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 | Adam Wainwright | STL | ARI, @CIN | 2.11 | 22.6% | 6.0% |
| 2 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY | @CHC, @CWS | 2.17 | 29.5% | 3.1% |
| 3 | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | CIN, @PIT | 3.48 | 30.0% | 6.4% |
| 4 | Julio Teheran | ATL | MIL, COL | 2.20 | 19.4% | 6.8% |
| 5 | Hisashi Iwakuma | SEA | @TEX, HOU | 1.59 | 18.8% | 1.3% |
| 6 | Mike Minor | ATL | MIL, COL | 4.24 | 21.6% | 5.4% |
| 7 | Madison Bumgarner | SF | @COL, MIN | 3.24 | 25.4% | 6.9% |
| 8 | Corey Kluber | CLE | DET, @BAL | 3.37 | 26.4% | 5.2% |
| 9 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | @PHI | 1.74 | 30.9% | 1.2% |
| 10 | Max Scherzer | DET | @CLE | 2.04 | 31.6% | 7.7% |
| 11 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | HOU | 3.04 | 24.4% | 4.9% |
| 12 | Cliff Lee | PHI | LAD | 3.23 | 22.4% | 3.1% |
| 13 | Johnny Cueto | CIN | @WSH | 1.25 | 28.8% | 6.8% |
| 14 | Zack Greinke | LAD | @NYM | 2.38 | 29.3% | 5.3% |
| 15 | David Price | TB | BOS | 4.02 | 27.2% | 2.3% |
| 16 | Yu Darvish | TEX | @DET | 2.33 | 28.4% | 6.8% |
| 17 | Jeff Samardzija | CHC | @SD | 1.45 | 20.3% | 7.2% |
| 18 | James Shields | KC | @LAA | 2.54 | 22.8% | 4.9% |
| 19 | Chris Sale | CWS | NYY | 2.31 | 27.9% | 6.7% |
| 20 | Jordan Zimmermann | WSH | @PIT | 3.58 | 23.0% | 4.4% |
| 21 | Michael Wacha | STL | ARI | 2.82 | 27.2% | 6.1% |
| 22 | Sonny Gray | OAK | @TB | 2.17 | 19.5% | 8.1% |
| 23 | Cole Hamels | PHI | @MIA | 5.32 | 22.2% | 9.3% |
| 24 | Ervin Santana | ATL | MIL | 1.99 | 27.6% | 5.8% |
| 25 | Yordano Ventura | KC | CWS | 2.40 | 26.5% | 8.0% |
| 26 | Homer Bailey | CIN | STL | 4.72 | 21.1% | 7.7% |
Additional information: If you remove Corey Kluber’s his first outing against the A’s, he has a 2.77 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 28 percent strikeout rate and 4.4 percent walk rate. I wasn’t high on Sonny Gray in the preseason because I had durability questions and the fact he was basically a two-pitch pitcher. What I didn’t expect was the command to improve dramatically. He’s throwing the fastball on both sides of the plate as well as the top and bottom of the strike zone consistently for strikes, which makes me believe he could be a fringe top 20 starting pitcher at the end of the year.
Backend starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 27 | Garrett Richards | LAA | HOU, KC | 2.42 | 25.8% | 9.6% |
| 28 | A.J. Burnett | PHI | @MIA, LAD | 3.13 | 19.1% | 11.0% |
| 29 | Justin Verlander | DET | @CLE, TEX | 3.15 | 18.4% | 9.4% |
| 30 | Ian Kennedy | SD | MIN, CHC | 3.60 | 26.4% | 5.3% |
| 31 | Doug Fister | WSH | CIN, @PIT | 4.78 | 16.3% | 0.0% |
| 32 | Tony Cingrani | CIN | @WSH, STL | 3.34 | 23.5% | 12.5% |
| 33 | Wily Peralta | MIL | @ATL, @MIA | 2.05 | 18.1% | 4.6% |
| 34 | Gio Gonzalez | WSH | @PIT | 3.96 | 24.5% | 9.0% |
| 35 | Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | PHI | 3.62 | 21.8% | 5.2% |
| 36 | Gerrit Cole | PIT | WSH | 3.76 | 20.2% | 7.2% |
| 37 | Dan Haren | LAD | @PHI | 2.84 | 17.9% | 4.2% |
| 38 | Andrew Cashner | SD | CHC | 2.36 | 19.3% | 7.0% |
| 39 | Chris Tillman | BAL | CLE | 3.96 | 19.0% | 9.0% |
| 40 | Lance Lynn | STL | ARI | 3.83 | 24.2% | 8.2% |
| 41 | Jesse Chavez | OAK | @TOR | 2.44 | 24.6% | 5.8% |
| 42 | Tyson Ross | SD | MIN | 2.81 | 22.1% | 9.6% |
| 43 | Anibal Sanchez | DET | TEX | 3.13 | 25.8% | 11.8% |
| 44 | Hiroki Kuroda | NYY | @CWS | 4.62 | 17.6% | 3.4% |
| 45 | Travis Wood | CHC | @SD | 4.91 | 20.5% | 7.0% |
