The 2019 fantasy baseball season is underway and with it comes the first of many articles to help you navigate the art of streaming a starting pitcher for the week ahead.  Though just a few games are in the books we are already seeing some great potential matchups for the upcoming week so let’s check out who you could be turning to for the upcoming week when looking to stream a starter.


10-Team League


Hyun-Jin Ryu - Ryu was the Dodgers Opening Day starter with Clayton Kershaw on the injured list and he dominated the Diamondbacks, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight. Ryu’s next start will come Tuesday against a Giants lineup that doesn’t figure to put up many runs this season.  Ryu should honestly be owned in all formats but currently his 12-team ownership sits at just 73% which makes it likely you can find him on waivers in your 10-team leagues. Health has only ever been the issue with Ryu as he boasts an impressive 3.18 ERA over 97 career starts.

Marcus Stroman - Last season was one to forget for the Blue Jays righty as he went 4-9 with a 5.54 ERA over 19 starts.  His ineffectiveness was largely due to a shoulder injury that landed him on the DL for most of the year. He entered 2019 on a mission to prove last year was just fluke and he got off to an impressive start as he shutout the Tigers over seven innings.  He will look to take another step forward when he takes the mound on Tuesday against an Orioles team we figure to be targeting all season long. Stroman's ownership sits around 50-percent in standard leagues which makes it very likely he is unowned in shalllower formats.


12-Team League


Kyle Gibson - Gibson had a career year in 2018, going 10-13 with a 3.62 ERA while striking out 179 over 196.2 innings.  Gibson will make his season debut for the revamped Twins on Tuesday against the Royals who can wreak havoc on the base paths if you put them on first, but let’s find out if 2018 was real or not.

Kevin Gausman - It must be fantasy baseball season if we are trying to make Kevin Gausman a thing still.  After a frustrating last few seasons with Baltimore the Orioles dealt Gausman to the Braves last year during the trade deadline and he impressed, going 5–3 with a 2.87 ERA over 10 starts. Gausman began this season on the Injured List but will be making his season debut this upcoming Friday week against a Marlins offense that is pretty putrid after dealing away their top hitters over the last few seasons.  He’s a steam candidate for now but if he has a strong start, don’t be afraid to hold on to him either.



15-Team League


Matt Shoemaker - We go through these stretches with Shoemaker where everything is rolling and he looks like the guy who finished second for the AL Rookie of the Year all the way back in 2014.  Injuries have derailed his last few seasons with the Angels but he is looking to build upon a fresh start with the Blue Jays and he impressed in his season debut, as he tossed seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven against the Tigers.  You might start to see a trend here but Shoemakers next start will be at home on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles who we will be looking to target heavily this season. I don’t see Shoemaker as a long term solution but in deep leagues it’s hard to ignore this matchup after the way he pitched just a few days ago:

Eric Lauer - Lauer was the Opening Day starter for the Padres and he, at least on this day, showed that his strong end to 2018 which continued through Spring Training was no joke as he tossed six shutout innings against the Giants.  His next start will come Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. Arizona is an interesting offense to target as they dealt Paul Goldschmidt this past offseason and lost AJ Pollock to free-agency. I will be looking to take advantage of those key losses as Lauer also draws a home start in a pitcher friendly stadium.  If another strong start follows suit, I think he becomes more than an appealing stream option in deep leagues.