Stream Police: Five options for the week to come
The final regular season head-to-head week of Yahoo Fantasy Baseball starts Monday, so let's look ahead and see if we can find any low-ownership rentals to help the cause. The focus is on two-starter options.
• Danny Duffy is an intriguing post-hype lefty, and he's been terrific through two starts (16.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 17 K, two pretty wins). It's frustrating to see him up against Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander this week, though the Verlander draw isn't as nasty as you might think. I do expect Duffy to post a strong line against the Mariners offense Monday; after that, we can re-evaluate. You can make the add in 91 percent of Yahoo leagues.
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• Andrew Albers is an extreme pitch-to-contact option, but his first 37 innings have been useful for our purposes (2.92/0.86). Even if you view him more in line with the peripheral-suggested ERA (4.06 FIP, 4.44 xFIP), a start at Houston should make you a little curious. His weekend assignment is a cushy home turn against Toronto, so I'll sign off on the double-dip. Albers is owned in just seven percent of Yahoo leagues.
• Charlie Morton is another pitcher who relies on batted-ball luck, though he's nudged his K/9 up to 6.18 this year. Like most of the contact-reliant pitchers we sometimes consider, Morton has plus control and a terrific ground-ball rate (65 percent). The schedule isn't a cakewalk (at Milwaukee, at St. Louis), but it's not the worst possible slate, either. He's rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo.
• Has Erasmo Ramirez re-entered the circle of trust? He's allowed just five earned runs over his last three turns, piling up 12 strikeouts in his last two. He's at Kansas City and home against Tampa Bay. Maybe the light is going on. Ramirez is owned in just seven percent of the Y.
• Brandon McCarthy hasn't been healthy for most of the year, but his best form showed in last week's shutdown of San Diego (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). A home turn against Toronto and a trip to San Francisco, that doesn't sound too daunting to me (albeit he has to face Madison Bumgarner in the latter assignment). Maybe the timing is right for a fast finish here. The Arizona righty is ready to add in 80 percent of Yahoo.
