Starts: August 8th vs. St. Louis Cardinals, August 13th at Chicago White Sox
ESPN Ownership: 22 percent
Trevor Cahill's run of results since being traded from the San Diego Padres to the surprisingly resurgent Kansas City Royals has been quite inauspicious. The 29-year-old has failed to complete five innings in either of his two turns for the Royals, surrendering seven earned runs to a mere five punchouts.
Royals loyalists and fantasy owners alike might be wondering if we were all too quick to anoint Cahill as a difference maker, but the beleaguered righty is in a nice spot to get back in everyone's good graces with as pair of plus matchups this week.
The Cardinals have been a middle-of-the-pack offense for most of the season, and of late they've been largely bereft of power production against righties and away from home. The real treat here, though, is the road date in Chicago against a White Sox squad that's had very little going against right handers this month. With the tanking Sox pressing to a 12.1% team swinging-strike and a mere 5.8% walk rate over the last month, they might currently be the most attractive streaming matchup in the majors.
Cahill has struggled in some pretty plum matchups recently (including five earned against the perennial streamer punching bag that is the San Francisco Giants), so it's hard to treat him as a slam-dunk add this week, but owners seeking strikeout upside won't find many more promising options on the wire.