Streaming pitchers isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you find yourself without enough reliable options in a given scoring period, it may be what you need to stay afloat. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Generally, only the top two or three are full-throated endorsements, while the rest are more about making the best of a bad situation.
All information is up to date as of late Sunday.Sleeper pitchers for Week 21 (Aug. 10-16)
Noah Cameron
SP
KC
Kansas City
• #65
•
Age: 27
Matchups
at LAD, at LAA
Rostered
77%
Noah Cameron began calling his own pitches three turns ago, and the result has been one of the best three-start stretches for any pitcher all season — no lie. Clearly, you have to use him in a two-start week, even with one being against the Dodgers.
Dustin May
SP
MIL
Milwaukee
• #21
•
Age: 28
Matchup
at SD
Rostered
65%
Dustin May’s first outing for the Brewers Thursday was a quality start, and he seems to have bounced back nicely from a rough stretch in early July, delivering a 1.59 ERA in his past three turns. The last time he faced this week’s opponent, the Padres, he threw a one-hit shutout against them on June 15.
Roki Sasaki
SP
LAD
L.A. Dodgers
• #11
•
Age: 24
Matchup
vs. KC
Rostered
77%
Roki Sasaki still has a long way to go to prove his doubters wrong (because they looked right for so long), but his mechanical changes seem to have taken finally, with his fastball playing up in his past four turns, all of them good. His next start is against the Brewers, which will be the toughest test yet during this stretch.
J.T. Ginn
SP
ATH
Athletics
• #35
•
Age: 27
Matchup
vs. TEX
Rostered
67%
J.T. Ginn’s first two turns back from a brief IL stint for a blister were both quality starts, and he’s turned into a model of reliability with his plus ground-ball skills and adequate bat-missing ability. He’s a quality play against a Rangers offense that ranks in the bottom third of the league.
Walbert Urena
SP
LAA
L.A. Angels
• #57
•
Age: 22
Matchup
vs. TEX
Rostered
66%
Walbert Urena has marked control issues, but the contact against him is so weak that he’s managed to maintain an ERA below 3.15 for 14 consecutive starts now, even with a rare misstep last time out. He seems to be improving his efficiency, too, going six innings in three of his past four.
Jacob Lopez
SP
ATH
Athletics
• #57
•
Age: 28
Matchups
vs. TB, vs. TEX
Rostered
16%
With his deceptive delivery and unusual fastball shape, Jacob Lopez became a surprise source of strikeouts down the stretch last season, and though this season didn’t start out the same way, he’s looked a lot better since returning from the minors, notching a combined 17 strikeouts in his last two starts. His two matchups this week look even better when you consider that the Rays especially struggle against left-handers.
Bryce Elder
SP
ATL
Atlanta
• #55
•
Age: 27
Matchups
vs. NYM, vs. ARI
Rostered
75%
Bryce Elder found success early on with an improved slider but has found success more recently by fading it, instead returning to his roots as a ground ball specialist. Three of his past four outings have been quality starts, amounting to a 1.88 ERA, so at least in points leagues, he’s worth the gamble in a two-start week.
Christian Scott
SP
NYM
N.Y. Mets
• #45
•
Age: 27
Matchups
at ATL, vs. WAS
Rostered
62%
Christian Scott has put together a 3.15 ERA and 11.1 K/9 in 16 starts for the Mets this season, but because only one of those outings has lasted as long as six innings, he hasn’t been as useful as those numbers would have you believe. He’s still difficult to pass up with two starts, though I’ll note that the matchups this time are pretty rough.
Cody Bradford
RP
TEX
Texas
• #61
•
Age: 28
Matchups
at LAA, at ATH
Rostered
11%
Cody Bradford made his return from Tommy John surgery last time out, and though it was a short outing, he showed many of the qualities that made him an up-and-comer in Fantasy prior to the procedure. The elite strike-thrower will square off against two lineups that have recently lost some of the firepower they once had, though as a word of warning, each plays at a dangerous venue for pitchers.
Joey Cantillo
SP
CLE
Cleveland
• #54
•
Age: 26
Matchup
vs. SD
Rostered
74%
Joey Cantillo generally does a good job of limiting damage against him, but his inefficiencies push his WHIP into uncomfortable territory and undermine his win potential by keeping his outings short. He can also pile up strikeouts from time to time and may be extra juiced against the Padres this week after rain limited him to just one inning last time out.
