3 Possible Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers Streamers for Thursday

It's a shorter day on the MLB schedule today, as Thursdays often are; we only have 20 teams in action. That might sound like a lot, but it means that one-third of the league has the day off, giving us only two-thirds as many fantasy players as a full day on the schedule. That leaves streamers more important than usual, and we still have a few good streaming pitchers to choose from.

Let's look at three starting pitchers in action on Thursday 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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Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals

Assad has done well in most areas this season, including limiting hits, runs, and walks. His strikeout rate is well below average, something that has been true his whole career but especially in 102 1/3 innings over 2025-26. Assad is also giving up too many home runs this season, one every 5.4 innings, much worse than his career rate of one every 7.6 innings (which is better than average). Assad has been asked to fill a role because of mounting injuries to Chicago's pitching staff, and he has held up admirably when both starting and pitching out of the bullpen.

The Cardinals rank in (or very close to) the bottom 10 in pretty much every offensive box stat, and they have continued to struggle offensively over the past month. St. Louis doesn't strike out much, so they don't set a big ceiling, but the Cards are also not very imposing anywhere else, leaving a decent floor for opposing pitchers. They did have better stretches during the season, but recent play has kept St. Louis' numbers lower overall, setting them up as a decent target, especially with a shorter schedule.

Assad is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, but Assad's low K numbers keep his fantasy ceiling down. Combined with the Cardinals not striking out much, there's not a lot of upside today (though Assad could give you some decent innings).

Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals

There was a time this season when the Royals were squarely on our target list, but they haven't been as bad consistently, leaving them closer to the middle than many teams we target often. They have fallen back into the bottom 10 (or close to it) in many areas, looking like a below-average offense after 100-plus games. They're not a team we will go after every day, but with fewer teams on the schedule, they are a fine target for those owners hungry for pitchers.

Ober was a must-own fantasy player just a few years ago, but his value has fallen off along with his strikeout rate and effectiveness limiting hitters. While Ober has been close to average in terms of allowing hits, runs, and home runs, those numbers used to be better than average, and combined with a big strikeout rate, it made him enticing to every fantasy owner. He is still good with walks, but Ober is far below average with Ks, leaving his overall value more middling and in the streaming category.

Ober is a low-to-mid-level streamer. There might be a little more upside on any given day given his past work, but Ober just hasn't shown that top level in several years, and with the matchup more good than great, there's also enough risk to skip Ober outside of deep leagues.

Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Seattle Mariners

Sasaki is closer to the fringe of being a streamer, owned in close to 50% of leagues. On a shorter day on the schedule, it's worth checking to see if he's available to fill your possibly empty rotation. Sasaki has shown both bad and good, holding an above-average strikeout rate but getting hit a little too hard. His ERA sits above 4.70, partly a product of giving up too many home runs (one every 4.7 innings). He has been around average with giving up hits and walks, so if he can keep the ball inside the park, Sasaki would look much better.

Over the past month, Seattle ranks in the bottom 10 in essentially every offensive box stat, a big part of their continued struggle to sustain a record over .500. The Mariners perform worse at home because T-Mobile Park in Seattle might be the best pitcher's park in baseball. When looking just at away games, the Mariners still rate out as a below-average offense, struggling no matter where they play. It doesn't help that some of their stars (most notably Cal Raleigh) have been struggling hard all season, leaving Seattle floundering at times.

Sasaki is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is in his favor, and even among some struggles, Sasaki has continued to do good strikeout work. He has a decent ceiling but also a bit of a lower floor if the ball starts flying.

Thursday's Streamer Rankings

1. Roki Sasaki, LAD
2. Javier Assad, CHC
3. Bailey Ober, MIN