Starts: August 20th at Minnesota Twins, August 25th at Detroit Tigers
ESPN ownership: 9.2%
A complete loss of command has made 2018 a pure nightmare for Lucas Giolito. The former top prospect has seen his walk rate balloon to 12.2%, and hitters have made the Chicago White Sox regret those free passes, as his 6.15 ERA is the worst in the Majors among starters tallying 130 or more innings.
Still, cover up the name and those matchups do jump off the page, with Minnesota and Detroit both perennial streamer targets as decidedly below-average power performers against righties since the start of July. It also helps that the 24-year old is getting a sustained breather from the White Sox' pitcher-hostile home park. Giolito's 4.54 ERA away from The Cell this season isn't exactly pretty, but it's a heck of a lot closer to league average than his overall totals.
Obviously, as an almost universally available streamer, Giolito's upside is capped, but there is certainly a path here to perfectly acceptable production, and deep-league streamers can't really ask for much else at this point.