Starting Pitcher Chart – April 28th, 2026

• Daily SP Chart archive
• 2-Start podcast episode
• SP Rankings (updated Monday April 27th!)

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart.

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.

Be sure to check out my updated SP rankings linked above.

• Obviously there’ll eventually be regression with Soriano but I’m really curious to see if it’ll be an all-at-once type thing or incremental. With .205 BABIP/100% LOB combo, you can definitely envision a tsunami of base runners in a heavy BABIP-regression game paired with his 9% BB to deliver that mega Dud meltdown, but if he keeps his Ks up and avoids the .600 BABIP type game, it should be more incremental.
• Yes, Luzardo is still a 3-x and that’s not referencing the NSFW nature of his results. K-BB doesn’t guarantee you success, but it’s remarkably reliable and his 20% mark is 7 pts clear of the league avg.
• Holding firm on Gilbert under the same principle. In fact, his case is even easier bc his ratios aren’t nearly as bad and his K-BB is even a click better at 21%. A .360 BABIP is doing some damage that should even out.
• I’m really excited about Tolle overall, but don’t overreact if he has a comedown start here after the great debut.
• I love what Mize has been doing this year but went with 2-x w/the trip to ATL as he’s running a 6% HR/FB and the Braves could push that. They have the 2nd most HRs and 3rd best ISO vR so I can see skipping in the shallowest of formats.
• Yesavage is making his season debut after an injury and I always reference that everyone has their own rules on things like that. I don’t have a hard-and-fast rule, but I lean toward the cautious side. If Boston wasn’t struggling SO much, I probably would’ve 1-x’d Yesavage here.
• Should’ve just stuck to my guns on Baz, lol. I ended up with a handful of shares (2 in Best Ball, so he can’t hurt me too much) despite really not being the biggest fan in recent years. Obviously it’s early to say anything is locked, but I’m entirely unsurprised by his struggles.
• Cabrera’s surface results have been fantastic but the skills don’t buy it with a 2.73 ERA and 4.58 SIERA. His HR/FB is halved from his career rate at 7% and that’s papering over the meager 9% K-BB. SDP just hasn’t been clicking on offense enough to really run from them but they do have the firepower to inflict some regression on that ERA.
• We’re still very much in the range where one disastrous start can really infect the bottom line results for guys. Bibee’s 8 ER nightmare at ATL is adding 2 runs and 20 pts to his WHIP (2.46 ERA/1.25 WHIP without it). Now he wouldn’t be fully in the clear without that start, but the panic would be quite a bit lower.
• Shouts to my friend and excellent NFBC player, Gregg Martin, who brought up Teng in our weekly FAAB call on Sunday as a potential pickup who could enter the Astros rotation. Two days later, he’s starting! I think Gregg and I both won players ahead of him on our list (I tied for the cheapest Connor Prielipp in the Main Event 😎) and he was scooped in only 1 Main Event so a big start here could make Teng one of the big targets of next weekend’s bids. Is he just keeping the spot warm for Imai (eyeing a return next wk) or could he push Burrows and 6.25 ERA out of the rotation once Imai is back?
• Patrick was seen as the mirror shop, refilling his arsenal just a day after he was seen taking delivery of a large order of smoke from Amazon. OK, enough of my tortured joke about his smoke & mirrors, but this 2.35 ERA can’t maintain with 3% K-BB. With each start, I grow more fearful that he is simply another Tobias Myers. I really thought he had more juice than that looking at what he did last year.
• Commenter bought Mahle an “x”, but I’m not swayed that a big run is bubbling under the surface. He definitely fits the Bibee comment where 1 nightmare can still infect the bottom line quite a bit as his 8 ER in Cincy really spoils his bottom line, but it’s still an 11% K-BB over his last last 3 yrs (which admittedly is only 125 IP, but I’m not seeing the 2020-23 iteration coming back just yet). That said, I can’t give Buehler 1-x against a tough Cubs team and skunk Mahle. I’d slot Mahle between Teng/Buehler. 
• Ashcraft is in fact returning from bereavement after some discussion on if it’d today or tomorrow, so he’s now un-crossed him off!