Friday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Dean Kremer, Ryne Nelson and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Friday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
When Ozzy Osbourne died a few days ago, it was newsworthy, but it wasn't necessarily surprising. He had been burned out for decades and had health issues, and it seemed like a man who had lived a hard life had finally reached the end. Hulk Hogan, though? Sure, he was 71 years old, but he still looked a lot the same as he did 20-plus years ago, even if he was an aged wrestler who did steroids. They are both tragedies, but I have to say that Hogan hit harder (maybe it's just because I was such a fan).
Moving to the world of fantasy baseball, 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. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies @ Baltimore Orioles
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles vs. Colorado Rockies
We'll bookend the day with two matchups of poor offensive teams, starting with a bad team in Baltimore and maybe the worst offensive team in the league in Colorado. Even better, this game is taking place in The Wire City rather than Denver, so we don't have to worry about the Coors Field effect. One of the biggest perks of this series is that the Orioles are in the top 10 in the most batter strikeouts, and the Rockies are second behind just the Angels.
Freeland is decent with walks but a below-average strikeout pitcher; it's a type you'll see a lot on our streaming list. He has given up more than one hit per inning in eight of his nine seasons and hasn't been below that mark since 2018. That was also his only above-average season, but it's not entirely his fault because he has played for the Rockies his entire career. That will do bad things to a pitcher's ERA.
Kremer has a similar profile except that he is better with strikeouts (just a hair worse than average) and better with limiting hits (fewer than one per inning over his 615 1/3-inning career). This season has been very average for Kremer, with his walk rate, strikeout rate, and ERA all a little lower than his career numbers.
Freeland is a low-to-mid-level streamer and Kremer a mid-level streamer. Kremer has been a little better and has the better matchup, so he gets the advantage as these two pitchers face off.
Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Nelson is having the best season of his career. Though his strikeout rate is just a little below average, it's currently his highest number in any season with at least 20 innings pitched, and he has a better-than-average walk rate. In 84 1/3 innings, Nelson has allowed just 63 hits and 33 earned runs (3.52 ERA). His 1.06 WHIP would be tied for 15th in he had enough innings to qualify; Nelson is rolling.
The Pirates are the opposite of rolling. They are coming off a sweep of the Tigers, which is amazing considering that Detroit has 60 wins, but they were swept by the last-place White Sox right before that, so the bad is offsetting the good. The bad is a season-long trend, as Pittsburgh is nearly 20 games back in the division and ranks in the bottom 10 in pretty much every offensive category.
Nelson is a mid-to-high-level streamer. I want to push him up to that highest level, but something is holding me back; that doesn't mean Nelson shouldn't be in a lineup in every league, though. He's close to a must-start fantasy player today.
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians
Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians @ Kansas City Royals
Our other bottom-10 offensive matchup features the second- and third-place teams in the AL Central, two units less than five games back in the wild card. They are clear teams who should upgrade at the trade deadline, but their low-budget ways might mean that they will actually sell pieces off given how far they seem from actual contention. Weak offensive performances are likely to keep these teams away from October no matter what happens.
Wacha is another guy pitching right about to his career numbers: a little better than average with walks, a little worse than average with strikeouts, and an ERA under 4.00. That's a valuable pitcher. He's not a fantasy star, but Wacha is more than capable of having big games and should be considered whenever the matchup is right.
Williams is an above-average strikeout pitcher, but he also walks too many guys. That's a profile with which a pitcher can find success. It has gone well in 2025, as Williams has given up just 86 hits in 104 1/3 innings (the most innings of any season in his three-year career). His ERA is near 3.50, and he's giving up a home run every 7.5 innings, a good rate. There's not a lot of downside other than the walks, which can sink him at times when the control leaves.
Wacha and Williams are both mid-level streamers. Williams is better with strikeouts, but Wacha has a little more control, and both guys have done well limiting hits and runs this season, setting them up for possible success against weak offensive teams.
Friday's Streamer Rankings
- Ryne Nelson, ARI
- Gavin Williams, CLE
- Michael Wacha, KC
- Dean Kremer, BAL
- Kyle Freeland, COL
