Latest fantasy baseball pitcher rankings lineup advice tips mlb daily notes april 24 games

ESPN FantasyApr 23, 2026, 04:08 PM ET
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Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.

Other resources: RP depth chart | Start new league
ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Friday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR FRIDAY

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%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected 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.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
13.8	Freddy Peralta	R	COL	97.1%	43%	5.7	6.5	1.8	6.4
12.7	Paul Skenes	R	@MIL	99.9%	33%	5.5	6.1	1.9	6.1
12.0	George Kirby	R	@STL	98.4%	40%	5.9	6.8	2.2	5.4
10.9	Framber Valdez	L	@CIN	96.7%	38%	5.9	7.6	2.7	6.2
10.5	Will Warren	R	@HOU	51.7%	33%	5.2	6.5	2.3	5.8
10.3	Nathan Eovaldi	R	ATH	83.6%	34%	5.7	6.9	2.8	5.7
10.0	Brandon Woodruff	R	PIT	88.6%	26%	5.2	6.2	2.2	5.3
9.9	Drew Rasmussen	R	MIN	83.6%	28%	5.2	6.0	2.1	4.6
9.9	Sandy Alcantara	R	@SF	90.7%	41%	5.9	7.6	2.6	4.6
9.8	Emmet Sheehan	R	CHC	57.6%	27%	5.0	6.1	2.2	5.3
9.5	Gavin Williams	R	@TOR	90.3%	30%	5.3	7.1	2.4	5.5
9.4	Taj Bradley	R	@TB	79.3%	30%	5.5	7.2	2.5	5.1
9.3	Jameson Taillon	R	@LAD	7.4%	31%	5.6	6.9	2.6	4.8
8.7	Erick Fedde	R	WSH	1.4%	36%	5.5	7.2	2.6	4.3
8.6	Michael Lorenzen	R	@NYM	0.6%	20%	5.2	6.9	2.3	4.8
8.1	Brayan Bello	R	@BAL	8.0%	37%	5.6	7.8	2.9	4.9
7.9	Grant Holmes	R	PHI	17.1%	31%	5.1	7.2	2.8	5.1
7.8	Adrian Houser	R	MIA	1.1%	27%	5.8	7.9	2.8	4.1
7.7	Andrew Abbott	L	DET	46.6%	27%	5.4	7.4	3.0	5.2
7.7	Yusei Kikuchi	L	@KC	17.3%	30%	5.4	7.8	3.1	5.4
7.5	Andre Pallante	R	SEA	1.9%	25%	5.2	7.4	2.4	4.2
7.4	Luis Severino	R	@TEX	5.2%	30%	5.6	8.0	3.2	5.0
7.3	Noah Cameron	L	LAA	15.9%	29%	5.4	7.3	3.1	4.7
7.2	Lance McCullers Jr.	R	NYY	9.7%	18%	4.6	6.7	2.3	5.1
7.1	Max Scherzer	R	CLE	7.1%	20%	4.8	6.0	2.5	3.9
7.0	Miles Mikolas	R	@CWS	0.5%	23%	5.2	6.7	2.8	4.1
6.5	Brandon Young	R	BOS	1.4%	22%	4.9	6.8	2.8	4.4
3.1	Andrew Painter	R	@ATL	26.8%	17%	4.6	7.5	3.7	4.3

Pitchers to stream on Friday

Prior to his last outing, Will Warren had pitched well, but high pitch counts forced him out of his starts early. However, last time out, he was more efficient and lasted seven frames, fanning 11 with no walks. He'll need to be sharp again when the New York Yankees open a road set with the Houston Astros, as Warren will face an above-average offense that puts the ball in play. Even so, compiling 31 strikeouts with just six walks in 25 1/3 innings are numbers indicative of a pitcher about to go on a roll.
Grant Holmes and the Atlanta Braves also enjoy an offense off to a modest start when they meet the Philadelphia Phillies in an NL East affair. Holmes' 2.42 ERA and 1.10 WHIP are solid, but he's benefited from an unsustainably low BABIP and a high left-on-base level. On the other hand, his swinging strike mark portends more strikeouts, and the Braves should be favored at home.

Hitters to stream on Friday

For the past two weeks, the Chicago White Sox have quietly been putting the ball in play and scoring runs. The trend should continue Friday night when Miles Mikolas and the Washington Nationals visit the South Side. The White Sox's most rostered hitter is Munetaka Murakami, and he's still available in around 20% of ESPN leagues. Andrew Benintendi, Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Everson Pereira and Sam Antonacci are all options on a slate where openings may exist with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres getting a rare Friday off.

Hitters to avoid on Friday

As discussed earlier, pitchers should have a big advantage at Camden Yards, and even though Brayan Bello's command and control have been off to begin the season, stacking Orioles batters may not be as fruitful as perceived. The wind will dampen the power of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward as it knocks down fly balls to left field. Using Gunnar Henderson is fine, but there are better streamers than Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers and Jeremiah Jackson.