With a month left in the season, things are starting to settle as far as playoff contenders and pretenders. Outside of the three-horse race in the AL West, all other divisions appear to have a clear path for their current leaders, leaving us with only a few intriguing options.
Both leagues still have wild card spots to settle, and starting pitching becomes a premium commodity around these dates. Even with September call-ups and injuries, there are always opportunities to find value to ensure a successful result for your fantasy teams.
Below, we break down every MLB team’s starting rotation for the next few weeks to help you plan the back end of your fantasy rotation. This tool is beneficial if you’re looking for streamers or flexing fringe starters in and out of your lineup and can be especially useful in September if you are trying to reach an innings cap.
Before we delve into the teams, below are our matchup rankings. These match those in Nick Pollack’s SP Streamers for consistency. If you disagree, that’s your prerogative! They are meant to be a loose guide. The most important thing is to pay attention to the matchups.
Nick’s Loose Team Offense Rankings (Updated 8/16)
Here’s a key for a few terms you may encounter below:
(OFF) means the team has an off-day before they play that team.
(DH) indicates a doubleheader that day.
SPOT STARTER should be obvious, but this pitcher will only start once.
??? represents an unclear rotational spot, and the notes will explain options.
Above all else, please remember that schedules change often! The grids below represent our best estimate at the time of publishing, but players get hurt, come back from the IL, get sent down or called up, or get an extra day of rest all the time. Use this as a guide and double-check a player’s status before making roster changes.
- Brandon Pfaadt has pitched better lately and could be worth streaming against a Rockies team with the lowest wRC+ in the league away from home this year. The same logic applies to Zach Davies, who also gets starts against the middling New York offenses.
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- The top-heavy Atlanta rotation gets a new member, as Darius Vines was more than solid in his MLB debut, earning a win in Colorado. He is now slated for favorable matchups across the board, so Vines could be worth a waiver claim. Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton are almost automatic starts, even if they get to face the Phillies many times.
- There’s no indication Baltimore plans to move away from their six-man rotation anytime soon, and their upcoming weeks have more than a few favorable duels. Grayson Rodriguez is probably the best bet of the bunch, though John Means and Dean Kremer could be worth a look (just avoid those games in Houston).
- The Red Sox still have a chance, at least in the literal sense. The upcoming schedule is tough, though they have recently dominated the Yankees and a spot start from the likes of Kutter Crawford or Tanner Houck could be an inspired choice.
- With Drew Smyly moved to the bullpen (at least for now), the Cubs have settled on this five-man rotation that is working better than expected. With Justin Steele turning into a Cy Young contender and Kyle Hendricks returning to his old self, there are still chances to pick up the likes of Jordan Wicks or Javier Assad, who get to face struggling NL West offenses.
- Mike Clevinger is probably the only starter worth a speculative add, as this team is playing some of the less inspired baseball in the league. Even facing a bunch of non-contenders, taking a gamble on the likes of Jesse Scholtens or Touki Toussaint sounds too risky.
- Note: The Reds are taxed one tier anytime they are home. Hence, different shades for games vs. SEA, STL, MIN, and PIT.
- The Reds have not announced a starter for Tuesday’s game against the Mariners, but all signs point to Connor Phillips, making his MLB debut. He has 154 strikeouts in 105 innings at two minor league stops, but facing the red-hot Seattle team may not be ideal.
- As Cincinnati fights for a playoff spot, they will throw their young rotation against mostly middling offenses. The best scenario would be to stream after this week’s homestand, especially with Brett Kennedy and Lyon Richardson facing the light-hitting Tigers.
- The return of Cal Quantrill has moved the Guardians into a six-man rotation, which they will probably use as they chase the Twins. They have their best pitchers lined up against Minnesota, but Quantrill could be worth picking up, as he is bound to face three straight bad teams on the road.
- Note: The Rockies are taxed one tier anytime they are home. Hence, different shades for games vs. CHC & SFG.
- There aren’t many appealing options with the Rockies, but Peter Lambert has a 3.60 ERA away from Coors this season and has road matchups against the D’Backs and Giants. Ty Blach does not get to face the Dodgers and the rest of the starters are uninspiring at best, so, as usual, it is best to avoid anything related to the Rockies.
- The Tigers’ upcoming schedule is about as good as it gets, and outside of Eduardo Rodriguez, their starters are widely available. Joey Wentz and Matt Manning could be worth a shot, as long as they can survive the Bronx and the suddenly-alive Yankees.
