It’s the first week back after the All-Star Break and that means most head-to-head fantasy leagues have a 10-day extended matchup starting tonight. I’ve never been in a league that counts a three-day week as a full week, but I hear they do exist. For those of you in the minority, sorry. You really ought to talk to your commissioner about changing that next season. For everyone else, Week 15 will refer to the next 10 days. But in either case, no worries. This article is full of pitching streamers who have a start during both the short and long week so it will still prepare you for a solid showing. I should also note that not every team has officially declared their entire rotation order to start the second half. So before adding one of my 10 favorites below (which, as always, are in roster-percentage order) it would be a good idea to check for confirmation.
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10 Pitching Streamers to Target in Week 15
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (About 50% to 65% Rostered)
Lance Lynn SP White Sox
Last start: Wednesday, July 5th vs. Blue Jays – 7IP 0ER 1H 1BB 11K
2 starts next week: Saturday, July 15 @ Braves + Friday, July 21 @ Twins
Though he’s not a model of consistency, Lance Lynn continues to be an intriguing pitching streamer. That’s because he’s currently fifth in the league in strikeouts, racks up ridiculous swinging-strike totals (another 25 of them in his last start against the Blue Jays), and has been known to finish seasons strong. His ERA/WHIP is still an ugly 6.03/1.42, but when you consider all his expected stats are much lower (4.50 xERA, for example) the bat-missing upside and consistent inning totals should really be too much to pass up, especially in a points league. Sure, his Braves start tonight will be a hold-your-breath sort of thing. But the damage he can do against the league’s strikeout leaders, the Twins, should be fun to watch.
Domingo German SP Yankees
Last start: Sunday, July 9 vs. Cubs – 6IP 1ER (2R) 1H 3BB 9K
2 starts next week: Monday, July 17 @ Angels + Sunday, July 23 vs. Royals
We all know what kind of upside Domingo German has. It was on full display when he made history with a perfect game against the A’s three starts ago. But we’ve seen the downside, too, when he gave up 15 runs over the previous 5.1 innings covering two starts. So which pitcher are you getting this week? Sure is tough to say. He is coming off an impressive nine-strikeout performance against a decent Cubs lineup, during which he induced 15 swinging strikes. And one of the two starts next week will come against the only offense that can rival the A’s for ineptitude. The Angels are decidedly less favorable, but they have their fair share of strikeouts (12th most) and do a bit less of their damage at home (slashing .240/.318/.440 vs. .269/.341/.444 on the road). It’s a risky pick, but streaming sure is a risky business.
Tarik Skubal SP Tigers
Last start: Sunday, July 9 vs. Blue Jays – 4IP 0ER 2H 2BB 5K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, July 18 @ Royals + Sunday, July 23 vs. Padres
If you’re looking for a pitcher who could help you this week, and who has the upside to potentially help for the rest of the season, look no further than Tarik Skubal. In his two starts back from flexor tendon surgery, he’s thrown eight scoreless innings while racking up 11 strikeouts. More importantly, it looks like he’s turned his least effective pitch into his best. His fastball velocity has increased by almost two miles per hour since last season. It’s resulted in a much higher whiff rate (30.3% vs. 25.4% in 2022). Considering that pitch had a .611 slugging-percentage-against just two years ago, and considering his other pitches (slider, sinker, changeup) have always been more effective for him, early returns suggest he could be a much more complete pitcher now. When you factor in two favorable starts next week, he’s a must-add even in shallow leagues.
Pitching Streamers Available in Most Leagues (About 35% to 50% Rostered)
Kenta Maeda SP Twins
Last start: Tuesday, July 4th vs. Royals – 7IP W 1ER 3H 1BB 9K
2 starts next week: Friday, July 14 @ A’s + Wednesday, July 19 @ Mariners
After a solid one-run quality start with nine strikeouts against the Royals last week, it looks like we can safely say Kenta Maeda is healthy again. In his three starts since returning from his triceps strain, the veteran is sporting a 1.59 ERA, an 0.94 WHIP, and has struck out 21 over 17 innings. That sort of success could very well continue next week. He draws a road trip against the A’s (the worst offense in baseball) and the Mariners (a bottom-ten offense). He’s also worth holding in all but the shallowest leagues in the event his recently-improved velocity remains at pre-Tommy John levels.
Ranger Suarez SP Phillies
Last start: Saturday, July 8th @ Marlins – 5.2IP 3ER (4R) 8H 4BB 4K
2 starts next week: Saturday, July 15 vs. Padres + Friday, July 21 @ Guardians
Not going to lie, recommending Ranger Suarez this week is not easy. His roster percentage has understandably gone down a bit after two less-than-stellar starts against two less-than-stellar offenses. The hope is, he’ll get back to using his best pitch, the curveball, more and that it will continue generating a 35.5% whiff rate. Inducing lots of ground balls would be nice too. Fortunately, he’s got two more favorable matchups lined up. If he can survive the bottom-half Padres, he’ll have a great chance to stay on track against a bottom-five Guardians team that is dead last in home runs. I don’t highly recommend the lefty, but if you’re looking for volume or like gambling (responsibly, of course), go for it.
