Before you continue on, ask yourself this: Is streaming really something I should be doing in Week 1?
You drafted the pitchers you drafted for a reason, and I would venture to say that most are too valuable to sit regardless of matchups. Where exactly that cutoff lies depends mostly on your league setup.
But maybe it's only three or four pitchers who fit that description for you. Maybe you always planned to keep a spot or two flexible for matchup plays. Maybe you've been hit hard by injury and are in desperate need of a replacement. Or maybe your league counts only the first four days of the 2024 season (March 28-31) as Week 1, as is the CBS standard, in which case not all of your pitchers will even have a turn.
All I'm saying is to use some discernment when consulting this list, which will be made available to you every week throughout the season. Just because I recommend a pitcher here doesn't mean he's better than what you already have. In fact, I'm only considering those rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
As mentioned, the default setting in CBS Sports leagues is to count only the first four days as Week 1, but I've included some bonus recommendations for leagues that merge those first four days with the first full week for a massive 11-day scoring period.
Kenta Maeda wasn't lacking for strikeouts when he was healthy last year, and in his first start for the Tigers, he draws a White Sox team that couldn't be less interested in competing.
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Getting a chance in the starting rotation finally, A.J. Puk's first turn comes against a suspect Pirates lineup. As good as he's been in relief, his expanded arsenal led to even more strikeouts this spring.
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With velocities not reached since his days as a Cy Young contender, Jack Flaherty was a bat-missing force this spring. He'll attempt to carry it into the regular season with an especially light lift against the White Sox.
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It's hard to gauge how good the Brewers lineup will be at this early stage, but with the way Luis Severino looked this spring, it may not matter. His struggles last year may have been due to him tipping his pitches, which the Mets have said was an "easy fix."
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Tyler Wells is coming off a strong spring, and his fly-ball tendencies play especially well at home, where he'll be facing a diminished Angels lineup (no Shohei Ohtani anymore) in Week 1.
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The Cardinals may represent the toughest matchup for any pitcher on this list, but seeing as the Korean national team was no match for Gavin Stone this spring -- he struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced in an exhibition game against them -- I like his chances.
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Erick Fedde's spring neither supported nor refuted his breakout case following an MVP season in the KBO, but his final start was his best. His ground-ball tendencies should limit damage well enough against the Tigers lineup.
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JP Sears' strikeout-to-walk ratio this spring was nothing short of outstanding, and he'll open against a Guardians lineup that ranked dead last in OPS against left-handers last year.
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While the Guardians had the worst offense against left-handers last year, the Athletics had the second-worst, at least by OPS. Logan Taylor Allen was hit or miss as a rookie, but this matchup should see him at his best.
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Ryne Nelson reportedly made better use of his secondary arsenal this spring and was among the strikeout leaders as a result. The Rockies always make for a great matchup away from Coors Field.
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If Kenta Maeda's first matchup against the White Sox wasn't inviting enough, his second is against the Athletics. Those might be the two worst teams in the AL this year.
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Honestly, if Jack Flaherty doesn't come through with these matchups, then his spring was total bunk and we can never trust him again (probably).
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As already mentioned, the Angels lineup likely won't be anything special without Shohei Ohtani this year, so A.J. Puk should be in for a big strikeout total in his first week at his new job.
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If Camden Yards plays into Tyler Wells' fly-ball tendencies, then so should PNC Park, where he has an even more favorable matchup against the Pirates.
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Yeah, these matchups aren't the greatest, but Gavin Stone's spring made a believer out of me. A blister on his big toe messed up his mechanics early last season, so he deserves a clean slate.
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