Another week has come and gone, and it is time to look ahead to the upcoming slate of Major League Baseball action and dive into the fantasy baseball streaming pitchers. I’m here every week to give you suggestions on which pitchers you should stream to win your matchups.
I will be using FantasyPros’ streaming pitchers rankings to help determine my picks. Sync your league to find your own high-potential starters on the waiver wire.
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Lineup Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Keep in mind that starters can get off schedule, and some projected starters may be pushed back due to injuries or weather.
First, let’s take a look at last week’s picks:
- Joey Cantillo (SP, RP – CLE) vs. LAA: 6.0 Innings, 4 Strikeouts, 0 Earned Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Walk (Win)
- Stephen Kolek (SP – KCR) @ CWS: 4.2 Innings, 6 Strikeouts, 5 Earned Runs, 5 Hits, 3 Walks (No Decision)
- Christian Scott (SP – NYM) vs. DET: 4.2 Innings, 5 Strikeouts, 2 Earned Runs, 7 Hits, 2 Walks (No Decision)
- Robby Snelling (SP – MIA) @ MIN: Start canceled due to UCL sprain
- Connelly Early (SP – BOS) @ ATL: 5.0 Innings, 6 Strikeouts, 2 Earned Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Walks (No Decision)
- Jameson Taillon (SP – CHC) @ CWS: 5.0 Innings, 2 Strikeouts, 8 Earned Runs, 8 Hits, 1 Walk (Loss)
- JR Ritchie (SP – ATL) vs. BOS: Start moved to next week
Total: 25.0 Innings, 23 Strikeouts, 17 Earned Runs, 30 Hits, 7 Walks (1-1)
Jameson Taillon really ruined what was a pretty good streaming week. Joey Cantillo and Connelly Early were great. Stephen Kolek and Christian Scott were not great, but we have seen worse. Let’s aim for more consistent results next week.
Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers: Week 8
Monday, May 18
J.T. Ginn (SP – ATH) @LAA | 4% Rostered
J.T. Ginn is having a breakout season. The 26-year-old pitcher has thrown 34 innings so far to a 3.12 ERA (3.84 xERA). He flashed his potential with an eight-inning, eight-strikeout shutout against the Phillies on May 7th.
Ginn primarily throws a mid-90s sinker that batters are hitting only .226 against. He also wields a slider, cutter, change-up and four-seamer. Ginn’s sinker has excellent vertical movement and has been a key component of his early success.
Ginn has not been a strikeout pitcher so far. He has a 7.1 K/9 ratio and a 19.4% strikeout rate in 2026. However, look for a few more strikeouts when Ginn is facing the Angels, who currently lead the Majors with 450 strikeouts. I trust the righty to start the week off strong.
Alternative: Jake Irvin (SP – WSH) vs. NYM | 1% Rostered
Tuesday, May 19
Zebby Matthews (SP – MIN) vs. HOU | 3% Rostered
Zebby Matthews is worth a speculative pick-up against the struggling Astros. The 19-28 Astros recently lost Carlos Correa for the season due to an ankle injury, and their offense has suffered as a result.
Matthews is getting a third chance to demonstrate his talent in the Majors. The righty certainly made his season debut count, holding the Marlins scoreless across seven innings with five strikeouts. Matthews’ excellent debut reflects the minor league potential he has yet to fully realize.
Based on a very small sample size, Matthews seems like a great streamer. He used his mid-90s fastball 48% of the time against the Marlins, but expect his pitch usage to shift more towards the 39.6% rate he threw in the minors. Ideally, this will lead to more breaking pitches, which can mean more strikeouts.
Matthews is a young, somewhat unknown pitcher, so this stream is not guaranteed. The 25-year-old is a high-risk, high-reward streamer next week.
Alternative: Bryce Miller (SP – SEA) vs. CWS | 18% Rostered
Wednesday, May 20
Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) vs. SFG | 23% Rostered
Merrill Kelly started the season off truly abysmal. He allowed 21 runs in his first four starts (19 innings). In his two starts since, Kelly has allowed just one run in each game across 16 innings, including a complete game against the Rockies in Colorado.
It seems as if Kelly is shaking off the rust he suffered from his intercostal nerve irritation this spring. The righty began the season on the injured list (IL) with a rehab assignment. The 37-year-old took a while to readjust. Kelly is looking more like himself now.
Kelly’s advanced stats still do not look great. His xERA of 7.85 is much worse than his actual ERA of 5.91. Batters are hitting .322 off him, among the worst marks in baseball. Fantasy managers should stream Kelly based on his recent momentum instead of his performance for the season. I feel better because Kelly is facing the Giants, whose .663 team OPS is the third-worst in baseball.
Alternative: Connelly Early (SP – BOS) @KCR | 23% Rostered
Thursday, May 21
Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH) vs. NYM | 7% Rostered
Cade Cavalli is a decent streamer on a day without many options. I love his matchup against the Mets. They have the worst team OPS in all of baseball (.639) and have been making solid pitchers look like prime Jacob deGrom.
Cavalli has been no slouch this season. His strikeouts have taken a big step forward since last season, now boasting an excellent 9.8 K/9. Cavalli’s knuckle curve has a 44.7% whiff rate and has seen much more success as a secondary pitch compared to his primary pitch in 2025.
Cavalli is not an ace, but he has been average. His OPS+ sits at exactly 100. Average is what we need here against the 19-26 Mets.
Alternative: Luis Severino (SP – ATH) @LAA | 12% Rostered
Friday, May 22
Connor Prielipp (SP – MIN) @BOS | 7% Rostered
Connor Prielipp is finding his way as a rookie. Although he did not get as much hype during his debut as other rookie starters, he has outperformed many of those fellow rookies. Prielipp has an impressive 3.32 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in four starts, striking out 21 batters in 19 innings.
The 6-foot-2 pitcher utilizes a slider, a four-seamer, a curveball, a change-up and occasionally a sinker. His slider has been excellent with a 32.1% whiff rate. Batters are only hitting .100 on his fastball. The 25-year-old is not taking hard hits.
The lefty is coming off a quality start in which he struck out eight Brewers over six innings. It was the first time Prielipp went six innings in the Majors, and it is a very encouraging sign. I love Prielipp against the struggling Red Sox.
Alternative: Logan Henderson (SP – MIL) vs. LAD | 17% Rostered
Saturday, May 23
Christian Scott (SP – NYM) @MIA | 4% Rostered
Christian Scott disappointed us last week. I know. I am willing to give him one more shot against the Marlins, but I understand if you do not want to risk it this late in the week.
I like Scott because of his strikeout upside. He has 20 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. He has walked nine batters during this stretch. However, Scott has a career 2.1 BB/9 ratio in the minors, and he should settle into more control soon.
The 26-year-old righty is a great strikeout streamer against the Marlins.
Alternative: Erick Fedde (SP – CWS) @SF | 2% Rostered
Sunday, May 24
Ryne Nelson (SP – ARI) vs. COL | 9% Rostered
Sunday falls victim to the tragedy of the waiver wire offering limited streaming options. Ryne Nelson is a decent pitcher for Sunday.
Nelson is taking some great momentum into this start. He has been using his mid-90s elite fastball 58.7% of the time, up from earlier in the season when he struggled. Nelson has now accomplished three consecutive good starts, allowing only five runs on 19.1 innings.
The 28-year-old has a 5.40 ERA (4.47 xERA). Nelson has been decent, and the 18-28 Rockies have not. I trust Nelson to bring out a solid performance against one of the worst teams in baseball.
Alternative: Peter Lambert (SP – HOU) @CHC | 23% Rostered
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