The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Board tonight, comments in the morning!

• Rodón and Suárez are the only real studs today and Suárez gets stuck facing LAD… still running him everywhere, of course
• Littell walks a tightrope with the excellent 4% BB% and putrid 1.8 HR9; his last 2 starts crystallize the range of outcomes w/this skillset — 4.3 IP/5 ER/4 HR v. TOR | 6 IP/2 ER/0 HR at SDP
• Taillon was OK off the IL (4.3 IP/2 ER) and gets a trip back to his old stomping grounds where he should be able to put himself in line for a Win
• Bradish has been fantastic in 3 starts since returning from injury with skills to back it up, though 2 of his L3 starts will be v. and at NYY
• Gallen had been rolling with a 2.20 ERA/1.05 WHIP in his L7 (6 QS) but suffered through a rough 1st inning at SFG (3 ER) to interrupt the run… allowed just 2 ER over his final 5.7 IP of that SFG start so I’m not letting the 5 ER outing deter and in fact, I’m adding a 10-team reco for him and probably prefer him to Strider in a 1 v. 1
• Ashcraft and Sheehan are two rising young arms that I like a good bit, but these are some tough matchups to navigate so they aren’t must starts
• Alexander is running a 2.20 ERA/0.98 WHIP so I might’ve undersold him a bit. I knew he was doing well, but didn’t know it was that well. I’ve added an “x” and I’d start him over Leiter. I still prefer the Ashcraft/Sheehan duo over him as I believe in their stuff more
• Can’t wait to watch Yesavage’s debut tonight… and if Boyle’s on, it could be a great matchup!

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

I know the Cubs game is going already today, but here’s the rest of the weekend!

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Holy Toledo, what a rough board for the short slate Thursday! I keep a running loose ranking all throughout the year and only 2 guys in my Top 40 are going today. I’ll let you guess which 2 and neither is Schlittler or Seymour yet despite their impressive small samples. But that lack of experience also stands out when they rank 2nd and 4th on a board, respectively.

• Luzardo draws the top spot, but the Mets are blazing hot vL lately sitting 1st in wOBA over the L30
• I’m still starting Schlittler and Seymour in virtually all spots so that wasn’t a diss earlier, just underscoring how thin Thursday is. These two will be the subject of many offseason conversations and appear on a lot of breakout/sleeper lists as the next big thing. I need to do more research on Seymour to see where I land, but I can see myself contributing to the Schlittler hype for sure.
• Gausman’s been undeniably good this year (SP23 on Player Rater) and yet I never feel that good starting him and I really can’t explain it. It’s also theoretical for me this year because I don’t have him so I should say “recommending him” more than “starting him’. It’s idle concern, though, because I can’t see benching him anywhere even in tougher matchups.
• Love that my guy Gav Williams has his ERA down to a strong 3.17, but I haven’t been sprinting victory laps around everyone because I understand the 1.29 WHIP mitigates some of his impact… he’s SP40 which is 1 spot higher than my SP41 spring rank.
• Peterson’s been all over the map lately: 26-79-55-6-41 Game Scores over his L5 so I really wouldn’t blame anyone for passing in Philly, but he’s at least worthy of consideration everywhere even if only in hopes of nabbing a W.
• Smith’s had an excellent 2H rebound and honestly as I’m typing this I’m realizing I like him over Peterson but I’ve already remade the board like 6x writing these comments so pardon me for being a lazy bum and leaving it as-is and just telling y’all I prefer our boy Shane!
• Weathers is coming off the IL so he’s a total wildcard but he reached 4.7 IP in 68 pitches during his last rehab so if they expand that to 75-80 pitches, 5 IP should be doable… I’d say pickup and stash but he’s headed to Coors next week and I’m doing my best to avoid ALL Coors starts down the stretch (studs still starting there, though).
• Oviedo’s a hot hand play, but he’s legitimately hot and someone I really liked both coming up with St. Louis and during his platform 2023 season with Pittsburgh; more BB (13%) than we’d like in his 5 starts off the IL, but also a 29% K and very few hits fueling a sharp 1.10 WHIP. BAL can still clip a pitcher, but I don’t run from them.
• Sori’s WHIP remains terrifying and despite the elite matchup, I’m not sure how good Kolek is so I don’t think he’s an overwhelming must start.

