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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 Sunday evening.

Sleeper pitchers for Week 5 (April 20-26)

Mick Abel


P


MIN


Minnesota

• #20

•

Age: 24

Matchups

at NYM, at TB

Rostered

63%

Mick Abel struck out 10 over seven shutout innings in his last start, and while a week will have passed by the time he takes the mound again Tuesday, it puts him in line for two turns. His fastball is one of the best in the game at generating whiffs, so as long as he keeps the walks under control, he could be in for a breakout season.

Reid Detmers


SP


LAA


L.A. Angels

• #48

•

Age: 26

Matchup

vs. TOR, at KC

Rostered

52%

Reid Detmers had his weekend start pushed back, which, like Mick Abel, lines him up for two turns. The second of those turns remains the Royals, who rank dead last in runs scored, but the first is now the Blue Jays, who aren’t much better thanks to several injuries to key hitters. Detmers has long been a Fantasy tease, but he’s added a changeup this year that’s quickly become his best pitch and is learning to lean on it more and more.

Spencer Arrighetti


P


HOU


Houston

• #41

•

Age: 26

Matchup

at CLE, vs. NYY

Rostered

53%

Spencer Arrighetti’s return to the majors Wednesday came with an acknowledgment that his secondary offerings are the key to his success. Heavy curveball usage led to him striking out 10 against the Rockies, so even with the control concerns (he issued four walks and hit two batters in that contest), he’s practically a must in a two-start week.

Bryce Elder


SP


ATL


Atlanta

• #55

•

Age: 26

Matchups

at WAS, vs. PHI

Rostered

77%

Some tweaks to his slider have made it a more effective pitch and positioned Bryce Elder as a competent bat-misser to go along with his existing ground-ball skills. He’s sporting a 0.77 ERA going into a two-start week, which should be good enough for you to overlook the difficult(?) matchup against the Phillies.

Reynaldo Lopez


RP


ATL


Atlanta

• #40

•

Age: 32

Matchups

at WAS, vs. PHI

Rostered

74%

Reynaldo Lopez’s newest start against the Marlins was his worst one, but it only raised his ERA to 2.18. He’s come back from an injury-marred season with less velocity and is allowing more contact than anyone would like to see, but so far, that contact has been weak enough to make him a success. Here’s hoping it’ll continue for another week.

Ryne Nelson


SP


ARI


Arizona

• #19

•

Age: 28

Matchup

vs. SD

Rostered

78%

What to do with Ryne Nelson, who was looking like himself again before an eight-run disaster Sunday? The pitch data looked pretty normal in that start, which means you risk missing out on the ERA and WHIP correction to come by taking it too personally, but he obviously ranks a few spots lower here than he did heading into the weekend.

Steven Matz


SP


TB


Tampa Bay

• #32

•

Age: 34

Matchup

vs. CIN

Rostered

51%

It’s been a while since Steven Matz was a pitcher of consequence in Fantasy, but the Rays have him throwing his best pitch (changeup) more. He’s responded with three straight starts allowing two runs or fewer, and he’s scheduled to face a Reds lineup that entered Sunday tied for last in runs scored.

Eduardo Rodriguez


SP


ARI


Arizona

• #57

•

Age: 33

Matchup

vs. CHW

Rostered

47%

After sporting a 0.50 ERA through three turns, Eduardo Rodriguez came back to earth in his newest one due to his changeup, an early standout, reverting to its earlier shape. It’s worth holding out hope in him regaining that changeup, though, against a bottom-feeder White Sox lineup.

Rhett Lowder


SP


CIN


Cincinnati

• #25

•

Age: 24

Matchups

at TB, vs. DET

Rostered

49%

While lacking in strikeout ability, Rhett Lowder has the look of a competent innings-eater who generally throws strikes and limits damage. He’s exactly the sort of pitcher worth streaming in points leagues whenever he’s in line for two starts.

Max Meyer


SP


MIA


Miami

• #23

•

Age: 27

Matchups

vs. STL, at SF

Rostered

53%

Max Meyer has yet to deliver a start of much significance in Fantasy, but his slider, which he’s featuring more than any other pitch, has been a nightmare for opposing hitters, generating a 56 percent whiff rate. He’ll get two chances to make good on it this week, and the matchups are pretty favorable.