We’re officially into the fantasy baseball stretch run, and every little advantage counts. Spring rankings are out the window; now it’s all about who can get your team to the finish line. And while everyone loves swinging a big trade to plug holes, but sometimes you just need a player who will give you a solid week of production — which is where our weekly pitcher streaming recommendations come in. Here are three guys we recommend targeting on the waiver wire.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 17
Pitchers to stream
Kenta Maeda, Minnesota Twins — Don’t look now, but Maeda’s starting to pitch like the guy who finished second in AL Cy Young voting in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season — fastball sitting 91-92, tight slider, splitter dancing below the strike zone. He’s pitched to a 2.73 ERA (2.56 FIP) since returning from the injured list in late June, with two quality starts in his last three outings. As if that weren’t enough, his schedule is about as friendly as it gets this week: a home date with the Seattle Mariners on Monday followed by a weekend date in pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium against the moribund Kansas City Royals.
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels — Canning’s full complement of breakers were on full display as he carved up the Yankees for 12 strikeouts and just two runs allowed over 5.2 innings last time out. The righty combines strikeout upside with a reasonably high floor — he’s allowed more than three runs just twice over his last 10 starts — and he could go off in his first start of the week against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. This weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays is a little iffier, but that Jays lineup hasn’t been nearly as fearsome as we thought, and Canning’s effectiveness against righties could allow him to survive.
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles — Kremer got tagged by the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start, but don’t let that fool you: L.A.’s been doing that to just about everyone of late, and Kremer had been on a roll prior to that, with two runs allowed and 18 Ks in 13 innings over his prior two outings. He’s put up five quality starts over his last eight, and neither the Philadelphia Phillies nor (especially) the New York Yankees present too tough a challenge this week.
