Heading into Week 7 of the fantasy baseball season and finding streaming options this week is a difficult task. This is not due to a lack of decent starting pitching options this scoring period, but rather due to bad matchups in most cases. I would like to recommend Colin Rea on Sunday, but he has to face off against Clayton Kershaw and that is not a recipe for success most days. I do have two pitchers to recommend daily in the middle of Week 7, and if you are feeling positive about Monday's suggestion, realize that he has two starts this week. Of course, pitching for the Braves is also not necessarily a good thing considering just how pathetic their offense is at this point in the season.      

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 who 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 16, 2016

Williams Perez ATL @ PIT Jon Niese

As I noted above, Perez has two starts this week. I would prefer to use him in this matchup against the Pirates on the road, however, and will avoid his Saturday start in Philadelphia just based on the ballpark factors. That and the issue I have had with trusting the guy with two last names to provide consistent performance on the mound. He has looked solid over his last two starts at home against the Dodgers and then the Phillies, but the strikeout numbers are poor, as is his control. He relies on his ability to induce hitters to drive the ball into the dirt, at which he has been great this season with a 2.12 GB/FB ratio over his four starts this season. Plus, even the woeful Braves hitters should be able to do something against Niese and provide their starting pitcher with some support.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Colin Rea SD vs SF Madison Bumgarner

I do not like this matchup much, but I do like the idea of Rea pitching at home against the Giants, not that AT&T Park is much less of a pitcher's park. Rea has struggled on the road more than at home, and his two worst games were at Coors Field and Wrigley Field, which is not entirely unexpected. He has weak strikeout numbers (6.69 K/9 over 40.1 innings) and his control is not great, but like the pitcher profiled above, he generates a lot of groundballs to help himself out of jams, as he allows a hit per inning. If you do not like to take chances, then perhaps you might want to avoid streaming Rea on Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Martin Perez TEX @ OAK Rich Hill

Doug Fister HOU @ CHW Mat Latos

Perez has been sharp since giving up five earned runs to the White Sox back on April 22, holding opponents to just five earned runs over his past four starts, totaling 23.1 innings, and lowering his ERA to a useful 3.23, although his WHIP is still an unattractive 1.33. The WHIP is elevated due to poor control, and while he can occasionally rack up a decent number of Ks, most games will see minimal swings and misses. He is our third streaming option this week that relies on the groundball, however, as his GB/FB rate is currently sitting at 2.69. The chance to pitch on the road at Oakland is attractive, though, even if he has to face off against the best the A's have to offer in their starting rotation in Rich Hill.

Fister is back as a streaming option again this week, although the venue may be a problem. He has been a road warrior so far this season, however, so even in a hitter's park like U.S. Cellular in Chicago, his groundball tendencies (1.97 GB/FB over 42.2 innings) will assist him in his efforts to shut down a surprisingly effective White Sox offense. He will certainly need to keep the ball on the ground, given his 1.27 HR/9 rate this year, a trend we saw start in 2015 and which is definitely a concern. His control and command have been superb over his last three starts, during which he has allowed just six earned runs over 20 innings. You will need to look elsewhere for strikeouts, though, as his K rate is a terrible 4.64 K/9 in 2016.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Jon Gray COL @ StL Michael Wacha

Ivan Nova NYY @ OAK Kendall Graveman

The knock on Gray was that he was going to have to pitch half his games at Coors Field. His two starts in April seemed to bear that out, as he allowed five earned runs to the Dodgers and followed that up with six to the Pirates. He has settled down since then, however, allowing just four earned runs over the past 20 innings, albeit with two of those games on the road at San Diego and San Francisco. He did hold the Mets to just two earned runs on five hits in his last home start, and in this appearance, he gets to show what he can do at Busch Stadium, which ranks 28 out of 30 in runs scored this season. Also, unlike the pitchers that have been profiled above, he gives his owners a real shot at collecting double digit strikeouts, with his 11.30 K/9. He also has been flashing excellent control, with a nice 2.20 BB/9 rate accrued during the course of his five starts this season. His ownership percentages (10 percent Yahoo, 12.3 percent ESPN, and a surprising 44 percent on CBS) indicate that he could be available to pick up, and you may just wind up with a gem to shore up your starting pitching.