Bryan Woo SP Mariners
Last start: Saturday, July 8th @ Astros – 6IP 1ER (2R) 3H 1BB 4K
2 starts next week: Monday, July 17 vs. Twins + Saturday, July 22 vs. Blue Jays
Have you ever looked at Bryan Woo’s Statcast page? It’s pretty much a cornucopia of red colors (if you don’t hang out on Statcast all day, red means good). It makes sense, then, that his results have been super encouraging. After Saturday’s quality start in Houston, he’s now rattled off six appearances in a row yielding two runs or less. Overall, his ERA/WHIP is a healthy 3.63/1.07 and he’s struck out 43 over 34.2 innings. Even the BB/9 rate is a solid 2.34. His roster percentage is still pretty low. That’s likely because he’s already thrown more innings than last year, and at some point, the Mariners will probably shut him down. That doesn’t appear to be imminent yet, so with one favorable matchup next week (Twins) and one near league average (Blue Jays), he makes for a solid stream.
Jack Flaherty SP Cardinals
Last start: Thursday, July 6 @ Marlins – 6.2IP 0ER 9H 2BB 5K
2 starts next week: Friday, July 14 vs. Nationals + Wednesday, July 19 vs. Marlins
It’s been a tale of two pitchers for Jack Flaherty this season. He’s basically had three really bad starts (10 earned runs once and six earned runs twice) and a large collection of decent ones (12 starts yielding three runs or fewer). Though inconsistent overall, the one constant is avoiding the home run ball (a 0.58 HR/9 rate is impressive). With the three exceptions, it’s allowed him to mostly avoid the big totals. Both of his opponents this week rank in the bottom half offensively. But for what it’s worth, the Nationals are responsible for one of those six-run outings. It’s a very risky play, but in leagues where you need volume (particularly points leagues where inning totals directly matter) it’s probably worth it. Proceed with caution.
Pitching Streamers Widely Available (About 35% Rostered or Fewer)
Seth Lugo SP/RP Padres
Last start: Wednesday, July 5 vs. Angels 6IP 1ER (2R) 5H 1BB 6K
2 starts next week: Sunday, July 16 @ Phillies + Friday, July 21 @ Tigers
Judging by roster percentage, it appears that a lot of fantasy managers don’t realize Seth Lugo is back from his calf injury. Seriously. He’s had four starts since then and pretty much like his whole season, they’ve all been solid. The most recent start last week was among the best of the bunch. Though he yielded two runs, only one was earned and he induced a season-high 18 whiffs en route to a quality start. And this was against a high-powered Angels team. He’ll get a juicy matchup next weekend against the Tigers (28th in runs per game and a very low .295 WOBA) after a league-average opponent (Phillies) on Sunday. The veteran’s upside could be limited by a lack of innings, but who knows? He has gone six in his last two starts.
Cristopher Sanchez SP/RP Phillies
Last start: Thursday, July 6 @ Rays – 6IP 1ER 4H 0BB 2K
2 starts next week: Friday, July 14 vs. Padres + Wednesday, July 19 vs. Brewers
Cristopher Sanchez opened some eyes last week when he limited one of the league’s best offenses (the Rays) to only one run over six innings. It was his second quality start in a row and he’s yet to have a bad outing in five tries so far this season. Not having much success in his first two campaigns, the 26-year-old lefty has managed to find some control (1.42 BB/9) in the early going. If he can keep that going, and continue his high 56.2% ground ball rate, there’s every reason to think he can help you this week. He’ll draw two favorable bottom-half offenses. The Brewers start, in particular, has some good potential due to their weakness against left-handed pitching (slashing just .228/.308/.372). He’s still very much under the radar and seems like a perfect deep-league play.
Reese Olson SP Tigers
Last start: Tuesday, July 4 vs. A’s – 5IP 1ER 1H 1BB 5K
2 starts next week: Sunday, July 16 @ Mariners + Friday, July 21 vs. Padres
OK, Reese Olson plays for a very bad offense and likely won’t pile up wins. And yes, he’s only registered more than five innings in one of his appearances so far. But it’s looking like he still has a rotation spot heading into the second half (Alex Faedo was sent back to the minors after his last start), and in addition to a mid-90s fastball, he has some particularly effective secondary pitches (a slider that’s generated a fantastic 41% whiff rate and a changeup that is even higher at 47%). They’ve led to his respectable 9.45 K/9 rate. Also: his 120 innings last season should mean he’ll have plenty of runway after only 70 combined this year. If his good control continues (2.16 BB/9), he just might consistently go deeper into games and contribute quality starts. With two favorable matchups next week, and being very wide available, he’s a sneaky play in even deep leagues.