These fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings were pulled Friday morning. Please be aware the matchups are subject to change. The data is up to date as of Thursday night.
Top starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | @WSH, SF | 1.34 | 25.9% | 3.7% |
| 2 | Max Scherzer | DET | HOU, MIN | 2.08 | 33.1% | 7.1% |
| 3 | Zack Greinke | LAD | @WSH, SF | 2.04 | 32.4% | 4.2% |
| 4 | Yordano Ventura | KC | @SD, @SEA | 1.50 | 25.4% | 9.0% |
| 5 | Homer Bailey | CIN | @BOS, COL | 5.51 | 21.4% | 5.8% |
| 6 | Matt Cain | SF | @PIT, @LAD | 4.35 | 19.1% | 7.6% |
| 7 | Jose Fernandez | MIA | @SD | 1.59 | 36.2% | 5.3% |
| 8 | Yu Darvish | TEX | BOS | 2.59 | 25.0% | 7.6% |
| 9 | Madison Bumgarner | SF | @LAD | 3.74 | 23.3% | 8.2% |
| 10 | Michael Wacha | STL | @PIT | 2.48 | 28.9% | 6.6% |
| 11 | Adam Wainwright | STL | @ATL | 1.20 | 25.3% | 6.6% |
| 12 | Cliff Lee | PHI | @TOR | 3.29 | 23.0% | 2.3% |
| 13 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | @OAK-2 | 2.40 | 28.7% | 4.3% |
| 14 | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | @OAK | 4.24 | 35.3% | 8.0% |
| 15 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY | @MIL | 2.27 | 33.1% | 4.3% |
| 16 | James Shields | KC | @SD | 2.03 | 25.5% | 5.6% |
| 17 | Cole Hamels | PHI | @NYM | 6.73 | 16.0% | 12.0% |
| 18 | Jordan Zimmermann | WSH | LAD | 3.27 | 24.8% | 5.7% |
| 19 | Alex Wood | ATL | CHC | 2.93 | 23.6% | 5.1% |
| 20 | Julio Teheran | ATL | CHC | 1.47 | 15.9% | 5.5% |
| 21 | Ervin Santana | ATL | STL | 2.40 | 27.3% | 6.1% |
| 22 | David Price | TB | BAL | 4.75 | 27.2% | 2.9% |
| 23 | Johnny Cueto | CIN | COL | 1.15 | 28.2% | 7.9% |
| 24 | Andrew Cashner | SD | KC | 2.68 | 21.7% | 6.6% |
Additional information: With two starts in pitcher-friendly ballparks, expect Matt Cain to put up vintage Cain results. Even though the Rockies are middle of the pack in batting average on the road, they are top 10 in OPS. The Rockies can hit away from Coors, which means Johnny Cueto’s start is not a slam dunk. Alex Wood was brutal in his last outing against the Marlins, but he’s still missing a lot of bats and isn’t walking batters. It’s possible Wood loses his spot in the rotation (in favor of Aaron Harang) once Gavin Floyd comes off the DL. Don’t let Stephen Strasburg’s ERA fool you; he’s pitched extremely well, but has suffered from poor luck. For example, there’s no way he is going to continue to have a .418 BABIP.
