Last week was one of my best weeks of the year! We had most of our streamers go off, and it’s becoming clear that fantasy managers are sleeping at the wheel. The ownership percentages are far too low for many of these guys because numerous fantasy managers have checked out at this point. That makes streaming simpler than ever and gives us tons of options to pick from. With that said, we’ll try to dive deeper into the waiver wire, so let’s get started with a Tigers pitcher!
Pitching Streamers
Matt Manning, DET (vs. SEA, vs. KC)
I’m not so sure I own a single Tigers player across my 30-plus leagues, but I will this week! It’s about time they developed a pitcher, with Manning looking like a future ace. The right-hander has a 2.37 ERA and 1.11 WHIP for the year, allowing one run or fewer in five of his seven starts. He appears to be finding his swing-and-miss stuff, too, generating a 9.7 K/9 rate over his last four starts.
All of that makes him one of the best streamers in a two-start week, but these matchups are awesome too. Seattle sits 23rd in runs scored, 19th in OPS, and 21st in wOBACON, while the Royals rank 24th in OBP, 25th in OPS, and 23rd in runs scored. Getting two home starts is the icing on the cake, though, with Comerica Park being one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball.
Cal Quantrill, CLE (vs. BAL)
Quantrill is the highest-owned player in this article, but he’s still sitting around 50 percent on most major sites. That’s laughable because this has been one of the best pitchers in the AL since the All-Star break. He’s actually gone scoreless in three of his last four starts, doing that damage against the Astros, Blue Jays, and Padres. Those are three of the best lineups in the sport, with Cal compiling a 2.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP since July 16. Cleveland is known for finding diamonds in the rough, and it appears they’ve stumbled into another one with Q. Baltimore is a brilliant matchup, too, with the O’s ranked 25th in OBP.
Jake Odorizzi, ATL (vs. MIA)
We’ve had Odorizzi in here a ton recently, and it appears fantasy managers are sleeping on this veteran. The Braves went out and acquired this guy at the deadline, and Odorizzi has rewarded them with a 3.31 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across his last 13 starts. That’s a sustained stretch of success, and we’re talking about a pitcher who has a 3.95 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through his 10-year career. A home matchup with Miami is the best part of this, though, with the Marlins ranked 27th in runs scored, 26th in OBP, and 28th in xwOBA. That will likely have Odorizzi entering this matchup as a -200 favorite as well, which is all you could hope for from one of your streamers.
Spenser Watkins, BAL (vs. OAK)
Baltimore has turned Camden Yards into the Polo Grounds with their park adjustments, but it’s made many of these pitchers fantasy relevant. Watkins is one of them, allowing three or fewer runs in 16 of his 18 starts. He’s got a 3.36 ERA and 1.26 WHIP if you take out his one stinker against St. Louis, doing that damage in the daunted AL East. Getting to face Oakland is quite the boost from those prior matchups, with the A’s ranked bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. He’ll also likely enter this matchup as a massive favorite and is one of the best bets to post a quality start.
Streamers to Consider
Dean Kremer, BAL (vs. OAK)
Kremer has allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his 15 starts en route to a 3.24 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He should be able to add to that total against the worst offense in baseball. The Streamonator agrees, projecting Kremer to provide $12.6 worth of value.
David Peterson, NYM (vs. WAS)
Peterson is flirting with a 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP as a starter this season and should have no problem dominating a Washington lineup without Juan Soto and Josh Bell. This is The Streamonator’s favorite play of the week, projecting him to provide $21.9 worth of value.
Ross Stripling, TOR (at PIT)
Stripling has a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in what’s been a breakout year, and facing a Pittsburgh team that sits bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and K rate makes him an easy streamer this week.
Hitting Streamers
Tommy Pham, BOS (at MIN, vs. TEX) 7 Games
I wasn’t so sure what the Red Sox were thinking when they acquired Pham, but it’s proven to be a profitable move for both sides. Alex Cora certainly likes it, batting Pham leadoff throughout his Boston tenure. That’s the first variable we love with Pham, but he’s been fantastic since joining this team. In fact, Tommy has a .324 AVG, .544 SLG, and .896 OPS across his last 16 games. That’s on par with his advanced averages, ranked near the top of every hard-hit metric. Getting seven games from a leadoff hitter is amazing behind averages like those, and we haven’t even discussed these magical matchups. Pham faces Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Glenn Otto, Dallas Keuchel, Kohei Arihara, and Dane Dunning in some of the best possible oppositions.
Kolten Wong, MIL (vs. PIT, at ARI) 7 Games
This will probably be the first and last time we have two Hawaiian players. These are actually the only players from Hawaii that I can think of, so I must be inspired by that wild Manti Te’o documentary. All jokes aside, these two are in fantastic spots this week. Wong isn’t quite as good as Pham, but he’s done work against right-handers all year. The second baseman has a .280 AVG, .352 OBP, .483 SLG, and .835 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. That’s incredible this week because Wong gets seven games, with six of them against righties! It’s certainly not a scary group of righties either, with the Pirates ranked 27th in ERA, xwOBA, and WHIP while the D’Backs sit 22nd in ERA and 19th in WHIP.
Lars Nootbaar, STL (at CIN, vs. CHC) 6 Games
This marks the third straight article with Nootbaar, and it’s time fantasy managers pick this dude up. This has been one of the best hitting streamers all year, accumulating a .304 AVG, .426 OBP, .580 SLG, and 1.006 OPS across his last 37 games. That’s a large sample size of dominance, and it’s forced the Cards to move Nootbaar into their leadoff spot. Getting to face Cincy and Chicago is sensational, with the Reds ranked 28th in ERA, 26th in WHIP, and 27th in wOBA, while the Cubbies sit 23rd in ERA, 25th in WHIP, and 24th in wOBA. He’s also guaranteed to face at least four righties this week, which is impressive since Nootbar has a .376 OBP and .882 OPS against them this year.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
