Fantasy Baseball Streamers, Week 25: Ride the Wave

How the hell are we down to the final two weeks? After what felt like a long season, it’s sprinted to the finish line. The good news is that many of my leagues are still alive, and I can’t wait to break down the streamers for this week. What does need to be mentioned is the volatility of these final few weeks. More random occurrences happen in these last 14 days than at any point in the regular season, and it can make picking streamers a challenging task. In any case, we love some of the two-start guys, so let’s kick things off there!

Two-Start Streamers

Vladimir Gutierrez, CIN (vs. PIT, vs. WAS)

This guy was a regular in this article a few weeks back, but we’ve been fading him a bit recently. His recent form indicates that we’ve been correct in our timely assessments, and we adore him this week. We already mentioned how we had him in the past, and it’s easy to see why. Despite the recent struggles, the right-hander has a 3.88 ERA and 1.29 WHIP since the end of June, throwing at least six innings in eight of his last 10 starts.

That form is hard to overlook, but we’d use pretty much anyone in matchups like these. Not only does Gutierrez get two home starts, but he’s also facing some of the worst lineups in baseball. Pittsburgh might top the list, ranked 28th in xwOBA, 29th in wOBA, and dead-last in runs scored. Washington hasn’t been the same since selling off at the deadline either, sitting near the bottom of every offensive category since losing Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. We also love that Gutierrez will be monster favorite in both of these starts, making him an excellent bet for a win or two as well.

Carlos Hernandez, KC (at CLE, at DET)

I was always impressed with this guy when he came out of the pen, and we love him as a streamer now that he’s a regular in this rotation. It’s easy to see why he earned that promotion, pitching to a 1.68 ERA and 0.93 WHIP before a rare dud on Wednesday. That eight-game stretch included the White Sox three times, the Yankees, and the Astros, making Carlos one of the most intriguing options out there.

If he can shut down offenses like those, facing Cleveland and Detroit should be a breeze. The Indians currently rank 27th in OBP, 23rd in wOBA, and 24th in OPS, while the Motor City Kitties rank 28th in K rate and 22nd in OPS. We also don’t mind that he gets these two road starts, with Hernandez honing in a 2.60 ERA and 1.13 WHIP outside of KC this season. They also happen to be two spacious ballparks, limiting some of the damage that these offenses struggle with anyway.

One-Start Streamers

Logan Gilbert, SEA (at LAA)

Logan has been dropped in many of my leagues recently, and it’s hard to understand why. This top prospect has shown why he’s earned all that praise with his recent form, providing a 2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9 rate over his last three starts. That’s awesome since he had a 1.07 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate through his first seven starts, especially after a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP at the Minors. That means this could be an ace in the making, and a matchup with the Angels certainly won’t hurt his averages. Los Angeles has lost Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout for the rest of the season and now sit 29th in hard-hit rate with Shohei limping to the finish line. He’s faced them twice already, too, attaining a 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 13.9 K/9 rate.

Cal Quantrill, CLE (at KC)

This is another guy that’s getting overlooked. Quantrill has been one of the best streamers in the second half, and it’s a wonder why he’s below 40 percent ownership on nearly every site out there. In his 20 starts and 38 appearances this season, Cal has collected a 2.89 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. To put that in perspective, that’s essentially Julio Urias’ ERA and Zack Greinke’s WHIP. We don’t believe he’s as good as those two, but it’s hard to overlook allowing one run or fewer in nine of his last 12 starts. We think he can keep that run going against Kansas City, with the Royals ranked 22nd in OBP, and 25th in both OPS and wOBA.

Cole Irvin, OAK (vs. SEA)

It’s pretty strange that Irvin hasn’t been owned in every single league for the entirety of the season. Outside of two terrible starts against the Stros and Blue Jays, Irvin has been impressive. In fact, the southpaw has slung a 3.44 ERA, and 1.24 WHIP across his other 27 starts this season, allowing four runs or fewer in all 25 of those other outings. Almost everyone has struggled with those two offenses we just mentioned, but a matchup with Seattle should be sensational. We say that because the Mariners rank 27th in K rate, 28th in OBP, and 26th in OPS.

Ryan Yarbrough, TB (vs. MIA)

This guy has hit an absolute wall his last two starts, but we believe he can bounce back here. He’s allowed seven runs in each of his previous two starts but had a 4.22 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across his previous 21 outings. That’s an extended sample size of solid pitching, especially when you see his 3.97 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in the previous two seasons combined. That ability to limit baserunners has allowed him to thrive, and that should be much easier to accomplish here against Miami. We say that because the Marlins rank 29th in OBP, 28th in wOBA, and dead-last in xwOBA. We also don’t mind that Yarbrough and the Rays will likely enter this matchup as a -200 favorite as well. The Streamonator agrees with our assessment, projecting Yarbrough to provide $13.1 worth of value.

Streamers to Consider:

Griffin Jax, MIN (at CHC)

This guy has shown some flashes this year, and a matchup with the worst lineup in the NL should allow him to flirt with a quality start.

Dallas Keuchel, CWS (at DET, at CLE)

It doesn’t get much better than this in terms of matchups, and Dallas has shown us in the past that he can manage any crappy lineup with his ability to force groundballs.

Kris Bubic, KC (at DET)

Anyone facing Detroit is in play. Bubic has been good against them this season, too, allowing just three runs across 16 innings in three excellent starts.

Jose Suarez, LAA (vs. SEA)

Suarez has a 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate across his last five starts and shouldn’t have any issues with this subpar Seattle lineup.