Roto Riteup: June 23, 2015

Yesterday the USWNT advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, however it was a pretty narrow 2-0 win. The team will be without Rapinoe and Holiday in the game against China, so the US has their work cut out for them.

On today’s agenda:
1. I still like Steven Souza
2. Jered Weaver injury update
3. Ivan Nova returns tomorrow
4. Streaming Pitching Options

I still like Steven Souza
After previously touting the potential 20-20 within Souza, he has rewarded in the home run department with 14 long balls, however his steals have lagged behind. Yesterday he nabbed his ninth steal of the season, but it was just his second steal in June. Add in the fact he’s hitting for a rather modest .229 and it’s easy to see why some owners have bailed on Souza. Batting average issues aside, Souza is still hitting for a 124 wRC+ thanks to his power and 11,5 percent walk rate. While his value suffers in standard 5×5 leagues, in on-base percentage and points leagues he shines. Unfortunately Souza has dropped to fifth or even sixth in the lineup in recent days, but now if players can reach base in front of him, his extra-base power will lead to RBIs. He’s already owned in 80 percent of CBS leagues yet is readily available in almost 40 percent of Yahoo! formats and 50 percent of ESPN settings.

Jered Weaver injury update
The Angels placed Weaver on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Citing left-hip inflammation, an MRI conducted yesterday came back negative for structural damage or tears of any kind. There remains no official timetable for Weaver’s return just yet, however I’m not sure hanging on to him is the best bet, even if he does return when first eligible. We’ve seen a drop in his swinging strike rate for three consecutive years and his fastball is averaging 85 mph according to Brooks Baseball. Weaver’s “heater” ranks 122 out of 126 starters with at least 50 innings pitched this year. He still does have a solid 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio and a pitcher friendly home park, but he’s best left as a stream option in mixed leagues as this point.

Ivan Nova returns tomorrow
If you’re looking for a potential Weaver replacement, I like Nova a fair amount. The Yankees are set to activate in time to start Wednesday’s game against the Phillies. He generates a solid amount of ground balls and has shown an ability to miss bats as recently as 2012 and 2013 when he relied more heavily on his curveball. A Tommy John surgery guy, Nova may take a game or two to get back into the swing of things. Still, the 28-year-old is worthy of at least a spot starter or stream option in anything deeper than a standard league. Nova is free to stream in more than 75 percent of the three major fantasy sites and despite the injury come back concerns, the Phillies haven’t hit right-handers particularly well. I’ll be using him as a streamer in my deeper leagues.

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Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Mike Fiers vs NYM (Jon Niese)
The Mets haven’t hit right-handers too well as according to wRC+, the club ranks 24th. Looking beyond Fiers’ 4.50 ERA, he owns a 3.61 SIERA to go with his 9.97 K/9. He’s already owned in 65 percent of CBS leagues, yet his 55 percent Yahoo! and 25 percent ESPN ownership rates make him a solid option today.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Ivan Nova vs PHI (Cole Hamels)
As stated above, I have faith in Nova, not only on Wednesday but also as a stream option for the season.