- José Urquidy is now officially out of the Astros’ rotation, and it is likely that JP France is the only hurler who could be available for a streaming opportunity. While he is risky against the Rangers and Padres, he could be a solid option facing the Royals.
- In what could be the final starts of his career, picking up Zack Greinke against the Guardians and Tigers could be fun from a nostalgia standpoint. Outside of him, Alec Marsh could be worth a look (though he is still searching for his first win), and if your league is still sleeping on him…GO PICK UP COLE RAGANS.
- The absence of Shohei Ohtani has turned the Angels’ rotation into a sad spectacle, as they are now going into a six-man lineup with not a lot of upside. Griffin Canning and Tyler Anderson could be worth it, as they avoid the team’s worst matchups.
- As usual, it is hard to project Los Angeles’ rotation, outside of Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías, and the revamped Lance Lynn. With the recent promotion of Ryan Pepiot, it is unlikely that the Dodgers use only five starters as they do some load management. For fantasy purposes, Emmet Sheehan could be a nice addition.
- With Johnny Cueto (and his shimmy) returning from the IL, the suddenly-contending-again Marlins are riding out with a six-man rotation for the time being. Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett could be interesting additions for their next turn and beyond, while the rest of the rotation is probably unavailable in your league.
- Wade Miley and Colin Rea could become streaming candidates this week, as the Brewers have probably the most favorable schedule in the league from a pitching standpoint. With the big 3 of Burnes, Woodruff, and Peralta mowing down opponents, the back end of the rotation could be worth a shot.
- Joe Ryan is back, and the Twins’ rotation is loaded. Four of these guys should be rostered in the majority of leagues, but Dallas Keuchel has shown flashes of excellence, especially against weak opponents.
- At this point, the only interesting pitcher here is Kodai Senga. The return of Tylor Megill could be intriguing as he auditions for a spot in the 2024 rotation, but this is definitely a team to avoid.
- Michael King had a nice traditional start to secure an improbable sweep in Houston and could be worth a try. The Yankees will at least play for pride and the chance to keep their winning season streak alive.
- Clarke Schmidt’s upcoming slate is juicy. Only the matchup against the Red Sox in Boston is cause for concern; the same caveat applies to Carlos Rodón if some frustrated manager dropped him and made him available in your league. As for Luis Severino … just don’t do it.
- Nothing to see here, unless you are a masochist and want to try your luck with a home series against the Tigers. What will the attendance be for those games?
- The return of Ranger Suárez and an upcoming doubleheader has given the Phillies a six-man rotation as of this writing. Facing the Braves a ton does not bode well for these hurlers, but the end of the month should give a couple of streaming chances to Cristopher Sánchez.
- Somehow, this is even worse than the A’s in terms of excitement. Andre Jackson has been decent in his last two starts, so he could be a risky add.
- The Padres need to get hot to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the schedule doesn’t offer many breaks. Seth Lugo just shut down the Giants and is bound to face them again before the season ends. He could be a fine addition – just do not start him in Houston.
- Kyle Harrison had a disastrous start in San Diego, allowing four homers. However, he hopes to recapture his home magic against the Rockies and Guardians, which could be just what the doctor ordered. As usual, Sean Manaea and Tristan Beck will probably serve as openers, so they are not to be relied on.
- Seattle has one of the best rotations in the game, and their five starters are probably off the board. Even if someone is available, it is hard to target them with games in Cincy, Texas, and facing the Dodgers.
- Zack Thompson is the only Cardinals’ starter with a decent ERA in the last month, but his upcoming schedule is brutal. The end of the month could finally see Adam Wainwright making a push for win #200, but that’s the only interesting item to list for this bunch.
- Taj Bradley is back, giving the Rays a conventional rotation for the stretch run. He could be worth an add; despite command issues in his return, he still managed to get 7 strikeouts over 5 innings.
- With the scheduled return of Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers are likely to have a six-man rotation for a while. Despite a tough start against Minnesota, Jordan Montgomery could be a nice addition going forward, same as Jon Gray.
- The Blue Jays have a nice, easy week ahead of them. Even as most of their starters are probably unavailable, José Berríos looks primed for a nice finish and is a good target to have.
- If you are at the point of desperation, you could do worse than Patrick Corbin (4.90 ERA), but don’t be tempted by Joan Adon (5.90 ERA). Even as the Nationals have done a good job of playing spoiler, adding their pitchers is not worth the risk.