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

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

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

By Mike Sheets

Tanner Bibee (32% rostered in ESPN leagues) has established himself as a mainstay in this column, as he continues to dominate on the mound while his roster percentage fails to keep up. The young right-hander is coming off his best outing of the season, a performance that saw him spin seven scoreless frames against the Philadelphia Phillies while fanning eight and allowing only three baserunners. Over Bibee’s last six turns, he sports a 1.82 ERA with 40 Ks in 34 2/3 innings. Look for that dominance to continue on Thursday, when he matches up against a Chicago White Sox club that’s put up an underwhelming 87 wRC+ and 24.8% K% since the All-Star break. On a shortened slate that features only six games, streaming Bibee is a no-brainer.

Chase Silseth (1%) is a name that’s available in nearly all of ESPN leagues, but he’s someone who warrants attention. He bounced back and forth from the bullpen and starting rotation earlier in the season, but after posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 26.8% strikeout rate in nine starts at Triple-A, the Los Angeles Angels gave him another look in the rotation last Wednesday versus the New York Yankees. Silseth answered the call by firing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball while piling up 10 strikeouts. Most notable is that he debuted a revamped slider that generated 10 swings and misses. The 23-year-old still carries some start-to-start risk given his inconsistency at the big-league level, but he’s worth a look against a Detroit Tigers offense that’s been floundering over the last month (86 wRC+).

A favorable matchup against the New York Mets also has Josiah Gray (16%) on the streaming radar. The righty is someone who’s difficult to trust on a weekly basis, but there’s reason for optimism versus a Mets lineup that ranks second-to-last in baseball since the break with a .274 wOBA and 75 wRC+. When Gray took the mound against the Mets earlier this season, he pumped six shutout innings while striking out a season-high nine batters.

Consistency has been an issue for Miles Mikolas this season. He hasn’t delivered back-to-back quality starts since May, and he sports a 5.19 ERA over his last nine turns. Even his 4.33 ERA is significantly better than his xERA of 4.94. That makes him someone we want to attack rather than try to stream against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Target Ian Happ (51%) and Mike Tauchman (2%), both of whom will have the platoon edge, along with Seiya Suzuki (45%) and Christopher Morel (37%).

Since coming off the injured list earlier this month, Riley Greene (18%) has been red-hot, slashing .370/.431/.544 with a pair of home runs in 13 games. He sports a 142 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season, and he’ll get the platoon advantage in Saturday’s matchup against the Angels. Grab the former first-round pick for Thursday’s abbreviated slate and consider keeping him around if he continues to hit.

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. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. For the projected stat line, 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.

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.

Seiya Suzuki (CHC, RF — 46%) at Miles Mikolas

Spencer Torkelson (DET, 1B — 14%) vs. Chase Silseth

Zach Neto (LAA, SS — 3%) at Matt Manning

Francisco Alvarez (NYM, DH — 33%) vs. Josiah Gray

Andrew Benintendi (CHW, LF — 18%) vs. Tanner Bibee

Daniel Vogelbach (NYM, DH — 1%) vs. Gray

Matt Vierling (DET, CF — 1%) vs. Silseth

Christopher Morel (CHC, CF — 38%) at Mikolas

Tyler O’Neill (STL, LF — 18%) vs. Justin Steele

Riley Greene (DET, CF — 18%) vs. Silseth

Lane Thomas (WSH, LF — 67%) at Kodai Senga

Keibert Ruiz (WSH, C — 54%) at Kodai Senga