Let's cut right to the chase. This is one of those streaming slates that you kind of wish you could skip right over. It feels like we're scraping the bottom of the barrel just to find three worthwhile arms. Even so, if you're fully committed to the streaming game, you don't take days off. So let's make the best of the hand we're dealt.
Here's a look at the day's top streaming options, focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN.com leagues.
Pitching
Jose Suarez (L), rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues, Los Angeles Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles: Suarez will be recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake after a short stay on the farm. The rookie left-hander has had an issue with the longball, allowing a whopping 10 homers in just 32 2/3 innings. He has, however, fanned 37 hitters in that span. Suarez draws an enticing matchup against the Orioles, who rank 25th in baseball with a .302 wOBA and an 86 wRC+ versus left-handed pitching.
Brett Anderson (L), 18%, Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers: Anderson will never be a popular fantasy commodity because of his inability to miss bats. However, he's delivered four straight quality starts and has now allowed three or fewer runs in 10 of his last 11 turns, leading to a 3.39 ERA during that stretch. Anderson should register his fifth straight quality start on Thursday against a Texas squad that's been highly vulnerable to left-handed pitching, ranking 27th in baseball with an 80 wRC+. He might even be able to rack up a few extra K's, as the Rangers sport an MLB-worst 27.4% strikeout rate against lefties.
Eric Lauer (L), 6%, San Diego Padres at New York Mets: We're digging deep here, but if you squint you can still find some things to like. Despite a couple of hiccups along the way, Lauer holds a 3.25 ERA over his last 10 starts, including one-run outings against both the Yankees and Dodgers. Lauer is also getting the Mets at the right time, as they've been stuck in neutral in July, putting up a .306 wOBA and a 92 wRC+.
Bullpen: The expectation was that Nathan Eovaldi, who just returned from injured list, would eventually take over as Boston's closer. Unfortunately, his first appearance of the season on Monday didn't go as planned, as he surrendered three runs on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Eovaldi could still take over as the Red Sox's ninth-inning man in the coming weeks, but those who have been stashing the hard-throwing righty will have to be patient. In the meantime, the Red Sox will try to get by with Brandon Workman and Marcus Walden working the late innings.
Hitting
Catcher -- Mitch Garver (R), 50%, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (RHP Lucas Giolito): Here we have a catcher who is batting .304/.385/.674 on the season, including .360/.448/1.080 with six homers since the All-Star break. He's also the No. 6 catcher on the ESPN Player Rater for the season. That's a long way of saying he should be rostered on more than 50% of teams. A matchup against Giolito isn't ideal, but he's been roughed up a bit in July (5.40 ERA).
First Base -- Matt Adams (L), 1%, Washington Nationals vs. Colorado Rockies (RHP Jeff Hoffman): With Ryan Zimmerman sidelined, Adams is in line for regular playing time. He boasts big-time power against right-handed pitching and could very well tee off against Hoffman, who sports a 6.75 ERA across nine appearances (seven starts).
Second Base -- Danny Santana (S), 38%, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics (LHP Brett Anderson): Santana's rostered percentage is on the rise, indicating that he's finally getting some of the respect he deserves. Despite only 249 at-bats thus far, he's nearly on pace for a 20/20 season with a .313/.346/.554 slash line. With eligibility at first base, second base, and outfield, Santana is an ideal streamer on a short slate.
Third Base -- Miguel Sano (R), 26%, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (RHP Lucas Giolito): Sano has been showcasing his power of late, whacking six homers over the last month. He makes for a nice power play on Thursday, as he travels to Guaranteed Rate Field, one of the game's most homer-friendly venues.
Shortstop -- Tim Beckham (R), 23%, Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers (RHP Drew VerHagen): Aside from a hot start in April, Beckham has mostly been a fantasy afterthought this season. However, he's showing signs of life again, batting .288/.351/.538 over the last month. VerHagen was designated for assignment by the Tigers earlier in the season, but the club is so desperate for pitching, they've now brought him back. in his first stint, VerHagen walked 10 in just six stanzas.
Corner Infield -- Albert Pujols (R), 11%, Los Angeles Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles (RHP Tom Eshelman): Pujols is surging right now. Over the last month, he sports a .322/.339/.492 triple slash, with a whopping 17 RBIs in his last 13 games. On Thursday, he gets an intriguing matchup against Eshelman, one of the day's lowest-ranked starters.
Middle Infield -- Didi Gregorius (L), 52%, New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox (RHP Rick Porcello): Gregorius has yet to make a significant impact since rejoining the Yankees in June, but his monster game on Tuesday (5-for-5 with a homer and seven RBIs) could be the start of something. He fares much better against right-handed pitching, and Porcello has been roughed up (.299/.361/.511) by left-handed swingers this season.
Outfield -- Jorge Soler (R), 53%, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians (RHP Adam Plutko): Soler's rostered percentage is slowly creeping up, but I wanted to take the chance to highlight him one more time. On pace for 43 dingers and 113 RBIs, he's basically doing what fantasy managers thought Khris Davis would do this season. If you need power production, Soler is an easy streaming option against Plutko, who has served up 14 homers in just eight starts.
Outfield -- Oscar Mercado (R), 28%, Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (LHP Mike Montgomery): Since the All-Star break, Mercado is batting .368/.442/.763 with four homers and three stolen bases. We've seen Ramon Laureano's rostered percentage skyrocket in recent weeks, and we could see the same thing happen to Mercado. On Thursday, he gets the platoon edge against Montgomery, who holds a 6.83 ERA across 21 appearances this season.
Outfield -- Jackie Bradley Jr. (L), 37%, Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (RHP Masahiro Tanaka): Tanaka has hit a bit of a rough patch, holding an 8.05 ERA over his last four starts, due in part to some homer-troubles (six homers allowed in his last four starts). This presents a favorable opportunity for Bradley, who does most of his damage against righty pitching.
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. "LH" and "RH" ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. Weighted on-base average (wOBA) is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent. A "*" means that the pitcher lacks requisite career major league data to produce an accurate hitter rating; these are the author's ratings.