Top Hitter Streamers and Starts - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5 (April 27 - May 3)

April 26, 2026

Dan's top hitter streamers and starts as fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 5 of 2026 (April 27 - May 3). He analyzes streamers with favorable matchups, schedules.

We return to some normalcy this week, with the Mexico City games behind us, and no funky 5-game weeks. The calendar turns over to May late in the week, and we are finally starting to see the landscape of MLB take shape with what teams and players look like after a full month of baseball.

My weekly hitters, streamers, fantasy baseball waiver-wire pickups column will identify hitters with favorable matchups who can be considered for waiver-wire pickups or streamers ahead of Sunday night's waiver-wire runs in leagues with weekly transactions. Because of format changes to Yahoo leagues this year, players featured in this article this week are rostered in 30% or fewer leagues on Yahoo (yes, I'm increasing this number as the wire is already getting picked over pretty aggressively this season).

You can also check out the rest of our fantasy baseball streamer content here at RotoBaller. Now, let's see which hitters we should consider grabbing off the wire as we roll into Week 5 of the fantasy baseball season!

What Teams Offer the Most Streaming Value for Week 5?

While most MLB teams are playing six games this week, we have four teams playing seven games.

Seven-Game Weeks

MIN, PIT, STL, and TOR.

Ballpark Upgrades:

• ATH (all six games at home)
• ATL (three games at COL)
• CLE (three games at ATH)
• KCR (three games at ATH)

Week 5 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers

I'll recommend only players who are rostered in 30 percent or fewer leagues, and all roster percentages are from Yahoo!

Josh Jung, 3B - TEX (30%)

Jung was already the top add on my list this week, before adding an exclamation mark to it by hitting his fourth home run of the season last night, and driving in two more runs, giving him 13 RBI over his last nine games.

Josh Jung's 4th homer of the year is a go-ahead shot for the @Rangers 😤 pic.twitter.com/9MV7lcU3qW

— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2026

The Yankees' pitching staff is a tough draw to start this week, but Jung is showing enough skills and production to be worth a long-term pick-up beyond this week. The contact is up, strikeouts are down, and his .299 average is impressive when you consider how cold he was for the first few weeks of the season.

Angel Martinez, 2B/OF - CLE (25%)

There is a lot to like from Cleveland this week, as we are about to roll through multiple Guardians here in a row. Let's start with Martinez, who leads off or hits second against lefties, and swiped his fifth bag of the season yesterday.

We saw him hit for some power this week, as well, clubbing three more home runs to bring his season total to five this year. He's been streaky, but you might argue he's the best dual-threat player that's this widely available, and the Guardians do travel to Sacramento later this week, where they'll have some favorable pitching matchups and a great ballpark in which to hit.

Daniel Schneemann, 2B/3B/SS/OF - CLE (19%)

Schneemann's rostership shot up considerably this week, but he's still out there on a lot of waiver wires, despite hitting .323 to start the year with 11 runs scored and 12 RBI. He is platooning, unfortunately, which means he sits down when they face a lefty, but in daily lineup leagues, he's still a great pickup.

He moved all the way up to the leadoff spot against Toronto on Friday night and hit his third home run of the season. His hit tool is solid, and his versatility with all that positional eligibility is pretty darn nice, too.

Moises Ballesteros, C - CHC (18%)

He did it again! "Mo Baller" bashed his fourth home run of the year against the Dodgers last night, and continues to rake as he's hitting .397 on the season.

UP & AWAY. pic.twitter.com/lB0T4FyRhX

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 26, 2026

If he were eligible at any other position besides catcher, he'd be rostered in 50% of leagues or more! I like the matchups this week as he'll face relatively weak rotations in San Diego and then back home against Arizona, too.

Brayan Rocchio, 2B/SS - CLE (17%)

It's never too exciting to pick up a nine-hole hitter, but Rocchio has been so good lately that you should consider him if you need some help in the middle infield.

He's a switch-hitter who doesn't usually hit for power or steal bases, but he's hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games and has been a key part of the resurgent Cleveland offense. I already mentioned the sexy schedule for the Guardians, and I promise no more Cleveland hitters now for the rest of the piece!

Nolan Arenado, 3B - ARI (15%)

I had Arenado in here last time, and despite the short week, he's been doing work in three multi-hit games. He hit his fourth home run of the year in a 4-4 outing against the White Sox and is again looking like the steady veteran hitter that we had grown accustomed to before he dropped off a bit last year.

Spencer Steer, 1B/OF - CIN (13%)

I talked about Steer a few weeks ago as a guy who seemed to have some batted ball regression coming his way (positive regression, that is), and he has started to show some signs of life. He had a nice six-game hitting streak stopped just yesterday, and now gets a great matchup against the Rockies' pitching staff at home this week. I still think there's more power coming from Steer, and he makes for a solid buy-low option, or at least a short-term streamer if you need offense this week.

Jose Fernandez, SS, 1B - ARZ (12%)

Another repeat from last week, I'll just note that all Fernandez did this week was continue to get on base and score runs - four of them in the three games that he started.

Cole Young, 2B - SEA (11%)

The power is back! I kid, but it was nice to see Young hit his third home run of the year, after going 20 days without one, and being an everyday player. We aren't expecting power, anyway; it's that run production (18 runs now on the season) that we are after.

Carlos Cortes, OF - ATH (10%)

Cortes has worked his way into the lineup against RHP, and is hitting so well that he's even moved into the three-hole for the Athletics while Brent Rooker is out.

I don't expect him to sustain a .350 average for long, but he does have some pop in his bat, with four home runs already, and I will say it again - there is no better park for left-handed power than Sutter Health Field, where the Athletics will play all of their games this week.

Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS - MIN (9%)

I am trying not to be too redundant here, and I had Lee in last week's piece. I picked him up in several leagues, and he paid off pretty nicely with a few three-hit games and his fourth home run of the season.

Troy Johnston, 1B/OF - COL (7%)

Johnston is hitting for average this year, sporting a .317 mark at the plate through 24 games. There hasn't been a lot of power, but the last few weeks, he has been a solid source of runs and RBI.

Evan Carter, OF - TEX (5%)

I have mentioned Carter in here before, and despite his .213 average, I still think there is a lot to like about this young lefty. He has some power and speed, and should have plenty of job security with Wyatt Langford now out for a bit.

Brady House, 3B - WAS (5%)

Last but not least, give House a look if you need help at the hot corner. He strikes out quite a bit, but he's still hitting in the middle of what has become a pretty potent Nationals lineup, so there's some run production here as he's up to 13 runs scored and 10 RBI on the season.

Week 5 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.

• Leody Tavares, OF - BAL (4%)
• Amed Rosario, 2B/3B - NYY (3%)
• Spencer Horwitz, 1B - PIT (2%)
• Nick Gonzales, 2B/3B/SS - PIT (2%)

Good luck this week, and choose those streaming options wisely! And, as always, thanks for making RotoBaller your choice for fantasy baseball content all season long!

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