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Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 4

Brad Johnson's fantasy baseball daily streaming picks for September 4. Pitcher and hitter streamers for MLB DFS games, and head-to-head (H2H) waiver wire targets.

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, September 4.

Let's get to it.

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

 

Agenda

  1. The Final Month
  2. Today's Weather and Updates
  3. Tomorrow's Picks

 

1. The Final Month

With one month left on the fantasy baseball calendar, let's look back at some of the standout performances from last September. There's only so much ground you can make up in one-sixth of a season. You'll need to honestly assess which categories are and are not assailable.

Top Performances From September 2016 Top Performances From September 2016
Stat Player Count Stat Player Count
Runs Curtis Granderson 25 Wins Jon Lester 5
Byron Buxton 24 Max Scherzer 5
Ender Inciarte 24 Saves Mark Melancon 10
RBI Kendrys Morales 30 (six others) 8
Justin Upton 28 K Justin Verlander 56
HR Justin Upton 13 Chris Sale 48
(three others) 11 Max Scherzer 46
SB Trea Turner 15 ERA Jon Lester 1.48
Dee Gordon 15 Johnny Cueto 1.78
Jonathan Villar 12 Justin Verlander 1.82
AVG Joey Votto 0.389 WHIP Jharel Cotton 0.82
Yadier Molina 0.388 Jon Lester 0.82
Freddie Freeman 0.367 Ubaldo Jimenez 0.83

 

If you're trying to catch lightning in a barrel, you should expect no more than 20 runs, 25 RBI, 10 home runs, 10 steals, and a .350 average from any individual - and not all from the same guy. For steals, it certainly helps to already own one of the few rabbits. Power is probably the most difficult category to predictably outperform the crowd. Grab a leadoff for runs, a cleanup hitter for RBI, or a Votto for batting average.

On the pitching side, my advice is to already own a top five pitcher. If you need the luck of a leprechaun, hopefully you're chasing WHIP. That's the only category with weird results.

 

2. Today's Weather and Updates

Sunny San Diego may actually be rainy today. It's only a 30 percent chance for wet skies. Tomorrow features a bunch of sun for Labor Day. Every team will play. Enjoy.

 

3. Tomorrow's Picks - Monday, September 4

Pitchers to Use

Jake Junis is by far the most interesting arm available. He'll face a gutted Tigers offense. They're without Victor Martinez (injury), Miguel Cabrera (suspended), and Justin Upton (traded). Junis has fantasy average numbers including a 4.41 ERA, 8.10 K/9, and a 1.29 WHIP through 63.1 innings. He's 6-2 on the year. Junis is quite likely to earn a victory opposite an untouted rookie making his debut.

The Mets and Phillies feature two of the most exploitable offenses. Mark Leiter is starting for Philadelphia. His 3.88 ERA and major league blood lines have led to a jolt in ownership. Be careful. Most of his success can be traced back to what looks like a lucky soft contact rate. He still profiles as a long reliever. His opponent, Rafael Montero, is coming off the best outing of his career. He tossed 8.1 innings of shutout baseball against the Reds. Montero has a 2.77 ERA over his last 26 innings, although his command remains below average. Both Leiter and Montero are risky plays.

Other Targets: Chad Kuhl

 

Pitchers to Exploit

Scouts view Tigers right-hander Artie Lewicki as a swing-starter. He features a 92 to 94 mph fastball and an adequate slider. His curve and change are described as fringy. Lewicki posted strong numbers in five Triple-A starts (2.03 ERA, 9.58 K/9, 2.03 BB/9). He avoids walks and will probably discover that major league hitters feast on middling stuff in the strike zone.

Other Targets: Homer Bailey, James Shields, Matt Moore, Chad Bettis, Chris Smith, Marco Gonzales

 

Homers on the Wire

Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera is scheduled to return tomorrow. He's technically over 50 percent owned (56 percent to be precise), but I expect that rate to fall once he's forced off the disabled list. Herrera will likely insert into the top of the order in some combination with Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, and Cesar Hernandez. That's a productive-looking top four batters. Now all Philly needs is to get something out of Tommy Joseph and Maikel Franco. Freddy Galvis seems like the obvious fifth hitter.

Lonnie Chisenhall looked like one of the breakout stars of 2017 before missing a second chunk of the season to injury. He's back and hopefully ready to reprise his role as a slugger. A matchup against homer prone James Shields at Guaranteed HR-Rate Park is a plus.

Other Targets: Scott Schebler, Keon Broxton, Neil Walker, Brandon Moss, Wilmer Flores, Dominic Smith, Brandon Crawford, Jed Lowrie, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Matt Joyce, Chad Pinder, Marcus Semien, Stephen Piscotty, J.D. Davis, Jayson Werth, Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, Enrique Hernandez

 

Steals on the Wire

The Angels suddenly have a crowded lineup. Brandon Phillips isn't a big base running threat these days, but he'll take advantage of lax defense (10 steals). Cameron Maybin and Ben Revere are better bets to steal a base, but they have to compete with each other, C.J. Cron, and Albert Pujols for playing time. Only two can be in the lineup at the same time unless one of Mike Trout, Justin Upton, or Kole Calhoun are getting an off day.

