Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every Monday of the year.
Want an earlier update to The List? Join me on Mondays at 2:00 pm ET as I live-stream its creation each week!
Have questions? My “office hours” are on Playback.tv 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream of The List.
It’s that time of the year where we shift from the traditional Top 100 ranking of The List to a stupid long article outlining every single expected Starting Pitcher start and ranking them all together in one smattering that kinda makes sense and should help your team.
Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, but it’s what I think is the most helpful way of talking about the final four weeks of the season and it’s what you see before you.
First thing’s first, I want to thank Josh Mockensturm for creating the individual team tables and color-coding their matchup tiers. I’ve compiled them all to make the mega tables at the end of the article, and that’s only possible because of Josh’s work.
These schedules are going to change. Seriously, even the daily streaming pitchers article I write often changes and that’s published just hours before game time. Use this article as a guide to understand the flow of rotations and move the respective pitchers around as needed when changes happen.
For each edition of The List, I have a set of rules to outline my thought process and how to best use these rankings. Please take note:
- This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. It generally is the same as roto as well, but make sure you adjust accordingly.
- Again, these tables are going to change. I’m trying to give a general idea of it, but injured pitchers returning, rainouts, bumped starters, callups, etc. mean the orders are all messed up. It happens, nothing I can do about it.
- The notes outline oh-so-much to help your team. Please read the notes if you can instead of just scrolling to the bottom.
Pretty straightforward stuff. Let’s take a look at how I’m loosely ranking these matchups for the next month (which, also, will change. These are humans, after all):
This year, I’ve added labels to each pitcher in their team tables, designated by their color. Here is the legend:
Now let’s jump to the expected schedules for each team starting August 26th.
Final note: I apologize I wasn’t able to get this out before games started on Monday August 26th. It’s a behemoth of an article with a lot of moving parts and I wanted to do it right instead of rushing it out. Check out the morning roundup an daily streaming articles for updates to these assessments and GOOD LUCK!
Brandon Pfaadt – A few tough matchups to navigate around, but relatively safe otherwise.
Eduardo Rodriguez – Two bad matchups and a Toby for the others.
Ryne Nelson – Let. Him. Ride. Okay, maybe not against Houston.
Zac Gallen – Is he actually going BSB? Sit him for the Dodgers and start otherwise, unless it’s apparent he’s too risky.
Merrill Kelly – He’s not the Kelly of 2023 and I worry he’s not worth the stash through the Dodgers.
Team Notes: I don’t expect to see Jordan Montgomery return to the rotation unless an injury appears. Even then, I wouldn’t trust him.
Atlanta
Max Fried – He’s starting to look like an ace again, which makes him a start even against Philly.
Spencer Schwellenbach – I don’t think I’m benching him at all. Even against the Phils and Dodgers.
Chris Sale – Aces gonna ace.
Charlie Morton – He’s a Cherry Bomb, but maybe he can give you value when he’s supposed to against poor teams.
Reynaldo López – His slider is looking great. Let him roll.
Team Notes: We may see some peripheral arms throughout September and I’d ignore them all. Sorry, Hurston Waldrep.
Cole Irvin – This is a spot start and he doesn’t do enough. But what if Eflin isn’t ready? Then he’ll get Coors next. Noooope.
Corbin Burnes – He’s lost his AGA tag, but look at that schedule. Feel free to play it safe against the Dodgers.
Cade Povich – Circle him for those starts against the Tigers and potentially the White Sox, too.
Albert Suárez – Consider Suárez for all the green starts here. Great Win chances.
Dean Kremer – I don’t like Kremer’s arsenal enough to trust a stream against the Rays or Giants, but the opportunity is there if you’re in need.
Zach Eflin – Is he okay? We’re letting him fly if he’s starting.
Team Notes: We could see Trevor Rogers or a recovered Chayce McDermott or another arm from Triple-A appear if Eflin isn’t ready and I’d wait past the first appearance to make a decision there.
