Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers for Week 18

The worst run differential since 2015 belongs to the 2023 Athletics at -339. However, this year’s Rockies have a shot at surpassing that, with a -247 differential as of writing this on July 24. This is one of the characteristics that makes the Rockies and others prime targets for pitching streamers. And as the fantasy baseball season winds towards the playoffs, finding the right streamers could make the difference between making and missing your playoffs. There will be no Thursday streamer because there are too few games and there are no ideal streaming matchups.

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

Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 20% Rostered)

Gavin Williams (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Wednesday, 7/30 vs COL

Gavin Williams pitched a seven-inning gem last week against the Athletics. He struck out 11 batters while only walking one. He gave up one earned run on four hits. Williams next faces the Rockies, a team struggling significantly.

Colorado’s offense could be historically terrible this season. Currently, they rank worst in the league in run differential, strikeouts, and strikeout rate. They also have hit the ninth fewest homers, a surprising fact considering their home park. This is an excellent matchup to target a pitcher like Williams.

Williams has performed well this season, striking out nine batters per nine innings. That does come with a high walk rate, though. Those strikeouts come thanks to some wicked breaking pitches, including a sweeper and curveball. Williams’ curveball owns a .155 batting average against and a 35% whiff rate. His sweeper has a .180 BAA, a 42% whiff rate, and a 24% putaway rate. Here it is overlaid with his fastball:

Gavin Williams, 96mph Two Seamer and 87mph Sweeper, Overlay pic.twitter.com/mqgPYyiJno

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2025

This is a great matchup to target for anyone looking for pitching streamers. Williams should be on everyone’s radar for the coming week.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-19% Rostered)

Colton Gordon (SP – HOU)

Next Start: Sunday, 7/27 vs ATH

Colton Gordon is mostly a streaming play in leagues that reward wins rather than quality starts. He has just one quality start on the season, but a 4-2 record.

Gordon faces a weak Athletics offense in this matchup. They have the second-worst run differential in the league. They have also struck out the seventh most as an offense, while also owning the league’s ninth-worst strikeout rate. The Athletics also possess the fifth-highest groundball rate. This should all work in Gordon’s favor in this matchup.

Gordon’s bread and butter this season has been his ability to limit walks. The Athletics have the fourth-fewest walks against lefties. They should also help Gordon improve his 7.4 K/9 rate and 32% GB rate, both of which are below league average. Still, he has been accurate, and pitching to contact has worked well. He has a great defense behind him and a 77% LOB rate.

If you need an end-of-the-week pitcher, look no further than Gordon. He is one of the better pitching streamers for the weekend.

Landen Roupp (SP – SF)

Next Start: Monday, 7/28 vs PIT

Landen Roupp has been excellent in his last six games. During that span, he has given up just four earned runs, tallied two quality starts, and posted a 3-1 record.

Roupp faces Pittsburgh, which ranks as one of the worst offenses in the league. They have the seventh-worst run differential, the sixth-most strikeouts, the third-highest strikeout rate, the third-highest GB%, and the fewest home runs in the league. They are the only team to rank among the worst 10 in all five of those categories.

Roupp has some filthy stuff that has led him to a 3.11 ERA. He has an 8.4 K/9 rate and a 45% GB rate, both of which bode well for his matchup against the Pirates. Roupp primarily tosses a sinker, curveball, and changeup. Each of those pitches has a 43% GB rate or higher. Arguably, his best pitch is his curveball. It owns a .182 BAA, a 35% whiff rate, and a 24% putaway rate. I mean, take a look at this:

Landen Roupp, Filthy 79mph Curveball. 😷 pic.twitter.com/KmCkj9nT3o

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2025

Roupp should be considered as one of the top pitching streamers for the coming matchup.

Logan Allen (SP – CLE)

Next Start: Tuesday, 7/29 vs COL

Logan Allen has seemed locked in since the start of June. He started nine games during this time frame, though he has earned just three wins. Allen has four quality starts, though, making him more of a target in leagues that reward them instead of wins.

Allen should be in line for another good game against an awful Rockies team. As mentioned, they rank among the league’s worst in strikeouts, strikeout rate, run differential, and homers. They also are among the league’s worst against lefty pitchers – great news for Allen and bad news for Colorado. Allen has walked batters at about the league average rate, but Colorado has the sixth-fewest walks, which should play into his hands as well.

Allen’s best asset this season has been his sweeper, which he should lean on heavily in this matchup. It has a .221 BAA, a 22% whiff rate, and a 19% putaway rate. Here is how it looks in action:

Logan Allen, Nasty 79mph Sweeper. 😨 pic.twitter.com/gOahNc0AeC

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025

Fantasy managers should put Allen on their radars as one of the top pitching streamers for the coming week.

Cade Horton (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Friday, 8/1 vs BAL

Cade Horton has thrown a few clunkers lately, but when he is on, he is legit. He has two quality starts on the season, so he is more valuable in leagues that reward wins, but his matchup against the White Sox could result in both a QS and a W.

Chicago owns the fifth-worst run differential in baseball. They also have struck out the ninth most in the league, with the sixth highest K rate. They also have hit the second-fewest homers. Horton has been excellent at limiting home runs, so this plays into his strengths. He has a below-average K/9 rate, but should get some help against a team that strikes out a ton.

Horton has some great stuff – only his fastball has a BAA higher than .232. His sweeper, changeup, curveball, and sinker have whiff rates of 44%, 59%, 29%, and 33% respectively. His changeup also has a 23% putaway rate, making it a top-notch out pitch against lefty batters. Here he is doing just that in a recent game:

Cade Horton, Filthy 87mph Changeup. 😷 pic.twitter.com/zWpaowemYH

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 4, 2025

With a thin matchup of pitching streamers, Horton should be a major target for the week ahead.

Backup Plan Streamers

• CLE Slade Cecconi vs COL – Monday 7/28
• PHI Taijuan Walker at CWS – Wednesday 7/30

Desperation Streamers

• TEX Patrick Corbin at LAA – Tuesday 7/29