Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Scherzer Shines Again?

We are getting down to the wire in the 2025 fantasy baseball season. This is the time that fantasy baseball managers are making a push to make the playoffs, earn a bye week, or not finish last. One way to do that is to find pitching streamers to help win your week.

More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Hitting Planner | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Risers and Fallers | Prospect Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued

Take a look at some of my favorite targets for the week ahead.

Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 30% Rostered)

Brady Singer (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Monday, 8/18 at LAA

Brady Singer has pitched mostly well recently, tossing three quality starts in his last four outings. He is 3-1 during that span, suffering his only loss to the Pirates.

Singer faces the Angels next, which should lead to another positive result for the veteran. The Angels have the seventh-worst run differential in the league. They have struck out more than any other offense, and own the league’s highest strikeout rate as well. The Angels also struggle against right-handed pitchers, in particular. They have the fourth-worst batting average and the most strikeouts against them. This should work in Singer’s favor, as he has an 8.5 K/9 rate and pitches for the Reds, who have a +54 run differential.

Singer tosses four pitches with whiff rates between 22-30%, with his sinker, slider, and fastball turning in strikeout rates over 20%. Those are pitches he should rely on in this matchup. His slider may be his best pitch overall. It owns a .204 batting average against, a 30% whiff rate, and looks like this:

Brady Singer, Filthy 84mph Slider. 😷 pic.twitter.com/AxVxnlMFKD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 12, 2025

With such a good arsenal against righty batters and with much working in his favor, Singer should be a primary target this week. He should be on everyone’s list as one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Sean Manaea (SP – NYM)

Next Start: Thursday, 8/21 vs WAS

Sean Manaea started his season late due to elbow and oblique issues. He gave up just one earned run in each of his first four games, but struggled against Cleveland and Milwaukee in his last two outings. He faces a much easier opponent in the Nationals during the coming week.

The Nats’ offense has sputtered lately, posting the league’s second worst run differential. They also have the lowest groundball rate in the league, as well as the sixth-fewest home runs. Manaea’s 4.33 ERA may not be the prettiest, but he has pitched well, and things should start to turn around for him. This could be the game where things turn around. Manaea has pitched into some bad home run luck. His HR/9 and HR/FB% are both higher than normal, and he should see some positive regression against one of the worst teams in the league at hitting homers. Manaea owns an impressive 10 K/9 rate, and has been above average at stranding runners and inducing ground balls.

Manaea has used his fastball and sweeper combination to lead to that impressive K/9 rate. They have 28% and 25% K rates, respectively. The Nationals have struck out the sixth most against lefty pitchers, so Manaea will likely toss his sweeper a bunch in this one. Here is a cool view of it in action:

https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/1948069881271763183

Manaea’s xFIP and SIERA are 3.56 and 3.31, respectively, and this game against the Nationals could inch him closer to those numbers. He should be atop everyone’s list as one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-29% Rostered)

Max Scherzer (SP – TOR)

Next Start: Tuesday, 8/19 at PIT

Max Scherzer had a slow start to his season after returning from the IL in June. But he has been excellent in his last six starts. During that span, he has a 3-2 record with five quality starts. He could be in line for both in his next start against the Pirates.

Pittsburgh is the only offense in baseball to rank among the bottom 10 in run differential (fifth worst), strikeouts (sixth worst), K% (fifth worst), GB% (second worst), and home runs (worst). Not only that, but they have the fifth worst AVG, the sixth most strikeouts, and the fewest homers against righty pitchers specifically. What more could you want in a matchup? Scherzer’s GB% has been low this season, but everything else should work in his favor. His 8.6 K/9 rate is better than last season, and he has limited walks to two per nine innings. Pitching against the Pirates should also lead to some positive home run regression. His 1.8 HR/9 rate should start inching closer to his career rate of 1 HR/9. And his 12% HR/FB rate should get closer to his norm of 10%. That should help his ERA stabilize as well.

Scherzer has used his fastball and slider combo to lead to success this season. His fastball has a .174 BAA and a 22% putaway rate. His slider has a .241 BAA, a 30% whiff rate, a 35% K rate, and a 26% putaway rate. Take a look at it here:

Max Scherzer, Nasty 86mph Slider. 😨

7th K pic.twitter.com/2Slgcm3oxN

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 1, 2025

Scherzer may not be available in every league, but he needs to be scooped up wherever he is on the wire. He should be at the top of your list for pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Andre Pallante (SP – STL)

Next Start: Wednesday, 8/20 at MIA

Yes, Andre Pallante looked rough in his last outing – a six-run trouncing by the Cubs. The good thing for him is that the Marlins are nowhere near the juggernaut that is Chicago when it comes to offense. This should give fantasy managers some hope for Pallante to have a bounce-back. He pitched well in the two games before that outing, giving up just two earned runs across 12 innings. The Pallante pendulum could swing back that way against the Marlins.

One factor working in Pallante’s favor is that Miami’s run differential ranks eighth-worst in baseball. They also hit the seventh most groundballs and have hit the seventh fewest homers. They also have hit the 10th fewest homers against RHP specifically. This is excellent for Pallante, who is a groundball-inducing machine. His 60% GB rate ranks third best among qualified starters. Oddly, though, his 17% HR/FB rate is extremely inflated and could trend back to league average against a team that struggles to hit homers. That would help his 4.95 ERA start looking more like his 3.93 xFIP and 4.23 SIERA.

