September 8 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Seth Johnson, Andrew Heaney, Caden Dana and More

I’d be lying to you if I said I was looking forward to today’s slate of baseball games. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem lying to a large group of strangers, but I mean, come on: it’s one of the biggest days of the sports year, the opening Sunday of NFL football.

Most analysis will be reaction and overreaction to those games, and rightfully so. It gives us a chance to sneak in some under-the-radar fantasy baseball moves, though, while everyone else is distracted by the bright lights. It wouldn’t be a surprise if half your league stops paying attention now that fantasy football is in full swing.

Let’s look at Sunday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups, creating streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Nationals’ pitchers have been all over this list during the series with the Pirates. DJ Herz made the cut on both Friday and Saturday because of rain complications; at least he made it worth it with five scoreless innings, five strikeouts and a win. Corbin is a well below average pitcher at this point in his career, but the matchup puts him on the streaming radar.

The Pirates give every pitcher fantasy value. Pittsburgh’s offense is a bottom-10 group across the board and creates a high ceiling because they are among the top five in batter strikeouts.

Corbin is a low-level streamer. He’s a desperation arm at this point if you’re trying to rack up bulk numbers in the final stretch.

Caden Dana, Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels

In 2023, Texas won the World Series while LA had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the same lineup. Oh, what a difference a year makes. Both teams are in the bottom 10 in essentially every offensive stat and on the way to finishing below .500. Texas has a little more hope for next year with multiple stars still in place, but the Angels seem to be years away from contention as Trout continues missing long stretches.

Dana made his debut on the first day of September and picked up his first win. He threw six innings and allowed two runs, both walking four and striking out four. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the rookie had a good matchup and took advantage with a quality start. It’s the same story in this one.

Heaney has been swept up in the vortex of disaster that is the 2024 Texas Rangers season. He has both a walk rate and strikeout rate several percentage points better than average and an ERA under 4.00, but Heaney holds a 4-13 record. His numbers are better than last season, when Heaney went 10-6, and that’s why record isn’t a major indicator of pitcher success in an analytical world.

Dana is a low- to mid-level streamer and Heaney a mid- to high-level streamer. Dana’s lack of track record puts a cap on his ceiling, while Heaney is performing well enough to have fantasy value against many teams.

Seth Johnson, Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins

It’s been a while, so let’s play one of my favorite games: How many Marlins have more hits for the team than Luis Arraez had for Miami this season? Arraez was traded to the Padres at the beginning of May, collecting 41 hits and 22 runs scored before the move. Well, four months later, we’ve finally reached double digits; 10 Marlins have eclipsed Arraez’s hit mark. Arraez is still tied for eighth in runs scored and doubles.

Johnson is making his Major League debut in this one. He was the 40th overall pick in 2019 by Tampa Bay before being sent to the Orioles in 2022 and then Philadelphia at this year’s trade deadline. Johnson has done really good work in the minors and excelled with strikeouts, collecting 269 Ks in 236.2 innings. This is a pitcher with pedigree joining one of the best teams in the league to face a basement dweller.

Johnson is a mid- to high-level streamer. The ceiling is through the roof, but it's important to temper expectations a little. Still, Johnson is well worth a spot in your lineup today.

Miles Mikolas, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Seattle Mariners

Seattle hitters lead the league in strikeouts. They have whiffed 1,448 times which works out to 10.1 per game; no other team is over 10. They rank in the bottom five in runs scored, hits, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. Seattle simply has one of the worst offenses in baseball.

Mikolas has a miniscule walk rate but is also well below average striking batters out. On top of limiting his fantasy ceiling, it has also hurt his run prevention, as Mikolas holds an ERA over 5.00. Mikolas has been below average but good enough to be on the streaming radar.

Mikolas is a low-level streamer. The matchup is right, but he hasn’t thrown well enough to expect any kind of ceiling.

Sunday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Seth Johnson, PHI
2. Andrew Heaney, TEX
3. Caden Dana, LAA
4. Miles Mikolas, STL
5. Patrick Corbin, WSH