Last week’s article was all over the map. We got some great starts from Alex Cobb, Taijuan Walker, and Tony Gonsolin but Adrian Houser and Tyler Anderson really let us down. We still feel like the process has been on point, and we’re starting to get a better read on these offenses. Picking streamers is all about picking the right matchups at the right time, and it’s always more challenging in the opening month of the season. With that said, I feel very confident about this week’s group of hitters but let’s get started with some arms that should provide value as well!
Pitching Streamers
Josh Winder, MIN (at OAK)
Winder feels like one of those streamers that won’t be around much longer in your leagues. This guy has looked like an ace in the early going, amassing a 1.27 ERA and 0.66 WHIP through his first four starts. A dud against Houston raised those averages a bit, but that’s happening to any pitcher facing the Stros right now. Facing Oakland instead of Houston is quite the bump here, with the A’s ranked dead-last in OBP, OPS, xwOBA, and wOBA. We thought they were the worst lineup in baseball before the season but that .582 team OPS confirms that they might have to be relegated to Jimmy’s little league. The Streamonator absolutely loves this play, projecting Winder to provide $12.4 worth of value.
Tyler Anderson, LAD (vs. ARI)
Anderson was bad in his most recent outing, but Philly has proven to be a righty killer. The former Rockie was brilliant before that, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his first five starts. Anderson accumulated a 2.78 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in that five-start stretch, delivering a surprising 8.7 K/9 rate as well. The Dodgers are notorious for turning bad pitchers into average ones and average arms into great ones, and it looks like they’ve done the trick for Tyler. A matchup with Arizona is astounding, too, with the Diamondbacks ranked 24th or 25th in runs scored, OBP, K rate, and wOBA. It’s also a home start for Anderson, making him a -200 favorite in this sensational spot.
Jake Odorizzi, HOU (vs. TEX)
Odorizzi has been one of my favorite streamers this season, and I don’t understand why fantasy managers are sleeping on him. Much like the Dodgers, the Astros develop arms better than any team in baseball. They’ve certainly revived Odorizzi’s career, compiling a 0.51 ERA and 0.57 WHIP over his last three starts. We’ve seen stretches like that when he threw for Tampa Bay and Minnesota but pitching for Houston might be the best spot of the bunch. A home game against Texas is the icing on the cake, though, with the Rangers ranked 26th in OBP, 27th in OPS, and 25th in xwOBA. Odorizzi was outstanding in their one matchup two weeks ago, allowing one hit across six one-run innings.
Corey Kluber, TB (vs. DET)
Kluber was probably picked up in most of your leagues in the opening month, but you better believe he was dropped in most of them this week. Fantasy baseball is full of fickle fantasy managers, and we’re going to bank on that impatient mistake this week. The former Cy Young winner allowed 11 hits and eight runs in his most recent outing, but he looked like a bounce-back candidate before that.
Klubot had a 2.36 ERA and 1.05 WHIP through his first five starts of the year. We’ll bank on the five-game sample size and call the one dud an outlier because we trust Tampa to get this guy back on track and we’re scared of that Angels offense he was pummelled by. A matchup with Detroit is dandy, too, with the Motor City Kitties ranked 25th in OBP, 28th in OPS, 26th in xwOBA, and dead-last in runs per game.
Streamers to Consider
Reid Detmers, LAA (at TEX)
Detmers has been lousy for most of his career, but a no-hitter last week has us intrigued. He should be able to carry that form over against one of the most deficient offenses in baseball.
Michael Lorenzen, LAA (vs. OAK)
Lorenzen has been solid with a 4.13 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this season and gets to face the worst offense in baseball here.
Cal Quantrill, CLE (vs. CIN)
Quantrill has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, allowing four runs or fewer in all six of his starts this year. He should be able to do both of those against a Cincinnati team with the worst record in baseball.
Josiah Gray, WAS (at MIA)
Gray was just bombarded by the Astros, but he had a 3.45 ERA and 9.8 K/9 rate in his first five starts before that. Facing this horrific Miami lineup in a pitcher’s park like Marlins Park makes him one of the most enticing streamers of the week.
Hitting Streamers
Ji-Man Choi/Yandy Diaz, TB (vs. DET, at BAL)
The Rays have been providing streamers for years, and they will be in this article a ton throughout the year. The reason for that is that they love to play the platoon game. It makes these guys widely available in fantasy leagues, but it also makes them productive when they’re in the lineup. Choi is always a great play against righties, and he happens to face five this week. The Korean has a .365 OBP and .806 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2019. Yandy is good against both sides, totaling a .372 OBP since 2020.
That consistently earns these players prominent spots in this underrated lineup, and they should be in for a big week against Detroit and Baltimore. The Orioles rank 29th in xwOBA while Detriot sits 24th in that same statistic. They’ll face gas cans like Tyler Wells, Spenser Watkins, Alex Faedo, and Beau Brieske in this fantastic week.
Mark Canha/Brandon Nimmo, NYM (vs. STL, at COL)
We had Nimmo in this section last week, and we’re going right back to the well. Nimmo lives in a well, right? The newfound leadoff hitter has a hit in 13 of 14 games going into Saturday, collecting a .327 AVG and .444 OBP in that span. That makes it hard to believe that he hasn’t been picked up everywhere, but the lack of power has fantasy managers staying away. Canha has similar on-base tendencies, producing a .376 OBP and .810 OPS since 2019. That’s a lengthy run of success, and he’s done that damage in two of the worst hitter’s parks in baseball.
We say that because he gets to hit in Coors Field this week, facing pitchers like Austin Gomber, German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela, Steven Matz, Dakota Hudson, Jordan Hicks, and Miles Mikolas this week. The Rockies rank 29th in both xwOBA and WHIP while sitting 27th in ERA and 28th in strikeouts. That’s seven games of quality matchups, and it could have the Mets posting some massive scorelines, with Nimmo and Canha being a significant part of that damage!
Yonathan Daza, COL (vs. SF, vs. NYM)
As someone who lives in Colorado, this one scares me. With that said, we have a potential leadoff hitter getting seven games at Coors Field. That alone makes Daza one of the best streamers of the week, hitting leadoff on Friday and batting second multiple times earlier in the week. You have to assume that Colorado is in line for 30 runs or more with six games at home, and Daza should do some of that damage in such an essential part of this lineup. He’s earned that spot with his play, posting a .365 AVG, .404 OBP, and .827 OPS in 22 games this year. Daza’s career OPS is also 200 points higher at home, and that’s typical for anyone who calls Coors home. The matchups aren’t great, but not many pitchers do well in that spacious park.
Ian Happ, CHC (vs. PIT vs. ARI)
Happ has been a switch-hitter throughout his career, but this guy is a different player when he faces right-handers. That will happen six times this week, squaring off with guys like Bryse Wilson, JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Humberto Castellanos, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen. Most of those are majestic matchups, and Happ should hone in some big numbers hitting from the left side. The Cubby has compiled a .348 OBP, .489 SLG, .839 OPS, .245 ISO, and .354 wOBA against righties throughout his career. Those are stellar averages, and it looks likely to continue with so many tasty matchups.
Feel free to comment to me here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
