Top 5 Two-Start Starting Pitcher Streamers for Week 9

May 23, 2014

RotoBaller Richie Smith breaks down the top 5 two-start sleeper starting pitchers to stream off the waiver wire heading into week 9 for a big impact to your fantasy baseball team.

Week 9 Two-Start Streamers

This will be a season-long, weekly piece on the best two-start pitchers and streamers for the following week of fantasy baseball. These under-the-radar, two-start pitchers can be sleepers off the waiver wire depending on your league format, and you can consider for your head-to-head and daily lineups. I’ll give you a mix of starting pitcher options, some ideal for shallow leagues, some ideal for deep leagues. I’ll look at two-start streamers who are close to less than ~50% owned in Yahoo! These arms are worth looking at if you’re investigating two-start options for the following week, or even just looking for a quick streamer or two for one start.

All ownership percentages from Yahoo!

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Alfredo Simon, CIN – 58% Owned

Projected starts: Tuesday @ LAD, Sunday @ARI.

Simon has been one of the best pitchers in the NL so far this season, to the surprise of almost everyone. And if you hadn't noticed, you may want to take a closer look at his numbers, which include a 2.31 ERA and six wins. The law of averages is bound to hit Simon at some point, but we might as well ride out the good times while they last. Simon’s last two starts have resulted in two wins, and he's only given up one run with a 14/2 K/BB ratio.  Next week, Simon gets a pair of NL West opponents, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. At only 58% owned, there’s a decent chance he is still unclaimed, so go grab him until he starts to fade.

Nathan Eovaldi, MIA – 47% Owned

Projected starts: Monday @WAS, Sunday vs. ATL

If you've been a consistent reader of this weekly piece, you probably know that I am very bullish on Eovaldi.  The sometimes erratic young gun has a lot of life on his pitches, which can cause him to be a little unpredictable.  After a horrid start in a losing effort to the Giants, he rebounded with a quality start and a win in his last outing. Still, he gave up 10 hits and struck out only two in six innings.

But without Jose Fernandez on the DL the rest of the season, Eovaldi is the ace of the Marlins staff, and I think he’ll pitch better than not most times out. Next week, he’ll get to face two division opponents who aren't scoring many runs right now. and both the Nats and Braves strike out a ton (each over eight times per game), so I think Eovaldi will be able to find some success.

Jon Niese, NYM – 34% Owned

Projected starts: Tuesday vs. PIT, Sunday @PHI

Niese has cooled off a bit since his sizzling first quarter of the season. Still, he has not given up more than 3 ER in any start this season. And while the Mets bullpen situation is disastrous and the offense provides little run support, someone who is pitching as decently as Niese is should probably be owned in more than just 34% of leagues. He’s also been striking more guys out this season, his last start notwithstanding. Niese gets to face two struggling opponents next week, both of whom are in the bottom half of the majors in runs scored per game, as well as in the top half in strikeouts per game. I’d feel confident starting Niese and you should too.

Tyler Skaggs, LAA – 20% Owned

Projected starts: Monday @SEA, Saturday @OAK

Skaggs has been a decent pick up for the Angels so far. He came over from Arizona in the Mark Trumbo trade, and I for one was a little skeptical of the young lefty--but it’s easy to forget that he is still only 22 years old, so he’s still improving. His last time out, he pitched well in a winning effort, albeit against the lowly Astros, going seven innings, allowing just one run and striking out six.

Skaggs visits two pitcher’s parks next week, and the high-scoring Angels usually give their hurlers plenty of run support, so Skaggs provides some nice streaming value, even with a start against mighty Oakland, averaging over five runs a game.

Tommy Milone, OAK – 5% Owned

Projected starts: Monday vs. DET, Saturday vs. LAA

In deeper leagues, Milone might not be a bad play. Over his last three starts, he’s been excellent, notching two wins and allowing just 3 ER over nearly 20 innings. He limited opponents to five hits or fewer in a game during that span, and has a nice 14/4 K/BB ratio.  Streamer beware, however, as Milone will matches up against  two of the better offenses in the league, and they both absolutely own left-handed pitchers in 2014. He does get them both at home, though, where he has traditionally been a much better pitcher (+1.5 ERA differential on the road).