Nick Pivetta – I don’t love his feel for his arsenal, but hot dang that schedule. Just avoid the Orioles.
Quinn Priester – I wonder what we get from Priester and it’s possible he sticks around to steal Criswell’s starts.
Cooper Criswell – Those are some lovely matchups, but he’ll likely go about five frames without a whole of electricity. He may also get displaced by Priester.
Brayan Bello – He stumbled in his last start, but he should rebound with those matchups.
Kutter Crawford – I’m a touch worried that Crawford has lost a step with his arsenal, though you’re not dropping him in normal situations.
Tanner Houck – He’s still figuring out how to get his splitter feel back. Fortunately it’s the Tigers up next, but you may need to move on before the Orioles and Yankees.
Team Notes: There’s a chance of a call-up or James Paxton getting healthy or any other arm snagging Criswell’s rotation spot.
Jameson Taillon – He’s a solid play against Pittsburgh, but not much else. Maybe the Nationals for a single game in QS leagues.
Justin Steele – He’s had success lately and I don’t see work where you bench him against the Pirates or Nationals. The other tough matchups are a tougher call, and I’m still rolling with it.
Kyle Hendricks – He’s around for one more with Wicks returning and even if he was sticking around, you don’t want Hendricks.
Jordan Wicks – There’s a chance he acts like his best self to demand a pick-up for Pittsburgh or his final two starts. Look for an elevated four-seamer and legit changeups down.
Shota Imanaga – Aces gonna ace.
Javier Assad – He’s had a hot stretch, but I’d only consider him sporadically. He’s fine against the nationals, but don’t hold on too long.
Team Notes: Not much else to look for here. I wouldn’t touch Hayden Wesneski or Drew Smyly if they got opportunities. Be on the lookout for Caleb Kilian, though the Cubs may be conservative for 2025.
Davis Martin – I’m not ready to invest in a stream against the Tigers, though that end of the season schedule is awfully tantalizing.
Garrett Crochet – He’s going just four frames and while those may be helpful, it’s not enough.
Chris Flexen – There are days he’s FLEXEN AT THE BEACH, but who knows when he put in his PTO.
Ky Bush – He’s not the prospect to chase.
Jonathan Cannon – If you’re desperate for a Quality Start, Cannon has it in him when his command lasts for a full outing.
Team Notes: I’ll continue to dream we get a peak at Nick Nastrini, returning to the mound and actually locating his four-seamer…
Cincinnati Reds
Nick Lodolo – That’s a solid string of matchups, though I’m not the biggest fan of his current groove. The strikeouts are too good to pass up.
Carson Spiers – He has nights where his precision takes over for…crumbs of production. It’s a dart throw.
Andrew Abbott – When he returns, he may get some solid matchups to showcase the BSB he started to embrace.
Julian Aguiar – He’s a sinkerballer who I have little faith with A) Get many more starts and B) Be worth your time.
Rhett Lowder – Wait, is he actually starting?! He’s worth a spec add if so. I’m curious what we get.
Nick Martinez – The Reds aren’t enthused about letting him start and I’d pass unless he’s in a rhythm heading into his good matchups.
Casey Kelly – Absolutely not. Pass on this.
Team Notes: We have Hunter Greene on the IL + a few other interesting prospects who could appear. Their schedule is pretty lax, making for some sneaky stream chances.
Joey Cantillo – The Guardians have enough options to move on from Cantillo, who hasn’t reached Toby quality yet.
Logan Allen – You can ignore Allen.
Gavin Williams – I trust the elite four-seamer to become a stronger foundation moving forward + I hope the cutter sticks as his primary #2 pitch to play off the heater, pushing the curve aside. Save for the start against the Dodgers, I’d roll with Gavin through the end.
Tanner Bibee – Despite his barking shoulder, Bibee has produced and you’re not pulling him from your rosters.
Ben Lively – He’s on another Vargas Rule run and the schedule gives us no reason to hold back now.
