Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
Some pretty tough matchups for the studs. 6 of the 3-x’s are facing Top 10 offenses against their respective handedness. All 6 of those starters are in my Top 30 rankings, too. Ohtani gets a big test in HOU… can one of the best offense in baseball push his 0.60 ERA?
Alcantara is putting up solid results, but an 8% K-BB will come back to burn him if he doesn’t improve; good news is that an 11% SwStr can definitely yield better than a 16% K.
I have no delusions that Bradley has revolutionized himself despite the sweet 2.85 ERA; his 1.22 WHIP is a sobering reminder that he’s enjoyed some good fortune to get here. Thankfully a lagging WAS offense gives him a great shot to stay hot.
Elder is riding a .252 BABIP and 5% HR/FB to results this good, but a new cutter has helped him shave 204 pts off his OPS vL so perhaps a regressed version could still hold some Team Streamer juice. I’m running him in SEA and then very likely for next week’s home 2-step v. CHC/BOS.
Cavalli is coming off back-to-back 10-K games, so let’s see where this goes. It’s a 2-step week and I like both individually in daily moves leagues w/a trip to MIA lined up for the weekend.
Buehler and Severino are cromulent veterans getting solid setups on the road while Chandler and Sproat are young upstarts who’ve disappointed thus far with just OK matchups, also on the road. ARI is only 26th in wOBA on the season but rising to 17th in the last two weeks and will likely send 6 lefty/switch hitters against Chandler, who has a 230-point platoon split (.854 vL). I’m sure at least 1 of these 4 will have a good start and maybe even 2, but I couldn’t even begin to have confidence in identifying which one(s).
This feels like a touch-the-stove moment with Lambert where some of us are going to get too cute here… this is a waiver pickup you’ve already gotten some juice out of, don’t piss it all away hoping he survives LAD coming to visit. I would hold for the SEA/TEX 2-step he’s in line for next week.
I think Dana is just the guess for Kikuchi’s spot right now… if you see someone confirmed, let me know in the comments!
Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
Went to a game with the family tonight so I’ll drop comments in the morning.
As I keep my rankings updated behind the scenes in between updates, Schlittler just keeps rising. Soriano is getting a ton of attention for his sub-1.00 ERA essentially out of nowhere, but Schlittler is every bit as impressive so far this year.
Gilbert’s surface woes (at least relative to an ace) surprised me a bit as I don’t have him anywhere this year so I’m not as dialed in on his day-to-day. But once I take a deeper look, I’m not worried. His 19% K-BB is down 7 pts from last year but in line with his 21% career mark. The .349 BABIP stands out and the elevated line drive could be a culprit behind it, but nothing I’m long-term concerned about.
Cabrera hasn’t been giving me the warm-n-fuzzies despite the impressive surface numbers. His 6 pt. drop in K% is a little concerning despite his SwStr holding firm at his 12% career mark. A career-best 8% HR/FB is keeping him from fully paying for his lessened skills but the 4.27 SIERA hints at what could happen if the HR/FB trends back toward league average (11%), let alone his career mark (15%).
Martin hasn’t added to his SwStr% to back the 6 pt. K% surge but he’s still at the upper reaches of what a 9.6% can yield. He has a nice BB% improvement and of course the 87% LOB is playing a big role in his ERA being under 2.00. He’s not that good but if he can live in a 14-17% K-BB range and he doesn’t get all his LOB and HR/FB regression is one super nasty start, then I think he can maintain a usable mid-3.00s ERA with a sub-1.25 WHIP.
I’m starting to take the struggling performances of expected good teams a bit more seriously as we push into May. So teams like the Phillies, Mets, and Red Sox. They all still have threats in the lineup and can go off on a given night, but I’m loosening my streaming restrictions against them. It earned Junk an extra X and got Sugano his lone X.
Baz has a 2-step so you might have to eat that Yankees start to get the Athletics one at home this weekend, but is it even worth it? I want him to be as good as his reputation, but he’s just not.
Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
A couple key changes since posting:
Carson Whisenhunt was showing for SFG when I wrote last night. It’s Ray and he’s of course all systems go. Consider him just under Ragans.
Wheeler is in for Painter and of course an easy 3-x, too. Even if I’m a little nervous about how good he’s going to be this year, he’s still an auto-start for the first 4-5 to see where he’s at.
And then just some notes…
SDP is only 27th in BB% vL this year so maybe Schultz can exhibit some improved control against them?
Cantillo is doing his thing with that sub-3.00 ERA, but the 1.32 WHIP makes clear that it’s not sustainable and a trip to Sacramento could the first big hit of regression.
There was a Keller stan either in the comments here or in my chat recently and I’m sure they’re licking their chops at the 3.18 ERA/1.15 WHIP combo but I just can’t see how that 4.49 SIERA isn’t more accurate of who he truly is as a pitcher. His 3% HR/FB is doing most of the work with a little assist from a good-but-not-insane .273 BABIP. Still ran a 2-x bc it’s at home and CIN’s offense hasn’t been great. Don’t burn us, Mitch, let your regression be against obvious teams in obvious spots. Though if that’s the case, it could be a while with at ARI, v. COL, at STL and at TOR on his upcoming schedule. Only TOR was slated to be a fearsome lineup out of that group and so far they haven’t been, sitting just 23rd in wOBA vR.
