August 1 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Ryan Feltner, Carson Fulmer, Max Meyer and Ben Lively

Today is a day off for most of Major League Baseball: There are only five games on the schedule. That means a light day for fantasy baseball as well. Just one rainout means we would lose 20% of the performers. With so few options, it’s an extra important day for streamers.

Let’s run through Thursday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues. Not everyone here has a good matchup, but this is every starter who is probably on your free agent market. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

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Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins

I’ll quickly hit on Morton, as he’s owned in about 70% of leagues and isn’t a true streamer. It’s worth checking out to see if he is free in your league because it’s such a light day and the matchup here is pristine. Morton is a prime streamer for anyone lucky enough to scoop him up.

Ryan Feltner, Colorado Rockies @ Los Angeles Angels

Carson Fulmer, Los Angeles Angels vs. Colorado Rockies

For the last few days, I’ve been talking about the pitchers in this series being fortunate to face bad lineups in LA rather than Coors Field. Weather and Disneyland aside, Denver is a hitter’s heaven, and even the worst lineups can become average or better at Coors. In a regular setting, these are both bottom-10 offenses.

Feltner has improved his walk and strikeout rates to career-best numbers this season, both sitting just a hair lower than average. Feltner is a victim of Coors Field, as his splits show an ERA two runs better on the road. This is a rare chance for Feltner to shine given the location and opponent.

Fulmer has worked most of his career innings as a reliever but was drafted in the first round as a starter, so maybe the Angels are seeing if they have something here; they’ve got nothing to lose. His three starts this season have been a mixed bag, topping out at 77 pitches and 5.2 innings. He allowed six runs in 15 innings, and one start was a 4.2-inning scoreless outing against the Mariners with seven strikeouts.

Feltner is a mid-level streamer. His OK work and LA’s underwhelming bats give him a chance at a quality outing. Fulmer is a low- to mid-level guy. He’s likely to have another short start, though he has shown strikeout ability, and the Rockies are second in most batter strikeouts.

Ben Lively, Cleveland Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles

First: I am NOT recommending Lively as a valuable fantasy pitcher against the Orioles. Baltimore is one of the top offensive teams in the league, and nothing about Lively’s performance portends his ability to shut down this juggernaut.

Lively has been a little better than average in many areas, including strikeout and walk rate. Against the right opponents, Lively fits perfectly into the streamer role; Baltimore is not one of those teams.

Lively is a low-level streamer entering a tough start. He is available to get into your lineup in most leagues, but only the desperate should venture there.

Max Meyer, Miami Marlins @ Atlanta Braves

Most seasons, we could copy-paste the last section here because of Atlanta’s status among the top of the league. Injuries have played a part in a disappointing season, though, forcing Atlanta to fight for a wild card rather than cruising to the playoffs. While they still hit for power, the Braves are near 20th in runs scored, hits, batting average and on-base percentage. They are in the top 10 in most batter strikeouts and the bottom 10 in walks.

Meyer is just 25 years old with 27 big-league innings under his belt. He was the third overall pick in 2020 and did good strikeout work in the minors, so there’s reason to expect positive things. Meyer has an average-or-better strikeout rate and walk rate in his short stint. All that said, temper expectations until the rookie gets his feet wet.

Meyer is a low-level streamer. He wouldn’t be listed here on a normal day, but his chances of finding some success are better than it seems at first glance.

Thursday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Ryan Feltner, COL
2. Carson Fulmer, LAA
3. Max Meyer, MIA
4. Ben Lively, CLE