RADIO
As a new week is upon us, it's time to get rid of that bench bat or middle reliever you have hanging around. Instead, maximize your roster slots with some pitchers who have two starts this week and are probably still available in your league.
Here are the top two-start pitchers to stream for Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season. This can be especially helpful for head-to-head (H2H) leagues, where every start can be that much more valuable.
Note: I will be selecting starting pitchers who are owned in 50% or less of ESPN leagues.
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Under the Radar Two-Start SP Streamers - Week 4
Wade Miley, Baltimore Orioles – owned in 16.5% of ESPN leagues
Projected starts: vs. TB, @NYY
This week's top starter is Wade Miley, who is having an incredible start to the year with a 1.84 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. In his last two starts, Miley has an insane 19 strikeouts in 14 innings with only one walk. Miley was completely ignored coming into the season after putting up a 5.37 ERA last year, but his underlying stats show that he actually improved considerably last year after being traded to Baltimore, where he put up a 9.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 11 starts. It's unclear where these improvements came from or if he can sustain any sort of production, but you can't miss Miley in Week 4. He gets his first start against the Rays, who have the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball (27 percent), so Miley has the potential to put up another huge strikeout game. He then faces the Yankees, who he shut out through five innings in his first start of the year. Ride Miley while he's hot and cash in on his two-start Week 4.
Wei-Yin Chen, Miami Marlins – owned in 4.9% of ESPN leagues
Projected starts: @PHI, vs. PIT
It's not often that a pitcher who just threw a no-hitter is considered under-the-radar, but Wei-Yin Chen remains vastly unowned after throwing seven innings of no-hit ball last week against the Mariners. Of course, the Marlins bullpen blew the no-hitter in the ninth, but Chen was still superb, and he has two fantastic matchups this week. His first is against the Phillies, who have a below-average 96 wRC+, followed by a home start against the Pirates. Marlins Park is an excellent pitcher's park, and the Pirates lineup has been atrocious, putting up a .291 wOBA, placing them 25th in the league. The Pirates are also without Starling Marte, who got busted for PEDs. Chen won't rack up lots of strikeouts, but he keeps walks to a minimum and should breeze through these lineups in Week 4.
Zach Davies, Milwaukee Brewers – owned in 15% of ESPN leagues
Projected starts: vs. CIN, vs. ATL
With an unsightly 8.24 ERA through four starts, many owners have given up on Zach Davies. If this is the case in your league, grab Davies for his great Week 4 matchups. Davies put up a solid 3.97 ERA and 3.89 FIP last year, so he's clearly not actually as bad as he's been so far. He's rolling with a .388 BABIP and 60.3 LOB%, both numbers that are sure to regress. The Reds are 18th in the league with a 96 wRC+, while the Braves are 20th with a 93 wRC+. Buy low on Davies and take advantage of his great upcoming week.
Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks – owned in 7.2% of ESPN leagues
Projected starts: vs. SD, vs. COL
After an atrocious 2016 where he posted a 5.15 ERA, Patrick Corbin has been surprisingly effective through his first four starts of 2017 with a 3.27 ERA. His first start is against the Padres, who he faced his last time out and struck out eight. The weak Padres lineup has just a .287 wOBA, 27th in all of baseball, while the Rockies are 19th with a .302 wOBA. The Rockies are also much less dangerous on the road, so Corbin is certainly happy that he hosts them in Week 4. Corbin is still scarcely owned, so get him in your Week 4 lineup for some quality innings.
Andrew Cashner, Texas Rangers – owned in 2.1% of ESPN leagues
Projected starts: vs. MIN, vs. LAA
Through his first two starts, Andrew Cashner has a 2.38 ERA despite an ugly 5:7 K/BB ratio. He's not a very good pitcher, but Cashner should be able to provide valuable innings this week against two poor lineups. The Twins have just a .304 wOBA, while the Angels are even worse with a .292 wOBA. Cashner is a deep league play, and if he can keep his changeup working, he will be a nice grab for Week 4.
