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Top daily fantasy baseball streamers and waiver wire adds for 5/18/21. Mike Marteny identifies MLB hitters and starting pitchers to stream based on matchups.
Welcome to another edition of our daily fantasy baseball streamers! Are you playing in leagues with daily moves and looking to beef up those rosters? We here at RotoBaller are there for you and all of your streaming needs. Whether you are just trying to get that elusive category win or you are trying to give your pitching staff a lift because Gerrit Cole got smoked yesterday, we can help. Each day RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best streaming options to consider in both shallow and deep fantasy baseball daily leagues. Streaming hitters and pitchers to exploit matchups are important to help you win your league.
It is important to know your league if you're going to stream. I'm not just talking about which teams your leaguemates root for. I'm talking about whether strikeouts count against you for hitters or if fielding stats are included. Most importantly, you need to know how many transactions you have per week. You don't want to blow your allotment within a couple of days. You can also use these recommendations to help build your DFS lineups. This article will use rostered percentages and position eligibility from ESPN leagues.
We have a little less than half the day's pitchers available in more than half of leagues. There are some good, some bad, and some ugly. There are even a couple that look ugly on the surface that may not be as bad as you think. Let's get to it!
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Hitter Streamers for 5/18 - Shallow Leagues
Gavin Lux (2B, LHB, LAD) - 45.2% Rostered
Matchup: vs. ARI RHP Merrill Kelly
Those of you that have followed Lux's career path have been waiting patiently for him to come around. That may be happening. He has a clear path to playing time right now, and even though he doesn't have a favorable spot in the order, any spot in a lineup like the Dodgers' lineup brings potential for runs and RBI at the very least. Lux is hitting .381 with a homer, six RBI, and four runs over the past week. The only thing he wont help you with is steals. Kelly has been blistered by lefties this year and in his career. Lux could be in for a nice game.
Brandon Crawford (SS, LHB, SF) - 38.5% Rostered
Matchup: vs. CIN RHP Luis Castillo
Crawford got hot in Coors ten days ago and hasn't cooled off yet. He is hitting .263 with two homers, four RBI, and five runs in the last week. This is more going after Luis Castillo though. Something is wrong with Castillo. His slider, once unhittable, isn't much better than the league average. Neither is the changeup. I'll ride a hot lefty against Castillo right now. His dreadful start to 2021 appears to have attacked him between the ears as well. He has almost zero confidence in his pitches right now.
Austin Nola (C, RHB, SD) - 30.8% Rostered
Matchup: vs. COL LHP Austin Gomber
San Diego has been mauled by COVID of late. He has started at first base in place of Eric Hosmer and is 6-17 with a homer, seven RBI, and three runs scored in the last week. I don't know about you, but I didn't draft a catcher early. If I can get this kind of production now, even in the short term, I'm all over it. Add in the fact that Gomber has allowed an average 146 points higher to righties this year and Nola looks even better.
Cesar Hernandez (2B, RHB, CLE) - 21.7% Rostered
Matchup: vs. LAA LHP Andrew Heaney
Hernandez led off the game last night with a homer, his second in his last seven games. Like most of his teammates, Hernandez started poorly, but he is hitting .313 with two homers and six RBI in the last eight games. Hernandez also leads off against lefties, and Andrew Heaney is not immune to long balls. He struggles with those. So long as you aren't in a league that docks you for strikeouts (Hernandez has fanned four times in the last two games), pick him up for tonight at the very least.
Hitter Streamers for 5/18 - Deep Leagues
Jonathan Villar (2B/SS/3B, SHB, NYM) - 17.7% Rostered
Matchup: at ATL LHP Tucker Davidson
Davidson struggled in his first cup of coffee last year and will take the place of Huascar Ynoa in the Braves rotation for now. This is a nice spot for Villar. He has a homer and two steals over the last week. If you can take the hit to your average, Villar has a power/speed combo that plays in any league and he has moved up into the upper part of the order. He's worth a shot here against Davidson.
