Friday Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Is Miami's Max Meyer for Real?
Five starting pitchers in action no Friday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
Welcome to another Friday! The beginning of the weekend presents so many opportunities: are you going to actively waste the whole weekend or simply sit on your butt the whole time? The NBA playoffs are hitting their stride, and we have a full slate of MLB games each day, so there is no worry for lack of content.
Focusing on the world of fantasy baseball, let's look at five starting pitchers in action Friday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the starting pitchers. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Hunter Dobbins, Boston Red Sox @ Kansas City Royals
Dobbins has made just three career starts, all this year, and he has been on our list twice, facing the White Sox (when he picked up a win) and Twins (when he got the loss). In 16.2 innings, Dobbins has given up 18 hits and eight runs (seven earned) with four walks and 13 strikeouts.
The Royals started the season as one of the worst offensive teams. They have improved over the past few weeks, but they are still worth targeting, ranking in the bottom 10 in runs, home runs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. They've been hitting a little better, but Kansas City is devoid of power.
Dobbins is a low- to mid-level streamer. He was a below-average strikeout guy in the minors, so he probably won't improve much there, capping his fantasy value. The matchup is right for a decent day.
Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves @ Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates started the season poorly, just like the Royals. Unlike the Royals, however, Pittsburgh remains one of the worst offensive teams in baseball. They just fired their manager; I have to imagine the problem lies much more with the lack of talent than the man who sets the lineup, though.
Elder is around average with walks, but he is a below-average strikeout guy. That has been especially true early this season, with just 22 Ks in 32 innings. That has helped lead to too many runs allowed (18, for a 5.06 ERA).
Elder is a low-level streamer. The matchup is right, but his performance hasn't been good enough to necessitate a spot in your lineup this early in the season.
Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds @ Houston Astros
Martinez has worked more as a reliever in his career, starting 110 games with 137 relief appearances. He has been below average with strikeouts in that time, and that doesn't bode well for his work in the rotation, as pitchers usually strike out more batters as relievers.
Houston is in the bottom 12 in most offensive stats, really only doing well by not striking out much. They are a little better by the slash numbers, ranking between 18th and 23rd in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. The Astros might work their way off the target list eventually.
Martinez is a low-level streamer. He's another guy with worse-than-average strikeout numbers who has a bit of a cap on his ceiling.
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins @ Chicago White Sox
The White Sox aren't just a bottom-10 offense; they are in the bottom five in pretty much every offensive box stat. They have also begun striking out more, now in the top 10 in most batter strikeouts after previously being a little better making contact. This is a fantastic matchup for any pitcher.
Meyer has looked really good in 2025. He has struck out 47 batters in 39 innings with 13 walks. That's high-level strikeout work and the type of numbers that will get him owned in more fantasy leagues fast (he's owned in just a little less than half of leagues currently).
Meyer is a mid- to high-level streamer. The phenomenal matchup gives him a high ceiling, and Meyer has shown he can be a fantasy regular. Meyer is a must-start player today.
Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles @ Los Angeles Angels
Sugano has had good results (just 13 runs allowed in 39 innings), but he has a 13.3% strikeout percentage, a number close to half the league average. Only the pitchers with the best command and nastiest pitches can survive striking out so few batters, so we'll either have to see those K numbers improve, or Sugano will probably see his other numbers turn for the worse.
The good times might keep rolling against the Angels, though, as they are in the bottom 10 in most categories. LA has drawn fewer walks than any other team, about 10 less than the next closest team; that helps explain their league-low on-base percentage. They do hit for power, but that hasn't helped them find success.
Sugano is a low- to mid-level streamer. He keeps finding success, so he bumps up a half-notch, but those low strikeout numbers could be something of a ticking time bomb (though his walk numbers are great).
Friday's Streamer Rankings
- Max Meyer, MIA
- Hunter Dobbins, BOS
- Tomoyuki Sugano, BAL
- Bryce Elder, ATL
- Nick Martinez, CIN
