The season continues to roll along as we have started to see a few pitchers regain their footing after struggling during the first two months. That being said, there are definitely some bad pitchers in ugly spots tonight, so hopefully this article will help you steer clear of those landmines.
In this article, I’ll be providing you with the top starting pitcher streamers for daily fantasy baseball (DFS) and for seasonal leagues for 6/7/16. These streamers will range from high-priced / high-ownership options to low-priced / low-ownership options, and will be sleepers and value picks for your cash games and GPPs on DraftKings and FanDuel, and also for seasonal leagues with daily lineups.
There'll be three main sections of this article: our Pitcher Matchups Tool’s top plays, my value plays, and pitchers to fade. I highly recommend you check out the Daily Pitcher Matchups Ratings tool - it's an extremely useful tool for daily fantasy or seasonal streaming for finding the diamonds in the rough. Anyways, let's get cracking!
Daily Pitcher Matchup Ratings Tool Top Plays
Juan Nicasio (SP, PIT) vs. New York Mets
Solid Stream
Nicasio can't be trusted in difficult matchups, but he has been a productive fantasy pitcher against weak opponents. The Matchup Tool likes his chances today based on the favorable ballpark factors he enjoys pitching at home in Pittsburgh and the struggles the Mets have had on offense. When facing right-handed pitchers, New York is ranked 29th in batting average and 17th in wOBA while posting the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the league. Nicasio has a good deal of strikeout upside in this matchup.
Michael Pineda (SP, NYY) vs. Los Angeles Angels
Solid Stream
Pineda is coming off one of his best starts of the season, striking out eight Tigers over 5.2 innings while allowing just one run. The young right-hander is striking out 10.22 batters per nine innings and takes on an Angels offense that is league average at best. As long as he's able to pitch around Mike Trout, Pineda should be in line for a big game.
Matt’s Value Plays of the Day
Adam Conley (SP, MIA) @ Minnesota Twins
Must Stream
Conley has been quite enigmatic this season. Just when it appears he's turned the corner, he gets roughed up. That being said, he's pitched extremely well over his past two starts, holding a dangerous Pirates lineup scoreless over six innings in his last time out. He should be able to navigate a Twins lineup that is bottom-10 in the league against left-handed pitching this season. At 26% owned, Conley should be owned in deeper leagues and is an excellent streaming option.
Mike Leake (SP, STL) @ Cincinnati Reds
Risky Stream
Leake, after a disastrous start to the season, has allowed just six runs over his past five starts. The right-hander will take on his former team in Cincinnati, a hitter-friendly venue, but he's a worthy play considering how well he's been pitching. The Reds are just 24th in the league in wOBA against right-handed pitching and their 22.8% strikeout rate is 10th-highest in the league. He gets the risky stream designation due to the hitter-friendly ballpark and his lack of strikeout upside, but the Reds lineup shouldn't give him too much trouble tonight.
Starting Pitchers to Fade in Daily Fantasy Baseball
Dallas Keuchel (SP, HOU) @ Texas Rangers
Keuchel has been awful for most of the year and was knocked around by these same Rangers two weeks ago. The reigning Cy Young winner has pitched better over his past two starts, but he has a way to go before he can be trusted in daily lineups outside of GPPs.
Cole Hamels (SP, TEX) vs. Houston Astros
Hamels hasn't been as sharp as usual this season and takes on an Astros lineup that is really tough on left-handed pitching. Houston is ranked 10th in wOBA and ISO and they have been hitting the ball well over the past few days. This is a tough spot for Hamels and he's best avoided in daily leagues as a result.
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