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This piece focuses on the best two-start starting pitcher streamers and streamer waiver wire pickups for week 17 of fantasy baseball. These pitchers are near or below 50% ownership in Yahoo! leagues, and some are ideal for shallow leagues, but most are under-the-radar starters that can be considered in head-to-head leagues.
The first week after the All-Star break always poses some interesting rotation questions for teams, considering everyone has a few days off and managers obviously can't keep their starters on a normal rotation schedule. It's almost as if the season hits a reset button, as far as starting rotations are concerned. Because of that and the ways things were shuffled around, we've only got four two-start recommendations for Week 17.
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Jon Niese, NYM – 25% Owned
Projected starts: Monday @ SEA, Saturday @ MIL
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Niese will return from the DL this week to face the Mariners and the Brewers. Prior to his bum shoulder problem, he was having a great season, supporting a 2.96 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. And while the Mets hardly provide their pitchers consistent run support, they've been hot lately.
As far as matchups go, Seattle is a great pitcher’s park, and the Mariners have actually struggled against left-handers this season. They are also last in runs scored in the AL for the month of July, averaging less than four runs per game. Meanwhile, the Brewers have also struggled so far in the month, only scoring 40 runs through 12 games, and hitting just .235. People have probably forgotten about Niese since he’s gone on the DL, but he should be a decent stream option this week.
Jake Odorizzi, TB – 25% Owned
Projected starts: Tuesday @ STL, Sunday vs. BOS
Odorizzi finished strong before the All-Star Break, throwing two consecutive quality starts, only allowing two runs in each, and striking out 15 and walking four. In two starts this week, he’ll get to face a Cardinals offense that has really struggled all season to score runs, as they are only ahead of the Padres in runs per game at 3.75.
They are also now without Yadier Molina, creating an even greater hole in the middle of the order. Odorizzi will then get Boston at home, and if we’ve learned anything over the past three months, it’s to start anyone who pitches at home against the Red Sox. Boston has a season batting average of just .239 on the road and have only scored 180 road runs, second-to-last in the AL.
Ryan Vogelsong, SF –17% Owned
Projected starts: Monday @PHI, Saturday vs. LAD
Results-wise, Vogelsong had a rough ending to the first half of the season, earning the loss in his final four starts. His numbers over those games, however, were really not bad, as all but one of those starts were quality starts.
His K/BB ratio was also great at 24/3 over those four games. So he is still pitching well, but just ran into some tough luck. Vogelsong gets to face a below-average Phillies offense who is just 11th in total runs scored in the NL on the season and have a league worst .211 team batting average so far in the month of July.
Over the weekend, the Dodgers come to town, who haven’t been so hot offensively lately either. They are in the bottom third in the league in runs scored and batting average in July and are only ranked 25th in total bases in the month.
Bud Norris, BAL –6% Owned
Projected starts: Monday @LAA, Saturday @SEA
In deeper leagues, Norris isn’t a bad streaming option coming off the DL. He’s been sidelined with a groin strain for much of the past month, but is expected to be ready to roll on Monday. Norris’s overall numbers aren’t anything to get overly excited about, but he’s been a good middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Orioles with an ERA of less than four and seven wins on the season.
Norris gets two starts against the AL West in pitchers parks this week and even though his road ERA is a tad high at 4.86, his batting-average-against is lower on the road, .235, than it is at home, and his solid WHIP of 1.19 is the same in both environments. Norris is more of a desperate or super deep league stream for week 17.
