RADIO
Jason Katz identifies fantasy baseball category streamers for week 16 of 2018. Waiver wire pickups, adds, and streamers for weekly head-to-head (H2H) leagues.
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 16 category streamers for fantasy baseball. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
Head-to-Head Category Streamers to Consider
Speed
Adalberto Mondesi (2B/SS, KC) - 1% Owned
The young middle infielder has gotten off to a blazing start this season. He's only hitting .230, but he's stolen five bases in his first 18 games. That's a 45-steal pace. He's available just about everywhere and a legitimate lesser-known speed-only option.
Cameron Maybin (OF, MIA) - 2% Owned
Somehow, Cameron Maybin is only 31 years old. He's still really fast. He stole 33 bases in just 114 games last year. He's only stolen five this season, but also hasn't been getting much playing time. With Lewis Brinson hurt, Maybin is once again an every day player and available to showcase his speed for your fantasy team.
Power
Mark Trumbo (OF, BAL) - 34% Owned
Just two years removed from a 47 home run season, Mark Trumbo still has tremendous pop in his bat. He's hit 12 over the wall in his first 59 games this season, but has been especially hot over the past two weeks with four dingers. Fire him up for an extended week post all star break.
Chris Davis (1B, BAL) - 22% Owned
With four home runs in his last 50 at-bats, Chris Davis is reminding everyone how he once hit 53 home runs in a season. Davis is doing you no favors in the batting average department, with a number so low, you wonder how he is still playing every day. But, he is, and if you can stomach the 0/4s, you'll get enough 1/4s with a home run for it to be worth it if power is all you need.
Average
Matt Adams (1B/OF, WSH) - 34% Owned
An average hitter disguised in a power hitter's body, Matt Adams is a career .273 hitter that is hitting .290 this season. Adams doesn't give you much besides average, but at .290 over the past month, he's what you're looking for here.
Albert Almora Jr. (OF, CHC) - 19% Owned
I have to keep recommending Albert Almora because he keeps hitting. At well over .300 and incredibly consistent, Almora might as well be a mainstay on this list for those in need of some batting average help.
Strikeouts
Kevin Gausman (SP, BAL) - 42% Owned
Next week, Kevin Gausman has a home start against the Rays. The last time he faced the Rays, who strike out the ninth most in all of baseball, Gausman fanned six batters in 7.1 innings. Gausman's K/9 is slightly down from his career average of 8.26, but he's still got swing and miss stuff.
Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - 10% Owned
While his K/9 is just 7.16 this season, Anthony DeSclafani will make the most of his start against the Phillies next week. Philadelphia is top five in offensive strikeouts and should provide DeSclafani with more than a strikeout an inning.
Wins
Domingo German (SP, NYY) - 22% Owned
The Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball and the Rays...well...aren't. This one is as simple as that. Domingo German is not a great prospect. He profiles as more of a back of the rotation starter, but he's good enough to keep the Rays in check and let his elite offense do the heavy lifting en route to a victory.
Brian Johnson (SP, BOS) - 4% Owned
Much like German, Brian Johnson also plays for one of the best teams in baseball. He will start at home against the Twins, a middle of the road offense, while being supported by the league's best offense. The Red Sox will be heavy favorites, making it very likely that Johnson gets himself a win.
ERA/WHIP
Jordan Zimmermann (SP, DET) - 31% Owned
Jordan Zimmermann is experiencing a career renaissance at age 32. The last time he wasn't complete garbage was back in 2015 when he pitched to a 3.66 ERA with the Nationals. Zimmermann has a 3.71 ERA in his first 12 starts this season and it is mostly legitimate with his BABIP and FIP in line with career averages. Zimmermann will pitch against the worst offense in baseball in terms of runs scored, the Royals, next week. He is going to pitch quite well.
Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - 13% Owned
The Pirates rookie known for almost pitching a perfect game in his MLB debut has been up and down since then. A great way to get himself back on the right track is a home start against the Mets. Nick Kingham strikes out a batter an inning and should excel against the league's third most futile offense.