Matthew Boyd – That Dodgers start isn’t fun, but Boyd could be worthwhile otherwise. I’m still waiting for the slider to return whiffs again before restoring confidence against decent offenses.
Alex Cobb – I have little interest in Cobb, who hasn’t displayed a great splitter thus far.
Team Notes: I wonder if we’ll see Triston McKenzie return before too long.
Ryan Feltner – COL story, bro.
Cal Quantrill – COL story, bro.
Kyle Freeland – COL story, bro.
Bradley Blalock – COL story, bro.
Austin Gomber – COL story, bro.
Team Notes: Wow, what a great story Mark.
Ty Madden – Hey, it’s an MLB debut right now that is starting just minutes after typing this. I don’t have high hopes, but if Madden impresses, that’s one h*ck of a schedule.
Brant Hurter – He’s a Toby at best, who may have openers for him to make those great matchups workout. Sadly, he doesn’t push the needle enough to justify a confident stream.
Keider Montero – Montero’s arsenal is pedestrian with an average four-seamer/slider focus. It could work for a few of these, but I’m not circling any of it.
Tarik Skubal – Aces gonna ace. Please don’t limit him, but if you do, make it against the Orioles k thx.
Casey Mize – We may be seeing Mize return to the Tigers and he’s not a terrible spec add to see if his slider is back in form. It likely isn’t and you drop him, but there could be something there.
Team Notes: Don’t forget about Reese Olson, who could return from injury before the season’s end and produce during the final week. We’re probably not getting Jackson Jobe, are we…No, we’re likely not. And I hate it.
Ronel Blanco – It’s not a fun run of starts, but Blanco has done enough to earn your start.
Justin Verlander – Bench against Philly, but I think you’re fine for the rest.
Spencer Arrighetti – Ditto with Arrighetti…with a little wider spectrum of ceiling and floor.
Hunter Brown – Brown has done enough with his vast arsenal to let me take the hands off the wheel and let him drive.
Framber Valdez – The curve is cooking (mostly) and you’re letting him fly.
Yusei Kikuchi – Kikuchi is doing the things you want him to do.
Team Notes: It’s likely a six-man moving forward to give the full team rest, though we might see a skipped start here and there for some across the staff to manage their workload.
Alec Marsh – I have no interest here.
Cole Ragans – Aces gonna ace…and give us a scare today as he left the game with a hamstring…cramp. PHEW.
Michael Lorenzen – Circle those final three starts.
Michael Wacha – Circle those final three starts.
Brady Singer – He’s a Cherry Bomb…and likely not worthwhile until after the Yankees.
Seth Lugo – Oh man. Do you roster Lugo or drop him? I’m not sure I can endorse @HOU, CLE, @NYY…It’s up to you, at least the starts after should work out well.
Team Notes: Not much to add here. Expect the five-man to last the rest of the way.
Johnny Cueto – I know @DET and SEA looks great, but it’s Cueto, y’all.
Griffin Canning – This doesn’t look pretty and he doesn’t always take advantage.
Jack Kochanowicz – He’s a sinkerballer who can find six frames by the good grace of Koufax…with one strikeout along the way.
Carson Fulmer – He had a great outing and could replicate it against the Mariners and White Sox, but be careful. The four-seamer ain’t great and he may have to lean on it if the secondaries aren’t there.
Tyler Anderson – This schedule looks fine to keep riding Anderson.
José Soriano – He should be back in a week or two, though I’d only consider him if he avoids Houston and gets those White Sox outings.
Team Notes: We could see Reid Detmers appear in the near future, too. I’d be cautious – he’s had some results in the minors, but the skills aren’t better than what we saw last time.
Walker Buehler – What are ya up to fella. Stash if you want as he could take off the TIARA, but don’t wait too long if you can get value in the meantime.
Jack Flaherty – Aces gonna ace.
Tyler Glasnow – Aces gonna ace…kinda. The Dodgers could be limiting him to ensure he’s healthy for the playoffs and his fully extended start would be in Coors…Not fun.
