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Baseball is back, and fantasy managers in daily leagues no doubt already have holes to fill. The easiest way to do that is with streamers. Fortunately, RotoBaller has you covered with daily streaming picks.
Each day, RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best fantasy baseball streaming picks - options to consider in fantasy baseball daily leagues. Additionally, these recommendations can be useful for fantasy managers setting DFS lineups.
Wednesday's slate gets started at 12:35pm ET and features a multitude of vulnerable pitchers, which is naturally always good news for those of us on the hunt for streaming hitter opportunities. Even better, one of the games that features two of the most hittable arms on the slate takes place at Coors Field. Then, while there's a real dearth of trustworthy deep league pitching options, there are a pair of very suitable shallow league candidates that are in good matchups on paper.
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Hitter Streamers for 8/18 - Shallow Leagues
Mike Zunino (C, TAM) - 47% rostered
Matchup: vs. BAL RHP Spenser Watkins
Zunino carries multi-homer upside any time he's in the lineup and he faces a very targetable right-hander in Watkins, who's allowed a .307 average, .375 wOBA and 1.9 HR/9 to right-handed hitters. Watkins has also yielded a 25.0 percent line-drive rate and 39.3 percent hard-contact rate to that handedness on the road, while Zunino boasts a .373 wOBA and .355 ISO at Tropicana Field, and while he's hit for much better average versus lefties, he does have 14 of his 26 homers on the season off right-handed pitching.
Travis d'Arnaud (C, 1B ATL) - 44% rostered
Matchup: @ MIA LHP Jesus Luzardo
d'Arnaud is another backstop with plenty of pop in his bat, and he's begun to get back into the swing of things at the plate after a long absence due to a thumb injury. The veteran is 5-for-18 with a pair of doubles and a homer since returning, and he should be back in the lineup Wednesday after getting a night off Tuesday. Luzardo makes for a good target, as he's allowed a .313 average, 12 homers and a .414 wOBA to right-handed hitters, while d'Arnaud has a .376 wOBA against left-handed pitching on the road in a small sample this season and a .358 wOBA and .225 ISO in that split for his career.
Austin Nola (C, 1B, 2B, SDP) -42% rostered
Matchup: @ COL RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez
We'll stick with the catcher position and look to exploit what should be a very favorable scenario for offense, as Gonzalez has allowed a .305 average, .374 wOBA and 5.14 xFIP to right-handed hitters at Coors Field. Nola has enjoyed much more success against left-handers thus far this season over a relatively modest sample, but he sports a .276 average and .341 wOBA against righties over his career and checks in running hot at the plate with a .360 average and .847 OPS over his last eight games.
Brendan Rodgers (2B, SS, COL) -21% rostered
Matchup: vs. SDP RHP Jake Arrieta
We'll stick with Coors and go to the other side of the matchup to consider Rodgers, who's produced a .313 average and .344 wOBA against right-handed pitching in his home park. He'll also come into Wednesday's game on an extended heater, having posted a .347/.388/.573 slash line with four homers over his last 18 games. Meanwhile, Arrieta, who'll be making his Padres debut, has given up a .305 average, .377 wOBA and bloated 2.2 HR/9 when facing right-handed hitters on the road.
Hitter Streamers for 8/18 - Deeper Leagues
Charlie Culberson (1B, 3B, SS, OF, TEX)- 1% rostered
Matchup: vs. SEA LHP Marco Gonzales
Culberson should be in the lineup against the southpaw Gonzales, who he owns a .556 average against over 10 career plate appearances. Gonzales has also surrendered a .299 average, .379 wOBA and 5.52 xFIP to right-handed hitters on the road, while Culberson has pounded lefties for a .382 average, .411 wOBA and 165 wRC+ in his home park while also generating a massive 29.5 percent line-drive rate in that split.
J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) - 13% rostered
Matchup: @ TEX RHP Mike Foltynewicz
Staying with the Mariners-Rangers matchup, we turn to Crawford, who has a solid .260 average and .331 OBP against right-handed pitching, as well as a .341 wOBA and very modest 15.8 percent strikeout rate on the road overall. Meanwhile, Foltynewicz has been pitching much better of late, but he's still the same hurler who's yielded a massive .327 average, .429 wOBA, 2.7 HR/9 and 6.47 xFIP to left-handed hitters at home.
Chas McCormick (OF, HOU) - 2% rostered
Matchup: @ KC RHP Brady Singer
Singer is yet another vulnerable arm on Wednesday's slate, as he comes in having allowed a .313 average and .343 wOBA in his home park, and a .319 average to right-handed hitters specifically there. The young righty also checks into Wednesday's start in a brief but significant spiral, as he's allowed a 12 earned runs over the 5.2 innings covering his last two trips to the mound. Meanwhile, McCormick has a .327 average over his first 14 games of August, as well as an .837 OPS, .352 wOBA and .254 ISO against righties on the road.
Bobby Dalbec (1B, BOS) - 17% rostered
Matchup: @ NYY LHP Andrew Heaney
The majority of Dalbec's offensive success this season has come off lefties, which he's tagged for a .280 average, .347 wOBA and .220 ISO overall, and an impressive 25.6 percent line-drive rate and 43.6 percent hard-contact rate when facing them on the road. Heaney has had plenty of trouble since joining the Yankees, giving up five homers in his first two home starts and eight round trippers overall in three turns. He's also been hit hard in opposite-handed matchups all season, giving up 20 home runs, .337 wOBA and 39.2 percent hard-contact rate in that split.
ALSO CONSIDER: Connor Joe (1B, OF, COL) - 13% rostered
Pitcher Streamers for 8/18 - Shallow Leagues
Ranger Suarez (SP, PHI) - 44% rostered
Matchup: @ ARI LHP Madison Bumgarner
Suarez has been excellent as both a reliever and starter this season, as evidenced by his 5-3 mark, 1.07 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 0.5 HR/9. The young left-hander does come with the caveat of a likely limit of about five innings after maxing out at 4.1 in his most recent start. Nevertheless, he draws a solid matchup, as the Diamondbacks own a .315 wOBA and anemic .114 ISO against left-handers at home in the second half of the season. Suarez has also been excellent on the road, posting an 0.76 ERA and 9.1 K/9 across 23.2 road frames.
Pitcher Streamers for 8/18 - Deeper Leagues
Tarik Skubal (SP, DET) - 43% rostered
Matchup: vs. LAA RHP Shohei Ohtani
Skubal has shown plenty of promise this season and comes into Wednesday's start with an 11-inning scoreless streak encompassing his last two starts. The young lefty has had more trouble on the road overall, but he's given up three earned runs or less in five of his last six road turns. The Angels haven't been a very intimidating matchup for visiting southpaws in the second half of the season, either, as they check in with a .224 average, .276 wOBA, -4.2 wRAA and bloated 28.7 percent strikeout rate in that split going into Wednesday's action.
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