Backend starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 25 | Justin Verlander | DET | MIN | 2.48 | 18.2% | 8.8% |
| 26 | Hisashi Iwakuma | SEA | KC | – | – | – |
| 27 | Mike Minor | ATL | STL | – | – | – |
| 28 | Gio Gonzalez | WSH | @OAK | 3.25 | 25.7% | 8.8% |
| 29 | Gerrit Cole | PIT | STL | 3.18 | 18.4% | 7.8% |
| 30 | Sonny Gray | OAK | WSH | 1.76 | 22.0% | 8.3% |
| 31 | Chris Tillman | BAL | @TB, HOU | 3.68 | 21.7% | 7.5% |
| 32 | Scott Kazmir | OAK | SEA, WSH | 2.11 | 23.2% | 4.6% |
| 33 | Chris Archer | TB | BAL, CLE | 4.84 | 18.8% | 6.7% |
| 34 | Jeff Samardzija | CHC | CWS, @ATL | 1.98 | 18.5% | 7.7% |
| 35 | Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | NYM, @SD | 2.58 | 23.0% | 3.3% |
| 36 | Tim Hudson | SF | @PIT, @LAD | 2.17 | 18.2% | 1.2% |
| 37 | Drew Hutchison | TOR | @PHI, LAA | 3.82 | 27.3% | 7.2% |
| 38 | Jon Niese | NYM | @MIA, PHI | 2.20 | 18.8% | 6.3% |
| 39 | Lance Lynn | STL | @PIT | 3.60 | 26.5% | 7.3% |
| 40 | A.J. Burnett | PHI | @TOR | 2.15 | 17.5% | 10.6% |
| 41 | Jesse Chavez | OAK | SEA | 1.89 | 27.3% | 5.3% |
| 42 | Dan Haren | LAD | @WSH | 2.39 | 21.5% | 4.4% |
| 43 | Drew Smyly | DET | HOU | 3.60 | 25.9% | 6.9% |
Additional information: If I drafted Mike Minor and Hisashi Iwakuma, I’m playing them right away. In his last two starts, Gerrit Cole has a 1.20 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, but only with a 16.9 percent strikeout rate. If he continues to have a sub-18 percent strikeout rate, he’s only a top 30-40 starting pitcher. Nate Eovaldi faces two of the worst offenses that do not have a lot of quality left-handed hitters. He is a must stream in all formats. I’m a huge believer in Drew Hutchison. The strikeout rate will probably settle in the 22-24 percent range, but he’ll miss a ton of bats and has good command of his secondary pitches.
Spot starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 44 | Justin Masterson | CLE | MIN | 4.84 | 21.7% | 9.3% |
| 45 | Alfredo Simon | CIN | COL | 1.60 | 16.4% | 8.2% |
| 46 | Kyle Lohse | MIL | NYY | 2.70 | 24.2% | 6.7% |
| 47 | Doug Fister | WSH | LAD | – | – | – |
| 48 | Jon Lester | BOS | @TEX | 3.10 | 25.7% | 4.8% |
| 49 | John Lackey | BOS | @TEX | 3.83 | 23.5% | 4.8% |
| 50 | Hiroki Kuroda | NYY | @LAA | 5.14 | 16.6% | 4.6% |
| 51 | Danny Duffy | KC | @SEA | 2.17 | 30.6% | 8.3% |
| 52 | Francisco Liriano | PIT | STL | 3.97 | 23.4% | 9.7% |
| 53 | Corey Kluber | CLE | @TB | 4.14 | 20.8% | 6.0% |
| 54 | C.J. Wilson | LAA | NYY | 3.17 | 26.1% | 8.3% |
| 55 | Garrett Richards | LAA | @TOR | 2.53 | 24.6% | 12.7% |
| 56 | Jake Peavy | BOS | CIN | 2.86 | 22.4% | 13.0% |
| 57 | R.A. Dickey | TOR | PHI | 5.10 | 19.1% | 11.5% |
| 58 | Wily Peralta | MIL | ARI | 2.56 | 18.9% | 5.3% |
| 59 | Matt Harrison | TEX | COL | 3.00 | 16.7% | 8.3% |
| 60 | Henderson Alvarez | MIA | NYM, @SD | 3.28 | 14.3% | 7.1% |
| 61 | Robbie Erlin | SD | KC, MIA | 5.84 | 19.5% | 5.5% |
| 62 | Jose Quintana | CWS | @CHC, ARI | 4.00 | 21.3% | 6.0% |
| 63 | David Phelps | NYY | @LAA, @MIL | 3.85 | 29.6% | 13.0% |
| 64 | Danny Salazar | CLE | MIN | 6.05 | 27.2% | 9.6% |
| 65 | Marco Estrada | MIL | ARI | 3.14 | 23.3% | 6.8% |
| 66 | Jenrry Mejia | NYM | PHI | 3.50 | 25.2% | 12.2% |
| 67 | Dillon Gee | NYM | PHI | 2.87 | 17.0% | 8.2% |
| 68 | Travis Wood | CHC | @CWS | 3.52 | 22.8% | 5.1% |
| 69 | Tyler Skaggs | LAA | @TOR | 3.34 | 16.1% | 6.6% |
| 70 | Jason Hammel | CHC | @ATL | 2.07 | 21.4% | 5.6% |
| 71 | Zack Wheeler | NYM | @MIA | 3.99 | 24.4% | 8.7% |
| 72 | Yovani Gallardo | MIL | NYY | 1.91 | 16.6% | 6.6% |
Additional information: Tyler Skaggs is a fly ball pitcher who fills up the zone. That’s a bad combination in a home run ballpark with a lineup that has a lot of right-handed power. Jason Hammel will provide a quality start, but with the state of the Cubs bullpen, the chances are small he’ll earn a victory. After a good outing against the Giants, Danny Salazar takes a jump in the rankings; however, the ranking could change based on how he looks Friday night. David Phelps walks too many batters, which makes him prone to blow-up starts, but I have soft spot for him. Jenrry Mejia is a max-effort pitcher with great stuff, which means he’ll provide solid strikeout totals, but may only last into the fifth inning.