| 46 | Jon Lester | BOS | TOR | 2.75 | 29.9% | 5.9% |
| 47 | Kyle Lohse | MIL | @ATL | 2.75 | 20.4% | 5.6% |
| 48 | Jered Weaver | LAA | HOU | 3.22 | 19.7% | 7.4% |
| 49 | Jose Quintana | CWS | @KC | 3.67 | 19.9% | 6.5% |
| 50 | Alfredo Simon | CIN | @WSH | 2.88 | 12.5% | 6.8% |
Additional information: Since being acquired by the Padres, Ian Kennedy has a 3.31 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 28.6 percent strikeout rate. Another major adjustment Kennedy has made is he almost reduced the walk rate in half (from 9.2 percent to 5.5 percent). The Twins have the highest walk rate in the majors, but if he doesn’t walk hitters he should have two good starts. Lance Lynn’s career numbers at home are 3.16 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 24.8 percent strikeout rate and the Diamondbacks are 20th in the majors in wOBA away from Chase Field. Jesse Chavez has pitched like an ace, but I’m still buying it because he cannot hold his velocity deep into games. Gerrit Cole only has three starts (out of eight) where he has given up three runs or fewer. I still believe he can be a top 20 fantasy starting pitcher.
Spot starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 51 | C.J. Wilson | LAA | KC | 3.69 | 24.9% | 8.8% |
| 52 | Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | CLE | 4.02 | 20.2% | 10.8% |
| 53 | Henderson Alvarez | MIA | PHI | 3.33 | 15.0% | 6.8% |
| 54 | Matt Cain | SF | @COL | 4.32 | 19.5% | 9.2% |
| 55 | Tim Hudson | SF | @COL | 2.09 | 16.7% | 1.8% |
| 56 | Jon Niese | NYM | LAD | 2.17 | 19.8% | 5.5% |
| 57 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU | @LAA, @SEA | 3.06 | 22.2% | 5.2% |
| 58 | Drew Smyly | DET | @CLE, TEX | 2.70 | 23.1% | 8.5% |
| 59 | Scott Kazmir | OAK | @TOR | 2.28 | 20.7% | 4.4% |
| 60 | Drew Hutchison | TOR | @BOS | 4.37 | 25.7% | 7.9% |
| 61 | Chris Archer | TB | OAK | 5.17 | 18.3% | 7.6% |
| 62 | Justin Masterson | CLE | @BAL | 4.31 | 21.6% | 9.5% |
| 63 | John Lackey | BOS | @TB | 3.57 | 23.9% | 5.0% |
| 64 | Marco Estrada | MIL | @MIA | 3.29 | 23.7% | 7.2% |
| 65 | Tyler Skaggs | LAA | HOU | 4.53 | 15.6% | 6.2% |
| 66 | Yovani Gallardo | MIL | @ATL, @MIA | 3.07 | 16.8% | 6.9% |
| 67 | Josh Beckett | LAD | @NYM, @PHI | 2.37 | 23.8% | 8.9% |
| 68 | Francisco Liriano | PIT | BAL, WSH | 4.25 | 23.1% | 10.4% |
| 69 | Brandon McCarthy | ARI | @STL, @NYM | 5.01 | 22.2% | 4.3% |
| 70 | Jason Hammel | CHC | NYY | 3.06 | 21.2% | 5.9% |
| 71 | Wade Miley | ARI | @STL | 4.82 | 20.1% | 7.9% |
| 72 | Zach McAllister | CLE | DET | 3.89 | 20.2% | 7.4% |
| 73 | Jordan Lyles | COL | @ATL | 2.66 | 15.9% | 7.0% |
| 74 | Robbie Erlin | SD | CHC | 4.22 | 20.4% | 6.1% |
Additional information: Brandon McCarthy has a 3.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP with a 27.3 strikeout rate and 4.7 percent walk rate in his last six starts. Scott Kazmir has far exceeded expectations, but the Blue Jays have the fifth highest wOBA against lefties in the majors and have the third highest wOBA at home. Jordan Lyles’ ground ball rate is nearly ten percentage points higher than last year and he faces the 28th-ranked team in the majors in wOBA. Tim Hudson is having a great year because the Giants are shifting a lot more, but this is start where I would think otherwise before using him. Since Hudson generates a lot of ground balls, he has a better chance of having a quality start, but considering the ballpark and how well the Rockies are hitting at home, it’s possible he has a disaster start.
