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Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for April 28

Brad Johnson's fantasy baseball daily streaming picks for April 28, 2018. Pitcher and hitter streamers for MLB DFS games, and head-to-head (H2H) waiver wire targets.

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, we are always ready to stream.

For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.

Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Saturday, April 28, 2018. Let's get to it.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Agenda

  1. What the Kang?
  2. Today's Weather and Updates
  3. Tomorrow's Picks

 

1. What the Kang?

Jung Ho Kang has been granted a visa and is cleared to return to America for work. A series of drunk driving incidents had proven to be a barrier in the past. The better question is, does Kang matter to us? Initially, not really. He'll go through extended spring training and a lengthy stint in the minors. Colin Moran may also lock down the third base job before Kang is ready. Moreover, he missed his age 30 season after being used as a part-timer in his age 29 campaign.

A lot has to go right for him to provide fantasy value. By all means, stash him in very deep formats - i.e., 20-team or NL Only. A typical 12-team league can ignore him for now.

 

2. Today's Weather and Updates

Pittsburgh and Cleveland have a little under a 50 percent chance for storms throughout game time. Monitor accordingly. Boston will be waiting for some rain to clear. If it lingers beyond the current expectations, a postponement is possible. The Red Sox are playing the Rays, so they'll have plenty of opportunities to make up the game.

 

3. Streamer Picks - Saturday, April 28

Pitchers to Use

Saturday features a lot of usually streamable pitchers with bad matchups. The five listed here represent those in more playable scenarios. If Matt Shoemaker has taught us anything about splitter-specialist starting pitchers, it's that they can be streaky. Brewers righty Junior Guerra, appears to be on a good streak. After failing to command his offerings last season, he's showing feel for the zone. The Cubs aren't especially hot-handed at the moment, and Wrigley Field is usually pitcher friendly this time of year. To be clear, Guerra is starting. Shoemaker is not.

Use either side of the Walker Buehler versus Chris Stratton matchup at AT&T Park as they're working the front end of a doubleheader. Buehler benefited from facing a terrible Marlins' lineup in his rotation debut last week. It's ok; the Giants are just as bad. He has ace upside thanks to a massive ground ball rate, premium velocity, and passable command. He'll need to improve the latter facet of his game to be more than a shiny toy.

Other Targets: Jack Flaherty, Trevor Williams

 

Pitchers to Exploit

For a second straight season, Andrew Cashner is trying to pretend he can outpitch his peripherals. It worked last year, but I'm not sanguine about his chances for a repeat. This year, he's actually inducing a few strikeouts. They've come at the expense of his ground ball and home run rates. The proverbial flood gates are waiting to burst. The Tigers offer a few streaming options.

Eric Skoglund is quite possibly the worst starting pitcher in the majors. In my mind, he's in a tight battle with Chris Tillman for the "honor." Skoglund simply doesn't have competitive stuff. His command and control aren't sufficient to make up for his shortcomings. As a result, he throws far too many hittable pitches. The White Sox could explode. They'll need to since Carson Fulmer isn't much better than Skoglund.

Other Targets: Sal Romano, Jeremy Hellickson, German Marquez, Caleb Smith

 

Homers on the Wire

Eugenio Suarez is briefly on the waiver wire in exactly half of the leagues. He should be owned in most formats. Don't be surprised if he scuffles for a couple of weeks as he recovers from a major thumb injury. Even so, this is your chance to get a quality player for free. And he'll face Jake Odorizzi.

Max Kepler is emerging as one of the top platoon bats in the league. In terms of fantasy use case, I'm reminded of vintage Andre Ethier. You never really wanted to get stuck owning Ethier, but he was just a little too good to stay on a 12-team waiver wire. In the early going, Kepler has become substantially more aggressive on pitches in the strike zone. I think it's probably a temporary blip. Of more lasting importance is an uptick in his fly ball rate.

Other Targets: Matt Davidson, Nick Delmonico, Lucas Duda, Jorge Soler, Domingo Santana, Jackie Bradley, Daniel Descalso, Jurickson Profar, Curtis Granderson, Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel, Yonder Alonso, Daniel Valencia, Jeimer Candelario, Dexter Fowler, Colin Moran, Brian Anderson, Jose Pirela, Christian Villanueva

 

Steals on the Wire

Keep an eye on Padres versus the Mets this weekend. Tomorrow, Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero are well-positioned for a swipe against Jason Vargas. He allowed 13 steals last season. I'm unaware of Margot or Cordero's comfortable with stealing first movement against a left-handed pitcher.

The suddenly powerful Jarrod Dyson can go pick on Hellickson. His hot hand might get him placed near the top of the lineup as the Diamondbacks try to shuffle too many mediocre bats around Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock.

Other Targets: Jose Peraza, Delino DeShields, Bradley Zimmer, Leonys Martin

 

Skill Positions

Robinson Chirinos is always a viable power source from the catcher position. It's too bad he's been zeroed out so often. Chris Iannetta will have the platoon advantage against Smith. Too bad the game is in Miami.

 

More Streamers and Waiver Wire Pickups




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Justin Verlander

Plans to Pitch in 2026
Junior Caminero

Day-to-Day With Back Tightness
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Won't Return When First Eligible
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Returns to A's Lineup
Tyler Warren

Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
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LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
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Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
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Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
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Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
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to Miss Rest of Regular Season
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Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
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Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
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Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
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Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
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Joins Knicks
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Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
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Returns to Spurs
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Rejoins Timberwolves
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Moves to Brooklyn
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Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
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Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
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Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
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Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

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Wins Back-To-Back Fights
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Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
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Suffers Second-Round TKO
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Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
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Shines In His UFC Debut
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Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
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Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
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Jonathan Kuminga

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Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
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Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

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Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
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Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
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Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
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LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
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DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
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Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
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CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
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John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
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Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
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Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
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Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr

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Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

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Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

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Ross Chastain

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Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

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Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

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Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

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Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
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CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
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Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

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Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
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Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
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Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
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