Saturday Fantasy Baseball SP Streamers: Anderson's Debut and Top Pitcher Targets
Four starting pitchers with good matchups on Saturday who are widely available in fantasy leagues.
No big preamble for you today; we are diving headfirst into the weekend, like Pete Rose.
Let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Saturday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups (and one guy making a highly anticipated debut). Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs aren't a team we look to target often; they are in great position to make the playoffs and are in the top 10 in every offensive box stat. They also strike out at a top-10 rate, but that's not enough to make Chicago a target team for fantasy pitchers. There is only one case in which we will look to go after the Cubs…
And that's with a pitcher like Anderson, the third overall pick in last year's draft who dominated the minor leagues and is making his big-league debut. It likely won't be long before he is owned in essentially every fantasy league, but there is a little availability now if you can still grab him. Anderson will likely be in the majors the rest of the season, giving you a handful of starts in 2026. Anderson struck out 135 batters in 93 1/3 minor league innings with a 1.06 ERA; there's nothing more he could have done at the lower levels.
Anderson is a mid-level streamer with obvious upside. The matchup is not in his favor, but this game takes place in Seattle at one of the best pitcher's parks in baseball, helping Anderson's case. This is a chance to possibly grab one of the most-hyped pitching prospects in recent memory.
Luis Castillo, Chicago White Sox vs. New York Mets
Castillo had a fantastic start on August 12, throwing seven shutout innings against the Reds with 10 strikeouts and only three baserunners allowed. His other two starts with the White Sox haven't been nearly as good, though, as Castillo combined for 8 2/3 innings with 14 hits, nine runs (eight earned), three home runs, and just six strikeouts. Those rougher outings are more indicative of his season-long work, as Castillo has been decent with both walks and strikeouts but been hit way too hard, holding an ERA around 5.00. We know his top level, but Castillo hasn't shown that much this season.
The Mets are in the bottom 10 in nearly every box stat, not a surprise given how putrid they were to start the season. It'll take a Herculean effort over the final month-plus to get out of that lowly group, so it can be more informative to look at their more recent work. Over the past 30 days, New York rates out as a very average offensive team, partly driven by big home run numbers. That might be reason for a little pause, but I still trust the longer timeframe that points to them as a well-below-average offense, especially with Juan Soto still hurt. We will keep targeting the Mets on the right days while keeping an eye on their trends.
Castillo is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup isn't as good as it would have been early in the season, so though he's still striking batters out at a decent clip, Castillo brings a low floor given his struggles this year.
Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals rate out positively over the past month, sitting average or better in many areas (though their counting stats are a little better than their rate stats). St. Louis has been an unimposing offense for much of the season, not seeing the bottom fall out very often but also not excelling in any area. They were a little below average mostly, leaving a decent floor for opposing pitchers but maybe without the big ceiling we would prefer. While I don't love this matchup, it's still worth investing in if you're in need of innings or in a deeper league.
Painter is another highly-regarded pitcher like Anderson, as he was the 13th pick in 2021 out of high school. His rookie season has been one to forget, as Painter has been OK with walks but worse than average in every other aspect. He did good strikeout work in the minors, so it's rational to think he will improve there, but Painter is also getting hit hard, giving up 97 hits and 17 home runs in 85 1/3 innings, leading to a 6.43 ERA. It's likely that he will be better in the future, but it's hard to trust Painter for anything great right now.
Painter is a low-level streamer. I like his pedigree, but there's no way we can trust him for high-level innings right now, even in a short spurt. With the matchup just middling, it's not worth counting on the 23-year-old today.
David Peterson, Chicago Cubs @ Seattle Mariners
Peterson spent a short time in the bullpen when Edward Cabrera came off the IL, but Cabrera is right back among the injured after one start (a ROUGH outing against St. Louis), so Peterson will likely see his innings expand again. He has been better since joining the Cubs than he was with the Mets this season, seeing his strikeout rate drop a bit but his hit and run prevention improve greatly. Peterson has been a middling pitcher in Chicago, the type of guy we can look to when the matchup is right.
Seattle presents one of our best matchups, ranking in the bottom five in many offensive stats and no better than average in any area. Their past month hasn't done anything to change that narrative, as the Mariners are in the bottom 10 in pretty much everything while striking out at a top-10 rate. We will keep going after this team every time we can with streaming pitchers.
Peterson is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has been a bit uninspiring, but he does fine most games, just with a low ceiling. With this game taking place in the pitcher's haven of T-Mobile Park in Seattle, there's a decent outlook for the pitchers (as we mentioned above with Anderson).
Saturday's Streamer Rankings
- Kade Anderson, SEA
- David Peterson, CHC
- Luis Castillo, CWS
- Andrew Painter, PHI
