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Welcome to another edition of our daily fantasy baseball streamers! Are you playing in leagues with daily moves and looking to beef up those rosters? We here at RotoBaller are there for you and all of your streaming needs. Whether you are just trying to get that elusive category win or you are trying to make up for Kikuchi last night, we can help. Each day, RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best streaming options to consider in both shallow and deep fantasy baseball daily leagues. Streaming hitters and pitchers to exploit matchups are important to help you win your league.
It is important to know your league if you're going to stream. I'm not just talking about which teams your leaguemates root for. I'm talking about whether strikeouts count against you for hitters or if fielding stats are included. Most importantly, you need to know how many transactions you have per week. You don't want to blow your allotment within a couple of days. You can also use these recommendations to help build your DFS lineups. This article will use rostered percentages and position eligibility from ESPN leagues.
We have nine pitchers going that are owned in more than 90% of ESPN leagues. Five more are owned in more than half of leagues. This is the first time after the break that we've had more than half of the pitchers going to choose from. Is there quality in this quantity? We'll find out!
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Hitter Streamers for 7/18 - Shallow Leagues
Kolten Wong (2B, LHB, MIL) - 38.4% Rostered
Matchup: at CIN RHP Sonny Gray
Gray is coming off of an extended IL stint, so chances are that he wont go very deep into this game. Not that it matters. I like Wong regardless. He came off of an IL stint himself after the break and has gone 4-for-9 with four runs scored and an RBI so far. He can rack up some runs batting leadoff in his lineup in an extreme hitter's park. His season-long numbers of .298, seven homers, 21 RBI, and six steals suggest Wong is having a strong season anyway. He's picking up where he left off.
Jed Lowrie (2B, RHB, OAK) - 37.7% Rostered
Matchup: vs. CLE RHP Zach Plesac
Lowrie hit the break on a tear, riding a six-game hitting streak in which he hit .417 with two homers, six RBI, and three runs scored against the Rangers and Astros. He came out out the break with a walk-off homer, his third in the last three games. That streak ended last night since Lowrie didn't start the game and recorded an out in his pinch-hit appearance. I'll give him a mulligan even if MLB wont. Lowrie is still hitting .448 during his seven-game hitting streak with three homers, nine RBI, and four runs scored. This wont last forever, but Lowrie can provide a nice boost when he's this hot.
Paul DeJong (SS, RHB, STL) - 34.6% Rostered
Matchup: vs. SF RHP Johnny Cueto
DeJong went into the break with homers in back-to-back games at Wrigley. He has come out similarly hot, even though the balls have stayed in the yard. DeJong has tallied five hits in seven tries against the Giants in this series, but remarkably hasn't come back to where he started. He's getting on base, but his teammates aren't driving him in. Still, I have room for a guy that has nine hits in the last five games. We knew DeJong couldn't stay cold forever.
J.D. Davis (3B, RHB, NYM) - 21.8% Rostered
Matchup: at PIT RHP J.T. Brubaker
Wow, a guy goes on the IL and you all think he's dead. That's the only explanation I have for the tepid ownership on Davis. He came back from the IL when baseball resumed on Friday and recorded an out as a pinch-hitter. He started the game yesterday and smacked two homers and drove in four runs. It's safe to say that his power stroke is back. He hit 22 homers in 2019 with the Mets and hit six last year. At the rate he's going, he might hit that in a week!
Hitter Streamers for 7/18 - Deeper Leagues
Leury Garcia (2B/SS/OF, SHB, CWS) - 15.8% Rostered
Matchup: vs. HOU RHP Jake Odorizzi
Garcia is hitting .353 with two of his three homers on the season, 11 RBI, and seven runs scored so far in July. Garcia is mostly known for his speed, even though his steal numbers are down this year. Right now he is driving in runs and scoring runs, which is the hope here with a guy running hot that can fill in at three separate positions.
Michael Taylor (OF, RHB, KC) - 12.4% Rostered
Matchup: vs. BAL RHP Matt Harvey
Taylor entered the break with a modest five-game hitting streak and is hitting .356 with three homers, seven RBI, two steals, and nine runs scored in the last fortnight. The Royals haven't hat a lot to feel good about this season, but this kind of resurgence from Taylor is one of the few bright spots. His hit streak ended on Friday, but Taylor has still scored a run in three straight games. He has another good matchup if you're looking for average and runs scored.
Nicky Lopez (2B/SS, LHB, KC) - 5% Rostered
Matchup: vs. BAL RHP Matt Harvey
Hey, don't laugh. Lopez has come out of the break with four hits in seven at bats with four runs scored and four RBI. He has zero power – the guy has three career homers in 782 at bats – but homers are only one out of five categories. Lopez is giving you something in the other four.
John Nogowski (1B, RHB, PIT) - 1.5% Rostered
Matchup: vs. NYM RHP Taijuan Walker
The Pirates bought Nogowski from the Cardinals on July 3. He made his Pirates debut on July 5 and has started every game since. The change of scenery has done Nogowski well. He is hitting a robust .486 with six runs scored, six RBI, and once benches-clearing brawl with his new team. Not bad for a guy who hit .056 with the Cardinals as a pinch hitter. Maybe he has the Mets' number since has 11 of his 19 hits on the season against them. Maybe he just makes their blood boil. At any rate, Nogowski is worth a look while he's hitting well.
Pitcher Streamers for 7/18 - Shallow Leagues
Logan Gilbert (RHP, SEA) - 48.5% rostered
Matchup: at Angels
Gilbert has figured something out, even if other fantasy owners in your league haven't. He has only allowed 12 runs in his last eight starts combined with 46 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched in that span. The unspectacular start that Gilbert had to start off his major league career is a distant memory, or it should be. His rostered percentage says that others are still stuck in the past. Gilbert went seven shutout innings against the Yankees in his last start before the break with eight strikeouts and only one hit allowed. He can handle the Angels. He picked up the win in Anaheim back on June 6, giving up one run in five innings.
Drew Smyly (LHP, ATL) - 30.7% rostered
Matchup: vs. Tampa
Don't look now, but Smyly hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since May 26, and that was against Boston. He lacks strikeout upside and sometimes is liberal with baserunners, but Smyly has only allowed one homer since June 8. He is adept at limiting damage. Smyly has won each of his last five starts. You can't argue with those results. If you need a win, Smyly has been dominating that category of late.
Pitcher Streamers for 7/18 - Deeper Leagues
Merrill Kelly (RHP, ARI) - 19.6% rostered
Matchup: vs. Cubs
Kelly is another guy that wont wow you with strikeouts, but he has been getting results. He has only allowed seven runs over his last five starts. That includes starts against the Padres, Giants, and Dodgers, so it's not like they were against bad teams or bad offenses. Kelly has only walked three batters in those five games, so that definitely has something to do with his success. Arizona isn't giving him much run support, but Kelly can definitely help your ratios if you're in a tight battle there.
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