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The fantasy season is winding down and real baseball is heating up. It’s always a bittersweet time of the year. Nothing beats baseball playoffs but unfortunately that coincides with eventually seeing less baseball. It’s a time of year when fantasy baseball writers get all giddy and upbeat, but then come crashing down like it is October 24, 1929. I will continue to give those baseball owners in the playoffs excellent fantasy advice as the fantasy playoffs wrap up.
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 25 to consider adding off your league’s waiver wire. Some of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth, including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats.
Monday 9/21 Starting Pitcher Streamers
Jon Niese (NYM v. ATL) – Ownership: 18% Yahoo!, 13% Fleaflicker
Oh no. This guy is on a Jon Niese kick again. Ugghhh. I’d be thinking that too. The southpaw has looked anything but solid this season on multiple occasions. However, Atlanta has looked downright atrocious since the All Star Break. Something has to give.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wily Peralta (MIL at CHC) – Ownership: 23% Yahoo!, 9% Fleaflicker
It’s a little confusing, and downright frustrating, to see just how much Peralta has regressed this season. He was never a major player in the strikeout department, but he did finish with 154 in 198.2 IP last season. This year it has plummeted to a 12.8% K rate. The Cubs lead the league in strikeouts so maybe Peralta can take advantage. Chances are he will not.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
Tuesday 9/22 Starting Pitcher Streamers
Daniel Norris (DET v. CHW) – Ownership: 7% Yahoo!, 5% Fleaflicker
Norris has looked like a fringe pitcher for most of this season. There is a glimmer of hope. He has shown some flashes of brilliance while in a Tigers uniform. Chicago has struggled all season against left-handed pitchers. They own a .284 wOBA and a wRC+ of 76 against lefties on the season. Both of those stats are second worse among all teams.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Logan Verrett (NYM v. ATL) – Ownership: 8% Yahoo!, 1% Fleaflicker
When in doubt, throw out a starting pitcher against the Braves. Especially a starting pitcher that owns a 0.94 WHIP and a 13.1% K-BB rate.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Sean Nolin (OAK v. TEX) – Ownership: 2% Yahoo!, 1% Fleaflicker
Nolin has walked 11.3% of all hitters he has faced in the majors. That’s insane. In an unrelated note, rents in Queens have collapsed by 11% while those in Brooklyn have increased by 11%. Now, I’m not saying that Nolin’s walk rate is directly responsible for all this, but he is a person of interest in this investigation.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wednesday 9/23 Starting Pitcher Streamers
Marcus Stroman (TOR v. NYY) – Ownership: 30% Yahoo!, 10% Fleaflicker
Stroman’s owners won’t get more than five innings out of him on Wednesday. If the Yankees bats show up, he goes even shorter. The best play for Stroman is to pick him up off the waiver wire and not start him, so other owners don’t exploit his excellent strikeout potential.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Drew Smyly (TB at BOS) – Ownership: 50% Yahoo!, 34% Fleaflicker
The young Rays lefty has been mowing hitters down like it’s no one’s business. In a way, it is no one’s business. In another more obvious way, it’s every fantasy owner’s business. Boston’s bats have been very hit or miss in the second half. Smyly and his owners are banking on their bats to be more miss on Wednesday.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
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