Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire all season long. This article, now in its second year, runs seven days a week.
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 Sunday, July 1. Let's get to it.
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- Fantasy baseball BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
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- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards
Agenda
- 14K
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. 14K
By the time you read this, I'll be headed for the top of Mount Bierstadt, one of the 50+ peaks in Colorado that reaches at least 14,000 feet above sea level. Great way to spend a Sunday.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Saturday, June 30
All systems go today. Apart from cloudy skies in Seattle, it'll be a gorgeous day for baseball across the board, albeit pretty hot and humid basically everywhere but Seattle and San Diego.
3. Streamer Picks - Sunday, July 1
Pitchers to Use
The only streaming option I'm truly comfortable endorsing is Steven Matz. It's somewhat surprising to see him owned in fewer than a quarter of Yahoo leagues at the moment, since he's managed respectable ratios (.369 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and a solid 8.1 K/9. Matz has posted quality starts in five of his last six outings and will take on the Marlins, who are trash.
If you're a bit more desperate, Jordan Zimmermann might be worth a roll of the dice. He's allowed only three runs in his last four starts, and the Blue Jays have been much closer to average offensively this season than in years past.
Other Targets: Kevin Gausman
Pitchers to Exploit
Matt Harvey notched his only two quality starts of 2018 in his last two outings, and they came against a pair of top-tier offenses in the Cubs and Braves. I still don't trust him, particularly not at Great American Ball Park against a Brewers team that ranks ninth in MLB in home runs.
After flying out of the gate with three quality starts in his first three 2018 appearances, Frankie Montas has gotten rocked in two of his last three games. The imposing Cleveland lineup presents a stiff challenge to most pitchers, to say nothing of an inexperienced starter with a 5.7 K-BB%
Other Targets: Chad Bettis, Deck McGuire, Derek Holland
Homers on the Wire
Cole Hamels has a higher home run rate than all but two qualified starters and will be pitching in the Texas summer heat. The best waiver bets on the White Sox roster are probably Matt Davidson and Avisail Garcia.
Other Targets: Joc Pederson, Kiké Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Randal Grichuk, Aaron Hicks, Mark Trumbo, Michael Conforto, Scott Schebler, Teoscar Hernandez, Yonder Alonso, Adam Duvall, Nick Williams
Steals on the Wire
Michael A. Taylor is still under 50% owned despite leading the league in stolen bases and is facing the Phillies, who have permitted more thefts than all but five other teams.
Other Targets: Jurickson Profar, Dustin Fowler, Leury Garcia, Rajai Davis, Jose Iglesias, Travis Jankowski, Jarrod Dyson, Jose Peraza, Jonathan Villar, Delino DeShields, Mallex Smith