Hunter Renfroe (OF, RHB, BOS) - 15.3% Rostered
Matchup: at TOR LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
Renfroe is a streaky guy. You want to get him while he's hot. After a homerless April, Renfroe has smacked five in May and driven in 13 of his 19 runs on the season. Renfroe hits 46 points higher against lefties while hitting a homer every 12.5 at-bats against them. His splits are even more pronounced this season. Renfroe crushes lefties and is facing one in a minor league park. Yeah, it's a AAA park, but it's still the minors. Use Renfroe against lefties until he cools off.
Bobby Dalbec (1B, RHB, BOS) - 14.5% Rostered
Matchup: at TOR LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
Dalbec is 5-13 with two homers, six RBI, four runs scored, and a steal over the last four games. It's going to be hard to get him out of this lineup. Dalbec is hitting .341 agianst lefties on the season with three of his four homers coming against them. He may not take Ryu deep, not many do, but I still expect Dalbec to get a hit or two and maybe add a counting stat.
Josh Fuentes (1B/3B, RHB, COL) - 11.8% Rostered
Matchup: vs. SD LHP Ian Snell
Fuentes extended his hit streak to six games in the first game of this series last night, but it was the first game in said streak in which he didn't drive in a run. That streak may be short lived. Snell has had major issues with walks so far this year and has a ghastly WHIP to go with it. He has been solid at home, but I'll take a chance on Fuentes keeping up this hot streak. He is hitting .281 against lefties this year and the Western Metal Supply Company building really isn't that far away....
Pitcher Streamer for 5/18 - Shallow Leagues
JT Brubaker (RHP, PIT) - 45.5% rostered
Matchup: at St. Louis
I've been streaming Brubaker for weeks now and he's still not owned in half of the leagues. It's criminal, really. Brubaker has only given up three runs in a start once all season. He has allowed either one or two runs in every other start of his. The knock on Brubaker is that the Pirates wont let him go deep in games, but I'll take six innings of one or two run ball from a streamer any day. Brubaker limits runners, which limits the overall damage. For example, Brubaker has allowed five homers in his last four starts, but only eight runs overall. The only team that hit Brubaker for three runs was this same Cardinals team. The good news is that Brubaker struck out seven in five innings. I'll still take that.
Pitcher Streamers for 5/18 - Deep Leagues
John Gant (RHP, STL) - 9.5% Rostered
Matchup: vs. Pittsburgh
Like his mound opponent, Gant has only given up three runs in a start once all season. Unlike his mound opponent, Gant has three starts in which he didn't allow a single run. So why is he under 10% owned despite a sparkling 1.83 ERA? It's all a lie. Gant must have a horseshoe up his ass because he has been one of the luckiest pitchers in the league so far this year. The 5.18 xERA is closer to where his numbers should be. Gant has a career-worst 17.4% walk rate. In fact, he leads the majors with 27 walks already this season. The 1.63 WHIP could be deadly to your ratios. So why use Gant if regression is imminent? It may not come today. Gant held the Pirates to one run on April 30. The bad news? He walked five in five innings while striking out only two batters. If your ratios are shot anyway, Gant may be able to extend the luck long enough to help your ERA and grab you a win.
Kris Bubic (LHP, KC) - 0.5% Rostered
Matchup: vs. Milwaukee
Before Sunday's ten run outburst, Milwaukee had scored just 11 runs in its previous six games combined. This is not a team that is hitting well right now. Bubic, who made his major league debut last season, pitched much better than his 1-6 record indicated. Daniel Lynch was jettisoned back to Omaha after a disastrous few starts in which Bubic had to pick up the slack out of the bullpen. Bubic has a solid 1.42 ERA in four appearances, two in long relief, this year. The seven walks is a bit concerning, but Bubic hasn't allowed a homer in 12.2 innings and still has solid strikeout numbers. He's a nice, sneaky start tonight.
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