Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Roman Anthony, Sal Frelick lead hitters to stream this weekend

Yahoo

13 hours ago

There are plenty of terrific hitting fantasy baseball streamers this weekend. Brewers leadoff man Sal Frelick and Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony are my top picks, but there are several players who are widely available and should provide offense during the White Sox-Rockies series at Coors Field.
On the pitching side, there are multiple starters from the Brewers and D-backs who are good enough to take advantage of low-scoring lineups. Let's take a look at the top waiver-wire options.
Matchups to Target
Red Sox @ Nationals
Boston's offense should have a productive weekend against three below-average starters and a bullpen with an MLB-worst 5.83 ERA. Anthony (50%) is hitting second in the lineup, which makes him a great option in shallow leagues. Trevor Story (37%) can contribute in a variety of ways, Abraham Toro (9%) is a good option in deeper formats and Carlos Narvaez (21%) is a playable catching streamer.
White Sox @ Rockies
There are plenty of potential streamers when Chicago's no-name lineup heads to Coors Field to take on a Colorado pitching staff with a 6.19 ERA at home. Rookie Chase Meidroth (9%) has struggled of late but is still someone to add. Lenyn Sosa (2%) and Andrew Benintendi (2%) are two boring veterans who should be productive for one weekend. And with three right-handed starters on the docket, Mike Tauchman (2%) should be the leadoff hitter each game. On the other side of the same matchup, the Rockies should score their share of runs against three mediocre right-handed starters, which makes leadoff man Tyler Freeman (14%) and cleanup hitter Ryan McMahon (31%) viable options.
Rays @ Twins
Since the beginning of June, the Twins rank last in baseball with a 5.77 ERA. And since they are using right-handed starters in all three games this weekend, the streamers for the Rays are obvious. Josh Lowe (52%) could hit leadoff in all three games, making him a good fit in shallow leagues. Those who need steals should target lefty hitter Chandler Simpson (32%), who has 23 swipes in 152 at-bats.
Brewers @ Marlins
The Brewers should have plenty of baserunners when they face three starters who each have a WHIP over 1.27 and a relief corps with a 1.33 WHIP. With all three starters throwing from the right side, lefty leadoff man Sal Frelick (42%) may be the top streamer in this article. Lower in the lineup, Isaac Collins (3%) and Caleb Durbin (16%) are deep-league options.
Blue Jays vs. Angels
Although the Angels deserve credit for having improved bullpen work in recent weeks, they are still likely to give up their share of runs during a series in which they will roll out three starters with an ERA above 4.10. Addison Barger (33%) should make an impact from his premium lineup spot, and Andres Gimenez (37%) has started to reverse a slow start to the season. Ernie Clement (37%) has a low ceiling but has hit .343 since June 1 and is eligible at four positions.
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Matchups to Avoid
Reds @ Phillies
The Reds will need to run a gauntlet of effective starting pitchers when they face Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler. Elly De La Cruz is the only must-start Red, although Spencer Steer (who is day-to-day with a hand injury) is swinging such a hot bat that he will stay in some lineups. On the other side of the same series, the Reds will roll out rookie phenom Chase Burns, and Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, who have been effective this year. That trio isn't enough to convince me to bench the Phillies' key hitters, but I would take a second look at J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott.
Mets vs. Yankees
The Mets will hopefully score often against Marcus Stroman on Friday, because they are less likely to succeed against lefties Carlos Rodon and Max Fried in the subsequent two games. Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Juan Soto are the matchup-proof Mets. Having two lefties on the docket makes Brandon Nimmo a fringe option rather than a must-start player.
Seeking Saves
Shelby Miller, Diamondbacks, 39%
Miller may be a fixture in this space until fantasy managers give him more credit for being the full-time closer on a respectable team. He has pitched well this year (2.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) and figures to get a save chance during a series against a Royals team that tends to play close games by virtue of having a good pitching staff (5th in ERA) and a poor offense (30th in runs scored).
Seeking Steals
Sal Frelick, Brewers, 42%
This may be my easiest pick of the season. Frelick ranks 16th in baseball with 15 steals and bats leadoff against righties. He should steal multiple bases this weekend, as the Marlins will use right-handed starters in each game and have allowed 20 more steals than any other team. In deeper leagues, Joey Ortiz and Collins are excellent options for swipes.
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Streaming starters
In order, here are the best streamers for the weekend, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in brackets.