Fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for week 24

The matchups and statistical data for these fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings were pulled Saturday morning. Please be aware the matchups are subject to change.

Top starters

Additional Information: In seven starts the past two years against the Tigers, Chis Sale has been average with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. If you have Sale, you’re starting him; but for those of you in a championship week, be prepared for a lackluster performance. Since the All-Star break, the Marlins have the lowest OPS in the majors, which is why I love Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez this week. Jarrord Parker has not a lost a game since May 22; since that day, he has a 2.61 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. I’ve watched all of his starts, and he has great command of his change-up. In terms of 2014 fantasy value, it’s very possible he will be a top-20 starting pitcher in my ranks.

Backend starters

Additional Information: Before the All-Star break, Shelby Miller had a 26.4 percent strikeout rate and a 6.8 percent walk rate. After the All-Star break, his strikeout rate is 21.6 percent and walk rate is 9.3 percent. As of Friday, he’s thrown 156 innings, the most in his professional career. Miller has looked fatigued in his last couple of starts, and the innings may be catching up to him. Danny Salazar, again, looked extremely effective on Friday, striking out nine batters in 3.2 innings. The Indians are trying to limit his workload so going three to five innings per start will limit his ability to earn wins, but he’s a fantastic option if you’re looking for strikeouts. David Price in his last six starts has a 4.28 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The Orioles are tied for third in the majors in OPS, and Price had a mediocre performance against the Orioles four weeks ago.

Spot starters

Additional Information: All of Jeff Samardzija’s peripherals suggest he’s been the same; his strikeout rates are the same and the walk rate is slightly up. However, his ERA 0.6 points higher than last year. With an xFIP of 3.49, I bet Samardzija will be a draft-day value in 2014. Jon Niese, in his last 13 starts, has a 2.85 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with a solid 20 percent strikeout rate and .341 BABIP. With the emergence of Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee and if Matt Harvey successfully rehabs his elbow in the offseason, the Mets are going to have a fantastic pitching rotation. Think how good the rotation can be if Noah Syndergaard reaches his potential and jumps to the majors some time next year.

Proceed with caution

Additional Information: If you remove the horrendous start in Boston last week, Rick Porcello has a 3.17 ERA in his last 12 starts. I’ve been a Porcello apologist all year, and I’m not jumping off now during the fantasy playoffs. Tanner Roark, who was called up in August, pitched primarily out of the bullpen before pitching effectively in two starts. Roark has a low-to-mid 90s fastball and relies on command and control to generate outs, which isn’t a great recipe for fantasy success. That said, with one start against the Marlins, Roark could be a great roll of the dice. Speaking of the Marlins, Dan Haren also will face the Marlins and Braves. Last week, Haren faced the Marlins and go lit up. He’s given up 16 runs in the past 18.2 innings.

Avoid

Additional Information: Brad Peacock, an extreme fly-ball pitcher, has pitched extremely effectively in his past two starts at Oakland and at Seattle, both great ballparks for fly-ball pitchers. This week, he gets another opportunity to pitch at home, which should allow more fly balls to stay in the ballpark. The two biggest wild cards are Tim Lincecum and Dan Straily as they can provide sensational or horrendous outings. With starts against struggling offenses, either one of these pitchers could provide solid fantasy value. For the year, the Indians have the best OPS against left-handed pitchers, which is why Bruce Chen and his 3.11 ERA is this far down in the rankings.