Fantasy Baseball H2H Streamers – Week 1

I’m back for another season! I have been waiting for this week for months, and it’s hard to believe that baseball is back in action! I drafted way more teams than I’d like to admit, but I’ll once again be providing you with streamers every week. This is my favorite article to write each week because it’s the most impactful article for my personal fantasy teams. That has me as motivated as ever to get these right, and the opening weeks are the best times to capitalize on these streamers before they’re rostered universally.

Favorable Team Matchups

7 Games

Kansas City Royals (at BAL, vs. CWS)

6 Games

Baltimore Orioles (vs. KC, at PIT)

Boston Red Sox (at OAK, vs. LAA)

New York Mets (vs. DET, at CIN)

Philadelphia Phillies (vs. CIN, at WAS)

Tampa Bay Rays (vs. TEX, at COL)

Pitching Streamers

James Paxton (LAD) vs. SF

I’m ready to be hurt again. Well, I guess Paxton is ready to be hurt again because this guy has never finished a season at any point in his career. In any case, we need him for one start, and we expect Paxton to be one of the best streamers out there as long as he’s healthy. The Dodgers always seem to get the best out of their starters, which is incredible since Paxton has a 3.69 ERA and 1.22 WHIP throughout his career. The southpaw is also sporting a 30 percent K rate and should thrive in Dodger Stadium behind this elite offense. It’s not like San Fran is a scary matchup either, sitting 24th in both runs scored and wOBA last season.

Streamonator Valuation: $28.2

Lance Lynn (STL) vs. MIA

It was a nightmarish season for Lynn last year, but the vibes in Chicago were horrendous. Getting traded to LA revived his season, recording a quality start in seven of his 11 starts with the Dodgers. That’s the stud we remember from the past, with Lynn pitching like an ace three years before joining the ChiSox. In fact, Lynn had a 3.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 29 percent K rate between 2019 and 2022. We’ll trust a four-year sample size over a one-year dud, especially since Lynn is getting a home start in Busch Stadium. It’s not like the Marlins are a terrifying matchup, sitting 26th in runs scored last year.

Streamonator Valuation: $26.6

Sean Manaea (NYM) vs. DET

This one worries me, but it’s hard to overlook the Streamonator’s valuation. We rarely see a waiver wire guy with a $40 projection, but that’s what Manaea has garnered this week. One of the biggest reasons for the lofty forecast is the home matchup with Detroit. The Tigers were 26th in OBP, 27th in wOBA, and 28th in runs scored last year. They’ve also been near the bottom in K rate in each of the last five years and could struggle mightily in a pitcher’s park like Citi Field. A nightmarish opening month killed Manaea’s averages last year, but he had a 2.61 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over the final two months. If he carries that form into this season, Manaea should maul the Motor City Kitties.

Streamonator Valuation: $39.3

Javier Assad (CHC) vs. COL

Assad was a fantasy darling of mine in the final weeks of last season, carrying me in the playoffs as one of my streamers. Over his final nine starts, Assad accrued a 2.47 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. That made it hard to understand why they shifted him to the pen in the final two weeks, but Assad is expected to assume the role of starter this year. Recapturing that form should be easy against a team like Colorado, ranked as the worst road offense in baseball last year. They could be even worse this year, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Assad enter this matchup as a -200 favorite.

Streamonator Valuation: $25.4

Tanner Houck (BOS) at OAK

We might recommend streamers against Oakland in every article we produce. The A’s are projected to be the worst offense in baseball, ranked 29th or 30th in OBP, OPS, runs scored, wOBA, and xwOBA last season. They have one of the worst lineups I’ve ever seen, and a talented pitcher like Houck should handle them at ease. Houck has a 3.86 ERA and 1.23 WHIP throughout his career but had dominant numbers before a disappointing 2023 season. We’re not sure he won’t duplicate what he did last year, but it won’t happen against a Triple-A lineup like the A’s.

Streamonator Valuation: $23.8

Hitting Streamers

MJ Melendez, KC (at BAL, vs. CWS)

We have to get a Kansas City bat in here because they’re the only team with seven games that gets favorable matchups. That alone makes Melendez an intriguing option, especially since you can use him as a catcher on most sites. Getting a catcher who could get 30 at-bats in a week is a bonus on its own, but Melendez has proven to be a solid fantasy producer in the past. He had 16 and 18 homers over the last two years, hitting fifth for the Royals in the opener. What we really love are his splits, showcasing a .332 OBP and .751 OPS against righties last year. That should bode well against the backends of these rotations, facing guys like Dean Kremer, Chris Flexen, Nick Nastrini, Erick Fedde, and Michael Soroka.

Brandon Lowe, TB (vs. TEX, at COL)

Lowe used to be a Top 100 pick in most fantasy drafts, but he went undrafted in many of the leagues I play in this year. That’s strange when looking at his profile, providing a .334 OBP, .484 SLG and .818 OPS throughout his career. Two down years had him freefalling out of fantasy drafts, but this is the sort of week where he can recapture some of that power. Not only does he get three games in Coors Field against one of the worst pitching staffs I’ve ever seen, but he’s also facing a Rangers rotation that’s missing three of its starters.

He’s also projected to face at least four righties, which is terrific since Lowe has a career .847 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. This is one of those streamers that could turn into a must-roster player if Lowe starts out hot, building off of his grand slam on Friday.

SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)

Steals Specialists

Victor Scott (STL)

Some people believe this is the fastest player in MLB, and he should be a regular for this shorthanded St. Louis team. Scott picked up a steal in the opener and swiped 95 bases across Double-A and Triple-A last year.

Starling Marte (NYM)

Marte is sitting out there in about 40 percent of leagues and has been one of the best speed demons over the last decade. He’s been averaging 30 steals per year since 2013 and had 24 steals across 86 games last season.

Saves Specialists

Griffin Jax (MIN)

With Jhoan Duran going down for the next three months, Jax looks like the go-to closer. He picked up the save in the opener and has 41 holds in a setup role over the last two years.

Yimi Garcia (TOR)

Jordan Romano and Eric Swanson are both on the IL, leaving Garcia as the closer. He has a 1.02 WHIP since 2019 and could be a sneaky source of saves over the next two weeks until one of these guys returns.

Kevin Ginkel (ARI)

Paul Sewald suffered an oblique injury in the final week of spring training, and many people believe Ginkel is next in line. He had a 2.48 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in a sparking 2023 season.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!