Proceed with caution
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 73 | Miguel Gonzalez | BAL | HOU | 5.19 | 18.4% | 7.0% |
| 74 | Jered Weaver | LAA | NYY, @TOR | 4.00 | 18.8% | 8.1% |
| 75 | Clay Buchholz | BOS | @TEX | 6.65 | 15.6% | 4.9% |
| 76 | Wade Miley | ARI | @CWS | 5.36 | 20.3% | 9.6% |
| 77 | Rick Porcello | DET | HOU | 3.96 | 16.7% | 4.2% |
| 78 | Ian Kennedy | SD | MIA | 3.16 | 25.3% | 5.5% |
| 79 | Collin McHugh | HOU | @BAL | 0.59 | 35.2% | 5.6% |
| 80 | Jason Vargas | KC | @SEA | 2.40 | 14.0% | 4.9% |
| 81 | Dan Straily | OAK | SEA-2 | 5.14 | 24.1% | 6.9% |
| 82 | Wei-Yin Chen | BAL | HOU | 4.34 | 17.8% | 5.4% |
| 83 | Mark Buehrle | TOR | @PHI, LAA | 2.25 | 14.0% | 6.1% |
| 84 | CC Sabathia | NYY | @MIL | 5.11 | 25.5% | 5.0% |
| 85 | Tommy Milone | OAK | WSH | 4.56 | 10.4% | 7.5% |
| 86 | Josh Beckett | LAD | SF | 2.45 | 25.3% | 9.2% |
Additional information: Josh Beckett has a great ERA, but three of his four starts came against poor NL West lineups, and it’s highly unlikely he’ll continue to have a .180 BABIP. Collin McHugh would jump up 10-15 spots in the ranks if performs well against the Mariners this weekend. Tommy Milone has a 3.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP at home. Clay Buchholz has been unlucky this year (.380 BABIP), but I don’t feel confident in starting him at Texas.
Avoid
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 87 | Brandon Cumpton | PIT | SF | 4.25 | 17.3% | 1.9% |
| 88 | Brandon Morrow | TOR | PHI | 6.05 | 24.2% | 16.2% |
| 89 | Shelby Miller | STL | @ATL, @PIT | 3.15 | 17.6% | 14.2% |
| 90 | Eric Stults | SD | KC, MIA | 5.33 | 9.8% | 5.3% |
| 91 | Jacob Turner | MIA | @SD | 7.50 | 3.6% | 10.7% |
| 92 | Bartolo Colon | NYM | @MIA | 5.64 | 17.9% | 2.5% |
| 93 | Roenis Elias | SEA | @OAK, KC | 3.09 | 21.5% | 11.1% |
| 94 | Matt Garza | MIL | ARI, NYY | 5.00 | 19.2% | 7.7% |
| 95 | Tom Koehler | MIA | NYM | 2.97 | 15.7% | 11.0% |
| 96 | Jhoulys Chacin | COL | @CIN | – | – | – |
| 97 | Jake Arrieta | CHC | @CWS | – | – | – |
| 98 | Martin Perez | TEX | @COL, BOS | 2.95 | 16.4% | 7.5% |
| 99 | Aaron Harang | ATL | STL, CHC | 2.98 | 25.3% | 9.6% |
| 100 | Zach McAllister | CLE | MIN, @TB | 3.82 | 20.0% | 8.6% |
| 101 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU | @DET | 3.56 | 23.8% | 6.3% |
Additional information: If you don’t look at Shelby Miller’s ERA, you’ll see a pitcher who has been extremely lucky despite pitching poorly. For more information as to why I’m not buying Miller, please go here. Jake Arrieta has already had really good stuff, but his biggest roadblock to success has been command. His history suggests he may never have good command, but the Cubs are going to give him every chance possible to see if the command comes around. Brandon Cumpton pitched much better in his last start than the box score indicates. He would have been out of the last inning without any runs allowed if Travis Snider catches a fly ball. When I’m picking a player this low, I want pitchers who do not walk batters, and Cumpton has shown he will not do that.