How nice is it to be back in the baseball grind? After an unpredictable opening week with a stupid amount of injuries, it’s time to build off that momentum and ride down the stream. This week’s streamers are actually much weaker than last weeks and it’ll do some digging to find some good options. While last week’s article was called Week 2 because it was our second article, we’re going to go ahead and call this Week 2, since that’s the case for most of you fantasy owners. With that in mind, let’s get into a couple of two-start streamers.
Jakob Junis, KC (vs. SEA, vs. CLE)
According to our Streamonator, Junis has the best projected total output of all our streamers. In fact, Junis is projected to provide $18.3 of value in his two starts, which is the equivalent of a dominant one-start week. In total, the Streamonator has Junis projected to pitch 12.2 innings, while accruing a 3.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12 strikeouts. That’s all you can ask for from a guy who’s essentially unowned and it’s easy to see why when looking at his matchups.
Not only does Junis get to pitch in his pitcher-friendly home park, but he also faces two of the weaker lineups in baseball. That’s evident by the fact that both of these club’s rank top-10 in total strikeouts this season. Facing Cleveland is probably the better matchup but Junis owns a 0.60 ERA and 0.46 WHIP in two starts against the Mariners in his career too. This Mariners lineup is inferior to the one he faced in those other two starts and it appears Junis is building off of his strong finish to the 2017-18 season with 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings thus far.
Derek Holland, SF (vs. SD, vs. COL)
This one does worry me a bit but it’s hard to see Holland blowing up your peripherals with two home starts. In 18 games at AT&T Park last season, Holland posted a 3.51 ERA and 1.18 WHIP while striking out 81 batters across 82 innings. That’s by no means a special line but it’s hard to overlook in a two-start week considering this is probably the best pitcher’s park in the majors. Facing the Padres and Rockies is a treat too, as these clubs really struggle on the road. That was evident last season when both these teams ranked top-eight in total strikeouts and bottom-10 in total runs away from home. That means Holland is a decent bet for two quality starts, as the Streamonator has him projected to post a 3.60 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 11.1 innings while striking out 11 batters.
While our Streamonator doesn’t like Jordan Zimmerman it’s hard to argue with his first two starts of the season. In fact, Zimmerman has gone through 13,2 innings, allowing just one run and eight baserunners in total. For this week, he faces the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Those are definitely matchups he can exploit again and Zimmerman may be worth the shot if you’re feeling frisky.
Now that we got those two-start pitchers out of the way, let’s dig into some single-start streamers that we like.
Domingo German, NYY vs. CWS
German was actually a two-start streamer in our article last week and the first start is hopefully a sign of things to come. The right-hander allowed just one hit across five innings, striking out seven Tigers while allowing one unearned run. That’s about all you can ask for from a streamer, as we project him to go off against the Orioles on Sunday too.
But, let’s get into his start this week against the Chicago White Sox. The Streamonator actually has German as the best one-start streamer on the board, as he’s projected to provide $15.9 worth of value. That’s usually the production of a player who’s owned across all formats but fantasy owners are slow to adjust to German’s form. Not only is German projected to be a monster favorite in this game, but he’s also a good bet for a ton of strikeouts. The reason for that is because of his nasty stuff, with German owning a 10.9 K/9 rate for his career. That becomes particularly intriguing against a White Sox team who led the league in strikeouts last season.
Sonny Gray, CIN vs. MIA
Gray is not someone who I’m necessarily high on but the Streamonator seems to really like him in this spot. In fact, we have him projected to provide $14.6 of value, as could have success against this lackluster lineup. Not only does Miami own a .690 OPS this season, but they also scored the second-fewest runs in the majors last year too.
Gray will be ecstatic to face a lineup like that, as he really struggled in the AL East last season. Facing a pitcher has always been a nice benefit for someone like Gray, as he owns a 3.42 ERA and 1.06 WHIP against the National League throughout his career. Not to mention, Gray should enter this matchup as a projected –140 favorite, with the Marline projected to score fewer than four runs.
Some other notable one-start streamers include:
Dylan Bundy, BAL vs. OAK: Bundy has nice strikeout upside against a swing-happy lineup like the A’s.
Jeff Samardzija, SF vs. TB: Tampa Bay has the second-most strikeouts in the league and could struggle without a DH in AT&T Park.
Kyle Gibson, MIN vs. DET: Gibson is highly projected in the Streamonator and could have success against this lackluster Tigers lineup.
If you have any comments or questions, leave me a comment here or contact me on Twitter @BartilottaJoel
