RADIO
I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by 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 25 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
Adalberto Mondesi (2B, SS, KC) - 24% Owned
After spending some time lower in the batting order, Adalberto Mondesi is back hitting in the two-spot. He's also running again with four stolen bases in the past two weeks. He's quickly emerged into one of the league's best speed threats.
Alex Gordon (OF, KC) - 3% Owned
I almost put Alex Gordon on here last week and now I wish I did. He's already stolen two bases this week. Gordon has never historically been a speed demon, but the Royals have been letting him run. I'm doubling up on Royals here, but I think it's worth it.
Power
Ryan O'Hearn (1B, KC) - 9% Owned
The Royals' rookie first baseman displayed considerable power in the minors and, so far, it is translating well on the big stage. Ryan O'Hearn has hit 10 home runs in his first 31 games including four over the past two weeks.
Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) - 14% Owned
Sometimes you need to chase the hot hand. This late in the season, I think it's worth it. Scott Schebler has four homers over the past two weeks and has been consistently hitting leadoff, resulting in more at-bats.
Average
Joey Wendle (2B, 3B, OF, TB) - 32% Owned
No matter the opponent, Joey Wendle just hits. He's at .295 on the season and .311 over the past two weeks. Next week, the Rays face Texas and Toronto, both of which are bottom five in batting average against.
Willy Adames (2B, SS, TB) - 24% Owned
For the same matchup reasons as above, Willy Adames is also a great streamer. Adames is only at .263 on the season, but he's hitting .317 over the past two weeks. With a favorable schedule, he is a good bet to continue his strong hitting.
Strikeouts
Steven Matz (SP, NYM) - 32% Owned
Steven Matz continues to be a strong streaming candidate. Next week, his first start is at Philly. The Phillies have struck out the third most in all of baseball. Matz also strikes out just about a batter an inning. The matchup is perfect.
Marco Gonzales (SP, SEA) - 36% Owned
While Marco Gonzales has a K/9 that is under 8.00, he will enjoy the free-swinging Ranger bats next week in Arlington. The Rangers have struck out the fourth most in baseball this season.
Wins
Ryan Borucki (SP, TOR) - 4% Owned
Ryan Borucki pitches well in favorable matchups. The Rays are 19th in runs scored. The game is in Toronto. This is a prime situation for a solid, if unspectacular, home win for Borucki.
John Gant (SP, STL) - 30% Owned
John Gant will start next week at home against the Giants. The Cardinals are currently 17 games over .500 while the Giants are 10 games under. They should be favored, giving Gant an excellent shot to secure a victory.
ERA/WHIP
Trevor Cahill (SP, OAK) - 31% Owned
Trevor Cahill has a very respectable upper 3s ERA with a 1.21 WHIP. He will have a home start next week against the Twins, who are 18th in runs scored. It is far from an imposing matchup. Cahill should be good for a quality start here.
Jordan Zimmermann (SP, DET) - 12% Owned
After surging out of the gate, Jordan Zimmermann's performance has tailed off a bit. However, he still holds a respectable low 4s ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Give him a shot against the second-worst offense in baseball, the Royals.
