Week 1 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Ponce Upon a Time

This early in the season, we are throwing darts a bit when it comes to pitching streamers. We only have a few days’ worth of game data, and I base my streamers on a number of factors when it comes to figuring out which pitchers to start. Without that data, though, we have to just go mostly on the eye test – how teams look on paper, and what we have seen in spring.

Below are some of my favorite pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Pitching Streamers for Shallow Leagues (Over 20% Rostered)

Shane Smith (SP – CWS)

Next Start: Wednesday, 4/1 at MIA

Shane Smith had a bit of an ugly spring stat line, but has a chance to get his season off to a positive start with a matchup against the Marlins.

Miami ended Spring Training with the second-fewest runs scored in either Grapefruit or Cactus League play. They also had a run differential that ranked in the bottom half of both leagues. The Marlins have a few interesting prospects, but lack significant impact bats to truly threaten opposing pitchers like Smith.

Smith pitched well in his 146-inning season last year. He excelled at limiting home runs and flashed the strikeout stuff he showed in the minors. Smith owns an electric fastball that resulted in a 25% whiff rate and a 23% putaway rate last season, as well as a dominant changeup. Here is a look at it from last year:

Shane Smith's Filthy Changeups. 😷 pic.twitter.com/Uhm833yJC1

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025

This has the makings of a great matchup for smith and he should be one of your top pitching streamers for the week.

Pitching Streamers for Deep Leagues (0%-24% Rostered)

Cody Ponce  (SP – TOR)

Next Start: Monday, 3/30 vs COL and Sunday 4/5 at CWS

Cody Ponce last pitched in the majors in 2021, mostly in relief. He spent last season lighting up the KBO as a starter, though, earning himself a roster spot with the Jays this season.

Ponce pitches against Colorado in Toronto, a better environment for pitchers than Coors Field in Colorado. And even though Colorado scored a bunch of runs this spring, Ponce has the stuff to keep the ball in the park. In his second start next week, he’ll face the White Sox, who finished the spring with a positive run differential. They are not expected to be a high-scoring offensive team this season, though, and feature several players with high projected strikeout rates.

Ponce has been able to manage a very good groundball rate throughout his career in the MLB, KBO, and NPB. That has helped balance out his lack of strikeouts until he dominated with a 12 K/9 rate last season in Korea. He reverted to a sub-8.0 K/9 rate in the spring, but his ability to pitch to contact with (what should be) a solid defense behind him, should keep him safe in this matchup.

Colorado projects to be one of the worst teams again this season, and the White Sox have their own flaws, so Ponce should be on your pitching streamers radar for the upcoming week and beyond.

Jameson Taillon (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Tuesday, 3/31 vs LAA

Jameson Taillon pitched well last season, finishing with a 3.68 ERA across 129 innings. He is an under-the-radar pitcher heading into an excellent matchup against the Angels.

The Halos finished spring as one of the worst teams in baseball in terms of scoring and preventing runs. They finished last in the Cactus League in runs scored and in the bottom half of all teams in spring in terms of runs scored. Their -35 run differential was the third-worst overall. This is a prime opportunity for Taillon to shine.

Taillon featured five pitches last season that were all dominant at inducing outs. His fastball, changeup, curveball, cutter, and sweeper all posted above-average Out Rates. This means his pitches all resulted in outs more often than league average. He made adjustments to his changeup last season, which led to better results against lefty hitters, as seen here:

Jameson Taillon picked up a kick-change in 2025, increased his usage of the pitch, and got legit results:

.161 AVG
.258 SLG
.194 wOBA
83.3 EV
36.6% whiff rate

It was huge against LHHs who he had historically struggled with.

Stats below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kGOoWQYhhx

— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) January 2, 2026

Taillon could be one of the better pitching streamers early in the season, and may not be this widely available for long. Scoop him up now!

David Peterson (SP – NYM)

Next Start: Thursday, 4/2 at SF

David Peterson’s 2025 season seems to have gone relatively unnoticed by fantasy baseball managers. He finished with a 4.22 ERA across 168 innings, but posted a 3.72 xFIP and a 4.09 SIERA, suggesting better things may be on the way for the veteran lefty.

San Francisco actually performed well in Spring Training offensively. They finished 19-9-1, with a positive run differential. Still, Peterson possesses the stuff to work well against the Giants and should be able to mitigate any damage with a few dominant pitches.

Peterson’s slider was absolutely filthy last season, with a 38% whiff rate, and a 28% putaway rate. It is his best out pitch against lefty hitters, but also works great against righties too:

David Peterson, Nasty 85mph Slider…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/2EGgXDrvvL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 24, 2025

Peterson also has a changeup that earned a 24% whiff rate last season, and if he can develop that into a better weapon against righty bats, he could be lights out. That changeup and slider combo has helped Peterson to an elite 51% career groundball rate.

Despite the Giants’ offensive outburst this spring, trust Peterson as one of your top pitching streamers for the week.

Will Warren (SP – NYY)

Next Start: Friday, 4/3 vs MIA

Will Warren’s first 185 innings in the majors have not been the best. He has a career 5.10 ERA, and has had trouble with stranding runners and allowing walks and homers. Still, this is too good of an early streaming matchup to pass up.

As mentioned, Miami had a rough spring as an offense, which should help pad Warren’s stats. The Yankees should be able to provide enough thump in the event they need to outscore the Marlins, if Warren allows some runs.

On a positive note, Warren pitched extremely well this spring, cutting down significantly on walks, while striking out 22 batters in 25 innings. He finished the spring with a 1.42 ERA, albeit in a small sample. Still, it bodes well for these early-season matchups. Warren has a great fastball, but needs to further develop his changeup and curveball into top-tier out pitches. If he gets them looking like this consistently, he will be hard to hit against:

Will Warren, Filth. 😷 pic.twitter.com/igwSHkQSBM

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 22, 2026

Warren should be on your radar as one of the top early-season pitching streamers. Make sure to add him soon.

Ryan Weathers (SP – NYY)

Next Start: Saturday, 4/4 vs MIA

Ryan Weathers has the skills to be an excellent starting pitcher, but injuries have plagued him his entire career. He has yet to make it past 100 IP in a season, finishing 2025 with just 38. He ended the season with a 2-2 record across eight games – all starts.

Weathers faces the Marlins over the weekend, a plus matchup for the veteran. The Marlins are easy to pick on this week for streaming because of their limited offense. This makes Weathers a clear start against them.

Weathers is primarily a fastball-changeup-sweeper pitcher. His fastball has arguably been his best pitch, so he will need his changeup and sweeper to perform better this year if he is to have long-term success. They will also be important when he faces better offenses. Luckily for him, this matchup should play in his favor, especially if he can toss balls like this:

Ryan Weathers, 2Ks in the 2nd…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/UNhXrbBarU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 14, 2024

Weathers should be one of your priority pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Backup Plan Streamers

• CWS Davis Martin at MIA – Monday 3/30
• TOR Max Scherzer vs COL – Tuesday 3/31
• KC Noah Cameron vs MIN – Wednesday 4/1
• DET Justin Verlander vs STL – Sunday 4/5

Desperation Streamers

• CWS Erick Fedde at MIA – Tuesday 3/31
• MIA Janson Junk vs CWS – Tuesday 3/31
• MIN Mick Abel at KC – Wednesday 4/1