Nova has been a solid part of the Yankee rotation over his two starts, although he still has yet to pitch six complete innings in either of those starts, coming close against the White Sox in his last outing with 5.2 innings. He is not striking anybody out (4.44 K/9) but his control has been superior (1.11 BB/9). With a 3.68 xFIP closely matching his current 3.70 ERA, it would appear that he is what he has been showing the world. I certainly do not expect his 4.46 GB/FB ratio to continue, but coming back to normal should not hurt his production too much, as he has always generated a fair number of grounders. I like that he gets to pitch in Oakland, as the park should help him keep the ball within the field of play, and downplay his 1.11 HR/9 rate.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Tyler Duffey MIN vs TOR Aaron Sanchez

Matt Andriese TB @ DET Anibal Sanchez

Duffey gave up three earned runs in his last start, and despite pitching back-to-back quality starts, he only has two losses to show for his efforts. He has done well holding down three strong offenses in Washington, Detroit and the White Sox, so facing the Blue Jays is not that daunting. Especially since he gets to face Toronto at his home park, which should help keep the ball in the park for Duffey. He is a good source of strikeouts, with an 8.83 K/9 rate over his three starts, and he has been exhibiting good control (2.08 BB/9). He also follows the trend among the pitchers being profiled here, with an acceptable 1.64 GB/FB rate over his 17.1 innings. As he is owned in just 11% of Yahoo leagues, and only 8.5 percent of ESPN leagues, he should be available to add to your team if you believe in the 25-year-old righty (note that CBS shows him owned in 24 percent of leagues).

Andriese heads to Detroit to take on the inconsistent Tigers, and he currently boasts matching 0.56 ERA and WHIP numbers, over his first 16 innings for the Rays in 2016, covering two starts. His strikeout numbers should improve, but probably not to anything more than league average, but he does throw strikes. He has shown excellent control and command of his pitches, which has been a trademark of his as he has moved up through the minors. He is currently slotted in as the fifth starter in Tampa Bay, but if he continues to enjoy this kind of success, he may be moved up in the rotation. His ability to pitch deep into games is a definite plus for him, too.

You may wonder where last week's two-start streamer, Matt Wisler is this week. A pitcher than fails to miss bats and allows more than his fair share of homers (five in his six starts this year, 16 in 19 starts in 2015), pitching in a hitter's park in Philly is not my idea of a successful streaming option. I expect the wheels to come off Wisler's cart sometime soon, and him heading out on the road to Citizens Bank Park could just be when that takes place.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Adam Morgan PHI vs ATL Williams Perez

Morgan gets to face off against the Monday streaming option, and is coming off a superior effort on May 10 against these self-same Braves, where he allowed just a single earned run on four hits over seven innings. Here, he gets to face the weak offense of Atlanta at home, and while his home/road splits are not that great, facing a horrible Atlanta offense is the key to using him in this game. Do not set your eyes on great K numbers, as the Braves are stingy with the swings and misses on the road this season (only the Giants have less strikeouts on the road in the NL this season). Morgan does have good control, and this is an excellent opportunity for him to shine.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

There are no acceptable streaming options available on Sunday. I considered nominating Wade Miley here, but I purposely avoiding nominating Miley as a streaming option in his first start of Week 7, where he is heading to Baltimore. A pitcher that has given up eight homers in his first seven starts seems a poor choice to rely upon in Camden Yards, where the ball traditionally has a tendency to find the seats, although not so much early in 2016 (perhaps due to weather conditions). Still, the Orioles lead the majors in home runs thus far, so a Miley start on Tuesday is ill-advised. On the season, Great American Ball Park in Cincy has yielded the fourth most dingers in the majors, even if the Reds sit in the middle of the MLB in terms of homers hit. Thus, we need to pass on picking up pitching help on Sunday as the rotations currently stand. Of course, things could shake out differently by the end of Week 7, so do not despair yet. If you note an option for streaming on any day, not just Sunday, send me your question and I will analyze the potential.

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.