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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. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, 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 neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Saturday, April 21. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- Brinson's Big Day
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Brinson's Big Day
Lewis Brinson had himself a day on Thursday. He hammered a couple home runs. Even with the standout performance, he's only batting .156/.206/.250 on the season. He has serious contact issues and makes way too much soft contact. Sometimes, a big day will change a player's outlook or confidence. Keep an eye on the peripherals to see if they improve in the next few games. There's potential for a Keon Broxton-like performance.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
The game in Colorado is at risk today due to what locals tell me are basically seasonal monsoons. We had something like that when I lived in Arizona too. The rest of the league is safe tonight.
3. Streamer Picks - Saturday, April 21
Pitchers to Use
A slow start to 2018 has pushed Jordan Montgomery to the waiver wire. The southpaw won't excel in any individual category, but he should be owned in most leagues. Run support from the Yankees lineup may give him a chance at upwards of 15 wins. He'll produce fantasy average numbers in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP. A matchup against the Blue Jays is good enough to use him.
Soft contact king Brent Suter has a juicy pairing against the Marlins. The Miami offense is likely to oblige Suter's preference for inducing a lot of poorly struck balls in play. A win may be more likely than a quality start. He only averages about five innings a start.
Other Targets: Kyle Gibson
Pitchers to Exploit
Chris Tillman may be the most broken pitcher making regular starts. He's working with none-stuff. His velocity is down to a career low, nobody is whiffing, and his command is terrible. I'm shocked the Orioles haven't dumped him on the disabled list or outright released him. Grab any available Clevelanders.
James Shields is the streaming exploit Holy Grail. Not only has he allowed around 2.00 HR/9 over the last calendar years, he's also stolen base prone. The Astros haven't left much of their lineup on the fantasy waiver wire. You should acquire the available components. There's a chance Shields will start Friday night instead of Saturday - he pitched in extra innings on Wednesday, leading to some scheduling chaos.
Other Targets: Homer Bailey, Steven Brault, Jose Urena, Julio Teheran, Clayton Richard, Derek Holland
Homers on the Wire
This is just a hunch. Brandon Nimmo has looked like one of the better leadoff hitters in baseball, yet he's glued to the Mets bench. He hasn't started since Monday, and I assume he won't be in the lineup tonight against a lefty. That makes it a little more likely he'll earn a spot start against an exploitable right-hander tomorrow. Nimmo isn't a top power threat, but the overall package is worth streaming anyway.
Considered a fantasy league afterthought, it's possible Miguel Rojas has turned into an actual decent shortstop. Or we could be looking at a fluky small sample. He's currently batting second for the Marlins (i.e. he has run production opportunities). His 36.5 percent hard contact rate is nearly double his career norm. He's pulling more contact too. Better contact interacts well with his combination of solid plate discipline and low strikeout rate. This is a guy who could bat .280 with a .350 OBP. The power ceiling is probably only in the 10 to 15 homer range. He'll be helped by Miller Park tomorrow.
Other Targets: Jefry Marte, Chris Young, Nick Ahmed, Christian Villanueva, Albert Almora, Ben Zobrist, Dan Vogelbach, Brian Anderson, C.J. Cron, Yonder Alonso, Tyler Naquin, Dexter Fowler, Jeimer Candelario, Yangervis Solarte
Steals on the Wire
I'll repeat my Derek Fisher recommendation from yesterday. Shields is exploitable for power and speed. Fisher has power and speed. You do the math.
Like Fisher, I can't decide if Bradley Zimmer is a better bet for a home run or a stolen base. Tillman, as mentioned, is terrible. Zimmer's perfectly positions to do some damage - one way or another.
Other Targets: Franchy Cordero, Cameron Maybin, Mallex Smith
Skill Positions
Max Stassi has been sharing starts with Brian McCann. He pulls enough fly balls to sting a pitcher like Shields.
