Fantasy Baseball's Best Week 6 Streaming Options
Week five is in the books and week six awaits.
There are a few reasons you might be streaming pitchers weekly.
1. You might be one of those guys who likes winning through sexy savvy; one of those dudes who ravages the waiver wire upon every triple-A call-up just so they can say “they called it”. Jose Fernandez just got called up? Mine. Unfortunately, this is extremely hard and often fails.
2. You might be a victim of injury. You shouldn’t have even drafted Josh Johnson, but now you’re in a bind.
3. You might be one of those unfortunate Roy Halladay owners or Jarrod Parker believers. If you’re a Roy Halladay owner, welcome to the weekly streaming club. He’s not worth a roster spot and there are plenty of guys on whom I’d rather burn my DL slot. I’m not sure who, but I do remember one writer saying Halladay’s struggles would continue. If you were a Parker believer, I’m fairly certain you aren’t any longer. I know I’m not.
There’s value to be had in streaming. If you do it right you can almost guarantee winning strikeouts and wins in head-to-head matchups. And if you’re in rotisserie, a few timely streams can help bolster your season-long pitching ratios.
Though I mentioned before that doing things just so you can say “I told you so” isn’t very smart, streaming pitchers is intrinsically an “I told you so” situation. Let’s figure out which week six pitchers will help you tell them so and win you week six.
As always:
‘We'll use SPs owned in less than 50% of ESPN standard leagues. I’ll also give you a ‘confidence rating’ with each player — 10 is ‘extremely confident’, 1 is ‘hey, I just threw a name out there.’ Also, we’ll naturally give priority to those sweet double-start candidates.’
Mark Buehrle, Toronto Blue Jays
Mark Buehrle is the opposite of exciting, and his year is following suit. But a 14.1% HR/FB rate against him hints at a slight turnaround. He’s only throwing 52% of his first-pitches for strikes — 8% lower than his career rate — and it’s consistently forcing him to play catch-up, but if he can give that rate a slight uptick he’ll be back on track. Given the Tampa Bay Rays’ recent struggles, I think he turns it around this week.
Confidence vs. Rays – 7
Confidence vs. Boston Red Sox – 6
Kevin Slowey, Miami Marlins
Given that he didn’t pitch at all last year, Kevin Slowey was probably forgotten by just about everyone. Fortunately, that means you can reap value from him. He’s getting a tad lucky considering hitters have a .252 BAbip against him despite a 24% LD rate, but even if that evens out (and it will), Slowey’s propensity to avoid walks and his increased strikeout rate work well in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ big ballpark. Just don’t expect a win.
Confidence vs. Dodgers – 7.5
Ricky Nolasco, Miami Marlins
This is more of an innings-eating start. He won’t rack up the strikeouts but also won’t have a meltdown. He’s pitching vs. the San Diego Padres in Petco and Carlos Quentin isn’t hitting.
Confidence vs. Padres – 7.5
Eric Stults, San Diego Padres
Stults doesn’t strike anyone out, but he’s proven he can consistently throw strikes and keep hitters off balance. No number crunching here; he’s a crafty veteran who will keep the young and impatient Miami Marlins anxious. I like this matchup, especially in Petco.
Confidence vs. Marlins – 8
Joe Blanton, Los Angeles Angels
The Houston Astros are striking out at historic rates and are, bluntly, horrible. Joe Blanton’s season totals are pretty ugly — 5.97 ERA, 1.90 WHIP — but he spun eight innings in his last start while allowing two earned. He’s not getting strikeouts at the rate he’s used to — 9.5% compared to a career 15.8% — but Houston can fix that.
Confidence vs. Astros – 6
Jeremy Guthrie, Kansas City Royals
Sure, a shutout vs. the Chicago White Sox isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it’s still a shutout. Jeremy Guthrie looked awesome as he spun those nine innings vs. Chicago, and though the Baltimore Orioles are a completely different species, he’s pitched well against the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Guthrie’s owned in more than 50% of ESPN leagues, but if you can get him, give him a start if you find you need to take a chance.
Confidence vs. Orioles – 6
Follow fantasy expert Nick Tom on Twitter @NickTomFB
