Latest fantasy baseball pitcher rankings lineup advice tips mlb daily notes april 30 games

ESPN FantasyApr 29, 2026, 04:50 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 Thursday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR THURSDAY

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
14.0	Paul Skenes	R	STL	99.9%	42%	5.7	6.0	1.8	6.1
13.6	Freddy Peralta	R	WSH	96.1%	41%	5.7	6.6	1.8	6.1
11.7	Cristopher Sanchez	L	SF, Gm. 1	98.8%	38%	6.0	7.5	2.6	6.2
10.9	Logan Webb	R	@PHI, Gm. 1	96.3%	32%	6.1	7.8	2.8	6.0
10.8	Kevin Gausman	R	@MIN	98.5%	38%	5.8	7.3	2.7	5.8
10.2	Brandon Woodruff	R	ARI	87.1%	30%	5.2	6.0	2.2	5.0
9.1	Chris Bassitt	R	HOU, Gm. 1	4.7%	36%	5.6	7.5	2.8	5.1
9.0	Bailey Ober	R	TOR	25.7%	24%	5.5	6.9	2.7	5.2
8.9	Michael Soroka	R	@MIL	60.7%	25%	5.1	6.6	2.6	5.3
8.5	Framber Valdez	L	@ATL	95.5%	38%	5.9	8.2	3.3	5.5
8.3	Miles Mikolas	R	@NYM	0.4%	21%	5.2	6.5	2.3	4.2
8.1	Jeffrey Springs	L	KC	46.8%	32%	5.4	7.1	2.8	4.6
7.8	Andrew Abbott	L	COL	41.9%	31%	5.5	7.6	3.2	5.4
7.8	Adrian Houser	R	@PHI, Gm. 2	0.6%	35%	5.8	7.9	3.1	4.4
7.1	Peter Lambert	R	@BAL, Gm. 1	8.1%	23%	5.0	7.2	2.9	5.1
7.1	Noah Cameron	L	@ATH	14.8%	27%	5.4	7.6	3.2	5.0
6.7	Brandon Young	R	HOU, Gm. 2	5.1%	28%	5.0	6.9	2.9	4.5
6.4	Bryce Elder	R	DET	76.9%	26%	5.3	7.6	3.4	5.0
6.2	Michael Lorenzen	R	@CIN	1.0%	24%	5.1	7.3	3.2	4.8
6.1	Hunter Dobbins	R	@PIT	0.8%	14%	4.6	6.5	2.5	4.1
5.3	Lance McCullers Jr.	R	@BAL, Gm. 2	7.1%	19%	4.6	7.1	2.9	4.6
4.9	Andrew Painter	R	SF, Gm. 2	19.2%	24%	5.1	7.8	3.5	4.6

Pitchers to stream on Thursday

Since joining the Athletics before the 2025 season, Jeffrey Springs' strikeout and walk rates have been better at home than on the road -- but he's surrendered far more homers in Sutter Health Park. On Thursday, he'll face the Kansas City Royals in Sacramento. The Royals strike out and walk at the league-average pace, but they exhibit below-average power.
While it's unfair to consider Bailey Ober as back to 2022-2024 form, he's showing encouraging signs, such as inducing weaker contact and fewer barrels. However, his strikeout rate remains modest and his walk rate has ticked up. On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins host the Toronto Blue Jays, with the early forecast favoring pitching, as the temperatures will be in the low 50s with a breeze flowing from third to first. The Blue Jays put the ball in play, as evidenced by their low strikeout and walk rates. However, they rank among the lowest teams in home run rate and isolated power.
Andrew Abbott has struggled since opening the season with six scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox, posting an 8.34 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over his next five starts, spanning just 22 2/3 innings. However, the left-hander is in a great spot to get back on track with the Cincinnati Reds hosting the Colorado Rockies. Historically, the Rockies struggle on the road facing left-handers. This year, they have the third-highest wOBA in that scenario, but it's driven by an unsustainable .446 BABIP. Colorado carries the third-highest strikeout rate and second-lowest walk rate when facing lefties away from Coors Field.

Pitchers to avoid on Thursday

Bryce Elder sports a 1.95 ERA after his first six starts, spanning 37 frames. He's throwing fewer sinkers while introducing a cutter and increasing four-seam usage. His K-BB% has barely improved, certainly not enough to explain such a marked drop in ERA. Unfortunately, this is driven by a low BABIP and high left-on-base mark, which are both due to regress, pushing his ERA closer to his 3.78 xFIP and 3.89 SIERA. Both of those marks are still solid, but they show that Elder is more vulnerable than a 1.95 ERA indicates. His success has driven his rostership well over 50% but he's risky for the Atlanta Braves' home matchup with the Detroit Tigers, who boast the fifth-highest wOBA in the league facing right-handers.

Hitters to stream on Thursday

The Reds have averaged the fourth-most runs per game since April 15. However, their slow start resulted in just Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart being rostered in almost every ESPN league. Everyone else is available in at least 87% of leagues and is lined up for a productive game against Michael Lorenzen and the Rockies. TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Nathaniel Lowe, Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson are the primary targets.