Mid-week is where the bulk of the streaming options are available this week, although I do like the available starters on Tuesday and Saturday. You have some adequate options to choose from on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly. The two-start option that exists with Miami right hander Tom Koehler is especially attractive in Week 8.  

Realize that these pitchers are all owned in 50 percent or less of leagues. and thus may be available in your league on the waiver wire. I am only going to highlight those pitchers that I believe can provide a boost to your rotation, so no bottom-of-the-barrel SPs will be brought to your attention. Also, please understand that this set of pitchers is being assembled early before the next scoring period (in most leagues, at least) commences, and weather, injury, demotions or crazy managerial decisions can interfere with our well-laid plans, so be ready to adjust if you can make daily lineup adjustments.

Here are the recommended streaming options for this week:

Monday, May 23, 2016

Nick Tropeano LAA @ TEX Martin Perez

Martin Perez TEX vs LAA Nick Tropeano

These two starting pitchers are facing off against one another on Monday. Feel like hedging your bets? Use them both. Note that both are two start options this week, as well, although I do not feel comfortable using Perez against the Pirates even at home, as the Rangers have had troubles scoring any runs when he is on the hill. Tropeano has a fine 3.30 ERA but that 1.58 WHIP is awful, and driven by a tendency to allow better than a hit per inning and a 4.39 BB/9 rate over his 43.2 innings this season. If Tropeano did not rack up Ks at a 8.86 K/9 rate, he would not be a streaming option. Perez is an option due to the matchup here.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Tom Koehler MIA vs TB Jake Odorizzi

I considered suggesting R.A. Dickey here, based on his recent stretch of successful outings, but the last appearance where he allowed four earned runs on eight hits, of which three were homers has shown that he is too inconsistent if the knuckler drifts over the middle of the plate. I would not suggest plugging him in when the Jays visit the Yankees and Nate Eovaldi on Tuesday.

Koehler is walking a ton of hitters, making him risky as he does not have swing and miss stuff. He does have the capacity to keep the ball in the park with his 0.6 HR/9 ratio, and he continues to induce a good share of groundballs. His peripherals are not pretty, though, but pitching at home has been good to him this season so far. Plus, he has held opponents to just four earned runs over his last three starts.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Tyler Duffey MIN vs KC Dillon Gee

Dan Straily CIN @ LAD Scott Kazmir

Ivan Nova NYY vs TOR Marco Estrada

Junior Guerra MIL @ ATL Mike Foltynewicz

Duffey was roughed up in his last outing, where his strikeout ability deserted him. Since joining the Twin rotation, he had been racking up the Ks, so this is potentially just a blip on the radar. The Royals have been playing better of late, but Duffey has shown great control so far, and he also keeps the ball on the ground for the most part (1.67 GB/FB ratio over his five starts). I consider him worth another start, but if he struggles to miss bats again, I may reconsider when his turn in the rotation rolls around again.

Straily has tossed four quality starts in his past five appearances, and despite the mess that the Reds bullpen has become, he has collected two wins in those games. He offers an average 7.80 K/9 rate, but his major issue is a severe lack of control, as witnessed by his 4.37 BB/9 ratio. He has been roughly equivalent at home or on the road, so there is little concern with him heading to LA for this contest. What you need to worry about, and most likely what concerns Straily, is what the bullpen can do for him.

Nova is settling in nice, making a smooth transition from the bullpen to the rotation with CC Sabathia on the DL (Note that Sabathia is now back in the rotation, but it also looks as though Nova will stick for the time being). He is not yet pitching deep into games as he stretches his arm out as a starter. He will not provide strikeouts in any significant numbers, but he is demonstrating excellent control, walking less than a batter per nine innings (0.89 BB/9). He also has excellent results so far when pitching at Yankee Stadium, so he has that going for him in this game.

