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The Detroit Tigers barely have fantasy baseball value — here's how to take advantage

The Tigers have been a terrific fantasy streaming target all season. After all, Detroit sits last in baseball with a .593 OPS and their total runs scored (162) are 37 less than that of any other team.

But this club has taken things to a new low in June. Check out these recent Tigers statistics:

· The club scored zero or one run in four of their 10 June games.

· Their .507 OPS this month is 117 points lower than that of any other team.

· They have scored more than three runs in just two games this month, and they have not scored more than five runs in any game.

· Incredibly, the Tigers have hit just one June homer.

Right now, the Tigers are the softest landing spot that can be found for opposing starting pitchers, with the odds of a poor start being very low. Looking ahead, here is some quick-hitting advice on pitchers who are set to face Detroit this week.

Start your pitchers against the Tigers

Monday: Lance Lynn returns from the IL to make his first start of the season. While it is normally risky to use starters for their first outing after a long layoff, Lynn should be active in every league.

Tuesday: Dylan Cease is a set-and-forget starter who could have one of his best outings.

Wednesday: The White Sox have yet to name a Wednesday starter. I’ll consider adding anyone who starts this game and has an expected pitch count over 75.

Thursday: Martin Perez has been surprisingly effective this year but was hit hard last time out. His matchup against Detroit means that he should stay active in all leagues.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Martin Perez (54) has fantasy value
Martin Perez has an optimal fantasy start this week against the Tigers. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Friday: Jon Gray is available in roughly 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues. He has been inconsistent of late but can be streamed for this matchup.

Saturday: This is likely where I draw the line. Taylor Hearn (5.40 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) is 98 percent available, but I wouldn’t stream him outside of 15-team leagues.

Sunday: Dane Dunning has trended in the wrong direction lately, but I would still use him against Detroit. He is available in 88 percent of leagues.

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The flip side of Detroit’s struggles is that their hitters are leaving fantasy managers high and dry:

Here's a few pieces of advice regarding Tigers position players.

Tiger hitters aren't doing any better than their pitching

Javier Baez (2B/SS, 84 percent rostered) needs to be dropped in many leagues.

Factoring in his 2022 production (.543 OPS) and career-long success (.770 OPS), his roster rate should be around 40 percent. He should be dropped in all 10-team leagues and many 12-team formats. Given the poor results from his supporting cast, Baez will struggle to compile runs and RBIs even when his bat heats up.

Austin Meadows (OF, 65 percent): Meadows should have a similar roster rate to Baez. The lefty slugger hasn’t been completely awful this year (.663 OPS) but also has zero homers and doesn’t steal bases.

Spencer Torkelson (1B, 30 percent): First base is arguably the deepest position in fantasy and Torkelson has a .586 OPS. He should be cut in all non-keeper mixed leagues.

Robbie Grossman (OF, 24 percent): Grossman helped me win multiple 2021 leagues but I’m taking the “L” on him this year. Go ahead and cut him in all mixed leagues.

Riley Greene (OF, 41 percent): This is the one Tigers position player who is rostered at the correct rate. Greene has five-category potential and should join this underachieving lineup as soon as he finishes his rehab assignment. In fact, he should be their leadoff hitter in short order.