Latest fantasy baseball pitcher rankings lineup advice tips mlb daily notes 18 games

ESPN FantasyMay 17, 2026, 04:00 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 Monday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR MONDAY

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
15.7	Bryan Woo	R	CWS	98.3%	51%	6.8	6.9	2.3	6.5
13.7	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	R	@SD	99.8%	35%	5.9	6.5	1.9	6.4
12.5	Ryan Weathers	L	TOR	53.9%	36%	5.9	7.0	2.3	6.2
12.3	JR Ritchie	R	@MIA	7.9%	39%	6.1	7.2	2.2	5.4
11.5	Michael King	R	LAD	88.1%	32%	5.5	6.8	2.0	5.7
11.5	Shota Imanaga	L	MIL	93.4%	33%	5.8	6.9	2.4	5.7
11.3	Framber Valdez	L	CLE	85.9%	40%	5.9	7.3	2.5	5.8
10.3	Trevor Rogers	L	@TB	39.1%	29%	5.2	6.5	1.8	4.8
10.2	Noah Schultz	L	@SEA	11.6%	22%	5.0	6.0	1.7	4.8
9.6	Tatsuya Imai	R	@MIN	19.5%	42%	5.9	8.4	3.0	5.9
9.5	Robbie Ray	L	@ARI	75.8%	33%	5.6	7.4	2.7	5.3
9.5	J.T. Ginn	R	@LAA	3.5%	39%	5.7	7.5	2.9	5.5
9.4	Seth Lugo	R	BOS	36.6%	38%	6.3	8.3	3.3	5.3
9.4	Max Meyer	R	ATL	36.1%	26%	5.5	7.2	2.5	5.4
9.2	Brandon Sproat	R	@CHC	3.6%	28%	5.1	6.2	2.1	4.5
9.2	Shane McClanahan	L	BAL	61.5%	14%	4.3	5.2	1.6	4.7
9.1	Nick Lodolo	L	@PHI	54.8%	26%	5.1	6.5	2.5	5.3
8.7	Zac Gallen	R	SF	49.7%	34%	5.9	8.2	3.2	5.5
8.3	Sonny Gray	R	@KC	77.3%	30%	5.4	7.3	3.1	5.3
7.7	Patrick Corbin	L	@NYY	1.1%	20%	4.6	6.0	2.1	4.3
7.6	Christian Scott	R	@WSH	3.5%	29%	4.9	6.5	2.6	4.7
7.3	Andrew Painter	R	CIN	10.3%	27%	5.0	6.8	2.9	4.8
7.1	Jake Irvin	R	NYM	0.9%	29%	5.6	7.7	3.3	4.8
6.5	Slade Cecconi	R	@DET	1.3%	23%	5.0	7.0	2.9	4.4
6.4	Simeon Woods Richardson	R	HOU	0.5%	16%	4.7	6.5	2.5	4.1
5.5	Walbert Urena	R	ATH	1.4%	20%	4.9	7.5	2.8	4.1
2.4	MacKenzie Gore	L	@COL	63.1%	25%	5.1	8.5	5.1	5.9
1.2	Jose Quintana	L	TEX	0.5%	15%	4.2	6.9	4.1	3.9

Pitchers to stream on Monday

Ryan Weathers was initially slated to pitch on Sunday, but the New York Yankees wanted to give him an extra day after throwing 101 pitches for the second time this season. Heading into the weekend, Weathers' rostership was below the 50% threshold used to delineate a streamer, but since then, it has eclipsed the mark. Even so, he'll get the nod for the last time this season, but not because he's leaving the rotation. With the injury to Max Fried, Weathers has the runway to continue starting, giving team managers incentive to keep him on reserve and not release him between starts. Monday's home affair against the Toronto Blue Jays will be a challenge, but Weathers has proven to be matchup-proof.
JR Ritchie has struggled with control since walking just two over seven innings in his major league debut, as he's issued 30 free passes with just 10 strikeouts over the subsequent 14 2/3 frames, spanning three starts. He begins the week with a favorable matchup, with the Atlanta Braves visiting the Miami Marlins. The rookie faces an impatient lineup with an above-average strikeout rate.
Knowing he was going to transition to the Athletics rotation full-time, J.T. Ginn spent the offseason and spring training working on pitching from the windup, since he previously exclusively threw from the stretch. He added a tick of velocity while also tweaking his pitch mix. The results are encouraging, though the right-hander can take it to the next level if he can achieve greater separation between his 95-mph fastball and 89-mph changeup. He's in a great spot to pad his strikeouts with a road matchup against a Los Angeles Angels lineup fanning at the highest rate in the league versus right-handers.
In full disclosure, the initial outline had MacKenzie Gore as a pitcher to avoid, citing his high walk rate being risky when the Texas Rangers visit the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. However, the Rockies are terrible facing left-handed pitching, fueled by the highest strikeout rate and lowest walk rate at home versus southpaws. Gore's upside in the matchup is too good to avoid.

Hitters to stream on Monday

Allowing just three homers in 34 1/3 innings has helped keep Patrick Corbin's ERA at a below-average 3.93. But when the Blue Jays visit the Yankees, he'll be facing a lineup that leads the league in home run rate at home against left-handers. The temperatures are finally rising in the Northeast, which will further boost the production of right-handed bats Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Volpe.