Friday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Is Houston's Hayden Wesneski Pitching His Way Into Fantasy Relevance?

It's a good day today. It's Friday, which is always a positive. It's Day 2 of the NFL Draft; yesterday had stretches when things were predictable, but we got plenty of excitement by the end to make it a good first day. We also have a full slate of baseball games on the schedule today, so there's something for everyone.

Let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Friday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

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Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds @ Colorado Rockies

Hey Abbott! I usually don't include anyone playing at Coors Field, but I'm making an exception today for several reasons. The first, and most important, is being able to link that that “Hey Abbott” video, one of my favorite parts of doing this column. We also only have three other streamers today, so Abbott helps to make up the numbers.

On the baseball side, the Rockies might be the worst team in the league. They rank in the bottom 10 in pretty much every offensive stat, and Colorado batters are tied for the most strikeouts with Boston (a team that has played three fewer games than the Rockies).

Abbott began the season on the IL and has made two starts since his return. He has been very good in those two starts (picking up the win in both): 11 innings, four hits and two runs allowed (both solo home runs), three walks, and 16 strikeouts. His 40% strikeout rate will drop, but it's phenomenal to start the year.

Abbott is a mid-level streamer. His strikeout work is generally above average, but he also walks too many guys; the game taking place in Colorado brings him down a notch, even with the great matchup. There's a little downside in this one.

Luis Severino, Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox

The starting pitcher for the A's was listed here all three games against the Rangers from Tuesday-Thursday. Spoiler alert: their starter will be here all three games against the White Sox this weekend also. The White Sox are like the Rockies if they didn't have Coors Field to retreat to.

Severino is owned in about 30% of leagues, more than the average streamer we usually have on the list. Both his strikeout and walk rates are better than average in his career, though the Ks are down over the past three years. Severino is a fine streamer and probably worthy of a roster spot in deep leagues.

Severino is a mid- to high-level streamer here. The drop in strikeouts from his peak does bring him down, but Severino is still good enough to be a solid option, especially with a matchup like this.

Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers

Here's a big name who doesn't have the level of performance he did in his 30s (which was three years ago!). In 115 innings between 2024-25, Verlander has been worse than average with strikeouts and has an ERA around 5.50. Verlander is well past his prime and shouldn't be expected to find his old form, even for just one start (though who knows what's in the tank; any given Sunday, so to speak).

The Rangers are a daily target based on their poor performance this year, and it also stretches back to 2024. Texas finished as a bottom-10 offense last season and began 2025 on our target list. Nothing has changed; the Rangers are one of the best teams to match up against right now.

Verlander is a low- to mid-level streamer. He does have 23 strikeouts in 24.2 innings this season (even if his K% is a hair below average), but Verlander is significantly worse than he was as recently as 2023.

Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros @ Kansas City Royals

The Royals are another team who has been consistently among the worst all season. They have hit the fewest home runs of any team (12 in 26 games) and rank in the bottom 10 in runs, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. They don't strike out a lot, but Kansas City also doesn't do anything at a high level, making them an opponent no pitcher should be scared of.

Wesneski has started with great rate stats: 25 strikeouts and just four walks in 23 innings. He has been an above-average strikeout guy his whole career (213 innings now) and is also a little better than average with walks. Wesneski isn't a name, but he was a valuable part of the return from the Cubs when they sent Kyle Tucker to Chicago.

Wesneski is a mid- to high-level streamer. His strikeout work puts him near the top of the streamers, and Kansas City offers one of the best matchups he can hope for early in the season.

Friday's Streamer Rankings

1. Hayden Wesneski, HOU
2. Luis Severino, ATH
3. Andrew Abbott, CIN
4. Justin Verlander, SF