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Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Friday, August 4.
Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- Guess Who's Back
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Guess Who's Back
It me.
Brad's turned the reins over to me again for the next couple of installments. You're welcome/Sorry.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
Games in Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Cleveland are under threat of inclement weather today, with the Brewers-Cardinals game most likely to be rained out.
There's roughly a 50% chance of thunderstorms in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. Trust a guy who lived in Pittsburgh for over a decade - anything above 30% is basically a mortal lock.
3. Tomorrow's Picks - Friday, August 4
Pitchers to Use
It's an ugly slate for streamers on Friday. On pure talent, the best widely-available arm is Eduardo Rodriguez. There's a reason he's on the wire in the majority of fantasy leagues right now, though - he's been terrible since returning from the disabled list. In three starts, he's allowed 11 runs and hasn't made it through the sixth inning. The White Sox are a plum matchup, though, so maybe this is where he gets back on track. If nothing else, the strikeouts have still been there through the struggles.
R.A. Dickey has been surprisingly useful of late, allowing zero or one run in six of his last eight outings while posting respectable strikeout totals. As always, knuckleballers are a dicey proposition given the touch-and-go nature of the pitch. The Marlins aren't exactly pushovers, either; they're a couple of big nights away from being a top-10 lineup. If you'd rather not bet on the knuckler, Adam Conley takes the hill for his opponent and has allowed just four runs in his past three turns. Of course, the Braves have hit lefties well this season.
Other Targets: Jason Hammel
Pitchers to Exploit
It's tough not to feel bad for Carlos Rodon. After missing almost the entire first half with arm problems, he's had to face a string of tough opponents since returning. Five of his six starts have come against five of the top six offenses by OPS, including one at Coors, and now he has to deal with the Red Sox at Fenway. They haven't been the juggernaut we saw last season, but it's still no picnic.
Tanner Roark has a 6.24 ERA and 1.54 WHIP since the end of May. Meanwhile, the Cubs are 14-4 since the break and are averaging 5.6 runs per game during that time. It's likely to be a rough day for the Nationals' hurler.
Other Targets: Tim Adleman, Vince Velasquez, Jharel Cotton, Jaime Garcia, Trevor Bauer
Homers on the Wire
Derek Fisher has been installed as the leadoff hitter in the fearsome Astros' lineup. He collected 21 homers in 84 games at Triple-A this year, and has three in 13 MLB contests. Expect his ownership rate to skyrocket in short order.
Joey Gallo's cranked six home runs in his past nine games. He has 60 hits this season, and 28 of them have left the yard. Baseball can be weird, and there are few weirder players than Gallo.
Other Targets: Marcus Semien, Aaron Altherr, Nick Williams, Freddy Galvis, Lucas Duda, Mitch Moreland, Rafael Devers, Josh Bell, Steve Pearce
Steals on the Wire
Ben Revere has swiped a base in each of his last three contests, and collected multiple hits in four of his last nine. He'll likely return to the bench once Cameron Maybin is healthy, but makes a solid plug-n'-play right now for owners with a need for speed.
If Jacoby Ellsbury plays, he's a good bet to run - he has four steals in the last two weeks despite making just four starts in that time.
Other Targets: Jarrod Dyson, Delino DeShields, Leury Garcia
Skill Positions
Cameron Rupp has hit four homers over the past two weeks and is at Coors Field this weekend.
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