This is a great weekend to get a temporary boost in the hitting department. Since Opening Day took place one week ago, most aces made their second 2025 start on Tuesday or Wednesday, which means that teams will use their weakest starters this weekend.
On the pitching side, the lack of elite talent creates plenty of streaming options, albeit with some risk involved. We saw the downside of streamers at the outset of the week when the likes of Kumar Rocker, Chris Paddack and Emerson Hancock all struggled on Monday.
Matchups to Target
Athletics @ Rockies: Although the peak Coors Field benefits typically occur during warm weather in the summer months, there is still an advantage to trying to collect base knocks at this hitter-friendly venue in April. Colorado is set to deploy three right-handed starters, which makes skilled lefty J.J. Bleday (29%) the best streaming option on either team. Those in deeper formats can also target Miguel Andujar (1%) or Jacob Wilson (11%), who would probably hit .350 if he played all his games at Coors Field. Ryan McMahon (41%) is the best Rockies hitter to consider.
Red Sox vs. Cardinals: Boston will work at their hitter-friendly home park against a trio of manageable starters. Kristian Campbell (50%) perfectly blends streamer value and long-term upside. Trevor Story (7%) is off to a slow start but can be considered in deep formats.
Reds @ Brewers: All six scheduled starters for this series are average or worse. And the hitter-friendly nature of Miller Park will only enhance the potential for offense. There are plenty of excellent Cincinnati options, including Christian Encarnacion-Strand (41%), TJ Friedl (37%), Gavin Lux (7%) and Jeimer Candelario (11%). All three Reds starters throw from the right side, which makes Garrett Mitchell (18%) and Sal Frelick (7%) from the Brewers more appealing than usual.
Tigers vs. White Sox: Although the weather is unpredictable in Detroit during April, it's still a good idea to target players who are facing the rebuilding White Sox, who are unlikely to sustain their early success. Spencer Torkelson (36%) is not only one of baseball's best early season stories, and he's also the top Tiger to grab from the waiver wire. Colt Keith (22%) is another man to consider.
Braves vs. Marlins: Atlanta should snap out of an early season slump when they face three beatable Miami right-handers this weekend. Unfortunately, the team doesn't offer many streaming options, as most of the players from this talented lineup are widely rostered. Those in deep leagues can consider catcher Drake Baldwin (7%) and outfielder Jarred Kelenic (1%).
Matchups to Avoid
Twins vs. Astros: Players on the Twins and Astros are poor volume plays by virtue of being the only teams who are scheduled for just two games this weekend. And to make matters worse, most of the scheduled starters for this series are respectable. Houston has plenty of stars who will stay in the lineup, but Jeremy Peña can be benched in shallow leagues, and Cam Smith will sit in most formats.
There are no must-start Twins, although in 12-team leagues Matt Wallner, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton will squeeze into some lineups. The fact that these two offenses have struggled out of the gate only adds to their lack of overall appeal.
Dodgers @ Phillies: Two of the best teams in baseball will meet for an exciting April series that will feature plenty of excellent starting pitchers. There are superstar position players on both teams who will stay in all lineups, but the likes of Max Muncy, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, Bryson Stott, Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh may not earn a lineup spot this weekend.
Seeking Saves
Beau Brieske, Tommy Kahnle (Detroit Tigers): Detroit continues to have an unsettled bullpen, which creates a great buying opportunity this weekend, as the Tigers should win a couple of games against the lowly White Sox. At the very least, Brieske and Kahnle should throw some clean innings against a weak lineup. Of the two options, I would rather add Kahnle, who earned a save on April 1.
[It's not too late — join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
Seeking Steals
Jake Mangum (Tampa Bay Rays): Mangum is a great story. The 29-year-old finally reached the majors on March 30, and he has gone 8-for-15 with three steals in his initial four games. Mangum won't enjoy a .615 BABIP for much longer, but he deserves credit for having only struck out twice. The speedy newcomer could add to his steals total this weekend against the Rangers, who have already allowed 12 swipes.
Streaming starters
In order, here are the best streamers for the weekend, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in parentheses.
Jordan Hicks vs. SEA (Sunday, 14)
Reese Olson vs. CWS (Saturday, 28)
Tylor Megill vs. TOR (Friday, 14)
José Soriano vs. CLE (Friday, 30)
AJ Smith-Shawver vs. MIA (Saturday, 25)
Grant Holmes vs. MIA (Sunday, 32)
Kris Bubic vs. BAL (Sunday, 24)
Michael Wacha vs. BAL (Saturday, 37)
Ben Brown vs. SD (Sunday, 12)
David Peterson vs. TOR (Sunday, 32)
Max Meyer @ATL (Saturday, 23)
Brady Singer @MIL (Saturday, 35)
Erick Fedde @BOS (Friday, 25)
Jonathan Cannon @DET (Friday, 1)
Martín Pérez @DET (Sunday, 4)
Matthew Boyd vs. SD (Saturday, 13)
Richard Fitts vs. STL (Saturday, 6)
Marcus Stroman @PIT (Saturday, 6)
Dean Kremer @KC (Friday, 6)
