April 4 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Justin Verlander, Gavin Williams, Tyler Mahle, Zack Littell and Jonathan Cannon
Five starters in action on Friday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
With a light schedule yesterday and only two streaming pitchers, we took a chance to look at how our target teams had performed over the first six-ish games of the season. Of those target teams, only four of the 11 have been among the worst in 2025.
In such a small sample, though, we can't really trust those numbers as much as everything we've known previously. It's important to take everything into account and react when needed, but don't completely change your view on a player or team after the first week.
Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Friday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters.
Jonathan Cannon, Chicago White Sox @ Detroit Tigers
Detroit is close to being off our target list. They definitely qualified based on all of 2024, but the Tigers were better later in the season and have plenty of reason to believe they will be at least an average offense. On a day with more streamers, Cannon might not be listed here.
Cannon made his debut last year and was a below-average strikeout pitcher, something that was also true in the minors. That caps his fantasy value and makes it tougher for him to excel in real life.
Cannon is a low-level streamer who should be skipped. The Tigers might not be worth targeting, and Cannon hasn't reached a high enough level to necessitate a spot.
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays @ Texas Rangers
Littell is generally a little worse than average at striking guys out, but he had a really good first start: six innings, seven strikeouts, no walks, and just one run allowed. He picked up the loss because his team decided not to hit that day, but Littell showed out against a bad Rockies' offense.
The Rangers seem like they should be better, but they rank in the bottom 10 in runs scored and all four slash categories early in the season after being one of the worst 10 offenses last year. The numbers say to keep targeting Texas.
Littell is a mid-level streamer. While I'm still a little skeptical that the Rangers will stay near the bottom offensively, I will follow the numbers for now. Littell's strikeout work caps him in the middle against most teams.
Tyler Mahle, Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Opposing Littell is Mahle, who had a rough start to his season last Saturday against the Red Sox. Mahle lasted just 1.2 innings, and while he struck out three batters, he also walked four and gave up two hits, leading to his early removal. He was lucky to allow just one run. Mahle has been just a hair worse than average with walks for most of his career, so there's hope he can find his control.
Tampa has been above average in most offensive areas, but they don't hit for any power, something that extends back to 2024, when they hit the third-fewest home runs. That lack of instant runs makes them a nicer matchup for opposing pitchers.
Mahle is a mid-level streamer. He is an above-average strikeout guy, and there's hope he can find his control this time around while still working his K magic.
Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants vs. Seattle Mariners
The veteran Verlander was decent in his first start of the season, striking out five batters in five innings with two runs allowed. He did allow six hits, something that won't allow for regular success. Verlander had seen his strikeout rate plummet the past few seasons, so it's best to expect him to regress a bit in that area.
His high K rate could last one more start, though, because Verlander gets the Mariners, the team that struck out the most last season and the second most the year before that. They have followed that same pattern early this season, striking out more than nine times per game. Seattle is one of our premier targets.
Verlander is a mid-level streamer. I'm not sold on him as a guy to trust often, but the Mariners are a team I want to face with pitchers as much as possible.
Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians @ Los Angeles Angels
Williams combined for essentially a full season over 2023-24. He walked too many guys in 158 innings, but he also had an above-average strikeout rate and an ERA right around 4.00. He won't turn 26 until late July, and Williams now has a full-time job in the rotation and is on the streaming radar.
Los Angeles is another one of the four target teams who began this season at the bottom. Even against the lowly White Sox and Cardinals, the Angels proved that they are short on offense. There are too many holes in the lineup, even with Mike Trout healthy.
Williams is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, and Williams did OK in his first start (two runs in five innings), but don't expect huge things from the Cleveland starter; there's a modest ceiling and floor.
Friday's Streamer Rankings
- Justin Verlander, SF
- Gavin Williams, CLE
- Tyler Mahle, TEX
- Zack Littell, TB
- Jonathan Cannon, CWS
