On a weekly basis, I will be profiling those starting pitchers who are scheduled to take the mound in the upcoming scoring period. This is done to help you determine who to try to grab from your league's free agent pool and/or who you should target as a player to send your FAAB funds on. Note that all the streaming options listed below are owned in less than 50% of leagues, and thus could be available on your waiver wire. Here are this week's set of potential streaming targets.

Matt Garza Milwaukee BrewersMonday, April 13, 2015

Matt Garza MIL @StL Adam Wainwright

Aaron Harang, PHI @ NYM Jacob deGrom

Are you feeling the need to use a veteran to stream to open the week? Then these two guys are for you. I hate the matchup for both of them, but do like the fact that Harang gets to pitch away from Philadelphia in a much more pitcher-friendly park. Of the two, Harang had the much better opening game in Week 1, with Garza getting roughed up by the Rockies. There is really no one else who fits the criteria of an available streamer on Monday, but if I were you, I would not act out of desperation this early in the season, and would leave both of these guys alone.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Anthony DeSclafani CIN @ CHC Jake Arrieta

Miguel Gonzalez BAL vs NYY CC Sabathia

DeSclafani tossed a quality start against the Pirates in his first start this season, striking out six over six innings, and only handing out one walk. Pitching at Wrigley could pose problems depending how the wind is blowing and given the fact that he has not exactly shown an ability to produce generate a ton of ground ball outs, but a control pitcher that gets Ks is always interesting. Gonzalez, on the other hand, struggled with his control against the Rays in Week 1, yielding five free passes before getting pulled in the sixth inning with two outs. Aside from the walks, he pitched adequately. He pitched slightly better at home last season, and the Yankees are not exactly a scary opponent so far in 2015, so he is an option on Tuesday. I lean toward the youngster with the Reds, if given a choice here.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Jon Niese NYM  vs PHI Jerome Williams

Brandon Morrow SD vs ARI Chase Anderson

Chase Anderson ARI @ SD Brandon Morrow

Brett Anderson LAD vs SEA Taijuan Walker

This is a big day, with four options to pick from, although two of the pitchers above are facing off against one another. Niese just does not get enough respect from fantasy owners. I understand that hisJon Niese New York Mets injury history hurts his season-long value, and the below league average strikeout rate is not exciting, either, but his peripherals can help any rotation as a SP5/6. At least, until he hits the DL. Right now he is healthy and well worth a shot at home against the Phillies. If I have to chose between Morrow and Anderson, I am going to lean toward the Padre hurler. Like Niese, he has an injury history, but is also healthy right now. Plus, he has much better strikeout potential, although his control can be spotty. The home park will help him this season, so long as he can take the ball every fifth day. The first guy named Anderson here becomes more palatable away from home, especially pitching at Petco, as it helps reduce his propensity to allow long balls. His control is still an issue, however, and will generally inflate his ERA and WHIP to a point where I do not want him in my fantasy rotation long term. He is due for some growth this season, and this start is decent option to utilize his skills. The other Anderson fits in well with the first two pitchers listed for Wednesday, as he has been familiar with the DL in his prior seasons. He employs a strong ground ball tendency with spot-on control to be successful, which help offset his poor strikeout rate. Landing with the Dodgers should be a good move for him, as the home park is certainly much friendlier than his last home in Colorado.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Dillon Gee NYM vs MIA Jarred Cosart

There is only one pitcher to target on Thursday, when the slate of games is limited. True, Gee was lit up for five earned runs in Atlanta in his first 2015 start, but he gets to pitch at home where he has been more successful in this game. He is not a good source of Ks, with an 89 MPH fastball, but he limits the walks generally. This is not my favorite choice to stream this week, but it is the best available in a limited number of games on Thursday.

Jake Peavy San Francisco GiantsFriday, April 17, 2015

Jake Peavy SF vs ARI Josh Collmenter

J.A. Happ SEA vs TEX Yovani Gallardo

Peavy had a rough spring training, but I tend to discount spring results. More worrisome is the fact that he missed his first scheduled start with back pain. He is healthy (healthier?) now, and Friday's game will be his second start of the season. His strikeout and walk rates both trended the wrong direction last season, and that is concerning, too. Before you grab him off waivers, I suggest you study how he did on Sunday against the Padres. Happ gets to face a Rangers team that is again beat up at home, and he was solid if unspectacular (only one K in 6.1 innings) in his first start on the road in Oakland. Happ is one of those pitchers that flashes good skills, then tosses them out the window for a time. He is streaky, however, and coming off a good outing lends some hope he can keep it up against Texas while enjoying home cooking.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Kyle Hendricks CHC  vs SD Tyson Ross

Chris Heston SF vs ARI Rubby De La Rosa

Kyle Hendricks Chicago CubsI like Hendricks because he limits fly balls meaning he keeps the ball in the park. That can be invaluable when pitching at Wrigley Field, as he is at the end of Week 2. I would much prefer his mound opponent, but Ross is owned in 97% of leagues, and thus is not generally available for streaming purposes. Hendricks has good control, and while he was a strikeout pitcher in the minors, he has not shown that skill with Chicago yet. That could be a late developing tendency, though, and he did look good when he was called up last season, posting a 2.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 13 games (80.1 innings). He is the one pitcher listed here this week I would consider adding not just as a streamer but as a permanent (as permanent as fantasy players are) addition to my roster. Well, maybe I might want to add the Sunday option, too. By the time this start rolls around for Heston, he will have started two games. he was quite successful in his first start against Arizona, not giving up any earned runs and striking out five over six innings. I am interested to see how he fares against the Rockies in his second start, and if he struggles, feel free to avoid in this start. If he is sharp again, then I like him to frustrate the Diamondback hitters for a second start.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Tim Hudson SF vs ARI Jeremy Hellickson

Not much here on Sunday, aside from the savvy veteran Hudson taking on the Diamondbacks. Assuming he can continue to induce ground balls from the Arizona hitters, he should be a safe option on Sunday. Not a ton of Ks, to be sure, but he generally pitches deep enough into games to have a shot at a QS or W. If you can handle the limited strikeout potential, he could be more than a streaming option, and can help fill out your rotation if injuries are filling your team's DL spots.

If you have any questions about starting pitching or fantasy baseball, feel free to contact me at ia@fantasyalarm.com.