Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Elder, Taillon, and Monday Rankings

Mondays are usually shorter days on the MLB schedule, with teams generally having most of their days off on Monday and Thursday. Coming out of the All-Star break, though, every team is in action today, giving us a full complement of fantasy players and potential streamers.

Let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Monday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

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Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres

The Padres are a prime target, ranking in the bottom in many box stats and showing themselves as maybe the worst offensive team in baseball. They have looked better over the past month, playing at more of an average level and even above in some areas; it's still possible for them to turn things around. Until we see it over a longer period, though, I'm looking at San Diego as a team to target as often as we can.

Elder looked much better early in the season, but things have fallen off hard since his last start in May. In seven outings since May 27, Elder has allowed 49 hits and 34 runs in 34 innings, giving up at least five runs in four of those starts. While he is good with walks, Elder is a below-average strikeout pitcher, leaving him with fewer ways to have a successful outing if everything isn't clicking.

Elder is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup isn't as strong recently as it has been most of the season, and Elder's struggles over the past few months bring him down a little more.

Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers

Fedde has been OK in most areas this season, giving up a few too many home runs but mostly sporting average box stats. His strikeout rate is far below average, something that was also true last season, so there's a low ceiling on Fedde's fantasy performance. He is coming off a good game, when he threw four scoreless innings right before the All-Star break after taking over for an opener, but it's tough to expect too many big things for Fedde.

The Rangers are back at home for this series in a park that limits offensive production as much as any home field in baseball. When looking just at games teams have played at home, Texas ranks in the bottom five in runs, hits, doubles, and walks, while sitting in the bottom 10 in home runs and all four slash categories. They've show a little more proclivity on the road, but the Rangers are very vulnerable at home.

Fedde is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has been fine, but the lack of Ks really holds down his ceiling. The matchup (and location) is the biggest plus in this one.

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona generally ranks in the bottom 10 across the board in offensive box stats, showing that ineptitude for most of the season. They are a little closer to average over the past month, but they don't get better than the middle in any area, and they are in the bottom 10 in the four slash categories, showing worse rate stats than counting numbers. We'll keep going after the Diamondbacks until further notice, particularly since they play at a hitter's park, making their low numbers look even worse.

Springs has been on a ROUGH stretch since late May. In his past nine starts, Springs allowed 52 hits and 47 runs in 42 2/3 innings, untenable numbers. He's another guy who is OK with walks but a little below average with strikeouts, so when things aren't going well otherwise, he doesn't make up for it with Ks. It doesn't help that his home field is currently a minor league park in Sacramento, which majorly favors hitters (and even this game on the road is in a hitter's park).

Springs is a low-to-mid-level streamer. This is another case where the matchup is in his favor, but Springs just hasn't been good enough recently to really trust him, leaving his fantasy value lower than we'd like.

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers

Taillon last pitched on June 7, when he was pulled after just one inning and has been on the IL since. He is slated to come back for this one, a much-needed reprieve for a Cubs rotation that has been hammered by injuries all season. Taillon has been a little worse than average this season, mainly driven by allowing way too many home runs (one every 3.4 innings versus his career rate of one every 6.9 innings, which is very average). His walks and strikeouts are both close to average, so Taillon could see his numbers improve if the ball just stays in the park more often.

Detroit is another team that ranks in the bottom 10 over the full-season numbers while looking a little more average over the past month. They started off struggling as a team but straightened things out a bit, winning nine out of 10 in a stretch not long before the break. They took two out of three from the Angels to open the second half, but Detroit has more work to do to really get into the playoff picture and to reach an above-average offensive level.

Taillon is another low-to-mid-level streamer on a day full of them. There's always a little risk with a player coming back after over a month off, and Taillon hasn't been his best this season, though he's doing fine with BBs and Ks.

Monday's Streamer Rankings

1. Bryce Elder, ATL
2. Jameson Taillon, CHC
3. Erick Fedde, CWS
4. Jeffrey Springs, ATH