Bobby Miller – Miller just fanned nine but desperately needs a slider. Does he get ousted when Glasnow returns? What happens to this rotation?!
Clayton Kershaw – I don’t think Kershaw is all that great these days (it’s awfully sad, I know), but those matchups are fine to keep starting Kershaw for the Win potential.
Gavin Stone – He’s grooving. Don’t pull him.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Unlike Glasnow, Yamamoto needs more innings in him to prep for the playoffs. I’d let him roll after the Still ILL start.
Team Notes: I don’t know what they’re going to do with seven capable starters. Does Buehler and/or Miller move to the pen?! Kershaw?!
Edward Cabrera – If he throws strikes, he’s worthwhile. Who knows when.
Roddery Muñoz – It’s an outside chance he has his best precision.
Max Meyer – It’s only the slider and even that isn’t great these days.
Valente Bellozo – He had a few starts of Koufax on his side and his best fastball/cutter. I don’t think that returns, save for maybe one of those good matchups. It’s not worthwhile.
Adam Oller – Oller can make it work if his four-seamer is on point. Those matchups are pretty after Philly and if he still has a groove (and maybe a curve and/or change, too?), he could be a streaming option.
Team Notes: Don’t forget about the low Win chance the Marlins carry in these games.
Tobias Myers – The matchups are generally good and Myers has been rolling for a while.
Freddy Peralta – He may be flirting with Professor Chaos but hot dang, look at those opponents.
Aaron Civale – Are they going to continue with Civale? I have to wonder if the Brewers move him to the pen to prep for the playoffs, especially if the breakers aren’t performing well.
DL Hall – It’s possible the Brewers move Hall back into the rotation to get him more frames before the end of the year. Pay attention – he could be worth your time.
Colin Rea – Do you want to roll with this Vargas Rule? He could also find pen time if the bottom falls out.
Frankie Montas – Montas is up to 97 mph and may hold it. That creates a pair of intriguing streams starting next week.
Team Notes: I wonder if Jacob Misiorowski will see the majors soon as a starter – he’s be an instant spec add if he does.
Bailey Ober – Aces gonna ace.
Simeon Woods Richardson – I’m starting to trust SWR’s composure with each at-bat and he doesn’t have a true fearsome opponent.
David Festa – Those are some cushy matchups, though the full arsenal isn’t consistently there. I hope the slider picks up.
Pablo López – One start away from his AGA tag.
Zebby Matthews – I love those first three starts. It gets a bit harder after that.
Team Notes: The Twins may be adjusting this rotation to adapt to the playoffs if they want to test a starter in the pen.
Sean Manaea – He’s been doing so well, it’s tough to deny him now.
Luis Severino – A few obvious starts and a few you need to heavily consider.
Tylor Megill – This could be José Buttó instead. Either way, it’s a dart throw against the Red Sox and maybe the Jays.
Paul Blackburn – He’s dealing with a hand contusion and should be back in time for some terrible matchups.
David Peterson – I don’t buy Peterson’s run, but hot dang is that a good schedule.
Jose Quintana – Consider him a streamer early and drop later. That said, I really didn’t like his ability last start and I have a touch of worry, even against the ChiSox.
Team Notes: Nothing to add here.
Nestor Cortes – That’s too good of a schedule to pass up.
Gerrit Cole – You’re doing it.
Carlos Rodón – You’re also doing this.
Will Warren – Uhhhhh, he burned us twice in good matchups already.
Marcus Stroman – I don’t love Stroman but the Win chance is too good against those teams.
Luis Gil – We don’t know when he’ll return and if he’ll be completely fine when he does.
Team Notes: It’s possible we see some creativity with the Yankees down the stretch to preserve some of their arms.
Mitch Spence – I kinda like Spence after his last start but I’d wait and see how he looks against the Reds before taking a chance. Also, I heavily doubt he’ll make that final start.
