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Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Monday, July 17th.
Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- Welcome Back
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Welcome Back!
Did you enjoy your break from the hustle and grind of the fantasy MLB season? I know I enjoyed my brief respite (and a trip to the beach). Beaches. And waves. And seafood. And...
Well, snap out of it. We have to get back to work if we want to win our leagues. Here's your homework for today. Roto league owners should evaluate the raw standings, looking for categories where points are within reach or need to be defended. H2H league owners should start thinking about what they'll need to get through the postseason - I recommend loading up on elite starting pitchers.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
Look out for storms in Detroit and Atlanta today. Cincinnati and Atlanta have some risk or spotty storms tomorrow.
3. Tomorrow's Picks - Monday, July 17th
Pitchers to Use
Uh. It's not a good day for streaming pitchers. I had hoped that maybe Jason Vargas' ownership had dropped since he's been quite mediocre since April. Alas, he remains 92 percent owned. That's the power of a 2.62 ERA. Never mind the 3.79 ERA and 5.36 xFIP over his last 10 starts.
Anywho, we can't use Vargas which leaves us with Eduardo Rodriguez (exactly 50 percent owned). The southpaw was in the midst of a breakout season for the Red Sox, posting over a strikeout per inning to go with a 3.54 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. That plays in this miserable season for pitchers. We'll have to see just how thoroughly recovered he is from his knee subluxation.
Soft tossing lefty Brent Suter is getting the call for Milwaukee. Although he's physically unimpressive, Suter is capable of inducing plenty of soft contact via plus command and control. He'll need to be on top of his game to consistently provide fantasy value. A matchup against the Pirates at PNC Park sounds friendly enough to me.
Other Targets: no
Pitchers to Exploit
Some weeks, we would use Ariel Miranda. When it comes to mediocre starters versus the Astros, my advice is to always steer clear. Similarly, I like the idea of German Marquez versus the Padres. I just hate using him (or anybody) at Coors Field.
Josh Tomlin could be sneaky decent at spacious AT&T Park. Mixed in with the 5.90 ERA are a handful of quality starts. Home runs are his greatest nemesis.
Other Targets: Chris Tillman, Andrew Cashner, Chad Kuhl, Adam Wainwright, Zack Wheeler, Tom Koehler, Jerad Eickhoff, Adalberto Mejia, Jordan Zimmermann, Luis Perdomo, Daniel Gossett, Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore
Homers on the Wire
Garrett Cooper is the latest Yankee to get a shot at the first base job. He was slashing .366/.428/.652 with 17 home runs at Triple-A for the Brewers. That's a very hitter friendly environment so take it was a grain of salt. Indeed, Cooper is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts so far. He'll see Mejia.
Wainwright tosses some very hittable fastballs at times. Lucas Duda is a dead red slugger. I like this matchup for him so long as he lays off the hammers.
Other Targets: Matt Joyce, Marcus Semien, Jed Lowrie, Matt Chapman, Jose Pirela, Daniel Nava, Freddy Galvis, Tommy Joseph, Nick Williams, Tommy Pham, Luke Voit, Paul DeJong, Seth Smith, Carlos Gomez, Shin-Soo Choo, Steve Pearce, Mitch Moreland
Steals on the Wire
Although Whit Merrifield isn't especially speedy, he has enough instincts on the bases to take a bag or two. And James McCann is among the most exploitable catchers in the league.
After stealing zero bases through the first two and a half months, Denard Span has four swipes and a .320/.371/.515 batting line in the last 30 days. He'll see Tomlin, a good matchup for Span's batted ball profile.
Other Targets: Bradley Zimmer, Denard Span, Mallex Smith, Manuel Margot, Kolten Wong, Delino DeShields
Skill Positions
Bruce Maxwell has arisen as the Athletics starting catcher versus right-handed pitching. Jake Odorizzi is rather homer prone. James McCann will have the platoon advantage versus Vargas. He (McCann) is a stud versus lefties.
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