April 10 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Erick Fedde, Yusei Kikuchi, Zack Littell and More
Five pitchers worth picking up and putting in your starting lineup on Wednesday due to their skill and/or matchup.
Wednesday’s MLB slate features all but two teams in action, meaning there are a number of streaming options at each position. Pitchers are the easiest to stream because different starters are going every day and creating fantasy opportunities.
Let’s go through the probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups on Wednesday. Most stats and rankings are from ESPN.
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Cody Bradford, Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics
Bradford won both of his first two starts, combining for 12.2 innings and only three runs allowed with 10 strikeouts to one walk. That was against two good offenses in the Cubs and Astros.
He now gets to face one of the worst teams in the league: Oakland is in the bottom 10 in most offensive categories, an upgrade from 2023 when they were in the bottom five. The Athletics are a few years away from relevance, and fantasy owners can take advantage in the meantime with all but the worst starting pitchers.
Bradford is a high-end streamer on Wednesday.
Erick Fedde, Chicao White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians
Fedde’s return from one season overseas has started well, with the 31-year-old giving up just three runs in 9.2 innings with 11 strikeouts. He won awards in South Korea in 2023, and while expecting that same level in the Majors isn’t realistic, he has continued that success early.
The Guardians had a subpar offense last season because of a lack of power: They hit 124 home runs, 27 less than any other team. That has continued this year, as even though they’ve scored runs at a high rate, they are tied for the second-least homers (seven).
Cleveland has a few high performers, particularly Jose Ramirez, but they are a team worth targeting with starting pitchers in fantasy. Fedde is a mid-level streamer in this one.
Tommy Henry, Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies
Henry struggled in his first start of the season (against the Rockies in Arizona) before throwing five solid innings against the Braves on Friday. His middling-or-worse performance in his young career puts a cap on Henry’s fantasy value.
His place as a low-level streamer is due to the opponent. Though they are playing in Denver this time, the Rockies are lean on talent and likely to underwhelm most of the season. They have been league average on offense in 2024, but Colorado was among the worst last year.
Henry is more suited for the last spot in your lineup, but he has a little streaming value if you need an arm.
Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners
I was surprised when looking at Kikuchi’s 2023 stats: A 3.86 ERA over 167.2 innings with better-than-average strikeout and walk rates. That performance has largely held through two starts this year (with a few more walks).
After starts against the Rays and Yankees, Kikuchi will get a reprieve against a weak Mariners lineup. Seattle is sitting near the bottom of the league in many offensive stats; they have a superstar in Julio Rodriguez and not much else. They are a team to target with fantasy pitchers.
Kikuchi is a high-level streamer and might be worth keeping depending on your roster and how much you want to stream pitchers.
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays @ Los Angeles Angels
Littell worked as a reliever for most of his career before starting 14 games with Tampa Bay last year. Through two starts this season, he has allowed just one run in 11 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. Pitchers often find a new level with the Rays, and Littell might be following that trend.
The Angels have been right around league average on offense, but they look like a team that will decline, filled with unproven and injury-prone players and not much in their farm system after a mini-splurge last year at the deadline.
Given Littell’s early success and the low expectations for LA, he is a good streamer this time through the rotation.
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