Osvaldo Bido – I dig Bido for those middle starts…and maybe after?
JP Sears – Sears is more of a Cherry Bomb than I’d like.
Joe Boyle – Spin the wheel to find the start when he’s able to throw enough strikes…
Joey Estes – The Rangers + Mariners make for an interesting pair of streams, though Estes shouldn’t be trusted for strikeouts.
Team Notes: You should expect some random names to appear as well, messing up when arms get Houston or the Yankees. Monitor it and plan accordingly.
Zack Wheeler – Aces gonna ace.
Aaron Nola – Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez – Save for the Astros (you may do that too?), you’re riding this out.
Taijuan Walker – Don’t. Please.
Ranger Suárez – I may be tepid with the first outing against Atlanta (I didn’t love his rhythm in his Still ILL), but that’s a lovely schedule after.
Team Notes: You’re likely not getting those seventh starts for Nola and Wheeler, and we may see some Kolby Allard appear here and there.
Mitch Keller – Ehhhh, sure. Don’t go wild here.
Jared Jones – ALLLLL ABOOOOOAAARRD. Don’t expect him to get that last start.
Paul Skenes – Aces gonna ace. I wonder if he gets limited and shut down after the Cardinals outing.
Bailey Falter – There’s a fun pocket of possible streams for Falter, though don’t expect them all to work.
Jake Woodford – Are they really going to keep a six-man rotation to include The Amish Mustang? It’s to preserve Skenes and Jones. STILL.
Luis L. Ortiz – I like the four-seamer, but not enough to be daring across all of these. See how he looks against Cleveland and go from there.
Team Notes: I sincerely hope we get Bubba Chandler in the near future, who could take Woodford’s spot. He’s an instant pick up.
Randy Vásquez It’s just a pair of starts, but Vásquez has made it work enough to steal a Win or two.
Dylan Cease – Aes gonna ace.
Joe Musgrove – Dude. LOOK. AT. THAT. SCHEDULE.
Michael King – Aces gonna ace.
Martín Pérez – He’s a clear streamer early, though I didn’t love his stuff last time out. Expect a rebound and roll with it.
Yu Darvish – I’m generally avoiding this. Why? He’s on the IL with a groin injury after officially returning from the restricted list and likely going on rehab starts. By the time he’s theoretically stretched out, he’d get Houston and the Dodgers. Maybe it’s the White Sox, but he’d also end the year with the Sneks…it’s not worth it if you’re dealing with a roster crunch.
Team Notes: This is such a glorious schedule. Avoid Adam Mazur or Johnny Brito if they get a shot.
Logan Webb – You’re doing this, through thick and thin.
Kyle Harrison – Those matchups are rough. Starting him is in hopes of a random strikeout burst.
Hayden Birdsong – Those matchups are rough. Starting him is in hopes of a random strikeout burst.
Blake Snell – Aces gonna ace.
Robbie Ray…? – He left his last game with hamstring tightness and we don’t know if he’s heading to the IL or not as he’s off to get an MRI. I’m expecting an IL stint, making for tough matchups through the end. Don’t hold on too tight.
Team Notes: There isn’t much to get excited about to replace Robbie if he hits the IL.
Bryce Miller – I don’t love the final outings, but I think you’re still doing it.
Logan Gilbert – Aces gonna ace.
Luis Castillo – Aces gonna ace.
George Kirby – Hey, please be better with your slider.
Bryan Woo – Dude is looking unreal. I’m starting him all the way through.
Team Notes: There is no one else to disrupt this.
Kyle Gibson – He’s been a Toby this year and I’d move on to return against the Mariners, Jays, and Giants. Maybe Cleveland.
Miles Mikolas – He’s a desperate option for a Win or QS, even against those decent matchups.
Andre Pallante – The cut-fastball has been absurdly effective despite sitting comfortably in the zone, making for a trio of streams in the middle of the schedule. H*ck, he may be a Vargas Rule now.
