Are you in a weekly-transaction fantasy baseball league and looking to sure up your roster in time for Sunday night? Are you a daily-league manager who has a big matchup next week that you don’t want to lose? Or, are you in any type of league and just looking to improve your pitching staff for the stretch run? In all of those cases, you’ve clicked the right link. In this weekly edition of pitching streamers, there’s plenty of favorable matchups, lots of widely available two-start options, and one potential difference-maker who should be rostered (spoiler: grab Gavin Williams if he’s available!).
So good luck, stream responsibly, and start scrolling. As always, this list is in roster-percentage order.
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11 Pitching Streamers to Target in Week 20
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (About 50% to 65% Rostered)
Gavin Williams SP Guardians
Last start: Friday, August 18 vs. Tigers – 5IP 3ER 6H 2BB 4K
Thursday, August 24 vs. Dodgers
At this stage of the season, there’s not many pitchers left on the wire who have the potential to win you a fantasy championship. That being said, you might want to check if Gavin Williams is still available in your league. Odds are he isn’t. Even with a less-than-stellar start last night (though he gave up three runs to the Tigers, he still induced 17 swinging strikes on 90 pitches), the rookie has compiled an impressive 3.02 ERA/1.21 WHIP and has struck out 44 over his last 35 innings. Even the walks (3.62 BB/9) have been kept in check recently, just three in his last 17 innings. One other thing to note: he just reached last year’s innings total last night (115), so the Guardians could let him loose in the stretch run. Right in time for fantasy playoff season! If you’re in a very shallow league, however, be aware that he’ll draw the Dodgers next week. Their potent offense (ranked 3rd in WOBA) will be a big challenge for the 24 year old.
Grayson Rodriguez SP Orioles
Last start: Monday, August 14 @ Padres – 7IP W 1ER 3H 1BB 6K
1 start next week: Tuesday, August 22 vs. Blue Jays
Are we finally seeing the upside for Grayson Rodriguez? It sure feels that way recently. Over his last six starts since being recalled from the minors, he now has a 3.03 ERA, an 0.98 WHIP, and three quality starts. This includes Monday’s win over the Padres, the best of his young career. The rookie again had an impressive swing-and-miss total (15), effective secondary pitches (eight whiffs on slider and changeup), and threw a career-high seven innings. The strikeout total has been bit a little lower than you might expect (30 Ks over 35.2 innings), but with an overall whiff rate of 27.3%, there should be more coming. Though he’ll draw a good Blue Jays lineup next week (ranked 9th in WOBA), his potential to help fantasy managers down the stretch is too high to pass up. He shouldn’t be available in any standard leagues. Act now if he is in yours.
Pitching Streamers Available in Most Leagues (About 25% to 50% Rostered)
Chase Silseth SP/RP Angels
Last start: Sunday, August 13 @ Astros – 5IP W 0ER 4H 2BB 5K
Next start: Saturday, August 19 vs. Rays
1 start next week: Sunday, August 27 @ Mets
He might not give you a ton of innings per start, but Chase Silseth has been dominant since joining the Angels rotation. In his almost 23 innings since then, he’s struck out 31 batters and pitched to a 1.59 ERA/0.88 WHIP. And all four of the opponents were over .500 when he pitched against them. He’ll make it five in a row on Saturday when he lines up for the Rays – always a tough challenge. But next week he’ll draw the Mets, a big step down. They’re 6-11 and have averaged just 3.76 runs per game in August. The only thing keeping the 23 year old’s roster percentage down is the uncertainty of his rotation spot. The return of Griffon Canning from the IL has now given the Angels seven starting options. Monitor the situation closely, but he’s among the worthy pitching streamers as long as he’s got the job.
Jose Urquidy SP Astros
Last start: Sunday, August 13 vs. Angels – 5IP L 1ER 3H 0BB 7K
2 starts next week: Monday, August 21 vs. Red Sox + Sunday, August 27 @ Tigers
After missing over three months with shoulder inflammation, Jose Urquidy sure is looking healthy again. He yielded just one run over five innings against the Angels on Sunday. His seven strikeouts and 15 whiffs (on just 80 pitches) were particularly encouraging. It bodes well for his chances to be a solid pitching streamer for the rest of the season. If you’re looking for two-start volume this week with a fairly high floor, this is probably your best bet. Granted, the Red Sox are no slouch (6th in WOBA), but their offense has slowed down lately (3.81 runs per game in August vs. 4.82 for the season). And they’re much less dangerous on the road (.697 OPS vs. .814 at home). His second start next week will be against the Tigers. Do I even need to mention how bad they are? OK, fine: 29th in WOBA and runs per game.
Logan Allen SP Guardians
Last start: Tuesday, August 15 @ Reds – 6IP W 0ER 4H 3BB 7K
Next start: Sunday, August 20 vs. Tigers
1 start next week: Saturday, August 26 @ Blue Jays
It’s been a pretty solid rookie campaign for Logan Allen this season. After blanking the Reds for six innings on Tuesday, and picking up his second win in the last three tries, he now sports a 3.33 ERA/1.36 WHIP. Also cool: he had an impressive 15 swinging strikes in this latest effort, struck out seven, and busted out his seldom-used slider effectively (it generated six of the 15 whiffs). He’ll look to keep the good times rolling against the Tigers on Sunday, a team ranked 29th in WOBA. And though he draws the tough Blue Jays next week (who rank 9th in WOBA), they have averaged just 3.33 runs per game in the last nine contests. It’s a risky pick, but pitching streamers are a risky business.
