Saturday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Justin Verlander, Jameson Taillon, and More

With just a few days remaining, the playoff picture is starting to take shape. All three National League division champions have been crowned, and one division in the AL is already decided. There is only one team left to be eliminated in each league, and those races at the bottom are within one game.

We are likely looking at important games right down to the last day, the best thing I can think of as a baseball fan. The playoffs are only days away, but we already have a slew of must-win games across the schedule.

Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Saturday 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.

Check out FantasySP's Who Should I Start? tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each day.

Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox @ Washington Nationals

Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals vs. Chicago White Sox

I talked yesterday about this series being one of four between two teams that were out of the playoff race. It was the highest scoring game of the day, though, with the starting pitchers allowing a combined 11 runs (four were unearned). That doesn't change the fact that we have two bottom-10 offenses here, so we're going back to the well with two more streaming pitchers.

In 149 career innings, Burke has an average strikeout rate while walking too many hitters. He has also done well limiting batters, allowing less than one hit per inning, though he has been a little susceptible to home runs, giving up one every 6.2 innings. It has all worked out to an ERA just under 4.00, making Burke a worthy streaming pitcher.

Irvin is average with walks but below average with strikeouts. He also gets knocked around a little, allowing a hit per inning and a home run every 5.7 innings (average is closer to 7.0). That all adds up to an ERA near 5.00, and this year has been even worse at 5.69.

Burke is a mid-level streamer and Irvin a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchups are right, and Burke has been good enough with strikeouts to bump up a level this late in the season if you're in need of innings.

Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Schlittler is a high-level strikeout pitcher who walks too many guys. That has worked out in his first 66 innings, as Schlittler has allowed just 56 hits, eight home runs, and 24 runs (3.27 ERA). It has been a successful rookie season for Schlittler; he will be involved as a long reliever in the playoffs or maybe even get some high-leverage work if the bullpen gets worked thin.

Baltimore was one of the biggest disappointments of the season. They were projected as a top team in the league, and instead, they failed both offensively and as a pitching staff and have real questions about how ready they are to jump back into the playoff race in 2026. A bottom-10 offensive performance is a bigger concern because it was considered the stronger part of the team.

Schlittler is a mid-level streamer. He is strong with strikeouts, and the matchup is a good one, particularly with Baltimore among the top five in most batter Ks.

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are a good matchup based on the second half of the season more than the full season. Over the past 30 days, they ranked in the bottom 10 in essentially every offensive box stat and looked like one of the worst offensive teams in baseball.

Taillon is very good with walks, but he has been lower than average with strikeouts the past few years after sitting at an average level most of his career. He has done well limiting hits this year, but Taillon has been very home run prone: his 2025 rate is one homer every 5.4 innings, and his career rate is one every 7.3 innings. Still, Taillon has had a good season other than dealing with injuries.

Taillon is a low-to-mid-level streamer. His strikeouts are down, lowering fantasy value, and the Cardinals aren't so bad over the full season.

Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

Verlander has been very average in every facet in 2025. His walk rate and strikeout rate are both right in the middle, and his ERA sits right at 4.00. He's not what he was in his prime, and he never will be again, but he has done well to find a level in the middle where he can still be a useful pitcher.

The Rockies offer the best matchup of the year. It's good that they finish on the road so that we get a few more chances to go after them, as games in Coors Field aren't as appealing. On top of ranking near the bottom in pretty much every box stat, Colorado hitters have struck out the second most, behind just the Angels. They have also drawn the fewest walks, giving pitchers a nice starting point.

Verlander is a mid-level streamer. He has still been good enough to be a feasible fantasy streamer, and the matchup couldn't be much better than it is here.

Saturday's Streamer Rankings

1. Cam Schlittler, NYY
2. Justin Verlander, SF
3. Sean Burke, CWS
4. Jameson Taillon, CHC
5. Jake Irvin, WAS