Latest fantasy baseball pitcher rankings lineup advice tips mlb daily notes september 4 games

ESPN FantasySep 3, 2026, 04:48 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 | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | 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
15.5	Nolan McLean	R	SF	93.7%	54%	6.4	7.4	1.8	6.7
15.2	Cristopher Sanchez	L	ATL	99.8%	46%	6.3	6.7	2.1	6.9
14.8	Logan Gilbert	R	ATH	98.2%	52%	6.2	6.7	2.2	6.7
14.3	Chris Sale	L	@PHI	99.6%	29%	6.1	6.7	2.1	7.2
12.6	Blake Snell	L	WSH	89.4%	30%	5.1	6.0	1.6	6.4
11.5	Carlos Rodon	L	@SD	54.8%	27%	5.1	5.8	1.6	5.2
11.5	Shota Imanaga	L	@MIA	82.2%	37%	5.5	6.4	2.3	5.5
11.2	Merrill Kelly	R	@HOU	20.0%	36%	5.8	7.1	2.4	5.5
10.0	Foster Griffin	L	DET, Gm. 1	80.2%	32%	5.4	6.8	2.6	5.7
10.0	Ranger Suarez	L	@BAL	69.6%	37%	5.5	7.2	2.6	5.6
9.8	Shane Drohan	L	@CIN	7.9%	35%	5.0	6.6	2.3	5.8
9.3	Shane Baz	R	BOS	30.6%	28%	5.8	7.7	2.9	5.4
9.2	Jackson Kent	L	@LAD	0.4%	25%	5.3	6.5	2.3	4.8
9.2	Bailey Ober	R	@CWS	15.0%	32%	5.4	6.6	2.6	4.6
9.1	J.T. Ginn	R	@SEA	15.9%	20%	5.4	7.0	2.4	5.2
8.7	Jared Jones	R	LAA	12.0%	29%	5.0	6.6	2.4	5.2
8.7	Ryan Johnson	R	@PIT	0.7%	26%	5.2	6.7	2.4	4.6
8.2	Janson Junk	R	CHC	2.5%	22%	4.9	5.9	2.0	3.8
8.0	Walker Buehler	R	NYY	8.6%	25%	4.9	6.7	2.2	4.4
8.0	Nick Martinez	R	@TEX	68.0%	33%	5.4	6.9	2.9	4.2
7.5	Slade Cecconi	R	DET, Gm. 2	1.3%	31%	5.5	7.6	3.1	4.9
7.5	Matt Wilkinson	L	@NYM	0.2%	6%	4.0	4.7	1.4	3.6
7.3	Erick Fedde	R	MIN	1.3%	26%	5.3	7.1	2.7	4.1
7.2	Keider Montero	R	@CLE, Gm. 1	16.4%	24%	4.9	6.4	2.3	3.6
7.1	Cristian Javier	R	ARI	1.7%	20%	4.5	6.3	2.1	4.2
6.7	Jameson Taillon	R	@KC	2.4%	28%	5.0	6.7	2.9	4.0
5.9	Rhett Lowder	R	MIL	2.7%	17%	5.1	7.5	3.2	4.8
5.6	Andrew Sears	L	@CLE, Gm. 2	0.1%	7%	3.8	5.3	1.8	3.3
5.6	Kumar Rocker	R	TB	4.5%	22%	4.9	7.2	3.0	4.4
5.0	Daniel Lynch IV	L	TOR	0.7%	8%	4.2	6.0	2.4	3.7
1.0	Andre Pallante	R	@COL	13.8%	30%	5.2	8.8	5.2	4.5
-0.8	Ryan Feltner	R	STL	0.4%	26%	5.1	9.1	5.7	4.5

Pitchers to stream on Friday

Jared Jones struggled last month, but he's in a great spot to turn things around when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Los Angeles Angels. The righty recorded a 7.40 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in August, albeit with 25 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings. However, he also walked 12 while surrendering five homers in that span. Over the past month versus right-handed pitching, the Angels sport the highest strikeout rate, lowest home run rate and third-lowest walk rate in the league.
Shane Drohan is set to take the hill on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. Streaming a visiting pitcher against the Reds is often risky, but Drohan has two reasons he's safe. First, his home park is American Family Field, which is as hitter-friendly as Great American Ball Park. More importantly, the Reds have struggled against left-handers, especially over the last month. At home, they sport a whopping 32.4% strikeout rate, fueling the eighth-worst home wOBA facing southpaws in that span.

Hitters to stream on Friday

The Miami Marlins host the Chicago Cubs, who will have Shota Imanaga on the hill. The lefty's 33 homers allowed is tied with Jeffrey Springs for most in MLB. Heriberto Hernandez has 22 homers in only 108 games for the Marlins and enjoys the platoon edge on Imanaga.
Esteury Ruiz also has the platoon advantage over Imanaga, but his allure is stolen bases. The Cubs do a decent job defending the running game, but all five of those attempting a steal with Imanaga on the hill have been successful. Ruiz is getting on base at a 37% clip against lefties and has 30 bags this season.
John Peck is settling in as the Detroit Tigers' regular shortstop with the Rookie of the Year candidate Kevin McGonigle shifting to third base. Peck is a 23-year-old right-handed hitter who recorded an .890 OPS in 56 games for Double-A Erie, then registered a 1.256 mark in six games for Triple-A Toledo. He'll likely be in the two-hole when the Tigers visit the Cleveland Guardians.
Joshua Baez gets his first taste of Coors Field with the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Colorado Rockies. Strikeouts have been an issue for the slugger, as he fanned at a 35.4% clip over his first 18 games. However, his 57% fly ball rate plays well at altitude, and he'll face Ryan Feltner, who has 76 strikeouts in 101 2/3 frames.