MLB Opening Day Starters and Streaming Options: Zach Eflin, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Clay Holmes, Yusei Kikuchi and More

Most MLB teams get their regular seasons rolling on Thursday, so the fantasy baseball season is nearly here for all of us!

Let's take a look at the probable opening day starting pitchers for every team and some possible streaming options already. This story from MLB.com inspired this article.

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Brewers at Yankees

Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta and New York's Carlos Rodon will square off in the first game of the regular season (not counting the Tokyo Series games last week).

Both pitchers are already owned in almost every fantasy league. Peralta was the higher draft pick on average, but this figures to be a pretty tough matchup for each starter. I slightly prefer Rodon over Peralta between these two starters.

Orioles at Blue Jays

Baltimore's Zach Eflin and Toronto's Jose Berrios will battle in this game.

Both pitchers are available in about 10% of leagues. Eflin has the better matchup on paper, and he's the starter I'd take between these two veteran starters.

Red Sox at Rangers

Boston's Garrett Crochet and Texas' Nathan Eovaldi get the starting nods for their teams.

Crochet was one of the first fantasy starting pitchers drafted this season, and is the clear top option between these starters - I still don't love his matchup against Texas though. Eovaldi is available in about 16% of leagues and could end up outscoring Crochet in this one.

Phillies at Nationals

Zack Wheeler gets the first start for Philadelphia, while MacKenzie Gore will start for Washington.

Wheeler is one of the top fantasy pitchers in the game and is projected for the most fantasy points among starting pitchers this week - he's the clear No. 1 option in this game. Gore has been a sleeper pick of mine the past few months, but this is a tough opening test for him - he's rostered in 80% of leagues.

Guardians at Royals

Cleveland's Tanner Bibee and Kansas City's Cole Ragans will get the starts in this contest.

Both are already owned in almost every fantasy league, with Ragans being the first one off draft boards in 2025. I also think Ragans has the slightly better matchup in this game, but could see both starters putting up decent fantasy numbers.

Mets at Astros

New York's Clay Holmes and Houston's Framber Valdez are the starters in this game.

Valdez is the top draft pick between the two starters, but his matchup against the Mets is very tough. Holmes' matchup isn't that much easier - he's rostered in 81% of leagues. I'd give the nod to Valdez as he's the better fantasy option, but wouldn't be surprised if both guys struggle in this one.

Giants at Reds

San Francisco's Logan Webb and Cincinnati's Hunter Greene are the starters in this one.

Both should be rostered in all leagues - Webb was drafted a couple rounds before Greene on average. I think both guys could put up good fantasy totals in this one, but will give Webb the edge.

Braves at Padres

Atlanta's Chris Sale and San Diego's Michael King get the starts in one of the best opening series.

Both are top-65 fantasy draft picks on average and should already be rostered in every league. They are both talented enough to shut down the best of lineups, but this will be a stiff test for each guy. I'd take Sale if I had to pick between the two.

Angels at White Sox

Los Angeles' Yusei Kikuchi and White Sox' Sean Burke are the opening day starters for one of the least-anticipated series of the first week.

Kikuchi is available in about 5% of leagues, and should be at 100% for his start against the hapless White Sox. Burke, rostered in 9% of leagues, is an intriguing streaming option as well, which could help him to a decent fantasy showing as well. Kikuchi is definitely my favorite fantasy asset in this one though.

Pirates at Marlins

The matchup between Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes and Miami's Sandy Alcantara is a really fun opening day clash.

Skenes was a first-round pick in most leagues, while Alcantara is owned in almost every league, but coming off a major injury. Both have pretty favorable outlooks on opening day, but you have to take Skenes over Alcantara - I think both could post good numbers though.

Twins at Cardinals

Minnesota's Pablo Lopez and St. Louis' Sonny Gray are the projected starters in this contest.

Both are already rostered in all fantasy leagues, while Lopez was picked just a couple rounds ahead of Gray. Both pitchers could be in for pretty good fantasy showings, and I think I'd give the slight edge to Gray in this one.

Tigers at Dodgers

Detroit's Tarik Skubal and Los Angeles' Blake Snell will start in this one.

Skubal was right there with Skenes for the top fantasy pitcher off draft boards this season. Snell is no slouch, going in the top-45 picks on average. I'm not going against Skubal ever, but he definitely has the tougher matchup here, meaning Snell could outscore him.

Cubs at Diamondbacks

Chicago's Justin Steele and Arizona's Zac Gallen are the projected starters for this fun series' opener.

Steele already made a start in the Tokyo series, and was rocked pretty good. These two pitchers are separated by less than 10 picks this season, with Gallen going first. I'd give Gallen the edge in this matchup, but I could see either pitcher performing well, or terribly, given the lineups they are facing.

Athletics at Mariners

Luis Severino will get the first start for the Athletics, while Logan Gilbert powers Seattle.

Gilbert is the clear top fantasy pitcher in this contest. Severino has the slightly tougher matchup, but should be able to put up good fantasy totals as well. Severino is rostered in just 42% of leagues, but that number should skyrocket before he tosses his first pitch.

Rockies at Rays

Colorado's Kyle Freeland and Tampa Bay's Ryan Pepiot are the starters for this series, which begins on Friday. They aren't playing Thursday in an effort to help the Rays settle into their home ballpark for the season (Steinbrenner Field).

Anyways, both pitchers are streaming options, as Pepiot is owned in 79% of leagues, while Freeland is at just 3%. Pepiot has the much more favorable matchup, but Freeland could be a sneaky good option too. I do prefer Pepiot between the two.