Finding good starting pitchers can be a weekly struggle. I aim to solve this headache by finding the best fantasy baseball streaming pitchers every week who are on most waiver wires. I use the FantasyPros streaming pitchers tool to find league roster percentage information.
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First, let’s take a look at last week’s picks:
- Hayden Birdsong (@ATL): 0.0 Innings, 0 Strikeouts, 5 Earned Runs, 1 Hit, 4 Walks (Loss)
- Quinn Priester (@SEA): 7.0 Innings, 6 Strikeouts, 2 Earned Runs, 6 Hits, 2 Walks (Win)
- Eric Lauer (@DET): 8.0 Innings, 6 Strikeouts, 1 Earned Run, 5 Hits, 0 Walks (Win)
Total: 15 Innings, 12 Strikeouts, 8 Earned Runs, 12 Hits, 6 Walks (2-1)
Quinn Priester and Eric Lauer had excellent weeks, but Hayden Birdsong certainly hurt the average. We will take what we can get in a weird week where several of our streamers were pushed back to later games.
Without further delay, below are my picks for pitchers to stream during Week 18, from Monday, July 28th to Sunday, August 3rd.
Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers
Monday, July 28th
Slade Cecconi (SP – CLE) vs. COL | 9% Rostered
Slade Cecconi against the Rockies may be the best streaming option on this list. Cecconi has found success this season, tossing a 3.76 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 69.1 innings with 60 strikeouts.
The 26-year-old has three quality starts in his last four outings, and a confusing fourth start where he earned the win after throwing 8.1 innings, but allowing six runs. Cecconi is a good pitcher going against the worst team in baseball. You know what that means. Cecconi is a great option against the Rockies, who have a measly winning percentage of .255.
Alternative: JP Sears (SP – ATH) vs. SEA | 7% Rostered
Tuesday, July 29th
Brandon Walter (SP – HOU) vs. WSH | 14% Rostered
Brandon Walter has been good in 53.2 innings this season. He has seen much more work than in 2023, the only other year Walter was in the majors.
The 28-year-old has achieved a sparkling 3.35 ERA (3.20 xERA) and 0.93 WHIP in nine appearances this season. The lefty is a good option to hold long-term, and an even better option against the Nationals, who have a below-average OPS of .674 against lefties.
Alternative: Tanner Gordon (SP – COL) vs. CLE | 0% Rostered
Wednesday, July 30th
Jeffrey Springs (SP – ATH) vs. SEA | 14% Rostered
Jeffrey Springs is having a hot and cold 2025. He strings together a few nice starts and then always seems to implode eventually. His latest implosion was a rough start on July 20th, as he allowed the Guardians to score five runs in four innings.
Springs does not have an easy opponent in the Mariners, whose offensive OPS is in the top ten. Luckily, Springs has a career 2.43 ERA against the Mariners in 12 appearances, including an effective start against them earlier this season. Look for Springs to add to his success against the Mariners.
Alternative: Michael Wacha (SP – KC) vs. ATL | 20% Rostered
Thursday, July 31st
Kumar Rocker (SP – TEX) @SEA | 4% Rostered
Although Kumar Rocker could be a good starter against the Mariners, it is important to recognize that there are only a handful of games being played on this day. The two streaming options for today are Rocker and Marcus Stroman, so both of them are listed here by default.
Rocker is a serviceable streaming candidate. The 25-year-old is coming off an impressive shutout against the Tigers, where he struck out five and allowed one hit and three walks in 6.1 innings. Rocker flashed his potential in this start, yet he has not shown much hope throughout the rest of 2025.
Rocker has a dreadful 5.66 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP this season. His only other shutout this year was against the White Sox on June 15th. While you can feel free to stream Rocker, better options exist on other days.
Alternative: Marcus Stroman (SP – NYY) vs. TB | 3% Rostered
Friday, August 1st
Tyler Anderson (SP – LAA) vs. CWS | 7% Rostered
Tyler Anderson against the White Sox follows the streamer blueprint of a decent pitcher against a bad team. The Angel starter has been a high-floor, low-ceiling option this season.
While Anderson’s track record makes it seem unlikely he will have a stellar outing, even against the White Sox, it suggests he will have a good enough start. View Anderson as a solid quality streamer.
Alternative: Michael Lorenzen (SP – KC) @TOR | 4% Rostered
Saturday, August 2nd
Joey Cantillo (SP – CLE) vs. MIN | 2% Rostered
Joey Cantillo is an intriguing reliever-turned-starter. The lefty has built up to 95 pitches and can now go deep into ball games. He has a 4.08 ERA in four July starts and a 3.91 ERA on the season.
The 25-year-old most recently earned the win against Baltimore in five great innings. Cantillo is a pitcher to watch and should find success against the Twins, who have average hitting stats.
Alternative: Max Scherzer (SP – TOR) vs. KC | 15% Rostered
Sunday, August 3rd
Brandon Walter (SP – HOU) @BOS | 14% Rostered
As mentioned earlier, Brandon Walter is having a wonderful season. He is a good streamer and perhaps a hold for the rest of the season.
Walter is very talented and should even find success against the Red Sox, who are 13-5 so far in July. If the Red Sox being hot scares you, feel free to stream Walter earlier in the week, or someone else from this list.
Alternative: Slade Cecconi (SP – CLE) vs. MIN | 9% Rostered
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