Other Targets: Denard Span, Kolten Wong

 

Skill Positions

Chris Iannetta is hitting .328/.414/.557 in a small sample against left-handed pitchers. Rich Hill isn't the typical southpaw, but it's still a decent spot to give Iannetta a whirl. Kurt Suzuki and Robinson Chirinos are alternatives. They're on opposite sides of the Andrew Cashner-R.A. Dickey brawl of mediocrity.

 

More Lineups Advice

 

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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ajay Mitchell

Cleared to Return Sunday
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic Ruled Out for Sunday
Kyshawn George

Iffy for Sunday
De'Anthony Melton

Sits Out First Leg of Back-to-Back
Jaxson Hayes

Unlikely to Play Sunday
Derrick Jones Jr.

to Return From Knee Injury Sunday
Jock Landale

in Danger of Missing Another Game Sunday
Vince Williams Jr.

Won't Play Sunday
Robert Williams III

Inactive on Sunday
Jerami Grant

to Sit Out Fifth Consecutive Game
Brandin Podziemski

Probable to Play Sunday
Jakob Poeltl

to Miss Another Game Sunday
RJ Barrett

Listed as Questionable for Sunday
Paul George

Probable for Meeting With Former Team
Joel Embiid

Won't Play on Sunday
Josh Hart

to Miss at Least Two More Games
Kevin Love

Resting on Saturday
Ace Bailey

Misses Saturday's Action
Mohamed Diawara

Starting on Saturday Night
Gary Trent Jr.

Sits Out Second Straight Game
Bam Adebayo

Ruled Out Again on Saturday
TreVeyon Henderson

Clears Concussion Protocol, Will Play in Week 17
Davante Adams

Downgraded to Doubtful for Week 17
Ryan McDonagh

Misses Saturday's Action
Jordan Kyrou

Jimmy Snuggerud Back for Blues Saturday
Tanner Jeannot

Misses First Game of the Season
Rasmus Dahlin

Won't Play on Saturday
Elias Pettersson

Ready to Return Saturday
Leo Carlsson

Available Against Kings
Jack Eichel

Still Out Saturday
Ilya Sorokin

Lands on Injured Reserve
Bo Horvat

Returns to Action Saturday
Kimani Vidal

Inactive on Saturday
George Kittle

Questionable to Face the Bears in Week 17
Maxx Crosby

Done for the Season
Calvin Austin III

Ruled Out with Hamstring Injury for Week 17
Harold Fannin Jr.

Expected to Play on Sunday
Jordan Love

Ruled Out with Concussion for Saturday's Contest
George Kittle

"Likely a Game-Time Decision" on Sunday Night
A.J. Brown

Returns to Practice on Friday
Josh Allen

Trending Toward Playing Vs. Philly
CFB

Michigan Targeting Kyle Whittingham as Next Head Coach
CFB

Texas Leading Rusher Quintrevion Wisner Set to Transfer
George Kittle

Remains Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Malik Willis

Carrying Questionable Tag for Week 17 Tilt
Jordan Love

Questionable for Saturday's Contest
Lamar Jackson

Listed as Doubtful for Week 17
Amon-Ra St. Brown

to Suit Up on Christmas Day
Rome Odunze

"Increasing Unlikely to Play" in Week 17
Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Carries Questionable Tag on Thursday
David Montgomery

Expected to Play on Christmas Day
David Montgomery

Questionable to Play With Illness
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Questionable, Expected to Play on Thursday
Pete Fairbanks

Marlins Agree on One-Year Deal
Brooks Koepka

Leaving LIV Golf
Connor McDavid

Finishes Battle of Alberta With Five Assists
Karel Vejmelka

Battling Upper-Body Injury
Alexandre Texier

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Against Bruins
Alexander Nikishin

Dealing With Apparent Ankle Injury
Denver Barkey

Exits Early Tuesday
Travis Sanheim

Pulled by Concussion Spotter Tuesday
Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates Agree on Two-Year Deal
Viktor Arvidsson

a Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Ryan Leonard

Available Tuesday
Tom Wilson

in Danger of Missing First Game of the Season
Phillip Danault

Makes Second Canadiens Debut Tuesday
Collin Graf

Available Against Golden Knights
Jack Eichel

Misses Fourth Straight Game
CFB

Jeff Brohm, Eli Drinkwitz "Names of Interest" for Michigan Head Coach
CFB

Byrum Brown Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Bobby Petrino Joining Bill Belichick as North Carolina's Offensive Coordinator

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