Oft-overlooked Rays pitcher Nathan Karns has two exploitable matchups this week

Each week this column will scour the waiver wire and look for pitchers who are less than 50% owned and could be useful streamers for your fantasy team. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo. Please note the probable pitcher matchups could change throughout the week due to rainouts or other circumstances, so be sure to check back before picking up and starting one of these recommendations.

Sunday 8/2

Nathan Karns – Tampa Bay Rays (25% owned)
@ Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox offense has not performed up to expectations this season, and Karns has flown under the radar even though he has pitched admirably. He currently has an ERA of 3.37 and 106 strikeouts in 115 innings of work, good for a solid 8.30 strikeouts per nine innings. Boston does not strike out a lot, but Karns has shown that he can limit opposing offenses.

Monday 8/3

Zack Godley – Arizona Diamondbacks (8% owned)
@ Washington Nationals

Godley has been a pleasant surprise thus far for the Diamondbacks as he was not a heralded prospect heading into the season. He has made two starts so far for Arizona, compiling a 2-0 record with a 2.25 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings of work. The Nationals are not an easy opponent, and they are starting to get healthy, but they do have a high 21.10% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. This gives Godley some strikeout upside heading into the contest.

Tuesday 8/4

Brett Anderson – Los Angeles Dodgers (19% owned)
@ Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies’ offense has been hitting much better lately, but overall they are still not a strong unit and they don’t have many hitters that should worry anyone. Anderson is a talented pitcher who has struggled to stay healthy during his career. On the season, Anderson has a 3.29 ERA and 81 strikeouts to go along with a 5-6 record. He opposes Jerome Williams, who has an ERA over six runs per game which means the chances of the Dodgers jumping all over him and Anderson picking up a win are good.

Wednesday 8/5

Rubby De La Rosa – Arizona Diamondbacks (13% owned)
@ Washington Nationals

De La Rosa can be a frustrating pitcher to stream. He tends to either toss a gem or get knocked around when he starts. He does have high strikeout upside as evidenced by him having 10 starts with six strikeouts or more on the year. As mentioned earlier, the Nationals do strike out often against right-handed pitchers. De La Rosa has a 8-5 record with an ERA of 4.52.

Thursday 8/6

Taylor Jungmann – Milwaukee Brewers (37% owned)
vs. San Diego Padres

Jungmann continues to impress in his rookie season, racking up a 5-2 record with a 2.14 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 59 innings of work. The Padres have been a mess on offense and they may very well have traded Justin Upton, one of their most dangerous hitters by the time you read this. The Padres are second-to-last in the league with a .290 wOBA against right-handed pitching and have a 22.0% strikeout rate. The only drawback to this great matchup is that the game is being playing in hitter-friendly Milwaukee.

Friday 8/7

Mike Montgomery – Seattle Mariners (29% owned)
vs. Texas Rangers

Montgomery has slowed since his lights-out stretch in June. That being said, any time a left-handed pitcher is taking on the Texas Rangers, he is worth considering. The Rangers have a high strikeout rate and an anemic .233 batting average against southpaws this season. Montgomery has a 4-4 record with an ERA of 3.20 and 50 strikeouts in over 70 innings pitched.

Saturday 8/8

Nathan Karns – Tampa Bay Rays (25% owned)
vs. New York Mets

Karns is our two-start streamer of the week. His matchup against New York is definitely worth targeting as the Mets are not a strong offense against right or left-handed pitching. Against righties, New York has a .241 batting average, and they are 12th in the league in strikeouts.

Matthew Terelle is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @supermt.