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Dan's top hitter streamers and starts as fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 1 of 2026 (March 30 - April 5). He analyzes streamers with favorable matchups, schedules.
Week One was a truncated one with only three or four games for most of your fantasy players. I'm going to pretend like we have enough data to know who will have a big year after only one series, but we've seen enough to anticipate the lineup trends and matchups for each team this coming week. There is talent on the wire, and I strongly support being aggressive and adding players early in the season when you can.
My weekly hitters streamers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify hitters with favorable matchups who can be considered waiver wire pickups or streamers ahead of Sunday night's waiver wire runs in leagues with weekly transactions. Because of some format changes to Yahoo leagues this year, players who appear in this article this week are rostered in 25% or fewer leagues on Yahoo!
You can also check out the rest of our fantasy baseball streamer content here at RotoBaller. Let's see which hitters we should consider grabbing off the wire as we roll into Week 1 of the fantasy baseball season!
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What Teams Offer the Most Streaming Value for Week 1?
While most MLB teams are playing six games this week, we have four teams playing seven games.
Seven-Game Weeks
ARI, ATL, NYM, and SFG
Ballpark Upgrades:
- DET (three games at ARI)
- HOU (three games at ATH)
- MIA (three games at NYY)
- PHI (three games at COL)
- PIT (three games at CIN)
- SDP (three games at BOS)
Week 1 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers
I'll recommend only players who are 40 percent rostered or lower, and all roster percentages are from Yahoo!
Justin Crawford, OF - PHI (24%)
The speedy outfielder has started both of Philadelphia's first two games and hit ninth for the Phillies. He had a strong spring and has some major upside in stolen bases, as he swiped 46 bags last year in the minors. With a series at Coors Field this week, he could be a sneaky add as that ballpark doesn't just boost home runs, it boosts all offense in general, including doubles, triples, and runs scored.
Jake Burger, 1B - TEX (20%)
This is the Jake Burger that I was hoping for when I targeted him heavily last season! Burger is off to a scorching start, going 5-9 with two home runs through his first two games, and is a 30-HR player if he stays healthy this year.
2 Games, 2 Homers 🍔 🍔 @1053thefan x #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/o8B0wQWJ5U
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 28, 2026
Last year, he was limited to just 103 games due to injuries, and clearly underperformed with only 16 home runs and a .236 batting average. He's never going to be a great guy for average, but when he's going well and hitting the long ball, we can live with a .250 average. The 3B-eligibility is gone, but Burger is still one of the better hitters this widely available.
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF - PIT (18%)
The Pirates spent some money this offseason (for once) bringing in O'Hearn, who homered in his very first game as a Pirate. It was a good sign for his fantasy value that he was in the lineup yesterday against a lefty, so he's less likely to be platooned than Spencer Horwitz.
O'Hearn is an underrated hitter who has eligibility at a corner infield spot and outfield. With three games in Cincy this week, he could provide some more power stats and is a solid option.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B - LAA (18%)
Could this be the year that Schanuel finally breaks out in terms of power production? He's homered in two of his first three games after finishing with 12 and 13 home runs, respectively, in each of the last two seasons.
I've always liked using him for batting average and run production, but if he hits 20+ HR this season (who knows if this is sustainable yet), he could end up on fantasy rosters all season.
Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS - TOR (16% )
Gimenez is looking like an early candidate for a major bounce-back in 2026. He hit just .210 across 329 AB last year in an injury-marred season, but the Toronto second baseman has six hits in his first two games and a stolen base.
Andrés Giménez has his fourth hit of the game 🥵 pic.twitter.com/Q5nQihTAEv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 28, 2026
Even hitting ninth, Gimenez is going to have an opportunity to produce as an everyday player this year in a loaded Jays lineup. Toronto should feast on Colorado pitching (in Toronto) to start the week, too.
Colt Keith, 1B/2B/3B - DET (16%)
Keith is a platoon player, but on the strong side of one as he usually is in the lineup against RHP. He has two hits in both of his starts this season while hitting out of the three spot in the lineup. The Tigers head to Arizona to start the week, where Tigers hitters could have some solid matchups against a pretty mediocre Diamondbacks rotation.
Brett Baty, 2B/3B - NYM (12%)
Here we go again! Baty was a waiver wire darling last season, especially in the second half of 2025, when he was providing some really solid value. He earned a spot in the lineup this year with a strong spring, and the Mets seem committed to having him in there every day against RHP, whether it's at third base, in the outfield, or at designated hitter.
He's hit safely in both of his first two games with three RBI and a stolen base. The 2B-eligibility is really nice, as it's a very weak position once again this season.
Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS - CWS (11%)
While his leadoff home run against Jacob Misiorowski on Opening Day was more of an outlier result, Meidroth followed it up with two more hits yesterday. I said it last year - all this kid does is hit and get on base. He's never going to post flashy numbers, but he's eligible at three infield positions and can be a boon to average and runs scored. He even added 14 steals last year, too.
Cole Young, 2B - SEA (8%)
Young had a monster preseason, which cemented his spot in the lineup going into the year. He slugged a home run on Friday night and has some pop in his bat for a middle infielder. I like his upside this year, as a young player who could be ready to come into his own.
Luke Raley, 1B/OF - SEA (6%)
Luke Raley is on pace for 162 home runs this season! All kidding aside, Raley is a power bat who could be poised for a solid season with this hot start at the plate.
THIS GAME 😳
Now Luke Raley homers in a third straight game! pic.twitter.com/Y7Fj2V6YIg
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2026
In all fairness, he's still going to sit against lefties, as he did last night (he hit his home run as a pinch hitter late in the game). But Raley is only one season removed from a 22-HR and 11-SB campaign in 2024.
Week 1 Deep League Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers
Some widely available hitters (under 5% rostered) could be worth a look this week due to hot starts at the plate or strong matchups.
- Brandon Marsh, OF - PHI (5%)
- Nolan Gorman, 2B/3B - STL (4%)
- Max Muncy, 2B/3B/SS - ATH (4%)
- Carson Williams, SS - TBR (4%)
- Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B - MIA (4%)
- Nasim Nunez, 2B/SS - WSH (2%)
- Joey Ortiz, SS - MIL (2%)
- David Hamilton, 2B/SS - MIL (2%)
- Garrett Mitchell, OF - MIL (1%)
Good luck this week, and choose those streaming options wisely! Thanks for making RotoBaller your one-stop shop for all things fantasy baseball!
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