RADIO
Players to target or add from the waiver wire in Week 5 for fantasy baseball H2H (head-to-head) leagues. Zach Alexander identifies the top pickups of the week based on rising fantasy value.
There are plenty of strategies that fantasy managers explore in hopes to get an advantage over their opponent. Heavy lineup, heavy starting pitchers, no catcher, all (or mostly) reliever staff, no reliever staff, etc. Even if you play a balanced lineup, injuries can cause holes. A few weeks without a key player won’t kill a season, but why accept losing when you can stream?
Streaming can be a risky business. If you do it right and check the necessary boxes, you can win the week. This column will do most of the work for you. It’ll cover weekly recommendations for when you need: steals, home runs, average, strikeouts, wins, and/or ratios (ERA/WHIP).
All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! Fantasy leagues.
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Steals - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Niko Goodrum (1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) - 45% Owned
We recommended Goodrum earlier this year, but he just decided to pick it up, stealing two bags in the last week. He doesn’t boast a great average but has had success getting on base, as evidenced by a .371 on-base percentage this season. He also benefits from being able to be slotted in at literally every offensive position with the exception of catcher. He’ll face the Phillies and Royals this week with the latter being the better opportunity to swipe some bags.
Tyler Wade (2B, NYY) - 1% Owned
Wade feasted on the Angels catchers in the past week, stealing four bases in three games. There isn’t a huge sample size here to work with but when a guy is getting the green light that often, he’s probably good for at least one steal. With the Yankees struggling to field a lineup because of their injuries, Wade should get most of the second base duties in the Yankees two series next week against the Diamondbacks and Twins.
Home Runs - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Renato Nunez (3B, BAL) - 36% Owned
A player from the Orioles? It can’t be. Nunez is red hot, as he’s smashed four home runs in the past week hitting .391 over that span. The White Sox don’t pose a tough challenge pitching wise at the beginning of the week, which should keep the seat hot. The Rays, on the other hand, are much better pitching-wise. However, that three-game series will be at homer-hotbed Camden Yards. Nunez is another player that doesn’t benefit from a large sample size, but he’s hit lefties (.355/.412/.548) better than righties (.274/.328/.532) so far in 2019.
Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) - 4% Owned
Well look who’s back, the guy who blasted 31 dingers in 2017 only to follow up that campaign with 96 at-bats in 2018. With Jesus Aguilar struggling to find any sort of rhythm, expect Thames to slot in against righties. In Thames time in 2018, he slugged .491 against right-handed pitchers. He also has mashed them to a .556 slugging percentage in the small sample size this year. The Brewers start the week with a four-game series against the Rockies, in which they should see three righties. He may also see two righties in the second series against the Mets.
Batting Average - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Jose Martinez (1B/OF, STL) - 41% Owned
Martinez has been given the chance to prove himself as Harrison Bader was recovering from injury. The outfield is still crowded even with Tyler O’Neil recently moved to the injured list, which is just a warning to check the lineups before adding Martinez. There’s no doubting his ability when he is in the lineup though. In 61 at-bats this year, he’s hit .344/.359/.443 and in 534 at-bats in 2018 he hit .305/.364/.467. With playing time, Martinez is a stud at the plate. While he’s not assured a lineup spot, we’ll take a great batting average to the bank for fantasy owners.
Ryan McMahon (1B/2B/3B, COL) - 44% Owned
McMahon has finally got the opportunity to play every day and he’s making a good run at it. He has been waiting for his opportunity in Colorado and he’ll hope it sticks. Even with Daniel Murphy back, McMahon held on to the second base spot on Wednesday. Some consistency seems like it would be a good thing for the young Rockies as they go into the week with three home games and four at Miller Park against the Brewers. He likes hitting lefties (.300/.364/.400) more than righties (.238/.347/.405).
Strikeouts - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Jalen Beeks (SP/RP, TB) - 1% Owned
Beeks isn’t a starter but he has been pitching regularly following the opener for the Rays. He was a highly touted minor league prospect for Boston, posting a 2.89 ERA and insane 33 percent strikeout rate for triple-A Pawtucket in 2018. He struggled when Boston called him up but has fallen into a groove with Tampa, with a 3.32 ERA and 23.5 percent strikeout rate so far this year. The possible matchups are also inviting for the upcoming week with visits to both Kansas City (.218/.295/.374 against lefties) and Baltimore (top three in strikeouts against lefties). He has RP eligibility and could also earn a win following the opener.
Mike Soroka (SP, ATL) - 36% Owned
Soroka looks to be in line for a two-start week and this is a perfect time to get him added for Monday. He’ll face the Padres and Marlins who are third and fifth in strikeouts against right-handed pitchers, respectively. Not only are the matchups prime, Soroka has been great over his first two starts holding the Diamondbacks to one run over five innings and the Reds to one run over 5 2/3 innings. His 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings is intriguing and lines up well for two streams this week.
Wins - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Vince Velasquez (SP, PHI) - 28% Owned
First thing that pops into my mind when Velasquez is brought up? Rollercoaster. Then I took a look at what he’s done so far this year, and I’m starting to change my mind. He’s having a bit of trouble going deep into games but he’s posted a very nice 1.99 ERA over 22 2/3 innings. These also haven’t been easy matchups as he’s handled the Nationals, Rockies, Mets, and Marlins (yes, this one’s easy) so far this year. He’ll face off against a Detroit team hitting .229/.301/.365 against righties. He’s also a good candidate to keep ERA low and rack up strikeouts.
Tanner Roark (SP, CIN) - 12% Owned
In case you didn’t know Tanner Roark currently plays for the Reds. Seriously, I didn’t get that news until today because of his non-relevance in the fantasy world. That’s all you need to know, right? He actually lines up for a good stream next weekend against the Giants. First, Roark has actually pitched well this year with a 3.24 ERA over 25 innings. He also has issues getting deep into games, but as we know we only need 5 innings for a win. Second, the Giants are pretty bad against righties hitting .202/.267/.346 so far against them this year. The Reds aren’t so hot themselves, but they have a lineup that can explode at any moment.
ERA/WHIP - Head-to-Head Category Streamers
Erik Swanson (SP, SEA) - 5% Owned
And here it is again, the weekly stream against Cleveland recommendation. Let’s preface this by mentioning that Lindor is back in the lineup, which does make a difference and might make this one of the riskier plays that are mentioned here. That being said, the rest of the lineup is pretty bad. Pretty bad meaning the second to worst hitting team in the league right now with a slash of .210/302/.326 against all pitchers. In Swanson’s last time out against Cleveland, he managed six innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts and no walks. This may be one of the last times we can aggressively stream against Cleveland if the presence of Lindor begins to wake them up from an April hibernation.
Dereck Rodriguez (SP, SF) - 41% Owned
Remember in the Roark recommendation I said the Reds aren’t so hot? That’s mainly why Rodriguez finds himself here. Cincinnati is hitting a blistering (sarcasm) .193/.270/.356 against right-handed pitchers. Yes, I also said the Reds could explode at any time, so let’s catch them before they begin to heat up (if that ever happens). Rodriguez has only had one “bad” outing this year and that was against a very good Tampa lineup before they started getting hit with injuries. He’s posted a 3.54 ERA over 28 innings. He’s done this despite a 14.3 percent home run per fly ball rate. He’s also shown incredible control only walking five batters over those 28 frames (1.00 WHIP). Some of his long-term numbers aren’t intriguing but this start against the Reds should pay dividends for fantasy owners trying to keep their ratios down.
More Streamers and Head-to-Head League Columns
