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Whether it’s because of an injury or poor performance, there are always opportunities to stream players off the waiver wire. The best players to stream are those who are under-owned and face appealing match-ups for the upcoming week.
Here are five players who are readily available in Fleaflicker leagues and have attractive match-ups during the last week of the first half of the season.
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Top Hitter Streamers for Week 14
Javier Baez (CHC, 2B/3B/SS) - 28% Fleaflicker
Baez seems to finally be putting it all together. The 23-year-old is hitting .269/.311/.456 with eight homers and five steals in 193 plate appearances, and just completed the best month of his young career. He hit .292/.337/.562 with six homers and three steals in June, and is forcing Joe Madden to keep hm in the lineup just about every night.
This upcoming week, the Cubs have three games against the Reds, one against the Braves, and three against the Pirates. Baez and company will face left-hander Cody Reed (9.00 ERA, .383/.431/.683 vs. RHH), left-hander Brandon Finnegan (4.48 ERA, has allowed 13 HR to RHH), right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, an Atlanta pitcher to be determined, left-hander Francisco Liriano (5.33 ERA, .283/.390/.460 vs RHH), left-hander Jonathon Niese (5.07 ERA, .304/.363/.546 with 13 HR vs. RHH) and right-hander Jameson Taillon.
Baez should have no problem continuing his hot hitting in a week in which he will face four favorable lefties. The Cubs’ roster flexibility allows him to be eligible at second base, shortstop and third base (and the outfield i some formats), so fantasy owners can plug him into many different spots.
Chase Utley (LAD, 2B) - 9% Fleaflicker
Yep, he’s here again. Utley is making his third appearance on this list, but when you have a guy who is hitting .267/.363/.392 against right-handers and is available in over 90% of leagues, he makes for a strong streaming option in many weeks. The 37-year-old batted just .209 in June, but in 2015, he hit .138 in June and bounced back with a .328 average in August after spending six weeks on the disabled list.
The Dodgers begin the week against an Orioles staff that ranked 25th in baseball with a .285 batting average against this past month. They also allowed the ninth-most homers (37) and fifth-most total bases (455) over that span. Pitching for them will be Yovani Gallardo (4.41 ERA in June), Chris Tillman (5.19 ERA in June) and Kevin Gausman (4.18 ERA in June)— all righties. Then, the Padres come into town for four games, and will throw two more righties — Andrew Cashner (4.75 ERA) and Luis Perdomo (8.49 ERA) — along with lefty Drew Pomeranz and a player to be named later.
Utley has a nice opportunity to rebuild some momentum before the break, and owners in deep leagues should take advantage of that opportunity, as well.
Ryan Howard (PHI, 1B) - 3% Fleaflicker
Howard is 36 years old and is currently sporting a .151 batting average through 80 team games. So why in the world is he on this list? Well, the Phillies’ long-time first baseman has made a living against right-handed pitching— .277/.367/.558 lifetime with 277 HR in 4,404 PA. This year, while he is batting just .156/.227/.359 against such pitchers, he does have 10 HR off them in in 167 AB.
In Week 14, the Phillies (9-24 over last 33 games) have three games at home against the Braves and four more in Colorado. Joel De La Cruz and Mike Foltynewicz are decent match-ups early in the week, but the focus should be on the four games against the Rockies, who are scheduled to send out Chad Bettis, Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson and a fourth pitcher who has yet to be determined. Bettis (6.69 home ERA) and Gray (5.05 home ERA) are right-handed, and there is a chance that the empty spot goes to another righty— 23-year-old prospect Jeff Hoffman. For fantasy owners in deep leagues desperate for some power, Ryan Howard is a candidate for a power surge just before the break.
Seth Smith (SEA, OF/DH) - 2% Fleaflicker
Year in and year out, Smith is one of the most quietly-productive players in the game. He rarely sees everyday at-bats, but has averaged a home run every 29.54 at-bats for his career— not far off the paces of Robinson Cano, Buster Posey and Victor Martinez. Smith also owns a respectable .263/.345/.449 slash line for his time in the big leagues. The 33-year-old is hitting .263/.361/.404 with seven homers thus far in 2016. More importantly, he is hitting .274/.373/.425 (with all seven homers) against righties.
In the week leading up to the All-Star break, the Mariners take on the Astros and Royals. Those teams will be sending out right-handers in five of the seven games— Lance McCullers (3.91 ERA), Mike Fiers (4.41), Yordano Ventura (5.00), Edinson Volquez (4.80) and Chris Young (6.24). Smith will also face lefties Dallas Keuchel and Danny Duffy, so he may not play on Tuesday and Thursday, but he should be able to put together enough production in the other games to make up for it.
Daniel Descalso (COL, 2B/SS) - 0% Fleaflicker
Descalso didn’t make his season debut until May 13, and even since, it’s not as if he has anything close to a starting role. However, in 62 plate appearances to date, he has slashed .385/.484/.519— including a .429/.520/.548 line with one home run and 13 RBI in 50 plate appearances against righties.
In the final series of the first half, the Rockies host the Phillies for four games. On the bump for the Phils will be Aaron Nola (10.42 ERA in June), Vince Velasquez (eight straight outings without a quality start), Jerad Eickhoff (/268/.321/.442 vs. LHH) and Zach Eflin (5.75 ERA in four starts). All four of those pitchers are right-handed.
With DJ LeMahieu (knee) and Trevor Story (finger) both a little banged up, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Rockies give them a little extra rest with the All-Star break looming. In that case, Descalso could see a temporary uptick in playing time. The 29-year-old utility man could be a sneaky source of production all across the board as a streamer this week.
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