Opening week is always difficult, and that was the case for my hosts. All the results were not bad, but I was disappointed by that first article. That means I need to make some adjustments, but I’ve been doing that since I started playing fantasy baseball almost 20 years ago. I’m feeling really excited about this week’s coverage, so let’s take a look at some favorable matchups and dive into those arms!
Popular Team Games
7 Games
Chicago White Sox (vs. BAL, KC)
Cincinnati Reds (at MIA, vs. LAA)
Detroit Tigers (at MIN, vs. MIA)
Kansas City Royals (at CLE, vs. CWS)
San Diego Padres (at PIT, vs. COL)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (at LAA, vs. CLE)
Houston Astros (COL, SEA)
New York Mets (vs. ARI, vs. ATH)
New York Yankees (vs. ATH, at TB)
Throwing Streamers
Noah Cameron, KC (at CLE, vs. CWS)
Since this is published on Easter, we must include at least one religious propaganda. We will trust Noah to lead us to the promised land this week as one of our broadcasters because he has two great games. One of the most surprising things about Cameron is that he wasn’t listed in the minor leagues despite a solid 2025 season, sporting a 2.99 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 24 starts. Some thought that was a stretch, but Cameron allowed one run and five baserunners in five innings in his first start this year.
That already makes him an easy choice as one of our broadcasters, but two simple matchups make him the right player. Cleveland was 29th in OBP and dead last in xwOBA last season, while Chicago ranked 27th in wOBA and xwOBA. He actually shut out those two teams four times last season, allowing just two runs with six or fewer baserunners in them.
Streaming Average: $-20.3
Seth Lugo, KC (vs. CWS)
It’s hard to believe we have two KC pitchers here, but the fantasy community is clearly sleeping on this turn. Like Cameron, Lugo has looked good in recent times. The right-hander has a 3.38 ERA and 1.15 WHIP as of 2018. That’s 834 innings of solid pitching, and we saw him total a 3.09 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in his first season with KC just two years ago. That kind of success is amazing from one of your broadcasters, but this is one of the best matchups in baseball. The White Sox were down five in runs, OBP and wOBA last season while playing the worst lineup. Lugo showed his incredible form against them, allowing two runs or less in five straight starts, while registering a 1.32 ERA in those starts.
Streaming Average: $16.5
Reynaldo Lopez, ATL (at LAA)
It’s easy to see why people have forgotten about Lopez since he only started one season, but the guy was quietly coming off the bench before that. He was a must-win player in his first season in Atlanta, accumulating a 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 25 starts. That sub-2.00 ERA is hard to believe, but it should compel fantasy managers to list him until we see something different. We certainly haven’t seen anything different so far this season, as Lopez has accumulated a 1.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in two starts. It’s not like the matchup with LA worries us, with the Angels ranking 28th in xwOBA and dead last in K rate last season, while flirting with a 30 percent K rate this year.
Streamonator rating: $36.3
Randy Vasquez, SD (vs. COL)
Trying to make predictions based on velocity is a risky proposition for fantasy managers, but Vasquez’s bump is clearly paying dividends. The right-hander saw off-speed during spring training, compiling a 1.04 WHIP during an impressive preseason run. He also closed out the 2025 season with a 3.83 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over the final three months. It’s clear that Vasquez has found something because it all culminated in six scoreless innings in his 2026 start.
The best part about this is that Vasquez gets a home game against Colorado. The Rockies have been the worst road offense in baseball for years, and they will likely make Vasquez a -250 favorite in this amazing location. All of that makes Vasquez an easy choice as one of our starters, but we also like that he made good starts in all three matchups against Colorado last season, despite both of those happening at Coors Field.
Streaming Rate: $19.5
Matthew Liberatore, STL (at WAS)
I was surprised to see the Liberatore get an Opening Day start against the Cardinals, but they clearly trust the guy. It’s easy to see why he’s done so far this season, allowing just one run in his two starts en route to a 1.64 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He did that damage on teams like the Rays and Mets, but the Nationals are nowhere near those offenses in terms of talent. Washington was 24th in wOBA and 25th in OBP last season. It’s also a team you want to work with for lefties because their top four bats all hit lefties (Daylen Lile, James Wood, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia).
Average Stream: $-12.6
Hitting Streamers
Carlos Correa, HOU (COL, SEA)
Correa was a sensation during his time with Houston early in his career, but has fallen out of favor in recent years. What is surprising about that is that Correa continues to produce. We’re talking about a guy with a .275 AVG, .352 OBP and .811 OPS. He also had a .388 OBP and .905 OPS in his last full season with Minnesota in 2024, so the talent is still there. We saw glimpses of that in the opening week, with Correa putting together a .296 AVG, .367 OBP and .811 OPS through seven games. That’s why the former All-Star is starting to clean up this dangerous Houston roster, and he could be in for a big week as half of the games this week are at Coors Field against some of the worst players in baseball.
Miguel Vargas, CWS (vs. BAL, KC)
Dare I say Vargas has been a legendary underdog legacy since joining the ChiSox? A lot of players get overlooked when they join an offense like this, but he’s been their best arm since being acquired in LA. The cornerback has been batting between first and fifth all season and did so last year as well. He achieved that when he closed out last season with a .354 OBP and .791 OPS over the final two months. That’s the same player we saw in the first few weeks, with Vargas accumulating a .348 OBP and .822 OPS. The reason we trust him as one of our broadcasters this week is the show. Not only does he have seven games under his belt, but he is dealing with two weak bats. The Royals were 15th in xwOBA last season, while the Orioles were 25th in wOBA.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals No Face)
Theft Specialists
David Hamilton (MIL)
Hamilton was a SAGNOF specialist the past two seasons as a bench player, swiping 55 steals with Boston. He’s playing almost every day in Milwaukee and has four steals so far this year, despite struggling to get on base.
Jake McCarthy (COL)
I’m ashamed I didn’t think of this before the season, but McCarthy is sneakily betting on 40 steals. He is the Rockies’ leading everyday hitter and has four steals in six games, despite hitting under .200. He had at least 23 steals in three straight seasons before the injury-riddled 2025 season.
Keeps Professionals
Lucas Erceg (KC)
With Carlos Estevez in IL, Erceg is the best save bet. He had 14 saves over the past two years and got the last two since Estevez was injured.
Jordan Romano (LAA)
It’s surprising to see Romano less than 50 percent of the roster because he’s the closer in LA. He’s been an elite closer for Toronto the past few years and has two first-team saves for the Angels this season.
Feel free to comment here or contact me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