Povich could be interesting after this start, just don’t want him in NYY
Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
Forgot we have the 2 DHs after yesterday’s rainouts so it’s Webb/Sanchez (both easy must starts, of course) followed by Painter/Houser and then McCullers/Bassitt lead off the HOU/BAL one with yesterday’s matchup, Lambert (2-x yesterday)/Young, in the nightcap. Sanchez is 2nd to Skenes, Webb is between Woodruff & Valdez.
Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.
I moved the intro down to the bottom so daily readers don’t have to wade through it. Going forward, I’m going to start cutting myself off on notes around 11:30 CT, aiming for a midnight first run deadline and then updates in the AM if I have more to add (sometimes I can’t even start until 11p, so those would likely be light on notes until the morning). I will still always stay in the comments if y’all have questions. I know some of y’all use this for overnight waivers in daily moves leagues so a more regular post time will help that contingent, too.
Ace day with several studs lined up to go, including five toting sub-3.00 ERAs.
Webb’s looking better in his last 2, not that I’d be sitting him if they weren’t that great… he’s just not someone I’m going to overreact with even the early skills degradation. It’s not stubborn for stubborn sake, it’s trusting the lengthy track record over 6 starts.
In fact, Eovaldi is a good example of a stud who has poor results but isn’t going anywhere for me. Maybe for someone with his injury history, I might sit him more aggressively if the velo was cratered and spin off kilter, but that isn’t the case (velo’s actually up .5 mph which isn’t meaningful, just pointing out that isn’t not even down at all, let alone alarmingly). His 16% K-BB is a little light but still 14% SwStr and 6% BB… the Ks will come, they’re just clocking him before he can get there and the 26% HR/FB rate will subside.
Williams has a crazy line. He’s still walking the yard, more so in fact (13% BB) and his HRs are worse than last year (1.5 HR9) but they’re counterbalanced by a .192 BABIP/85% LOB rate. He’s like the inverse of Eovaldi. As he regresses, his good numbers will funnel over to Eovaldi, who deserves them. That’s just how it works! (I’m half-joking… of course, their performances are independent of each other, but I do believe in those trajectories.)
The sinker effectiveness has notably declined for Sandy in his last three starts after dominating in the first three. Is that just seasonal ebbs and flows that looks worse because it’s three up and then three down or is it indicative of pending trouble? I don’t have an answer just yet, but I’m seeing him through this start and next week’s 2-step before altering his status. If the sinker from his first three doesn’t show up in any of the next three, he might dip toward a Team Streamer.
Don’t fumble this, Cavalli… just 3 ER in his last two (9 IP) with 15 Ks against 0 BB and a chance to stay hot against one of the coldest teams going in the Mets.
Lambert’s got 8 punchies in each of his first two starts since returning stateside and now gets a tough test in Baltimore that I’m really eager to watch and see how he handles it. He was one of those prospects I first wished could get out of Colorado and then just wished he could stay healthy. If this goes well, I might get silly with his LAD/at CIN 2-step next week… miiiight.
BTW, I’m now tracking wOBA over the last 14 days on my little sheet where I put everything together each night (I’ll eventually expand to L30 when we get more sample going) to get an idea of who is running hot/cold off their season mark. Nothing that really moves the needle today… Sproat and Sugano getting a bit spicier versions of ARI and CIN, respectively, and four guys getting worse performing offenses but none of them actionable with two Aces (Glasnow/Webb) we were already starting everywhere and two non-factors (Pallante/Peterson) who aren’t elevated enough by improved matchups.
Elmer Rodríguez is an interesting prospect for the Yankees, slotting 53rd in the Top 100, so I’m definitely watching him but I want to see one before slotting him in anywhere.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ll be in the comments answering questions and discussing changes!
Focus more on tier differences than rankings differences within a given tier. Sure, the top and bottom of a tier can be discussed, but 7-10 rankings within the same tier isn’t a huge split to me and comparing them would likely come down to short-term matchups.
Changes (won’t appear on the boards below):
Peter Lambert – HOU – Team Streamer #91 – got knocked off during an edit when I was digging in a previous version on Sheets, thinking I was only changing some of the header text. I’ve got him at the very end of the Team Streamer tier, ranking 91st. Let’s see how this trip to Baltimore goes this week but then a LAD/at CIN 2-step next week is scary for pitchers way better than Lambert so it’s far from a must-start. If we see another 8 punchies, I might mess around and run him in my Main Event but I would at least keep him even though benching a 2-step is usually grounds for roster removal (the idea being “if you’re not going to use them in a 2-step, are they really worth it?” but there are exceptions, IMO). He lines up for TEX and at MIN the following weeks after the 2-step.
Ace
The cream of the crop. The pitchers who never come out of the rotation regardless of matchup.
These guys are essentially fantasy aces in their own right. Cutting them would take months (barring injury) and benching would be remarkably rare (waning skills for multiple starts + inj. concern could result in skipping a start)
Splitting hairs a bit here, but this is a smaller group between must starts and team streamers. You’re looking for reasons to start them and need a very strong reason to bench them.
These are elevated streamers where you don’t necessarily run every start, but they hit the bench when they’re not playing because they’re too talented to throw back on the wire.
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions. Read the rest of this entry »
The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. 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 for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
