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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. 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 weakest categories and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Wednesday, May 16. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- Seize the Opportunity
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Seize the Opportunity
In fantasy, opportunity often equals success. It should at least cause you to take notice. In Arizona, center fielder A.J. Pollock will be out four to eight weeks with a fractured left thumb. In his absence, Jarrod Dyson and Chris Owings will see an increase in playing time in what could be a platoon situation.
While the 33-year-old Dyson is slashing just .184/.245/.333 in 87 at-bats overall, he's also had at least 20 stolen bases in each of the last six seasons, so those in need of thefts should be thrilled.
Owings is mainly intriguing for his positional versatility in fantasy, but he can also run a little, too, as he swiped 12 bags last year and 21 in 2016.
In Seattle, Robinson Cano landed on the disabled list, underwent surgery for a fractured finger and was hit with an 80-game ban for performance-enhancing drugs within the last 36 hours. He won't be back until at least mid-August.
The most likely scenario is that the M's move Dee Gordon from center to second base, which would open up consistent playing time for Guillermo Heredia. It's an opportunity, and those in deep mixed and AL-only leagues would be wise to take a look.
2. Weather Forecast
There is a lot of rain forecasted on the East coast for Wednesday, meaning the matchups featuring White Sox-Pirates, Phillies-Orioles, Blue Jays-Mets and Yankees-Nationals have a good chance of being delayed or postponed entirely. It might be smart to avoid players/pitchers from those contests.
3. Streamer Picks
Pitchers to Use
While Giants rookie Andrew Suarez had his worst major league start his last time out against the Pirates (seven hits, five earned runs, two homers allowed in four innings), he's a safe bet to bounce back against the Reds at home.
Cincinnati isn't the easiest team to strike out, but the southpaw Suarez has 23 K's in his 21 2/3 innings and has at least fanned five hitters in each of his four starts this season. His 9.55 K/9 looks great, especially alongside a 1.66 BB/9 and 3.17 xFIP. If he can avoid the long ball, he should be more than serviceable.
It feels wrong to recommend Matt Harvey, but he did exceed expectations against the struggling Dodgers in his first start with his new team, limiting them to one hit and no runs over four innings. The troubling thing with the former Dark Knight is that his velocity has been down following shoulder surgery and he isn't missing many bats (career-low 6.39 K/9).
On the positive side, he'll be facing a Giants team that has the third most strikeouts (398) in baseball. They also rank 22nd in home runs. Let's hope the Reds give Harvey a little longer leash this time around to potentially nab a quality start for brave streamers.
Other Targets: Andrew Cashner
Pitchers to Exploit
Tigers lefty Ryan Carpenter has been called up to make his second career start against the Indians on Wednesday in a daunting matchup. Cleveland sports a team OPS of .772 against southpaws in 2018, and it's safe to say Carpenter won't be long for this game. He allowed three runs (two homers) in just three innings of work on April 1.
Trevor Cahill has been nearly unhittable in four starts this year, allowing six earned runs in 24 innings with an 11.63 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start. However, he's coming off the DL with an elbow impingement and is set to face the Red Sox on the road, perhaps the best hitting club in baseball in a hitter's paradise. This could be the start where Cahill comes back to Earth.
Other Targets: Caleb Smith, Brandon Woodruff, Hector Santiago, Bartolo Colon, Brandon McCarthy, Christian Bergman
Homers on the Wire
It seems crazy to suggest Alex Gordon in fantasy these days, but he's looked like a much better hitter in recent weeks since his return from the DL. He's batting .306 with three dingers and six RBI in 49 at-bats in the last two weeks. He'll face Jake Faria on Wednesday, a pitcher that doesn't miss many bats.
Lefty slugger Mitch Moreland has been hot with the stick of late. He's also hitting .328 with five of his six homers against right-handers and is batting .389 with two homers and five RBI at Fenway in 2018. He's an excellent DFS pick on Wednesday against A's starter Trevor Cahill, who is making his first start off the DL.
Other Targets: Niko Goodrum, Logan Morrison
Steals on the Wire
As mentioned above, Jarrod Dyson will see a big uptick in playing time with A.J. Pollock out with a fractured thumb. The speedy Dyson is hitting .308 with three steals in the last three weeks and has a good track record of 20-plus steal seasons. Jump on him immediately if you need thefts.
Veteran Rajai Davis also has three swipes in the last two weeks and could see some more playing time if Bradley Zimmer continues to struggle. If Davis starts on Wednesday against spot starter Ryan Carpenter, he'd be a sneaky and cheap DFS flier.
Other Targets: Travis Jankowski, Mallex Smith, Jose Peraza
