Another week has come and gone, and it is time to look ahead at upcoming fantasy baseball matchups. I will be here every week this season to suggest which fantasy baseball streaming pitchers you should start to win your matchups.
I will be using the FantasyPros streaming pitchers rankings to help determine my picks. Feel free to sync your league and take a look at your own to find high-potential starters available on your waivers.
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Lineup Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Let’s take a look at last week’s picks:
- Brandon Pfaadt (SP, RP – ARI) vs. SDP: 6.2 Innings, 3 Strikeouts, 0 Earned Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Walk (Win)
- Randy Dobnak (SP, RP – KCR) vs. MIN: 5.0 Innings, 1 Strikeout, 1 Earned Run, 3 Hits, 3 Walks (Win)
- Eric Lauer (SP, RP – LAD) @ CHC: 4.0 Innings, 1 Strikeout, 6 Earned Runs, 11 Hits, 0 Walks (Loss)
- Christian Scott (SP – NYM) vs. CLE: 5.0 Innings, 7 Strikeouts, 3 Earned Runs, 6 Hits, 2 Walks (No Decision)
- Connor Prielipp (SP – MIN) @ MIL: 5.0 Innings, 7 Strikeouts, 3 Earned Runs, 5 Hits, 2 Walks (No Decision)
- Walbert Urena (SP – LAA) @ MIA: 2.1 Innings, 2 Strikeouts, 4 Earned Runs, 4 Hits, 3 Walks (Loss)
- Kumar Rocker (SP – TEX) vs. BAL: 3.0 Innings, 5 Strikeouts, 6 Earned Runs, 7 Hits, 2 Walks (Loss)
Total: 31.0 Innings, 26 Strikeouts, 20 Earned Runs, 41 Hits, 13 Walks (2-3)
This was a good week, especially when considering how deep into the season we are. The waivers are a little drier this time of year, so it was nice to get (relative) gems out of Brandon Pfaadt, Christian Scott and Connor Prielipp. We aimed for more strikeouts this week, and we got them. On the other hand, Eric Lauer, Walbert Urena and Kumar Rocker were disappointing. Let’s aim for more consistency across the board this upcoming week.
Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers
Please keep in mind that starters can get off schedule, and some projected starters can be pushed back due to circumstances such as injury and weather.
Monday, August 10
Hayden Wesneski (SP – HOU) @ SFG | 6% Rostered
Hayden Wesneski has impressed in a small sample size since returning from Tommy John surgery. In two starts, Wesneski has allowed five runs across 11.2 innings, striking out eight. He faced the Angels and the Blue Jays.
For those who may not remember, the 28-year-old righty has been a solid, high-potential starter for the Astros and Cubs throughout his career. He has shown flashes of brilliance in previous seasons, but has never really had the innings to pull it together. Wesneski has a career ERA of 4.01, a WHIP of 1.16 and 220 strikeouts in 233.2 innings.
I like Wesneski as a strikeout option against the Giants, who are 49-69 and whose offense is just about average in terms of team OPS.
Alternative: Christian Scott (SP – NYM) @ ATL | 11% Rostered
Tuesday, August 11
Martin Perez (SP – ATL) vs. NYM | 8% Rostered
Martin Perez is a decent option on a day without many worthwhile streamers. Perez has an ERA of 3.14 on the year with 78 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. He has good potential against the Mets, whose team OPS of .693 is the fifth-worst in baseball.
Perez has faced the Mets three times this season. He has tossed a combined 14.2 innings, allowing eight runs and striking out nine. These numbers are actually not that great, and Perez is not the most enticing option for this week. Regardless, the 35-year-old lefty has the classic solid pitcher-against-a-bad-team dynamic you look for in a streaming matchup.
Alternative: Bailey Ober (SP – MIN) vs. BAL | 16% Rostered
Wednesday, August 12
Tyler Mahle (SP – ATL) vs. NYM | 4% Rostered
Tyler Mahle is on fire lately. The 31-year-old righty has allowed nine runs across his last five starts, striking out 29 batters in 29.2 innings. Needless to say, that is excellent for a waiver wire find.
Mahle still has an ERA of 4.86 on the season, but his xERA of 4.00 suggests that he has been getting unlucky. Mahle’s recent starts show that luck may be coming back on his side.
Also consider that Mahle is facing the 52-67 Mets. Again, their team OPS is the fifth-worst in baseball. The veteran struck out nine Yankees in his most recent start, and the Mets should prove to be much less of a challenge.
Alternative: Zac Thornton (SP – NYM) @ ATL | 14% Rostered
Thursday, August 13
Tyler Phillips (SP – MIA) vs. PIT | 2% Rostered
Tyler Phillips is a great streamer for quality innings, but not a quality start. The righty has 70 strikeouts in 93.1 innings, earning an ERA of 3.47. On the downside, the 28-year-old has thrown at least six innings only twice this season and usually hovers closer to five innings in a start. Phillips has been stretched into a starter this season and still has ways to go before he can become a workhorse.
The Pirates are better than their 58-62 record suggests. Their team OPS of .746 is tied for the fourth-best in baseball, and they can certainly do damage to a pitcher. This danger makes Phillips a worthy but not automatic streamer for the upcoming week.
Alternative: Keider Montero (SP – DET) vs. CLE | 17% Rostered
Friday, August 14
Gage Jump (SP – ATH) vs. TEX | 8% Rostered
Gage Jump has been very off-and-on. When he’s on, he’s on. It’s easy to tell when he’s off.
The 23-year-old rookie most recently struck out 11 Red Sox batters in six innings, allowing two runs. In his start before that, the lefty allowed the Tigers to score six runs in 3.2 innings. You can see why he can be considered hot and cold.
Jump has struck out a tantalizing 84 batters in 72.2 innings. His strikeouts significantly boost his fantasy value in most formats. Jump’s strikeouts make him roster-worthy, even if he is allowing some runs. I like Jump as a strikeout option against the Rangers.
Alternative: Andrew Alvarez (SP – WSH) @ NYM | 1% Rostered
Saturday, August 15
Grant Holmes (SP – ATL) vs. ARI | 12% Rostered
Grant Holmes is an excellent streamer this week if he is available in your league. The mustached starter is in what is probably the best season of his career so far. He has an ERA of 3.47 in 114 innings.
The 30-year-old righty has thrown back-to-back quality starts against the Marlins and Yankees. Holmes has a high floor, allowing over three runs in a start only once this season. Holmes is a great option against the Diamondbacks, whose team OPS of .708 is the ninth-worst in baseball.
Alternative: Connor Prielipp (SP – MIN) vs. PHI | 3% Rostered
Sunday, August 16
Gabriel Hughes (SP – COL) @ SFG | 1% Rostered
To be clear, Gabriel Hughes is one of my least favorite options on this list. Sunday does not look great for streamers, and it makes me nervous to possibly hurt an otherwise good week with a last-minute streamer.
The 24-year-old righty is having a solid rookie campaign. The Rockies prospect has an ERA of 4.25 (2.45 xERA) in 29.2 innings. He has struck out 28 batters. In a small sample size, Hughes has shown great potential. He is unproven but intriguing.
Hughes is facing the 49-69 Giants. He does not have to deal with pitching in Coors Field. Combined with Hughes’ impressive MLB start, these reasons make him a legit option to end the week.
Alternative: Hayden Wesneski (SP – HOU) vs. SEA | 6% Rostered
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