Fourteen of Friday's 15 games will take place under the lights. Fortunately, we will be treated to one daytime affair, a crosstown-rivalry bout between the White Sox and Cubs that pits Lance Lynn against Kyle Hendricks. While Thursday was a day to focus on bats, Friday leans more toward the pitching side. That said, because it's a full slate, there are still plenty of streamers to consider no matter what your needs are.
Here's a look at Friday's top streaming options, focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues.
Pitching
Logan Webb (R), rostered in 35% of ESPN leagues, San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers: Webb has yet to garner much attention in fantasy circles, but it's time that changed. You don't have to dig very deep to see how good the 24-year-old has been this season. Over 15 games (14 starts), Webb has spun a 3.33 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and a 9.0 K/9. He has also displayed solid control (2.8 BB/9) and has done a good job keeping the ball in the park, thanks to an elite 60.3% ground ball rate. Webb has been even more impressive of late, producing a 1.76 ERA over his last eight starts, with four of those starts coming against the Dodgers and Astros. After shutting down those two elite offenses, the Brewers shouldn't give Webb much trouble on Friday.
Ryan Weathers (L), 15%, San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Weathers is looking to rebound from his worst start of the season as the Rockies put an eight-spot on the young southpaw over four innings. This sort of thing often happens in Coors Field, but it was at home in Petco Park. Weather isn't likely to pitch deep into the contest, but he should be able to clear five frames against the seventh-lowest scoring offense in the league.
Cal Quantrill (R), 20%, Cleveland vs. Detroit Tigers: After an ugly June that saw Quantrill post a 7.20 ERA over 28 1/3 innings, the right-hander has rebounded quite nicely. He sports a 2.36 ERA over his last six starts, and he's delivered four straight outings with zero or one earned run allowed. Quantrill's strikeout rate sits at a paltry 16.8%, which is being driven by a career-worst 8.3% swinging-strike rate, so there's not much upside to be found here. Then again, even though the Tigers have been hitting better of late, they still strike out a ton and have been below average against righties this season. This is a matchup Quantrill should be able to exploit.
Kyle Muller (L), 21%, Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals: Muller has made only six starts this season, and he's lasted more than five innings only once, but the early results have been impressive. In addition to the 2.43 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 29 2/3 frames, he sports a 10.0 K/9 and has allowed only one ball to leave the yard. The 4.6 BB/9 is obviously a red flag, and he also struggled with high walk rates in the minors. That said, Muller's stuff looks good, and the Nationals offense is not intimidating, especially without Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, both of whom were dealt at the trade deadline.
Bullpen:
There are a number of new closers in the fold following last week's trade deadline, and Tyler Clippard is one of them. The right-hander has inherited the ninth-inning role in Arizona following Joakim Soria's trade to Toronto. Clippard has made only six appearances this season after missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury, but he's already secured Arizona's last two save opportunities (including one when Soria was still on the team). With 70 career saves on his resume, Clippard is no stranger to the ninth inning, and he could easily keep the job over the season's final two months.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Hitting
Catcher -- Austin Nola (R), 18%, San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (LHP Caleb Smith): Nola has managed only 25 games this season because of injuries. However, he's racked up more walks than strikeouts and has started to put things together since the break, hitting .364 with a dinger and five RBI in his last seven games. Nola has also posted a .397 wOBA against lefties, which matches him up well with Smith on Friday.
First Base -- Rowdy Tellez (L), 12%, Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Francisco Giants (RHP Logan Webb): We like Webb as a streamer on Sunday, but with the way Tellez is swinging the bat, he's worth consideration any time he gets the platoon edge. The lefty slugger has produced a .400/.468/.750 triple slash with four homers and 12 RBI over his last 13 games, and American Family Field is an ideal venue for left-handed power.
Second Base -- Jed Lowrie (S), 39%, Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers (RHP Mike Foltynewicz): With a 6.00 ERA and an MLB-worst -1.0 WAR over 21 starts, it's fair to say that Foltynewicz is one of the hurlers we want to attack on Friday, so get those Oakland bats ready. The switch-hitting Lowrie is batting .306/.347/.505 over the last month and continues to bat in the heart of an improved A's lineup that recently added Starling Marte.
Third Base -- Yandy Diaz (R), 16%, Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles (LHP John Means): Yandy has been stinging the ball of late, registering a .309/.356/.574 slash line over the last 19 games. On Friday, he draws the platoon advantage against Means and gets a huge park upgrade, trading in Tropicana Field for Camden Yards, one of the best parks in baseball for home runs.
Shortstop -- Jazz Chisholm (L), 50%, Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies (RHP German Marquez): After a couple of IL stints (one of them COVID related), Chisholm is back in action. The 23-year-old has issues making contact, but he also bats atop the Marlins lineup and possesses the type of power/speed skill set that fantasy managers covet. Chisholm's rostered percentage has dropped in recent weeks, but a series at Coors Field is a great reason to pick him up again.
Corner Infield -- Miguel Cabrera (R), 8%, Detroit Tigers at Cleveland (RHP Cal Quantrill): Left for dead by many fantasy managers, Cabrera has been quietly proving that he still has a little left in the tank. The future Hall of Famer has cruised to a .319/.354/.513 triple slash over his last 32 games. And it's not a complete fluke either, as Cabrera's 50.9% hard-hit rate ranks in the top 10% of baseball. Those who need corner infield help should take notice.
Middle Infield -- Brendan Rodgers (R), 18%, Colorado Rockies vs. Miami Marlins (LHP Trevor Rogers): You can never have enough Coors Field exposure, and Rodgers might be the best way to get it. The former No. 3 overall pick has gone yard four times in his last eight games, and he's raked against lefties this season, boasting a 168 wOBA against them.
Outfield -- Edward Olivares (R), 3%, Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals (LHP Kwang Hyun Kim): After being constantly yo-yoed between the majors and minors, it looks like Olivares is finally settling into regular playing time with the Royals. The 25-year-old batted .322/.395/.572 with 13 homers and 12 steals in 52 games at Triple-A, and he's now homered in three of his last five games with the Royals. Even if you don't scoop Olivares up to stream him on Friday, he's a name worth monitoring.
Outfield -- Myles Straw (R), 31%, Cleveland vs. Detroit Tigers (RHP Matt Manning): You should know the drill with Straw by now. It's all about the wheels. He's racked up 18 steals this season, and that number should continue to grow now that he's with the Indians, a team that, unlike the Astros, will bat him leadoff, play him every day, and let him run wild.
Outfield -- Justin Upton (R), 23%, Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (LHP David Price): Jo Adell is the more exciting Angels outfielder to discuss, but he was highlighted in Wednesday's edition of the Daily Notes, so we'll instead give some air time to Upton. The veteran slugger is in the midst of a cold stretch, but his batted-ball data is well above average almost across the board, so he's still consistently hitting the ball with authority. Upton will get the platoon edge against Price on Friday.