Sonny Gray – He’s been rougher than expected lately, but you’re going with it.
Erick Fedde – It’s great to see seven strikeouts, but it’s the Yankees. Wait until after that start for the Mariners.
Lance Lynn – If you add two L’s, you’ll get a third.
Team Notes: Is this going to be a six-man rotation with Lynn returning? You can’t remove Pallante given his success, but we may see someone step aside.
Ryan Pepiot – Even with the questionable matchups, I’m rolling with Pepiot. His stuff is too good. He’s unlikely to get that seventh start.
Jeffrey Springs – I trust the command to be good enough to survive Baltimore and Cleveland. He’s unlikely to get that seventh start.
Tyler Alexander – We could see a start or two of T-Lex and even in Seattle, the reward isn’t worth the floor.
Zack Littell – Ignore Littell until he returns for the IL and showcases his ability to survive. Then circle the Sawx and Tigers as streaming options.
Taj Bradley – He’s a Cherry Bomb. Good luck.
Shane Baz – Those matchups are rough. I think I’d roll for two, then assess against the Phillies and Cleveland.
Team Notes: The Rays are known to baby their starters, which may mean a whole lot of switcheroos going on down the stretch. This schedule is looser than others.
Andrew Heaney – How can you turn away Heaney with those matchups?
Jack Leiter – He’s worth a spec add for the White Sox Start. We have him down for two outings, but there could be more if the Rangers starters need more time.
Max Scherzer – Is he going to return this year? If so, you’re letting him fly with that schedule.
Jacob deGrom – Okay, this is just unfair. For all of us, we NEED deGrom to return with those opponents.
Nathan Eovaldi – As long as he’s healthy, we start him without question. Okay maybe the Yankees.
Tyler Mahle – The velocity was down and I’d wait at least one start before feeling good for the Jays or Athletics.
Jon Gray – I don’t expect the Rangers to lean on Gray in the rotation over Bradford, making his time limited with Mahle/Scherzer/deGrom. He’s not stretched out enough now.
Cody Bradford – He’s pitching too well to take out of the rotation. I’d roll with it for all except the Sneks.
Team Notes: This schedule is so tough to figure out with all the injured starters. Be aware.
José Berríos – With the Red Sox start now behind him, the other matchups are generally fine enough to roll with Berríos.
Yariel Rodríguez – He has his moments, but he generally goes 4/5 frames and that’s not it.
Chris Bassitt – Those aren’t fun in the beginning, but Bassitt is a guy you set and forget.
Bowden Francis – I’m not a major believer in his recent strikeout run and the Sawx + Phils may be a rude awakening that prevents him to rebound for his better matchups later in September.
Kevin Gausman – The splitter still fails to earn a ton of whiffs, but he has the best schedule of the lot.
Team Notes: This should be what we get, save for Gausman possibly missing that final outing.
Mitchell Parker – That middle pocket of matchups is delicious.
Patrick Corbin – Look. If Corbin has his cutter at its best against the Yankees, you may want to consider the following three. JUST SAYING.
MacKenzie Gore – He hasn’t looked good in months.
Jake Irvin – His curveball is not the pitch that carried him. I wouldn’t trust this.
DJ Herz – Herz flexed a legit four-seamer + changeup approach and doesn’t have a poor matchup until the final weekend. That said, it could disappear as soon as his next start.
Team Notes: I expect this to be the schedule, save for the final start for Parker. We’ve seen a prospect get that game often.
The List Based On ROS Schedules
Phew. With all the team schedules outlined above, I went forward and made a GIANT table featuring every starter listed above, ranking them in six different tiers to get a sense of who to target and avoid down the stretch.
Before we get to that, I need to address a few things:
- Due to the annoying nature of predicting schedule vs. things shifting around constantly, I decided to tier them up and sort them by alphabetical order.
- It’s just too nuanced to rank these properly at this point. What is the value of 4 starts remaining vs. 5? It depends on so much.