Pallante tosses a fastball, slider, sinker, and knuckle curve, all of which have single digit launch angles. His fastball’s LA is actually -3. His slider and knuckle curve both have 36% whiff rates, but he throws his slider much more – and rightly so. It has a .188 BAA and a 54% GB rate, and is his best putaway pitch. Here is a look at it from earlier in the season – notice the vertical movement on it:

Andre Pallante, Filthy 90mph Back Foot Slider. 😷 pic.twitter.com/AaJr1BpurK

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2025

Do not be dissuaded by his last two outings. This matchup is a chance for Pallante to end up back in the win column. He should be considered as one of your main pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Shane Bieber (SP – TOR)

Next Start: Friday, 8/22 at MIA

This is a bit of a gamble because Toronto may want Shane Bieber to make an extra rehab start, or may want to give him more or less time between his final rehab outing and his season debut. But he should be considered as a streamer if his start lines up against the Marlins.

Miami’s offense struggles, and struggles against RHP in particular. And many of Bieber’s strengths line up with Miami’s weaknesses. He is a solid groundball pitcher, with a 46% career GB rate. In 22 rehab innings this season, his GB rate is up to 57%. He has also posted an impressive 13 K/9 rate, a 1.2 BB/9 rate, and an 88% LOB rate. Bieber has allowed just one home run per nine innings on average for his career, so that should also work in his favor against a poor home run hitting team.

In years past, Bieber’s slider and curveball have been his bread-and-butter, so it will not be surprising to see him lean on those heavily in this matchup. Typically, it is safer to avoid streaming pitchers who are returning from long layoffs. However, this matchup is too good to pass up. Roll with Bieber as one of your top pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Eric Lauer (SP – TOR)

Next Start: Saturday, 8/23 at MIA

Dating back to July 4, Eric Lauer had been dominant. He went 3-1 with four quality starts during that span. His most recent outing was his worst of the bunch – a three-inning, three-run start against the Dodgers. Lauer walked four batters in that one, the same amount of batters he walked total in the five games prior. He should get back in the win and quality start column against Miami.

As mentioned, Miami’s offense has some glaring weaknesses. That makes them an easy target for streamers. Lauer has done well at limiting homers this season, and there could be some regression coming to his HR/9 and HR/FB rates. However, that is unlikely to happen against Miami. His GB% also ranks below league average, but Miami could give him a hand in improving it, considering they hit the ball on the ground a ton. Miami might be even worse against lefty pitchers than righties. They have the fifth worst AVG and the fewest home runs against them.

The keys for Lauer this season have been his fastball, cutter, and slider. Those pitches have .204 BAAs or better, 20-30% whiff rates, 18-25% putaway rates, and 25% K rates or better. These are all outstanding pitches, but his slider has been the best. It has some crazy movement and works against both righty and lefty bats. Take a look here:

Eric Lauer, Nasty 82mph Back Foot Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/14kvi0z0yc

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2025

Lauer might be overlooked in some leagues because people are expecting regression. It should not happen in this start, so he should be one of your top pitching streamers for the coming matchup.

Cade Horton (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Sunday, 8/24 at LAA

Cade Horton needs to be added in any league where he is available. He is on a roll, with four wins in his last four outings. He has given up one earned run in his last five outings, covering 28.1 IP. Horton faces a lousy Angels offense in his next outing and should be able to keep his winning ways going.

As a reminder, the Angels are among the 10 worst teams in run differential, strikeouts, and strikeout rate. While Horton’s 7 K/9 rate leaves much to be desired, it is worth noting he posted double-digit K/9 rates at all but one stint in the minors. He also pitches for one of the best offenses in the league, so even if the Angels somehow put up some runs, he can still walk away with a win from run support.

Likely, Horton will not need the run support, though. He has some pretty filthy stuff, including a sweeper, changeup, curveball, and sinker that have .197, .103, .194, and .222 BAAs respectively. Horton’s sweeper has been his best weapon against righty batters, allowing him to work away from them. That pitch has a 40% whiff rate and a 40% GB rate. His changeup has worked extremely well against lefty batters, posting a 51% whiff rate, a 22% putaway rate, a 35% K rate, and a 62% GB rate. How are batters supposed to hit this:

You can really see Cade Horton's split changeup grip here and how it just rolls off the table at 89 MPH pic.twitter.com/ZPcOTG3e3x

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) August 14, 2025

Horton is the real deal and is a must-add in leagues of all sizes. He is one of the top pitching streamers going forward, but could also be rostered long term.

Backup Plan Streamers

• STL Matthew Liberatore at MIA – Monday 8/18
• STL Michael McGreevy at MIA – Tuesday 8/19
• NYY Luis Gil vs BOS – Thursday 8/21
• ARI Ryne Nelson vs CIN – Friday 8/22
• ChC Jameson Taillon at LAA – Saturday 8/23

Desperation Streamers

• NYY Will Warren vs BOS – Saturday 8/23
• PHI Taijuan Walker vs WAS – Saturday 8/23