Proceed with caution
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 75 | Tanner Roark | WSH | CIN | 3.66 | 20.0% | 5.6% |
| 76 | Phil Hughes | MIN | @SD | 3.62 | 20.3% | 3.0% |
| 77 | Gavin Floyd | ATL | COL | 2.71 | 24.1% | 3.7% |
| 78 | Jake Arrieta | CHC | NYY, @SD | 2.71 | 20.6% | 12.7% |
| 79 | Bronson Arroyo | ARI | @NYM | 4.15 | 13.4% | 6.0% |
| 80 | Edwin Jackson | CHC | @SD | 4.57 | 18.7% | 9.4% |
| 81 | Danny Duffy | KC | @LAA | 1.97 | 22.1% | 13.0% |
| 82 | Shelby Miller | STL | @CIN | 3.22 | 17.0% | 13.9% |
| 83 | R.A. Dickey | TOR | OAK | 4.53 | 19.7% | 11.3% |
| 84 | Matt Garza | MIL | @ATL | 4.98 | 18.6% | 8.6% |
| 85 | Clay Buchholz | BOS | TOR | 6.17 | 16.4% | 7.0% |
Additional information: Bronson Arroyo, in his last four starts, is holding batters to a .210 batting average and has a 0.91 ERA and WHIP. The Mets have second lowest wOBA in the majors, so it appears he is a safe stream option, but you’re playing with fire when you start Arroyo. Edwin Jackson has not had a good season; his walk rate is nearly two percentage points higher than last year (9.4 percent) and he has an opposing batting average of .277. However, since the Padres offense is so bad, I’m at the point where any pitcher facing the Padres in San Diego are must streams.
Avoid
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 86 | Mike Leake | CIN | STL | 3.09 | 14.9% | 4.8% |
| 87 | Ricky Nolasco | MIN | @SF | 5.50 | 15.5% | 5.5% |
| 88 | Chris Young | SEA | HOU | 2.63 | 12.0% | 10.7% |
| 89 | Jacob deGrom | NYM | LAD | 1.29 | 24.0% | 8.0% |
| 90 | Anthony DeSclafani | MIA | PHI, MIL | 3.00 | 26.9% | 3.8% |
| 91 | Aaron Harang | ATL | MIL | 2.98 | 26.1% | 8.5% |
| 92 | Rick Porcello | DET | TEX | 3.22 | 16.9% | 3.5% |
| 93 | Eric Stults | SD | CHC | 5.04 | 10.6% | 3.9% |
| 94 | Chase Whitley | NYY | @CHC | 0.00 | 22.2% | 11.1% |
| 95 | Mark Buehrle | TOR | @BOS | 2.04 | 14.2% | 7.8% |
| 96 | Jake Peavy | BOS | @TB | 3.94 | 19.7% | 13.0% |
| 97 | Scott Feldman | HOU | @LAA, @SEA | 2.63 | 11.8% | 6.5% |
| 98 | Zack Wheeler | NYM | ARI | 4.53 | 21.1% | 12.4% |
| 99 | Drew Pomeranz | OAK | @TB, @PIT | 1.14 | 25.8% | 8.6% |
| 100 | Collin McHugh | HOU | @LAA | 2.80 | 26.5% | 5.9% |
| 101 | Danny Salazar | CLE | DET, @BAL | 5.53 | 25.5% | 9.2% |
Additional information: Jake Odorizzi has looked really good in his last two starts — 11 innings, 18 strikeouts and zero earned runs. The biggest adjustment he has been incorporating the curveball more. The curveball is thrown at 68-71 mph and when its thrown for strikes it makes his rather pedestrian 90-92 mph fastball look like 94-95 mph. This upcoming week he faces the A’s and Red Sox at home; these are matchups I’m staying away from, but if he performs well he could be a nice fantasy option in 12-team mixed leagues. Anthony DeSclafani looked good in his major league debut striking out seven in six innings. He throws a mid-90s fastball along with a slider and curveball. I have questions whether or not he can get lefties out consistently, but the Phillies’ offense stinks and the Brewers are an extremely right-handed offense. Jacob deGrom had command issues in the first three, four innings of his major league debut, but after he settled down, he was extremely effective. I ranked deGrom higher than DeScalafini because he has better secondary pitches, and they have a better chance of being more effective against both sides of the plate.