- Seriously, this is near impossible at this point. For daily questions, I’ll have my daily streaming articles.
- Let me outline the definitions of each tier:
- Auto: You’re pretty much starting them for each outing they have ahead of them, regardless of the opponent. Maybe one or two considerations, but you’re likely still starting them.
- Solid: You trust them against weak teams and there may be one or two games that give you some hesitation. These are the arms that are most likely already rostered in leagues and not available off the wire. There are also a few arms who are trending down and may fall into the “Gamble” tier next week.
- Tobys and Bombs: These are possible waiver adds with a heavy swing of good and poor matchups, with a mix of your standard Toby types who you trust a little more than a streamer, your high upside/high risk Cherry Bomb types, or guys who we may like to take a spec add on and see if they can become more trusted in future weeks.
- Early Streamer: These are streaming options for the next few starts ahead, who we’re dropping after. It’s not always perfect (like one bad matchup then becoming a streamer), but they should help you plan your weeks ahead.
- Late Streamer: These are streaming options in future weeks to circle and be aware of if you’re looking to get ahead of other managers in your league.
- Desperate Streamer: They have a skill that gives them a chance to come through – Long leash, strikeout upside, etc. – but shouldn’t be circled as an option in your leagues.
- Do Not Start: It’s certainly possible they pull off a good outing here and there, but you really don’t want to bet on it. Don’t do this.
- These matchups are likely to change plenty between now and the end of the season and take the time to look into who maybe shift around and who may not (e.g. The Yankees rotation)
- Again, please don’t hate me, this took forever.
- I went with a screenshot instead of a table as it’s far easier to create the colored cells for opponents + I think it works better for scrolling. Sorry you can’t Ctrl+F inside it. It’s a concession I think is worth it.
- If you’d like a searchable version, I have shared a copy of this Google Sheet inside our PL+ Discord.
Players are not ranked inside tiers.
They are sorted in alphabetical order.
Auto-Start Tier
You’re pretty much starting them for each outing they have ahead of them, regardless of the opponent. Maybe one or two considerations, but you’re likely still starting them.
Solid Start Tier
You trust them against weak teams and there may be one or two games that give you some hesitation. These are the arms that are most likely already rostered in leagues and not available off the wire. There are also a few arms who are trending down and may fall into the “Gamble” tier next week.
Tobys and Bombs Start Tier
These are possible waiver adds with a heavy swing of good and poor matchups, with a mix of your standard Toby types who you trust a little more than a streamer, your high upside/high risk Cherry Bomb types, or guys who we may like to take a spec add on and see if they can become more trusted in future weeks.
Early Streamer Tier
These are streaming options for the next few starts ahead, who we’re dropping after. It’s not always perfect (like one bad matchup then becoming a streamer), but they should help you plan your weeks ahead.
Late Streamer Tier
These are streaming options in future weeks to circle and be aware of if you’re looking to get ahead of other managers in your league.
Desperate Streamer Tier
They have a skill that gives them a chance to come through – Long leash, strikeout upside, etc. – but shouldn’t be circled as an option in your leagues.
Do Not Start Tier
It’s certainly possible they pull off a good outing here and there, but you really don’t want to bet on it. Don’t do this.
Good luck everyone!
This is dope. And you make us feel dope, Nick. Thanks for doing this!
God bless you and yours, Nick! And Merry Christmas to all!
Massively helpful, thanks Nick.
Would you be willing to share the list in text format for those of us that highlight unavailable players by name?
It’s a little sad each year when the format switches from the traditional Top 100 to this, but it’s so much more useful this time of year. Thanks Nick!
Every year Nick goes way too hard to start the season, then is totally burnt out by the All-Star Break and we get significantly worse and lazily produced content like this. It’s a shame, this site has so much potential
Remember when we’d get SP roundups in the morning (or the night of!!) and not the afternoon?
You can just screenshot, save, and/or print to file/pdf on a desktop browser w/right clicks, usually.
Great content, as usual.
