Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Best Thursday Pickups & Streamers

Thursday is here, which means it's time for the fourth fantasy baseball waiver wire/streaming article of the week!

Here are the stories from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP!

Taj Bradley - Minnesota Twins

Bradley is a streaming option for Thursday. He is currently rostered in 16.99% of fantasy baseball leagues.

Bradley will be making his second start of the season on Thursday, taking on the Royals. That's a decent matchup on paper, and on a day where not many MLB games will be played, Bradley is one of the top streaming options.

Bradley's 2026 season opened against the Orioles on March 28. He worked 4 1/3 innings in that contest, allowing a run on three hits and three walks. Bradley upped his fantasy value by striking out nine batters. 

He threw 92 pitches in that outing, so he's pretty much ready to take on a starter's workload already. Bradley needs to pitch deeper into games, and limit walks better, but the strikeouts and other numbers he posted in the opener were good enough to consider him for his starts to come.

The matchup today is solid, and it makes Bradley a streamable pitcher for Thursday. He is worth streaming in deeper leagues today, while also being an option in standard leagues. I'd try to avoid him in those leagues unless you are truly desperate for starting pitchers or a streaming option. I just don't know if he's worth the risk of a possible poor outing.

Reynaldo Lopez - Atlanta Braves

Lopez is another streaming option for today. He is up to 35.88% owned as of the time this article was published.

Lopez will make his second start of the season, facing the Diamondbacks tonight. I don't love that matchup at first glance.

Lopez looked very good in his 2026 debut, getting a no decision despite working six strong innings against the Royals. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out three batters. 

Lopez needed just 77 pitches to get through that outing. That means he might be limited to 90 or so pitches today, which could hamper his fantasy outlook.

He's a better fantasy option than Bradley, but Lopez's matchup is tougher. It's really a toss up as to who the better streaming option is. If I had to pick between the two, I'd lean Lopez's way because of each pitcher's career numbers. 

Lopez is a good deep-league option, but I'd probably try to avoid him in standard leagues as well, this time due to his matchup.

Kyle Isbel - Kansas City Royals

Isbel is owned in just 3.82% of leagues right now, but he is on the rise.

Isbel has started four of the first five games for Kansas City, only sitting against a lefty on Opening Day. He has hit ninth and played center field every contest.

He has already racked up eight hits across 14 plate appearances. Isbel has cracked two home runs, driven in four runs, scored four times, stole three bases and only struck out twice.

Isbel had a solid campaign in 2025, hitting .255 and getting on base at a .301 clip over 135 contests. He doesn't have much pop, but could be in store for a few more dingers in his age-29 season.

Right now, I only like the idea of adding Isbel in really deep redraft leagues, and that might only be for a short stretch of play. If he keeps hitting, he'll be worth adding in more deep leagues.

I have a hard time believing he could ever work into standard leagues, but he's worth watching at least. I'd like his outlook more if he moved up the lineup and was playing every day, and I just don't see both of things coming true.

Jake Bauers - Milwaukee Brewers

Bauers has been picked up in 3.62% of leagues today, bringing his overall mark to 16.6%.

Bauers is benefitting from injuries to Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn. Bauers plays the corner outfield spots and first base, which is where Chourio and Vaughn start regularly.

Bauers has made five starts over the team's first six games of the year, even starting against a left-handed starting pitcher the last time the Brewers faced one. Bauers hit sixth that game, but has been fourth or fifth in the other four starts.

Over 23 plate appearances, Bauers has six hits, including two home runs. He has four RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, a walk and six strikeouts.

While he's playing regularly, Bauers is a sneaky good fantasy asset, especially if he keeps hitting in RBI-producing spots in the lineup. He is worth some deep-league adds and utilization for the time being. Be watching his gamelogs and be ready to move off him if his role or production falls off.

Eric Lauer - Toronto Blue Jays

Lauer is another pitcher on the rise, but not because he is pitching today. He's rostered in 33.59% of fantasy leagues.

He is expected to start on Saturday against the White Sox, so that's part of the reason why he's trending up. Lauer is also getting added in fantasy leagues as his spot in the starting rotation is a bit more solidified.

Right now, there's truly only four members in the Toronto starting rotation, while Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce and Trey Yesavage are on the injured list. 

Several of those pitchers are expected back at some point, at which point Lauer could be pulled from the rotation and stuck back in the bullpen as a long relief option. For now though, Lauer is locked into a rotation spot, so take advantage of that while you can.

Lauer earned a win in his first start against the Athletics. He allowed two runs on three hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. Lauer struck out nine batters and threw 87 pitches.

He's a great streaming option for his start against the White Sox, and he could be worth holding for as long as he's in the rotation. Keep tabs on Lauer, but utilize him while he's starting and pitching well.