Starting Pitcher Chart – May 10th, 2024

Daily SP Chart archive

Some recent (last 3 weeks) strong runs you might’ve overlooked because of their season long ERA is obscuring the surge:

• Bailey Ober: 3.33 ERA in L3 wks | 4.42 season ERA – This one is kinda cheating because it’s really just that 8 ER season opening dud that weighed his ERA down. He actually has a 2.55 ERA in the 6 starts since then. Next Start: at TOR this weekend and then at CLE next week… he’s a lineup staple for me, even in shallower formats.
• George Kirby & Max Fried: 1.96 & 1.64 | 4.15 & 4.23 – A couple of fantasy aces who never left anyone’s lineups, but have now assuaged fears after their mega-dud outings early (8 ER for Kirby, 7 ER for Fried). Next Starts: GK gets v. KCR/at BAL next week; MF gets at NYM this weekend/v. SDP next week
• Brandon Pfaadt: 3.33 | 6.48 – I fudged the numbers an extra day to loop Pfaadt’s April 17th start in and this run highlights why it was so hard to cut him even after the 11 ER in 2 starts. He’s a Team Streamer with a limited number of teams on the Sit List. Next Start: v. CIN, an easy start as their offense has severely lacked the punch we feared coming into the season (just 28th in wOBA vR this year).
• Andrew Heaney: 3.38 | 4.50 – He just always scares me w/his HR woes — and he’s still toting a 1.3 HR9 this year — but he has averaged 6 IP over his L4 with solid results. The frustrating part is that his being on Texas would usually make him a decent bet to chase wins and yet he’s 0-4 on the season including 0-2 during this recent run! Next Start: v. LAA, I’m down to stream him.
• Chris Flexen 플렉센: 1.61 | 4.29 – Chris has absolutely been Flexen the opponents! He’s been downright sneaky deece, mixing in an excellent 4-IP relief appearance to spur this run that now includes at least 5 IP in each of his last 3 starts with a combined 3 IP. The skills still don’t jump off the page with a 13% K-BB and of course the W probability is virtually non-existent, but if you’re not chasing wins, there a modicum of deep league appeal. Next Starts: v. WSN/at NYY… ehhh, I don’t think I can get there, so maybe less than a modicum of appeal.
• Emerson Hancock: 3.20 | 5.24 – Ate an 8 ER dud at MIL in his 2nd start of the season but followed it up with 3 straight QS before one bad inning sank him in MIN. He was fortunate to allow just 1 ER (4 UER) v. ATL, though no one should’ve been starting him for that anyway, not even on the heels of those QS. Woo’s return will send him back to Triple-A so we can reassess his streamer potential when he returns. Next Start: in Triple-A
• Alex Wood: 3.05 | 5.30 – I had some interest in Wood coming into the season even took him w/the last pick of a Main Event, but jumped off after the dud v. CLE in the opener because I thought the Guardians weren’t a good lineup. Turns out losing badly to them isn’t so bad and Wood might still be the decent-ish deep league streamer I thought he could be when I drafted him. There are still issues, though: his W probability is tiny, he’s averaging fewer than 5 IP per start (reaching that mark in just 4 of 8 starts), and even the recent run of solid starts come with a 9% K-BB. Next Start: at SEA this week followed by at HOU… maaaybe an AL-only run?

The chart includes their 2024 stats (this changed over from last year’s stats on April 22nd), their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far (this is changed as of April 11th), 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 that just means it is a riskier stream as the league gets shallower.

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 value focusing on roto and then you can generally expand these recommendations a bit for points leagues.