I’m not sure what version #.# next season is going to be here, if you’re going to reset the whole place like usual in Feb., and I’m not sure if you’re going to leave a space open for suggestions about the new version like you’ve done in the past, so I’ll make my suggestion here. (Another suggestion: if you genuinely want input from your readers about what they’d like to see next season, you’d start asking for input around the trade deadline and *before* the NFL gets much going. By the end of the baseball season, many people are already figuring they’ve lost their baseball leagues, and switch their general focus to football.)
It would be FANTASTIC if you were able to combine content similar to this (listing next 4-6 projected starts, since the data is produced for the Expected SP Schedules posts each week anyway) in either the Streamers or Roundup posts for most of the year (after rotations are initially projectable, with general inaccuracy disclaimers in the preface material at the top of each post, and more specific ones around the ASB and end-of-season).
I suspect Roundup posts would be best for most of the readers here, since Nick generally mentions their next projected start at the end of each blurb already (so people already know where to look for it), and because the Roundup blurbs get added to the game log in the player pages for easy reference. Right after you mention the next game, you could just throw the next 4-6 teams faced in parentheses or something.
I understand that projected schedules are fickle things, and that they will often be inaccurate (hence the need for inaccuracy disclaimers in with all the other preface stuff), but I’d rather know there’s a chance that someone *might* have to pitch against the Phillies and Dodgers after a couple cakewalk starts than not have any idea. Yes, we can find it ourselves, but we come to you because we’re lazy, and don’t want to piece everything together ourselves. We have REAL jobs ! (I say this out of jealousy, not spite, lol)
Oh, and please bring back your intro to/fantasy 101, so I can point newbs there (unless I’m just really confused, and you never actually had something like that). Honestly, while it’s good for *me* to point newbs at, it’s even better for *you*, getting in on the ground-floor of newbs’ fantasy careers, for future site traffic and PL Pro subscriptions, etc…
Otherwise, they might come here, (after already knowing what’s up, but not getting to know you), read Nick’s (at times exceedingly optimistic, mostly due to falling in love with a fastball) SP Roundup blurbs, and swear the place off entirely…
(I kid, I kid. The exuberance and frivolity is what *makes* this place, and it’s not as if there’s no warning that he wants them all to be dope. ; ) )
@ Jeff M
Do you really need it that fast? The guy just pitched, he won’t pitch again for at least 4 days, you’ve got plenty of time to work with. I understand wanting to see Nick’s reaction right after the game ends, but in order to get the most accurate and useful analysis, you’ve got to give the man time to get it right.
I understand that change, by its nature, is unsettling, but games will often end late on the West Coast, and people need sleep, especially to hand out advice to people with money on the line. It’s their business, he’ll go out of it if his trigger is too quick to get things right.
I *am* often annoyed when the 2-Start Pitchers posts are late, (and I wish Expected Schedules were ALSO generally posted on Saturdays). Many leagues with limited player trade & acquisition limits can make roster changes for their next matchup as soon as first pitch on Sunday, and people are waiting with a hair trigger to add 2-starters or good schedules ASAP, before anyone else can get their guy… But SP Roundup? That’s not as big a deal, as you’ve (usually) got plenty of time to internalize and act on the input before their next start.
This was @ Bob: “You can just screenshot, save, and/or print to file/pdf on a desktop browser w/right clicks [context menu], [&/or hamburger menu,] usually.”
This comment is absolutely fucking absurd.
@Vik
Much prefer the traditional Top 100 ranking. Disappointed to see this column end this way for the season.
I look forward to the regular top 100, but we have enough info at this point to assess how pitchers stand relative to each other. Alway fun to see whether younger pitchers move up or down, but I think this change is very valuable in planning the September stretch run. Things will change but this is way more helpful in managing your roster at this point. This gives a better overall perspective in assessing rest of season value. It’s September… who cares where a hot young pitcher like Arrighetti ranks with the others… I’d rather see their final schedule.