RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! As a reminder, in this piece we're looking for weekly streamers, which means players who are less than 50% owned in Yahoo! leagues and who have a good chance to play a full complement of games in the week.
There are a lot of teams with seven games this week, so I will be choosing from those players to maximize games played.
With that said, let’s dive into the stream(ers).
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 6
Cody Bellinger (1B/OF, LAD) - 46% owned
For the second straight week, we have a young slugger who shockingly is under 50% owned. This week, Conforto has come through, and next week it will be Bellinger. With the news that Adrian Gonzalez is likely headed to the disabled list, Bellinger should have at least one more week to prove he belongs. One of the game’s top prospects, Bellinger has not disappointed in his first taste of the majors, putting up a .303/2/7/5 line in his first nine games. While his minor league numbers suggest his strikeouts will rise and his average will thus fall, he has great power with some speed mixed in. Moreover, this week he gets to play four games at Coors Field and face favorable pitching matchups. Run, don’t walk, to the waiver wire to add Bellinger if he’s available, and hold onto him unless he is demoted back to AAA.
Joe Panik (2B, SF) - 19% owned
After reading Panik’s name here, you may be shaking your head in befuddlement as to why my second-ranked streamer is a player with one homer and one steal from MLB’s 29th-ranked offense. That’s a fair question, but as is usually the case in these situations, we have to buy low when searching for players who are less than 50% owned. This week, the Giants face better than average pitching matchups, which should get the bats going a bit. Moreover, Panik has 19 of his 20 career homers against righties, and he will face 6 righties this week. And while he only has one homer and one steal this year, he is hitting .303. Furthermore, he had 18 homers and eight steals in 227 games over the prior two years. Stream Panik this week and you should receive good batting average production, with the possibility of getting help in the other four categories too.
Carlos Gomez (OF, TEX) - 46% owned
For the third week in a row, Carlos Gomez is on the list. I will not bore you by repeating all of his stats again. Suffice it to say that he is a power/speed player at the top of a good lineup who faces favorable pitching matchups. Stream him with confidence.
Jayson Werth (OF, WAS) - 17% owned
Losing Adam Eaton is a big blow for the Nationals. However, it does open up the possibility for someone to hit behind Trea Turner and ahead of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy. How’s that for a lineup spot? Werth has been hitting there some and could continue to do so. If Bryce Harper’s groin injury causes him to miss some or all of next week, then Werth’s ranking will fall, so be sure to keep an eye on that situation. Nevertheless, Werth has a .244/3/13/17/3 line to start the year, and facing favorable pitching matchups this week, should be a good streaming option regardless of Harper’s health status.
Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR) - 38% owned
Toronto’s offense was nothing short of terrible to start the year. However, they have picked it up as of late and are averaging 4.7 runs per game in their last seven. In a good offense, Pillar is a real asset. He is batting .303 with four homers and three steals to start the year. In the prior two years, he hit .272 with 19 homers and 39 steals. Thus, he’s a good power/speed combo player in an offense that is regaining its form. Even though he only faces average pitching matchups this week, he is worth a look.
Yangervis Solarte (2B/3B, SD) - 48% owned
To be blunt, Solarte is a pretty boring fantasy player. He only steals a couple bases, has never hit more than 15 homers, and is on the Padres. Nevertheless, last year his 15 homers came in only 109 games. He strikes out a mere 10.7% of the time, and he hits in the middle of a lineup, leading to good run production. He can truly provide production in every category, although a stolen base would be a pleasant surprise. This is a good week to grab him off waivers and stream him due to favorable pitching matchups.
Manuel Margot (OF, SD) - 38% owned
Margot is Solarte’s teammate and thus is due to face the same favorable pitching matchups. Add to that the fact that Margot has four stolen bases on the year after having at least 30 in four of his prior five minor league seasons, and this former highly-touted prospect is a good speed option this week. Margot also has three homers on the year, although power is not his game and he has not belted one since April 12. By streaming Margot, you are hoping for steals and runs, while staying afloat in batting average. If that sounds like what you need, he’s worth a look.
Steve Pearce (1B/2B/OF, TOR) - 6% owned
Pearce is a great option if you are in a deep league where the other options are taken. He started the year slowly, which is understandable after spending this offseason recovering from surgery. While often thought of as a pure platoon player, that is no longer the case with Pearce. He is looking healthy now, and the bat has heated up. Over the last three years, he hit .267 with 29 homers per 162 games. He is a real dart throw this week, but he could pay off if the others are off the board.
Also worth monitoring
Josh Harrison (2B/3B, PIT) – Harrison has a .305/5/12/11/2 line on the year. He has stolen 47 bases over the last three years without hitting lower than .283. If he didn’t face tough pitching matchups this week, he would be much higher on the list.
Andrelton Simmons (SS, LAA) – Simmons has a .262/3/10/10/2 line on the year. Those numbers exceed what he should do on the year, but he does have a little pop and a little speed, and he can hit about .260. He is not an ideal option, but if all the other middle infielders are gone, he is worth a shot.
More Streamers and Head-to-Head League Columns
