So everyone’s finally on board the Trevor Bauer bandwagon. He got the win in his last start against Boston despite giving up three homers, but he struck out 11. There’s some concern about his start against Kansas City because he pitched in relief on Thursday. But it’s off to a great start. Jerad Eickhoff looked great in his first start of Week 20 and hopefully he can roll out another solid start today against the Giants. Jhoulys Chacin gave up just one earned run but he did walk four. He had his struggles, but it wasn’t a complete disaster. Marco Estrada was a disaster in his first start and he gets a VERY difficult matchup on Sunday against the Cubs. So, 3-of-4 shallow league suggestions hit early on. Unfortunately, all the deep league suggestions were busts. Jeff Hoffman was so bad that he was optioned to Triple-A, so it was a real up and down week. Hopefully, the second starts for Bauer and Eickhoff on Saturday can pick up the pieces from last week.

10-12 Team Leagues

Dinelson Lamet (SD): Lamet is currently slated for just one start next week on the road in Miami. In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks Giancarlo Stanton has been on an absolute tear. So why would Lamet be recommended against the Marlins? The Marlins are one of the best overall offenses on the road. They’re Top 10 in runs scored on the road and they slash .275/.330/.443 as a team on the road (all of which rank in the Top-4). However, at home the Marlins are 19th in runs scored and slash .255/.326/.414 which rank 19th, 17th, and 23rd respectively. In Lamet’s last five starts he’s built a 2.37 ERA with 30 strikeouts to just 10 walks. He’s also surrendered just one home run in his last 30.1 innings of work. Better yet? He hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts. On the season his road ERA is tough to look at, but of those previously-mentioned five starts, three have come on the road. He’s cruising and worth a look if he’s available in your league.

Andrew Cashner (TEX): The pitcher formerly known as “Andrew Trashner” makes the Streamers piece. He’s been very effective since the All-Star break. Since July 5th he has a 2.38 ERA with a 4-2 record.  He doesn’t collect a ton of strikeouts (just 25 in his last 45.1 innings of work) and the walks are mildly concerning (still averaged almost 3.00 BB/9). But he’s keeping opposing offenses in check. Cashner gets the Angels on the road in Week 21. Los Angeles ranks in the bottom 10 for home offenses in terms of runs, AVG., OBP, SLG, and OPS. He’s recorded a quality start in six of his last seven starts. He came within one out in his last appearance of earning a seventh straight QS. He’s worth streaming next week.

Carlos Rodon (CHW): Rodon, like Lamet, has made appearances in this piece in the past. He had a rough stretch in July, but he’s bounced back pretty well. In his last four starts he has a 2.12 ERA with 28 K’s in 29.2 innings of work. He’s also only averaging 1.82 BB/9. Not great, but not terrible by any stretch of the imagination either. His strand rate is due for some regression at 94.9%, which probably explains his 3.71 FIP. His fastball is holding steady in the mid-90’s. The frustrating part about Rodon is he could easily get double digits strikeouts or he could only get four. Rodon draws the Twins and Tigers next week at home.

Desperation Play of the Week… Matt Moore (SF): This is risky, but his last two starts have gone pretty well and he draws the Brewers at home next week. The Brew Crew, despite a good slashing line on the road, struggle to score runs. They rank high with AVG, OBP, and SLG on the road but they’re bottom six in runs scored. In Moore’s last two starts he’s given up two earned runs in each game and holds a WHIP under 1.00. Now it’s a very small sample size, but he will be pitching in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park next week so he’s worth consideration if you’re desperate.

Deeper League Options

Chad Bettis (COL): Bettis also made today's Waiver Wire piece. Yeah he only has one start under his belt so far this year, but he looked pretty solid in what was an emotional debut. Bettis gets the Brewers at home today, which is somewhat risky, but next week he gets a road matchup against a struggling Braves team. His matchup against Milwaukee is worth keeping an eye on just to see how he looks to get a slightly larger sample size. But he’s definitely in play next week against Atlanta if all goes well.

Mike Montgomery (CHC): Montgomery will be filling in for Jon Lester while he misses a few starts due to his shoulder injury. What’s nice about Montgomery is that he’s also RP eligible so he won’t take up a SP spot necessarily. He gets a road start against the Reds next week so if he’s there in your deeper league then give him a shot.

Edwin Jackson (WSH): Jackson’s lone start next week comes against the Astros on the road. Yes, the Astros are running away with their division, but the offense has struggled a little bit lately. In eight of their last 10 games, they’ve scored four runs or fewer so this could be a matchup worth targeting if you want to stream if you need someone in your deeper league. Jackson will take the mound against Mike Fiers who has really cooled off over his last few starts so he could get some run support from the Nationals.

Desperation Play of the Week… Andrew Heaney (LAA): Heaney had a rough debut against the Orioles earlier this week. He gave up five earned runs in 5.0 innings of work and gave up 4 home runs. He did get five strikeouts to zero walks so that’s something he can hang his hat on. Luckily he draws the Rangers at home next week and Texas is one of the worst road offenses in baseball. They’re slashing .219/.291/.402 on the road and have scored the fifth fewest runs on the road.