn’t be better matchups for Minnesota! They get to face the Rockies and Athletics this week, with both teams ranked 29th and 30th in ERA and WHIP. They’re simply the worst pitching staffs in baseball, and it’ll have the Twins rounding the bases all week. Polanco is the more reliable option of these two guys, performing at an All-Star level in the past. That’s what we’ve seen over the last month, generating a .397 OBP, .512 SLG, and .909 OPS across his last 35 games. Castro hasn’t been too shabby either, collecting 32 steals this season. He’s also got a .302 AVG, .603 SLG, and .951 OPS since coming off the IL on September 2. Both of these guys could go nuts this week, and it’s even better since Minnesota is one of the few teams playing for something!
Mark Canha (MIL)
The trade for Canha didn’t look like much at the trade deadline, but it’s been massive for Milwaukee. They’ve actually been batting Canha leadoff over the last month, maintaining a .341 AVG, .427 OBP, .528 SLG, and .955 OPS across his last 35 games. What’s also been sneaky is his speed, stealing four bases over his last 17 games. That makes him one of the best streamers out there atop this mauling Milwaukee lineup, and we’re not worried about matchups with Chicago and St. Louis. It also means Mark will face three lefties this week, accruing a .361 OBP and .834 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Brice Turang (MIL)
Turang has been a SAGNOF option for us numerous times over the last month, and he remains on way too many waiver wires. The speedster is playing nearly every day, recording eight steals across his last 16 games!
Parker Meadows (DET)
Meadows is one of the top prospects in Detroit’s organization, and his speed is a major reason why. Parker has provided a steal in four of his last 10 games and continues to play every day!
Saves Specialists
Adam Ottavino (NYM)
Otto has taken over closing duties in New York. He’s got four saves in his last six appearances, tallying a 0.66 ERA and 0.80 WHIP since August 10.
Jose Alvarado (PHI)
With Craig Kimbrel struggling, Alvarado has taken some save chances recently. He’s up to nine on the year, picking up two over the last week. He’s also got a 1.88 ERA and 13.9 K/9 rate in what’s turning into a sensational season!
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
