Fantasy Baseball: Pitching Streamers 8/29–9/4
~Pitching streamers for week 21~
By Mike Cave
Welcome to week 21’s Streamer’s Delight! In this section I will give around 8–12 possible streaming pitcher options that are around or under 50% owned in ESPN leagues. My goal is to provide you with pitchers that I believe will give you a decent shot at a QS/Win or both and in turn, hopefully hit two out of three streamers.
Based on the QS/Win criteria, my last week’s record: 4–6 and year-to-date record: 71–39. *Note: some opposing pitchers and pitching dates are subject to change.
In order by date…
Dan Straily CIN 8/29 (@LAA, Shoemaker)
What more can I say about this streamer, but wow…nine QS in his last ten starts with a 6–1 record over that span. Straily has been on fire as he goes on the road to face one of the worst overall teams in the AL, the Angels. The only thing about this matchup that makes me raise an eyebrow is the NL/AL matchup. There will be no pitcher to face for Straily and it’s a team that Straily hasn’t faced this season. These scenarios can sometimes be good or bad, but the Cincy hurler has been on a tear and I’m willing to take a chance in this more than favorable matchup.
Tom Koehler MIA 8/30 (@NYM, Matz)
Koehler is on a similar streak to Straily, as he’s thrown seven straight QS. Tom has really turned it on over the past five weeks and now he gets to face the inconsistent Mets in New York. The Mets are getting healthy at the right time as their offense had been struggling pretty bad lately. However, with Cespedes and Cabrera returning from the DL, the task won’t be easy for Koehler. I look for Koehler to stay hot and help fantasy owners with six or so solid innings in this plus matchup.
Brandon Finnegan CIN 8/31 (@LAA, Nolasco)
Two Reds make the list this week — that has to be an error, right? The Reds have been one of the hottest teams since the all-star break and their starting pitchers have been a big reason why. Finnegan has tossed five QS in his last six games and struck out 8 and 12 batters during his last two outings. Finnegan is a good, young pitcher, but has battled consistency issues throughout the season. His strikeout upside is immense and the Reds are determined to let him pitch through his flaws at times. If you’re looking for upside, Finnegan might be your guy.
Mike Fiers HOU 8/31 (vs OAK, Detwiler)
Fiers has been better of late versus early in the year where he was not startable at all. Coming off of two QS and consistent outings for the better part of a month, Fiers faces a bottom dweller Oakland A’s team at home, where he sports a 3.43 ERA. While Fiers isn’t the safest option around, the matchup is good enough to deploy him a decent start and his offense should be able to give him plenty of run support.
Mike Foltynewicz ATL 9/2 (@PHI, Hellickson)
Foltynewicz is coming off a very impressive start against the Giants, only giving up one ER in 7 ⅔’s innings pitched. Foltynewicz has the makeup to be a possible future ace, and we’ve seen flashes of that this season. However, he’s still pretty raw and inconsistent at times. Folty faces a very poor Phillies team this coming week where he should be able to put up a nice stat line, so let’s hope the matchup holds true for this streamer.
Jeremy Hellickson PHI 9/2 (vs ATL, Foltynewicz)
Hellickson takes on the Braves at home and his mound opponent is none other than the last streamer mentioned on this list, Mike Foltynewicz. Both offenses in this game are near the bottom, so you can see why both made the list, but the matchups aren’t the only thing that’s intriguing here. Hellickson has pitched very well this season and deserves a lot of credit. He has been stream worthy quite a bit during the year given the right matchups. One quality you’re looking for in streamers is consistency and Hellickson has been able to come through most of the time. Although roughed up during his last outing, I’m trusting Jeremy to have a nice bounce back game against the Braves at home.
Ivan Nova PIT 9/3 (vs MIL, Anderson)
Although not always reliable, Nova has been fairly decent since the Pirates acquired him via trade 3+ weeks ago. Coming off of a complete game win during his last outing, Nova is primed to prove that his last game was no fluke. I’m not trusting Nova every time out, but Milwaukee presents an opportunity to succeed and elevate a usual low K rate for Nova. If you need some pitching help this week, Nova shouldn’t put you at much risk during this critical time of the year.
James Paxton SEA 9/4 (vs LAA, Shoemaker)
Another pitcher with a ton of upside, but seems to be too inconsistent to roster is James Paxton. He has a plus matchup against the Angels next week, not to mention his 2.65 ERA in six career starts against LA and they’re only hitting a poor .165 batting average against him. Paxton has pitched at least eight innings twice in two of his last three starts. He has that kind of upside along with strikeout potential that can meet or exceed one per inning. If it’s late in the week and you need some help, I suggest taking a long look at Paxton.
Some 50/50 options…
Joe Musgrove HOU 8/29 (vs OAK, Manaea)
-Most likely positive outcome…QS, W (moderate K rate)
Sean Manaea OAK 8/29 (@HOU, Musgrove)
-Most likely positive outcome…QS (moderate K rate)
Luke Weaver STL 8/31 (@MIL, Garza)
-Most likely positive outcome…W (moderate K rate)
Taijuan Walker SEA 9/2 (vs LAA, Oberholtzer)
-Most likely positive outcome…W (nice K upside)
Eduardo Rodriguez BOS 9/3 (@OAK, Triggs)
-Most likely positive outcome…W (moderate K rate)
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