Fantasy Baseball Weekend Preview: Get a boost in your pitching to close out Week 11

As we roll into the weekend, this is a great time for fantasy managers to gain some points in the pitching standings. Several skilled starters remain available in plenty of leagues, despite having favorable matchups in the coming days.

On the hitting side, those who find Braves or Phillies on the waiver wire are likely to receive plenty of rewards for their effort.

Matchups to target

Braves vs. Rockies

Atlanta’s dominant lineup could catch fire against three subpar Colorado right-handed starters. Aside from the obvious decision to start all the Braves stars, Eddie Rosario (16% rostered) and Orlando Arcia (54%) are good options this weekend.

Angels at Royals

Brady Singer, Mike Mayers and Zack Greinke are unlikely to hold the Angels in check. Hunter Renfroe (76%) and Taylor Ward (65%) should all be given the benefit of the doubt, and catcher Matt Thaiss (3%) is a solid streaming option.

Phillies at A’s

Philadelphia’s offense could continue a recent trend of getting on track when they face an A’s staff that has made some improvements of late but still owns a 6.24 ERA. Oakland is throwing weak starters Saturday and Sunday, and Friday’s starter, J.P. Sears, gives up plenty of homers. With the A’s using two southpaw starters, Alec Bohm (73%) and Bryson Stott (66%) are the top streaming targets in shallow leagues.

Marlins at Nationals

Miami’s offense is far from dominant, but the Marlins should succeed against the starting trio of Trevor Williams, Jake Irvin and Patrick Corbin and a Nats bullpen with a 4.89 ERA. Luis Arráez (92%) and Jorge Soler (83%) are must-start players, while Jesus Sanchez (10%) should be started in most leagues Friday and Saturday. Joey Wendle (1%) is a sneaky option in deep leagues.

Pirates at Brewers

Pittsburgh could enjoy its time at hitter-friendly American Family Field against unremarkable starters Adrian Houser, Wade Miley and Freddy Peralta. There are plenty of Pirates to stream, especially Ke’Bryan Hayes (60%), Jack Suwinski (36%), Ji Hwan Bae (38%) and Andrew McCutchen 39%).

Matchups to avoid

D-backs vs. Guardians

Facing a starting trio of Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber and Tanner Bibee is a tall task for any offense, even a productive Arizona group. Corbin Carroll can stay active in all leagues, while Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Christian Walker will stay in the mix in 12-team formats.

Padres vs. Rays

San Diego’s offense is unlikely to have its best weekend against three Tampa Bay starters with a sub-3.00 ERA. I’m skeptical of starting any Padres not named Juan Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr. or Manny Machado.

Seeking steals

Those who hope to pick up a couple of extra steals this week should target speedsters in these contests.

Lane Thomas, Alex Call vs. Sandy Alcántara (Friday): For the second straight year, Alcántara finds his name on the league leaders' list for steals allowed. Thomas is the best streaming target in this matchup, but Call can also be considered in deeper formats. These players are especially appealing if Jacob Stallings is behind the dish, as he struggles to hold baserunners.

Thairo Estrada vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers have allowed the most steals in baseball, with both of their catchers sitting among the top eight in swipes surrendered. Estrada is the one player on the Giants who could really make Los Angeles pay for its inability to limit the running game.

Big boppers

Looking to add a homer or two to your total this week? Consider streaming one of these players.

Alec Bohm vs. J.P. Sears (Friday): As mentioned earlier, Bohm excels vs. lefties (career .867 OPS), and Sears ranks seventh in baseball in homers allowed. Bohm could also go deep late in the game against an A’s bullpen that has surrendered more long balls than any other relief corps.

Zach McKinstry vs. Louie Varland (Sunday): Although Varland has fared well overall, he has struggled to keep the ball in the yard. The right-hander could be taken deep by the left-handed hitting McKinstry, who has ripped 16 of his 17 career round-trippers against righties and will likely bat leadoff in this game.

Streaming starters

In order, here are the best streamers from Friday to Sunday, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in parentheses.

• Louie Varland vs. DET (Sunday, 21)

• Braxton Garrett @ WSH (Saturday, 37)

• James Paxton vs. NYY (Sunday, 57)

• Tanner Bibee @ ARI (Sunday, 51)

• Dane Dunning vs. TOR (Saturday, 54)

• Brayan Bello vs. NYY (Saturday, 28)

• J.P. France vs. CIN (Friday, 29)

• Griffin Canning @ KC (Saturday, 22)

• Andrew Abbott @ HOU (Friday, 57)

• Yonny Chirinos @ SD (Sunday, 3)

• Tanner Houck vs. NYY (Friday, 12)

• Kyle Hendricks vs. BAL (Friday, 11)

• Kyle Gibson @ CHC (Saturday, 56)

• Domingo German @ BOS (Friday, 59)

• Brandon Bielak vs. CIN (Saturday, 11)

• J.P. Sears vs. PHI (Friday, 12)

• Zack Greinke vs. LAA (Sunday, 12)

• Dean Kremer @ CHC (Sunday, 23)