Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Saturday’s MLB games

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

All 30 teams are in action on Saturday, with the festivities beginning at 1:10 PM ET in Motown with the Detroit Tigers hosting the Oakland Athletics. There are seven matinees with eight games contested under the lights with the Los Angeles Angels hosting the Boston Red Sox at 9:38 PM to wrap up the slate.

We’re barely a week into the season and pitching matchups are already off kilter. But then, it usually doesn’t take long before aces square off with back-end starters. Saturday’s slate features 16 of the 30 probable starters rostered in fewer than 10% of ESPN leagues, along with a few elite arms.

Kevin Gausman tops the rankings, edging out Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Gausman debuted earlier this week, but he was on a pitch count and only lasted 4 1/3 innings. They were effective as he limited the Houston Astros to one run on two hits while fanning six with no walks. Gausman threw 69 pitches, so approaching 80 tosses on the road against the New York Yankees is within reason. It will be chilly in the Bronx for this evening affair, so even though Gausman will be challenged, it’s safe to trust him for fantasy purposes.

Yamamoto rebounded from his Korea Series struggle with five frames of shutout ball against the St. Louis Cardinals in his first at Dodgers Stadium. The Los Angeles Dodgers continue road series against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field where the gametime temperature is forecast to be in the mid-40s, another pitcher-friendly scenario.

Ranger Suarez (11.6% rostered in ESPN leagues) checks in as the day’s stop streaming option. The Philadelphia Phillies visit the Washington Nationals who will counter with Jake Irvin. Suarez fanned seven with just one walk over five frames in his first start, but he also surrendered a homer and three earned runs to the Atlanta Braves. Considering the opposition, Suarez has begun the season in encouraging fashion. The lefty will face a much less daunting lineup in his second effort while his teammates should provide run support against Irvin, who ranks as the first lowest pitcher on the ledger.

Steven Matz (1.5%) is the next highest rankings streaming candidate, but this feels like a trap game. Even though they lost the Thursday opener, the Miami Marlins hit three homers off Lance Lynn, with Josh Burger clubbing a pair while Josh Bell also sent deep. Since 2022, the right-handed Burger has posted a .913 OPS facing lefties. Meanwhile, the switch-hitting Bell’s .819 OPS versus southpaws in the same time frame bests his .736 mark facing righties. Burger and Bell make for a sneaky mini stack in DFS, not to mention solid daily pickups.

• Pitching projections: Next 10 days
• Hitter ratings: Next 10 days• MLB depth charts for every team
• Player news wire with fantasy spin

Saturday is the ideal elixir for Kenta Maeda (36.8%). Maeda disappointed in his 2024 debut, yielding six earned runs on seven hits (with three homers) to the Chicago White Sox in what was supposed to be a favorable matchup. Last season, streaming against the Oakland Athletics was a common ploy as their lineup posted the second lowest wOBA in the league. Picking on the Athletics offense could generate even better results this year, look for Maeda to rebound at home.

Last season, the San Francisco Giants threw more breaking balls than any staff in the league. Their pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, is now with the Boston Red Sox in the same capacity. The Red Sox aren’t leading the league, but they are throwing a higher percentage of breaking balls, helping them pace the league in ERA. Sure, it’s helped that the club has opened the year on the west coast in three pitching parks. We’ll worry about regression when the Red Sox finally play in Fenway Park. On Saturday, Garrett Whitlock (25.2%) faces the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Whitlock opened the season by punching out eight Seattle Mariners without issuing a walk over five innings. The Angels have struck out the eighth most in the early going, setting up Whitlock for another dominant outing.

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Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN’s standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher’s handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher’s roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W% is the team’s win probability using ESPN projections, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed and K is strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an “opener” to start their game, but will rely on a “bulk pitcher” to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

To get the latest information on each team’s bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

Brendan Rodgers (COL, 2B — 3%) vs. Tyler Alexander

Kris Bryant (COL, RF — 12%) vs. Alexander

Brandon Lowe (TB, 2B — 9%) at Ryan Feltner

Charlie Blackmon (COL, RF — 6%) vs. Alexander

Maikel Garcia (KC, 3B — 17%) vs. Chris Flexen

Harold Ramirez (TB, DH — 1%) at Feltner

Ryan Mountcastle (BAL, 1B — 19%) at Bailey Falter

Richie Palacios (TB, LF — 0%) at Feltner

Hunter Renfroe (KC, RF — 5%) vs. Flexen

Max Kepler (MIN, RF — 12%) vs. Carlos Carrasco

Gabriel Moreno (ARI, C — 81%) at Max Fried

Luis Campusano (SD, C — 52%) at Keaton Winn