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Here come the Nationals. After starting the season 7-13 and yielding an offense that was, well it was awful, Washington has won 10 of their last 12 and have scored 72 runs during that time. Bryce Harper is really seeing the ball well, Max Scherzer is pitching like a man possessed, and the shaky bullpen has been less shaky. All this with a Jayson Werth that has yet to look completely healthy, Ryan Zimmerman is batting a mere .232, Ian Desmond is seemingly attempting to break the errors record in a season by a shortstop, and Anthony Rendon, arguably their overall best offensive player, has yet to play an inning as he continues to rehab his injured leg. Seemingly overnight, the team that was “greatly overrated” is looking like the juggernaut most baseball pundits predicted to win the World Series in the preseason. Just wait until all the pieces come together. Then they could really be nasty.
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 6 to consider adding off your league’s waiver wire. Some of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth, including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats.
Monday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Jerome Williams (PHI v. PIT)
Ownership: 1% Yahoo!, 6% Fleaflicker
Upon first glance at his numbers, Williams has thrown okay this season despite getting bombed in his last start against Atlanta. The Pirates have been borderline atrocious at the plate, but at some point their big bats will start to come around. We’re looking at you, Andrew McCutchen.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Alex Colome (TB v. NYY)
Ownership: 17% Yahoo!, 10% Fleaflicker
Colome will square off against CC Sabathia. The Rays have historically owned Sabathia and there’s no reason to think they won’t tee off against him again. Meanwhile, Colome has only pitched in 10 innings on the season, but he has shown great control in those 10 innings: 10 K and 0 BB. Colome’s owners will have a great win chance.
Matchup Rating: Must Stream
Danny Duffy (KC at TEX)
Ownership: 41% Yahoo!, 19% Fleaflicker
Duf-Man hasn’t exactly been on his A game this season. In his defense, he has already faced some of the league’s best offenses. Thankfully his next start is against the Rangers and their 21.2% K rate and fourth-worst 80 wRC+/
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Tuesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Nick Martinez (TEX vs. KC)
Ownership: 36% Yahoo!, 25% Fleaflicker
He keeps making the list despite continually getting lucky. He will have his hands full against a stellar KC team. Still, his fantasy numbers at this juncture of the season are hard to ignore and he is worth a start in most leagues.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Noah Syndergaard (NYM at CHC)
Ownership: 43% Yahoo!, 15% Fleaflicker
So, the Mets’ stud prospect is already nearly owned in half of all Yahoo! leagues and he hasn’t even thrown a Major League pitch yet. Syndergaard will be a solid pitcher, but watch out for his BB rate (7%) in Triple-A. Guys that have high walk rates in the minors typically go through a demotion or two after reaching the bigs.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wednesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Kyle Lobstein (DET v. MIN)
Ownership: 3% Yahoo!, 5% Fleaflicker
Lobstein has effectively used his off-speed pitches to induce a ton of ground balls and let his defense do the dirty work. Minnesota has an un-surprisingly strong offense that typically depends on the long ball. If they don’t find the bleachers, Lobstein could have himself a solid outing.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Nate Karns (TB v. NYY)
Ownership: 10% Yahoo!, 14% Fleaflicker
In two career starts, Karns has a 2.79 against the Yankees. In seven starts this season, he owns an 11.5% BB rate, 15.0% HR/FB rate and a 3.79 ERA. Seems like he’s due to give up a few runs and walks but nothing outrageous.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Roenis Elias (SEA v. SD)
Ownership: 2% Yahoo!, 4% Fleaflicker
Elias really isn’t an option in any but the deepest of leagues. Tossing at home will surely help him out, but the Padres have themselves a solid offense this year. Gone are the days when lefties could pile up strikeouts against a weak San Diego team.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
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