While the two-game streamer roster doesn’t match last week’s bounty, there are still five strong options and a few other arms to consider in deeper fantasy baseball formats. On the hitting side, managers should look to the Cubs and Blue Jays for help over the next four days.
Two-game pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Cole Irvin, 36% (vs. BOS, vs. TB)
With John Means and Dean Kremer arriving on the IL last week, Irvin returns to the rotation and should keep his spot for the foreseeable future. The lefty stumbled in his most recent start and doesn’t have a strikeout advantage, but he benefits from pitching in front of one of the best teams in baseball and has posted stellar ratios (2.90 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) in seven starts. Having two starts at his pitcher-friendly home park propelled Irvin to the top of the list.
Zack Littell, 33% (vs. OAK, @BAL)
Despite dealing with a .342 BABIP that contributed to a 1.25 WHIP, Littell combined solid swing-and-miss skills (9.0 K/9) with excellent control to maintain a 3.42 ERA. His start against Oakland has the potential to be a stellar outing, and he should be a good fit in a strike-suppressing park against a tough Orioles lineup.
Gavin Stone, 50% (@NYM, vs. COL)
There are reasons to like Stone, namely that he has a solid 3.60 ERA and has four wins in nine starts by virtue of being supported by an excellent roster. Additionally, the right-hander has allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of his last seven starts. He would be at the top of this list if it weren’t for a terrible 6.1 K/9 rate that limits his upside.
Robert Gasser, 22% (vs. CHC, vs. CWS)
In three career starts, Gasser has done great things, including allowing no home runs and throwing just one free pass. He would be placed at the top of this list if not for a dismal 3.2 K/9 rate. The lack of whiffs limits Gasser’s upside in faceoff leagues, but he’s a safe option as the Cubs have struggled offensively of late and the White Sox are the lowest-scoring team in baseball.
Alec Marsh, 33% (@MIN, vs. SD)
Marsh has some similarities to Irvin and Stone, having produced excellent ratios (2.72 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) despite poor strikeout skills (7.5 K/9). However, he isn’t ranked as highly on this list, as his .252 BABIP and 5.7% HR/FB rate are marks he can’t sustain. His matchups are reasonable, as both opposing lineups are slightly better than average.
Tylor Megill, 5% (vs. LAD, vs. ARI)
Megill had a respectable IL return last Monday when he struck out seven Guardians and allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings. Still, with a challenging matchup against the Dodgers to open the week and a limited sample size of 2024 to judge against, Megill is riskier than the men preceding him on this list.
Cooper Criswell, 13% (@BAL, vs. DET)
Maybe it’s caused by the abundance of quality pitching this year, but there’s still little fantasy buzz around Criswell, who has posted useful fantasy stats (2.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) and a 34:8 K:BB ratio in 34.2 innings. The right-hander would climb higher on this list if not for the expected lack of volume after averaging 4.2 innings in his seven starts.
Simeon Woods-Richardson, 9% (vs. KC, @HOU)
While Woods-Richardson continues to look excellent at first glance (2.57 ERA, 1.11 WHIP), deeper evaluation reveals cause for concern. The right-hander has struck out just five batters in his last three starts and has benefited from making most of his starts against the worst lineups in baseball. Woods-Richardson will face a tougher test this week when he faces two lineups that rank in the top 10 in OPS.
Mitchell Parker, 21% (@ATL, @CLE)
While Parker has yet to dominate the competition (7.6 K/9), he has effectively limited homers and is on track to produce solid ratios (3.32 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) in his first seven big league starts. Still, the start in Atlanta against a dormant but potent Braves lineup — now without Ronald Acuña Jr. for the rest of the season — is scary enough to relegate Parker to faceoff leagues.
Jake Irvin, 7% (@ATL, @CLE)
Irvin could have an identical paragraph to Parker, as both men suppressed walks and home runs despite failing to strike out many batters. The Atlanta matchup gives both men too many disadvantages to consider in roto formats.
Single Start Streamers
In order, here are the week’s best streamers, with start date and Yahoo! escalation rate in parentheses.
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Reese Olson @BOS (Friday the 48th)
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Michael Lorenzen @MIA (Saturday 20)
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Andrew Abbott x STL (Tuesday 45th)
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Christian Scott x LAD (Wednesday, 30)
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Marcus Waldron x MIA (Tuesday, 6)
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Ryan Weathers x TEX (Saturday 19)
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Michael Wacha x SD (Friday the 42nd)
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Taj Bradley @BAL (Saturday 49)
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James Paxton @NYM (Wednesday 44)
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Braxton Garrett @SD (Wednesday 40)
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Chris Paddack x KC (Thursday, 23)
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Ben Brown @MIL (Tuesday 5)
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Ben Lively x WSH (Saturday 30)
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Bailey Falter @TOR (Friday the 9th)
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José Soriano @SEA (Friday, 18)
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Sean Manaea x ARI (Friday the 34th)
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Albert Suárez x TB (Friday, 11)
Favorable matches from Monday to Thursday
Puppies @ Brewers: Fantasy managers can easily identify the men to pass on when Chicago travels to a hitter-friendly park for four games against right-handed starters. Mike Tauchman (19%) has been leading the way against righties, which makes him the best streamer on this club. Left-handed hitter Michael Busch (47%) has been cold lately, but should be on all four cards in the lineup.
Blue Jays @White Sox: An underperforming Blue Jays lineup could do better than usual when it manages to avoid the only two effective starters on a weak White Sox team. Danny Jansen (25%) and Davis Schnieder (21%) are the men to stream, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3%) worth a look in deep formats. Additionally, those who release starting Justin Turner (62%) and Daulton Varsho (65%) should put them in the lineup.
Brave vs. Nationals: Atlanta hitters are solid volume plays in four home games against a respectable Nats team that lacks star pitchers. Most of this star-studded lineup is already rostered across all leagues, but Orlando Arcia (18%) is someone to consider in 12-team formats.
