Fantasy Baseball H2H Streamers – Week 8

After a disappointing article two weeks ago, we bounced back big time last week. We had Nick Martinez and AJ Smith-Shawver pitch some gems as two of our streamers, and two-start guys like Merrill Kelly and Colin Rea didn’t let us down either. The hitting streamers weren’t quite as successful, but the hit rate will always be higher for pitchers than the bats. That’s a funny thing I’ve learned about this article over time, but the matchups for the pitchers make their outcomes so much more predictable. With that said, let’s look at the favorable matchups for this week and then dive into those streamers!

Favorable Team Matchups

7 Games

Athletics (vs. LAA, vs. PHI)

Baltimore Orioles (at MIL, at BOS)

Boston Red Sox (vs. NYM, vs. BAL)

Colorado Rockies (vs. PHI, vs. NYY)

Los Angeles Angels (at ATH, vs. MIA)

Philadelphia Phillies (at COL, at ATH)

Seattle Mariners (at CWS, at HOU)

6 Games

Chicago Cubs (at MIA, at CIN)

New York Yankees (vs. TEX, at COL)

Tampa Bay Rays (vs. HOU, vs. TOR)

Texas Rangers (at NYY, at CWS)

Pitching Streamers

Ben Brown, CHC (at MIA)

The surface numbers from Brown are nothing worth writing home about, but this kid has some potential. Duds against the Phillies and Padres have really pummelled his peripherals, but he’s allowed three runs or fewer in his other seven starts. Brown also has a 2.91 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 rate in those seven starts, and we’re willing to trust that because of this matchup with Miami. The Marlins were 28th or 29th in runs scored, OBP and xwOBA last season and currently rank 22nd in K rate and 19th in xwOBA this year. That was on full display when Brown allowed just five baserunners and two runs across 5.1 innings in his last meeting with Miami less than a week ago.

Streamonator Valuation: $14

Nick Martinez, CIN (at PIT)

Martinez was one of our streamers last week, and we’re going right back to him after a successful week. The former reliever threw seven shutout innings in one of the best starts of his career, giving him a 1.80 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across his last four starts. That’s not far off what we’ve seen from this guy since becoming a starter, compiling a 3.25 ERA and 1.06 WHIP since signing with Cincy last season. The best part is that Martinez faces one of the worst offenses in a pitcher-friendly park. Switching from Great American Ballpark to PNC Park should lower Pittsburgh’s projected by a full run, which is incredible since they sit 28th or 29th in OBP, runs scored, and wOBA.

Streamonator Valuation: $-0.4

Jack Leiter, TEX (at CWS)

This is one of those streamers that scares me to death, but trusting a talented pitcher against a terrible offense is usually a recipe for a delicious dinner. That’s why we’ll ride Leiter as one of our streamers, facing a White Sox offense that ranks last in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season. This former top prospect has also shown glimpses of his lofty pedigree, providing a 2.92 ERA and 1.01 WHIP if you remove his one stinker against Seattle. We can do that since the Mariners are one of the hottest offenses in baseball, especially since Leiter had a 3.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 34 percent K rate at Triple-A over the last two years. The ChiSox may as well be a Triple-A lineup!

Streamonator Valuation: $-3.7

Andrew Heaney, PIT (vs. CIN)

Heaney’s had a funny trajectory in fantasy leagues this season. The lefty was one of the biggest pickups after an amazing start to the year, but he was shifted back to waiver wires after a poor two-start stretch. That’s why he fits in perfectly as one of our streamers, but people aren’t considering those matchups. The two stinkers happened against the Padres and Cubs, but not many people are slowing down those elite offenses. Heaney has a 1.91 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in his other seven starts this season. We’ve seen Heaney pitch like that in the past, and he should be able to recapture that form in a home matchup with Cincy. He held them to five baserunners across six innings in their one matchup earlier this season, with the Reds ranked 19th in OPS over the last 15 days.

Streamonator Valuation: $3.4

Hitting Streamers

Jake Burger, TEX (at NYY, at CWS)

It’s always fascinating when a highly drafted player gets mass dropped for some obscure reason. That’s what happened with Burger because most people dropped him after his demotion to Triple-A. We hate overreacting like that because Burger was a Top 150 pick in the preseason. He earned that with his elite power, collecting 63 dingers and 156 RBI between 2023 and 2024. What’s also funny is that Burger had a .602 OPS on July 5 last season and then closed the year with a .280 AVG, .557 SLG and .898 OPS across his final 72 games. A resurgence like that would be far from surprising, especially since Burger has a .375 AVG and 1.060 OPS in five games since his promotion. That history and recent form make him a premier pickup if he was dropped, particularly since he gets three games against the ChiSox this week.

Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (at MIL, at BOS)

The Orioles have been the biggest disappointment in baseball, but O’Hearn has been a pleasant surprise. This platoon player typically only bats against righties, registering a .398 OBP and .951 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Those are quite the splits, but his .394 OBP and .916 OPS for the season show he can be successful against either side. The best part about all of this is that he has a seven-game week, and all seven games are projected to be against right-handers! That has O’Hearn projected to face Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Hunter Dobbins, Quinn Priester, Aaron Civale and Logan Henderson.

Miguel Andujar, ATH (vs. LAA, vs. PHI)

Fantasy managers have fickle minds, but Andujar was a coveted fantasy option in his time with the Yankees. That’s well in the rearview mirror for most managers, but he’s showing why in this career year. The former third baseman has a .314 AVG and .779 OPS as an everyday player for the A’s. He’s also got a .353 AVG and .881 OPS across his last 18 outings. All of that makes him one of the best hitting streamers of the week because the A’s have seven games in one of the best hitter’s parks in the sport. We didn’t even mention that Andujar is projected to face three lefties, with Andujar amassing a .429 AVG and 1.055 OPS against them this year.

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

Steals Specialists

Chandler Simpson (TB)

Simpson was picked up in every league when he was called up, but a shift to the waiver wire makes him an excellent steals streamer. The speedster has a .292 AVG and eight steals this year, which is no surprise since he had 206 steals across 233 minor league games.

Jared Triolo (PIT)

This is a dart throw in a very dark bar, but Triolo has been a sneaky source of speed in Pittsburgh. Triolo has two homers and three steals over his last 11 games, while being eligible at numerous positions.

Saves Specialists

Jordan Romano (PHI)

We never thought we’d be here, but it appears Romano is back to closing duties in Philly. The former Toronto closer has three saves over his last seven appearances, throwing seven scoreless innings in that span.

Will Vest (DET)

This Detroit situation has been frustrating all season, with Vest and Tommy Kahnle trading off save opposites. Vest seems to be in favor right now, regularly pitching the ninth inning while picking up two wins and four saves across his last 10 appearances.

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