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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 Monday, May 28. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- The Value of Double Dips
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. The Value of Double Dips
You know that awful feeling you get when the day's games are underway and you forgot to double-check your daily lineups? There's no shame in admitting it--it happens to everyone. You can still hit your games played cap by rotating in a bench guy when your primary starter has a day off, but doubleheaders offer the possibility of pocketing two games played on one calendar date. Use them correctly, and you can feast on a limited bullpen in the second half of game 2. Just make sure that whoever you pick is likely to play in both contests.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Sunday, May 27
Scattered storms are the forecast for the entire Northeast, putting the game in Philadelphia in serious jeopardy. New York could also have a rain delay, while Boston and Pittsburgh should be okay despite a chance of rain. As always, double-check your weather service of choice closer to game time before counting on Mother Nature's cooperation with your streaming plans.
3. Streamer Picks - Monday, May 28
Pitchers to Use
It's a rare full slate plus one on Monday, as all 30 teams are in action with the Mets playing a doubleheader in Atlanta. It's actually a really good day to stream starting pitchers. Caleb Smith gets top billing for his 31.7% K% and 3.83 ERA backed by peripherals (3.69 xFIP). The Marlins are seldom favored to win, but a game in San Diego against Eric Lauer and his 6.67 ERA might be enough to do the trick.
Alternatively, you can use Trevor Cahill against the Rays. He's performed the rare feat of increasing his K% (25.2% this year, 22.8% last) while simultaneously cutting his BB% (6.5% vs. 11.8%) in his 36 IP this year, posting a 2.75 ERA and 2.94 xFIP in the process. The Rays and Chris Archer aren't as easy an opponent as Lauer and the Padres, but they're not insurmountable either.
Other Targets: Vince Velasquez @LAD, Marco Gonzalez vs. TEX, Jake Junis vs. MIN
Pitchers to Exploit
A full slate also presents plenty of opportunities to stream hitters. Homer Bailey is still in the major leagues for some reason. His 6.21 ERA is bad, but a 12.9% K% and 8.5% BB% really tell you how far his once promising career has slipped. The Diamondbacks have not been hot lately, but you have to think they figure Bailey out with minimal difficulty.
Speaking of not striking anybody out, Doug Fister is scheduled to pitch for the Rangers against the Mariners. His 15.9% K% is almost good compared to Bailey's, but nowhere near enough to count on in fantasy. Maybe the Mariners will add to his 20.5% HR/FB.
Other Targets: Eric Lauer vs. MIA, Brent Suter vs. STL, Domingo German vs. HOU, Lance Lynn @ KC, Alex Cobb vs. WAS
Homers on the Wire
The shock of Boston cutting ties with Hanley Ramirez has temporarily distracted the fantasy community, but the move made Mitch Moreland extremely relevant in all formats. He's slashing .318/.393/.636 with eight bombs this year, and now appears to have the cleanup role all to himself. Lest you think he's been fortunate thus far, Statcast believes that his contact quality warrants a slugging percentage of .683, 47 points above his actual mark. He should be owned in all formats.
Other Targets: Teoscar Hernandez, Yonder Alonso, Max Kepler, Adam Duvall, Jedd Gyorko, Dexter Fowler, Tyler O'Neill, Derek Dietrich, Lewis Brinson, Brian Anderson, Ryon Healy, Tyler Austin, Jeimer Candelario, Michael Conforto, Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Ahmed, Daniel Descalso, David Peralta, Mark Reynolds, David Dahl, Carlos Gonzalez
Steals on the Wire
While the team lacks obvious speed, the Mets might be your best bet for a steal on Monday. They are likely to see both of Atlanta's catchers: Kurt Suzuki and Tyler Flowers. Suzuki has been SB-prone this season, allowing 12 of 13 would-be base thieves to make it successfully against him. Flowers has been better (40% CS% in five SB attempts), but he finished dead last in Statcast's Pop Time metric last season. Amed Rosario has the most speed on the roster, but Brandon Nimmo and Jose Reyes are more likely to reach base.
Other Targets: Travis Jankowski, Jarrod Dyson, Niko Goodrum, Jose Peraza, Jonathan Villar, Delino DeShields, Aaron Hicks, JaCoby Jones, Michael A. Taylor, Dustin Fowler, Mallex Smith