Guerra has won three of his starts since joining the Brewer rotation in May, and Milwaukee also managed to win his fourth start, although he took a no-decision against the Reds. He offers good strikeout potential with a 8.64 K/9 rate, and his control is also good but not excellent, with a 2.88 BB/9 ratio over his 25 innings with the Brewers this season. Taking on the Braves is a definite plus for the 31 year old righthander.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Matt Wisler ATL vs MIL Wily Peralta

Mike Leake StL @ WAS Joe Ross

CC Sabathia NYY vs TOR Aaron Sanchez

I keep waiting for the wheels to come off the cart for Wisler, but he is the most effective member of the Atlanta rotation so far this season. He does allow a huge amount of fly balls, which is concerning, as he is sporting a 0.78 GB/FB ratio, but his 0.81 HR/9 rate shows that balls have not been leaving the park at too high a rate as of yet. He has tossed five QS out of his last six starts, and I like the matchup against Wily Peralta in this contest. I do not really trust his team to provide him enough offense to nail down a victory, but with two wins to his credit, he is the team leader in wins among the starting rotation.

Leake had a shaky start to the season, but has settled down nicely in May. He has won his last three starts, and his ERA now sits at a palatable 4.07 (as compared to the 6.97 he owned as of mid-April). He is pitching efficiently, throwing strikes and flashing excellent control (1.97 BB/9). His match up could be a problem, as I like Joe Ross and the Nationals especially at home in DC, but it is hard to argue with Leake's current streak.

As noted above, Sabathia came off the DL in Week 7, and threw his third consecutive quality start against the Athletics. His ERA sits at a useful 3.41, although the 1.40 WHIP is not what you want from any of your pitchers. The WHIP is inflated due to his control issues this season, and he is just an average strikeout producer. The sample size is too small to consider whether he is struggling at home this season, but if you look at his home/road splits the past two seasons plus, there is a trend that is concerning for those considering employing his services against the visiting Blue Jays in this contest.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Joe Kelly BOS @ TOR J.A. Happ

Jonathan Niese PIT @ TEX Cesar Ramos

Kelly had been throwing a no-hitter against the Indians until giving up a hit in the seventh to Jose Uribe. It was a strong return from the DL with a right shoulder impingement issue, where he collected seven Ks, although he also gave up three walks in his 6.2 innings pitched. He does feature a 95 MPH fastball, and generally induces a good share of grounders in his starts. Keeping the ball in the park will be a key when he heads to Toronto on Friday.

Niese features a nice looking 4-2 record on the season, but that 4.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP are a couple of ugly blemishes on his stat line. He has done much better keeping the ball in the field of play over his past two starts, although it should be noted that he has already allowed 11 dingers on the season in his nine starts covering 53 innings. He is an inconsistent option at SP, but he has had a hot hand and has been improving on his ability to miss bats over those past two decent starts he has put together.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Wade Miley SEA vs MIN Phil Hughes

There is really only one option for Saturday, and that is the Seattle southpaw, Miley. Miley was terrible to open the season, but has now strung together three QS over his last four outings. He is flashing good control with a 2.16 BB/9 rate, but the strikeout rate is below league average. He does encourage opposing hitters to drive the ball into the ground with a 1.48 GB/FB ratio, although his homerun rate is alarming, having allowed eight long balls over his eight starts covering 50 innings. I like the match up against the Twins here, and I further like him pitching at home.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Nick Tropeano LAA vs HOU Doug Fister

Tom Koehler MIA @ ATL Julio Teheran

Doug Fister HOU @ LAA Nick Tropeano

I already discussed the first two SPs listed for Sunday in the Monday and Tuesday entries above, so I will not rehash that analysis. Tropeano gets the Astros at home, which is a plus in his favor. Koehler has to go on the road, but it is against the Braves, so not so much a concern.

Fister is a two start option this week, but I do not like him in his first start against the Orioles and Chris Tillman. Facing the Angels is a better match up, and while I am also recommending Tropeano in this contest, neither one of these starting pitchers is a must-start option. Fister is a terrible option for Ks, but has been effective by keeping the ball on the ground with a stellar 1.90 GB/FB ratio over his eight starts covering 49 innings. He has also seen his control desert him this season, as his BB/9 currently sits at an inflated 2.76, far above his three-year average of 1.70 BB/9. This recommendation is match up based, but if I had my druthers, I would go with Koehler as opposed to either of the two SPs facing off in Anaheim.

I enjoy responding to reader questions, so feel free to post. If you do not want your comments to appear in this public forum (if say your league members also read these articles), then feel free to contact me at ia@fantasyalarm.com for a more private response. I play in a ton of fantasy leagues, and am willing to discuss any baseball issues you may want to raise, not just starting pitching issues. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy endeavors.