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Board tonight, comments in the morning!

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Board tonight, comments in the morning! I’m also curious if there’s anything those of you still chasing down titles and placements would want to see to make the board more useful in September.

• Tough board today starting with pitchers 2-5 all have medium-to-tough matchups. It doesn’t take me off any of ’em, of course, just know there’s some downside w/a rookie in ATL, anyone v. ARI, Biebs still only making his 6th start in 2 yrs, and Ranger in a heated divisional matchup v. NYM
• Pitchers 6-10 go the other way where it’s less bankable arms, but much stronger matchups:
  • Is Eury hitting a wall and done being good this year or ready to rebound v. WAS? It’s Mazur today, Eury tom.
  • Can Houser defeat his old team despite their improved offense? (15th wOBA in L30)
  • Will Bradish stay hot w/a great matchup?
  • Is Cameron’s tank running empty? 0 K/6 ER, 5 BB/3 ER in his L2 starts
  • Does Sheehan go long enough to steal a W in a great spot?
• I can see running any of the 2-x’s in 10-teamers, but I don’t think they are anywhere near must starts… Strider’s been better in his L2 but still just 4 Ks/5 BB so he’s not necessarily back just bc of the 4 ER in 12 IP.
• King’s 1-x is just IL return caution. As I discussed with someone in the comments, if he goes off today then it’s all systems go v. COL

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Board tonight, comments in the morning!

• Not all the 3-xs are created equally, of course, w/Crochet-Woo-Webb-Lodolo-Glasnow-Imanaga sitting a cut above youngsters Bergert and McLean, but I can’t envision sitting those two in many – if any – spots. McLean is in PHI which isn’t easy, but he’s just been SO elite so far.
• TEX isn’t a total walkover so I don’t think Q coasts to a win, just that I’d be willing to chase a W with him as opposed to relying on him for ratios.
• Darvish-Morales-Cecconi-Cavalli is an interesting group of risky upside arms… any of the four can pop off or get smoked and figuring who will do what is the tough part. I, of course, lean toward Darvish and Morales with their 2-x rankings, but not exponentially ahead of Cecconi-Cavalli by any stretch.
• Crismatt’s WHIP makes clear that ERA is fraudulent laced with good fortune. Still might not be the worst spot to do a haf-assed Win chase as the D’Backs can still swing it a bit so while they are an also-ran team at this point, they still have a fair win probability on most nights.

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

I know the Cubs game is going already today, but here’s the rest of the weekend!

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Pardon me for missing my chat today, I had a doctor’s appt. (nothing crazy or worrisome) and that was the only window they could squeeze me into this week. I posted a notice on yesterday’s chart, but it wasn’t until the morning so I imagine that not everyone saw it and some were wondering where the chat was this afternoon. 

—

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

I will NOT be able to conduct my chat today. I have a doctor appointment (nothing crazy) and this was the one window they could fit me in this week. 

—

Board tonight, comments in the AM!

