April 16 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Jon Gray, Lance Lynn, Jared Jones and More
A look at the probable pitchers on Tuesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
Things change fast in professional sports; remember when the Mets were big spenders who were going to buy World Series championships every year? Well, during the season things move even faster, especially with players who are on the fringes in fantasy baseball.
A guy who is a streamer may become a keeper before not being able to be started in any matchup a month later. It goes that quickly. That’s why we are here looking at the pitchers who can fill your lineup today and maybe stick around for a few weeks.
Let’s run through Tuesday’s probably starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups and streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from ESPN.
Jon Gray, Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers
Gray is a former top prospect who hasn’t had the superstar career his draft status portended (third overall pick in 2013). He has been a useful pitcher, though, who has accumulated over 1,100 innings and strikeouts with a 4.44 ERA.
He strikes out batters at an above-average rate, giving him upside in the right matchups. Detroit presents one of those matchups. The Tigers were one of baseball's worst offenses last season and have continued to struggle with the bats.
Detroit batters have struck out the 10th most through Monday, so Gray has a chance to rack up Ks. The Tigers also don’t hit for power, sitting in the bottom six in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS.
Gray is a mid- to high-level streamer in this one, likely to strike batters out and supported by a strong Rangers team behind him to push for a win.
Jordan Hicks, San Francisco Giants @ Miami Marlins
Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates @ New York Mets
I’ll put these two together because they have similar circumstances (and conveniently fit in alphabetical order). Hicks and Jones are both owned in over half of leagues, but that’s not enough.
The matchups are good; both the Marlins and Mets are below average on offense and have a few hitters but holes in the lineup keeping them from consistent production.
This is more about the pitchers, though:
- Hicks: 18 innings, two earned runs allowed, 13 strikeouts, three walks
- Jones: 18 innings, eight earned runs allowed, 25 strikeouts, two walks
Jones has given up more hits and runs but look at those last two numbers. Twenty-five strikeouts in 18 innings is a great rate and with only two walks, Jones is a must-start pitcher right now.
There’s not a lot else to say here; both guys are probably worth spots on your roster unless you have a great pitching staff. The matchups only sweeten the pot, making both Hicks and Jones great streamers if they are available.
Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals @ Oakland Athletics
Lynn used to be a star, but age has taken its toll, leaving him as a middling pitcher who is still useful. His best asset is the strikeout: Lynn has struck out more than one batter per inning in every season since 2018 and has 18 in 13.2 innings this year.
Oakland is the real reason for Lynn’s place on this list. The Athletics continue performing like one of the worst teams in baseball, something that has been going on for multiple seasons.
They are in the bottom 10 in most major offensive stats, including scoring the second-least runs and striking out the second most. The Dodgers have struck out two more times than Oakland but have played two more games also.
There are plenty of stats I could list, but this is one of the worst offensive teams against a decent pitcher who used to be great. Lynn has the advantage and a good chance for a strong outing on Tuesday.
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
Suarez fits in the Hicks/Jones section as well: 17 innings, five runs allowed, 19 strikeouts, three walks. He’s also only owned in about half of leagues. You might be able to rebuild your pitching staff today with Hicks, Jones and Suarez if you’ve been struggling with arms.
The Rockies present a decent matchup, especially since this game is in Philadelphia rather than Denver. Colorado has been around league average after finishing in the bottom 10 in most offensive categories last season.
They have also struck out the sixth most in 2024, setting up well for Suarez to continue his dominant strikeout run. He has struck batters out at a below-average rate in his career, so the numbers might fall back to Earth eventually, but there is reason to expect Suarez to perform well in this one.
Suarez is a very good streamer, maybe a half-step below Hicks and Jones.
#waivers #2024-fantasy-baseball
