RADIO
I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well.
Maybe you have a stacked roster and you can't drop anyone. But for those of us with a couple of guys on the roster fringes, it's never too early to look into targeting a specific player or two to gain an edge in a particular category. This season, I will be making weekly recommendations for extreme short term category specialists every week in three offensive areas: speed, power, and average; and three pitching areas: strikeouts, wins, and ratios (ERA/WHIP).
Below are my Week 10 category streamers for fantasy baseball. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
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Head-to-Head Category Streamers to Consider
Speed
Michael A. Tayor (OF, WAS) - 23% Owned
Adam Eaton is getting closer to returning, but he's not quite back yet. Michael A. Taylor still has a daily starting job for the Nationals. He stole two bases in a game this past Wednesday and has been better at the plate over the past two weeks or so, hitting over .250. With Taylor getting on base at an increased rate, he becomes a more appealing streaming option for steals.
Adam Engel (OF, CWS) - 1% Owned
This one is a really deep streamer. In 2015, Adam Engel stole 65 bases in a full minor league season, so we have proof of his immense speed. In his first 150 plate appearances this season, Engel stole eight bases. While that's not on pace for 60 steals, it's still more than 30, which is very usable in fantasy. Engel has stolen three in the past two weeks while hitting a respectable .267. His overall average will do you no favors, but when he gets on base, he can run.
Power
Mark Reynolds (1B, WAS) - 23% Owned
This is the second consecutive week for Mark Reynolds on this list and he has already rewarded owners with a home run this past week. With Ryan Zimmerman still out, Reynolds still has a mostly every day spot in this lineup. His power is well documented over his career so ride him while he's still hot and active.
Adam Duvall (OF, CIN) - 37% Owned
Adam Duvall hadn't homered in the past two weeks until he hit a grand slam on Wednesday as I was writing this, but he will spend the entirety of next week's slate in Cincinnati, giving him ample opportunity to get hot. The batting average will kill you, but if you're purely looking for long balls, Duvall should hit a couple next week.
Average
Gorkys Hernandez (OF, SF) - 23% Owned
Who doesn't like saying "Gorkys?" Wouldn't it be even better if he were on your team? Gorkys Hernandez is hitting over .300 to start the season and although he's a career .250 hitter, Hernandez's soft contact rate is down while his hard hit rate is up. We have reason to believe this increase in average is legitimate. Ride the heat wave.
Albert Almora (OF, CHC) - 8% Owned
Albert Almora is a career .299 hitter that is off to a .319 start to the season. He doesn't contribute much in other categories, making him the quintessential "empty batting average," but hey, that's what this section is all about. Almora is seeing increased playing time as of late so if you want hits and nothing else, he's your man.
Strikeouts
Dan Straily (SP, MIA) - 10% Owned
A guy with a career 7.74 K/9 isn't the ideal streamer for strikeouts. Fortunately for Dan Straily, his start next week should come against the Padres, who are second in the league in striking out and generally not very good at scoring runs. Straily is a strong option against the Padres.
Tyler Mahle (SP, CIN) - 11% Owned
When you're streaming for strikeouts only, you can roll with pitchers on bad teams. Tyler Mahle qualifies. His start next week will likely be against the Rockies who rank in the top third of the league in striking out offensively. Mahle's 8.59 K/9 should be higher after his outing against the Rockies.
Wins
Domingo German (SP, NYY) - 8% Owned
The Yankees are second in the league in runs scored. The Mets are 23rd in the league in runs scored. Domingo German projects to face the Mets at Citi Field next week. It is hardly a road game. The Yankees will be favored in all three of their games against the Mets. German is good enough to get the win.
Tyler Anderson (SP, COL) - 8% Owned
While the Reds aren't nearly as bad as their record would indicate, they're still not a good team, ranking in the bottom half in runs scored. The Rockies, on the other hand, are atop the NL West. Tyler Anderson's start next week is in Cincinnati. The Rockies will be favored and it should be a win.
ERA/WHIP
Nick Tropeano (SP, LAA) - 6% Owned
Nick Tropeano is off to a good, not great start to his season with an ERA slightly under 4.00 and a solid WHIP of 1.24. Next week, he projects to face the Twins, a team that ranks second to last in runs scored. Tropeano won't even have to be on his best game to shut the Twins down.
Seth Lugo (SP, NYM) - 4% Owned
Interleague play should benefit the Mets here as Seth Lugo has a home start against the offensively challenged Orioles next week. The Orioles are bottom five in runs scored and Lugo has been very solid in relief appearances this season to the tune of a sub 2.50 ERA and a WHIP hovering around 1.00. Lugo is replacing Noah Syndergaard in the Mets rotation, which gives you the opportunity to spot start him next week.