• After a couple poor tune-up starts fresh off the IL, Kirby has 3.26 ERA/1.10 WHIP/19% K-BB in his L16
• Eury had some hiccups in Aug, including a nightmare last night (0.7 IP/5 ER) but he still had 2 QS and logged 3 Ws; barring another mega-dud here, his WAS/DET 2-step next wk should be super appealing
• Ray’s velo was down for his starts at MIL and at SDP, but it was back up to 93.7 mph (+0.2 v. season mark) last time out despite the poor results
• Horton might actually deserve to be just behind Kirby if not #1 himself; since allowing 4 ER at MIN on July 9th, he’s allowed 4 ER in his L8 combined: 0.86 ERA/0.88 WHIP/16% K-BB in 42 IP
• I’ve been cautious w/Shohei and I think rightfully so to this point, but he reached 5 IP for first time this yr and draws a great matchup to do it again! Always a risk to go fewer than 5 IP, but confidently putting him in the rotation again
• Bieber’s had 2 great starts off the IL w/15 Ks and 0 BB… he’ll likely have a hiccup at some point as most injury returners do, but I can’t see sitting him anywhere right now
• Springs hasn’t had the same crazy home/road splits like some of his Athletics teammates, but he is still better on the road (3.66 ERA/1.12 WHIP) and I don’t mind giving him a shot in STL
• The Fermin/Bergert & Kolek trade was a small but impactful that both teams might end up very happy with when it’s all done. Bergert has continued his success w/KCR, posting a shiny 2.54 ERA/1.02 WHIP in 28.3 IP and while his 15% K-BB isn’t amazing, it is up nearly 5 pts from his SDP work (2.78 ERA/1.18 WHIP/11% K-BB)
• Cortes/Houser/Littell are definitely dicier outside of the deeper leagues, but have enough intrigue to be viable-if-risky streamers in 12s and lower
• Zebby/Povich/Mize/Ashcraft/Leiter are a group of interesting streamers with tangible upside, but substantial risk tied to their inconsistency, matchup, or both. Zebby’s date w/the White Sox is the easiest of the group but they aren’t the pushover they were in the 1H
• Q is scary v. PHI and honestly if I’m giving him 1-x, I guess Nola can get 1, too… both are very scary with substantial downside where you’re really hoping whichever you use can snake a Win
• Liberatore to Alexander contains some intriguing streaming names but I’m trying to avoid duds down the stretch to the best of my ability and all of these guys scare me for one reason or another:
  • Liberatore faded after a strong start and ATH offense is frisky
  • Cantillo’s WHIP is horrendous & BOS is a solid offense
  • May just isn’t someone I can trust anywhere so best of luck if you’re taking that plunge
  • Gallen is similar to May in that respect where his name value keeps people coming back and both have solid matchups, but their skills scare me entirely too much

Read the rest of this entry »

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Board tonight, comments in the AM!

• Top 3 guys are awesome and get solid matchups (though Woo and Ras are facing each other so only 1 can win)
• Kershaw is the only other 3-x with a good matchup so he could be a little higher in a DFS situation, but he’s still essentially a 5-and-dive (7 starts of 6+ mixed in) and his Ks are awful at just 16%
• Fried’s going to HOU to square off v. Framber… hopefully it’s a fantastic duel between the 2 southpaws
• Webb’s headed to Coors where he’s logged the most innings outside of Oracle w/decent results: 4.44 ERA/1.16 WHIP/15% K-BB; COL is 4th in wOBA vR at home since the All-Star break, but I’m still running Webb comfortably
• McLean will have his hiccup eventually, but he’s been absolutely dialed in for these 3 starts and I can’t see sitting him anywhere
• Lodolo/Berríos is another fun matchup that could yield a duel or go sideways in Great American Ballpark
• Darvish is an ERA risk (though he has a palatable 3.77 since the 8 ER at STL), but the 1.11 WHIP is very useful
• I stopped short of giving Sevvy the 3rd x because while he is muuuuch better on the road with a 3.17 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, it comes with just a 9% K-BB which puts a lot of pressure on the .237 BABIP to stay great on the road
• Cavalli was cooked for 7 ER at NYY, but that was an easy skip so I’m not going to hold the Dud against him too harshly and even though MIA is better than we thought they’d be this year, I’m comfortable taking another shot w/him here
• Wells is debuting after over 10 months off (last start was 4/12/24) so I’d like to see one before diving in… he could look solid like Luis Garcia did last night as Wells’ 6-start rehab did go pretty well, but there’s a good bit of downside here, too… his 1-x is more to draw attention to his return and maybe pickup and stash instead of starting right away
• Cecconi’s had his dips but mostly been a solid streamer this summer, L10 Game Scores: 55–66–45–54–54–59–26–17–59–52
• I’m keeping an eye on SGL and would even be open to a pickup and stash with him, too, but I’m just not sure how many IP we can expect today and it’s a really tough matchup

Read the rest of this entry »