Start: August 9th vs. Boston Red Sox
ESPN ownership: 5 percent
Once a streaming stay-away, the scuffling Boston Red Sox offense could very well be emerging as one of the prime targets for starter speculators.
This is especially the case when the Sox are away from Fenway, as Boston has been, by leaps and bounds, the poorest road offense in the majors over the last month, ice cold at the dish in terms of power production.
Granted, Blake Snell's 12.7% walk rate makes him a major liability for blowups and abbreviated outings, but the Tampa Bay Rays' lefty does have one excellent offering that could put him over the top against a struggling offense, namely a nasty slider that's coaxing 24.0% whiffs and allowing a mere 46 wRC+ on the season -- and that's with a .409 BABIP!
The deeper the league, the less likely you are to bristle at Snell's 4.98 ERA and 5.06 FIP. Just don't let the matchup scare you.