Mike Clevinger SP White Sox
Last start: Wednesday, August 16 @ Cubs – 7IP 0ER 3H 2BB 7K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, August 22 vs. Mariners + Sunday, August 27 vs. A’s
Judging by roster percentage, you might not have noticed that Mike Clevinger is back from the Injured List. He’s made four starts since then and they’ve all been pretty good. Wednesday’s start against the Cubs was the best of the bunch. He shut them out for seven innings, induced 11 swinging strikes, and struck out seven. Though his expected stats don’t exactly back up the solid season (xERA: 4.29, FIP: 4.41 vs. ERA: 3.26), he is due to draw two very favorable matchups next week. The Mariners are in the bottom half in WOBA (18th) and strike out second most. While the A’s are ranked last in WOBA, runs per game, and almost everything else. Among pitching streamers, he’s one of the best volume options this week.
Pitching Streamers Widely Available (About 25% Rostered or Fewer)
Hyun Jin Ryu SP Blue Jays
Last start: Sunday, August 13 vs. Cubs – 5IP W 0ER 2H 2BB 3K
Next start: Sunday, August 20 @ Reds
1 start next week: Saturday, August 26 vs. Guardians
After missing all season (and most of 2022) with Tommy John surgery, Hyun Jin Ryu is back. And though there’s not a ton of bat missing (just eight strikeouts in 14 innings), the results of his first three starts have been good. He’s actually not yielded an earned run is each of his last two starts spanning nine innings. The Blue Jays aren’t too likely to push their veteran lefty, so quality starts might not be plentiful. And fine, he’s 36 and a few years removed from being the pitcher who led the league in ERA and finished 2nd in Cy Young voting (2019). But he could still prove to be a functional pitching streamer based on matchups. That being said, he’ll draw the Guardians next week. They rank 27th in both WOBA and runs per game. In a deep league, that seems worth the risk.
Cole Ragans SP/RP Royals
Last start: Friday, August 18 @ Cubs – 6IP W 3ER 8H 2BB 9K
1 start next week: Wednesday, August 23 @ A’s
Usually I pick my 10 favorite pitching streamers every week, but based on last night’s performance I wanted to add Cole Ragans. Though he did have one bad inning, during which he allowed three runs and five hits, the 25-year-old lefty was largely effective. He ended up earning a win, striking out nine, and inducing 14 whiffs. He now has three quality starts in his last four outings. He’s got the greatest matchup a pitcher can have these days, too. Next week he’ll be in Oakland, facing an A’s team that ranks last in WOBA, runs per game, and has lost eight of their last 10. Even in a shallow league, this seems like a good one.
Bryan Woo SP Mariners
Last start: Thursday, August 3 @ Angels – 6IP 2ER 4H 2BB 6K
Next start (tentative): Wednesday, August 23 @ White Sox
It’s not too often one of these pitching streamers are currently on the IL with an elbow injury. But in Bryan Woo’s case, it’s plausible that it was very minor and more about managing innings. His 99 this season are already much higher than his 57 from last year. So it seems very likely that he’s healthy and that he’ll make a start against the White Sox next week. That sure is a soft landing spot. They rank 28th in WOBA and have averaged just 3.5 runs per game this month. If you need more incentive, the 23 year old’s underlying numbers all suggest that his good rookie campaign is sustainable. His xERA (3.37) and xFIP (3.75), for example, are much better than the actual ERA of 4.75. He’s been dropped in a lot of leagues. This is your chance to chase some upside. Not much of that left on the wire these days.
Zack Littell SP/RP Rays
Last start: Tuesday, August 15 @ Giants – 5.2IP L 2ER 3H 0BB 5K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, August 22 vs. Rockies + Sunday, August 27 vs. Yankees
Veteran Zack Littell was a reliever his whole MLB career until, in typical Tampa Bay Rays fashion, he was recently converted into a starter. And the results have been (typically) good so far. A 2.96 ERA/1.19 WHIP with a 19:1 K/BB ratio over four starts? Not bad for a guy who was DFA’ed this season. That being said, his Statcast page is a blue mess. He’s at the very bottom of the league in average exit velocity and hard hit rate. The expected stats aren’t much better either. He does, however, line up for two very favorable matchups next week. The Rockies are 23rd in WOBA and significantly less potent on the road (.657 OPS vs. .767 at home). While the Yankees, 21st in WOBA, are struggling mightily. They’ve scored just 11 runs during their current five-game losing streak. Can the Rays magic work for one more week? In a deep league, this would be a good time to find out.
Javier Assad SP/RP Cubs
Last start: Wednesday, August 16 vs. White Sox – 6IP 2ER (3R) 4H 2BB 4K
2 starts next week: Monday, August 21 @ Tigers + Saturday, August 26 @ Pirates
Rounding out the two-start, deep-league pitching streamer options is Javier Assad. There was some uncertainty about the 26 year old remaining in the rotation, but it was announced recently that Marcus Stroman will be out indefinitely with a rib fracture. As a result, Assad made a second turn through the rotation on Wednesday and earned his second straight quality start. This comes after his longest start (seven innings) last time out against a solid Blue Jays offense. Despite the righty’s season line of 3.11 ERA/1.25 WHIP, there’s no reason to get too excited yet (xERA 4.53, FIP 4.41). But like these other deep league names, he has the fortune of facing some bottom feeders. The Tigers are ranked 29th in both WOBA and runs per game. The Pirates are not much better, coming in at 24th in both. Seems like a good volume bet for deep leagues or a good way to fill an RP spot in points leagues.