Fantasy Baseball: 4 Pitchers to Stream in Week 2

Mike Leake, Seattle Mariners

Starts: April 13th vs. Oakland Athletics
ESPN percentage owned: 25.8%

Mike Leake's perennial mid-teens strikeout rate will raise few eyebrows in fantasy circles, but the (just barely) sub-4.00 career ERA on this unassuming Seattle Mariners righty is starting to look more and more useful in the current pitching climate.

Leake is, if nothing else, a reliable innings eater, notching at least 170 frames in every campaign since 2012. And while his ballooned walk rate over his first two starts of 2018 (14.0% compared to a career 5.7% clip) might be a bit of an eyesore, his tangle with an Athletics team that grades in the bottom half of team walk rates on the young season might not be especially daunting.

Oakland's young power does make Leake a somewhat touchy play, though the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco Field should provide Leake with some cushion. A low-key workhorse averaging more than 6 innings per start over his career, Leake is light on upside but certainly a decent no-frills roster filler for Week 2, especially in leagues that value wins or quality starts.