If you’re looking for pitching for your fantasy baseball team on Friday, you’re in luck: Not only do we have a full 15-game slate to pick from, but there are quality arms up and down the schedule. That’s true at the top, with names like Framber Valdez, Shohei Ohtani and Joe Ryan, all of whom get plum matchups. But it’s also true of the tier below them: Fully 18 of the 30 pitchers on the docket today land in the top two startable tiers of our daily starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball. Read on for a full breakdown of the day’s games, including who to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Friday, July 21
Pitchers to stream
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees — Schmidt shocked just about everybody in his first start after the All-Star break, striking out eight in six innings of two-run ball in the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field. His sweeper and cutter have looked sharp of late, and he’s handling lefties much better than he did earlier this season. If he keeps this form up, he should have no problems with a terrible Kansas City Royals lineup at home in the Bronx on Friday night.
Seth Lugo, San Diego Padres — Lugo also gets a dream matchup on Friday, as the Padres head to Detroit to take on the woeful Tigers offense in pitcher-friendly Comerica Park. Detroit has struggled against right-handed pitching — well, just about all pitching, but righties in particular — and Lugo’s fastball/curveball combo has produced five quality starts over his last eight outings. He’s exactly the kind arm to stream whenever he faces a weaker lineup.
Michael Soroka, Atlanta Braves — Soroka isn’t anything remarkable, but when he has the feel for his slider and changeup, he can miss enough bats and get enough grounders to work his way through lesser lineups. His power sinker should be plenty good enough to navigate through a mediocre Milwaukee Brewers offense on Friday night, and the Braves bats put all their pitchers in position to pick up a win.
