If you’re in search of pitching for your fantasy baseball squads on Friday, you’re in luck: Not only is MLB getting the weekend started with a jam-packed 15-game slate, but a ton of teams will be sending their best arms to the mound tonight. Top-tier names abound, but even more importantly for our purposes, there are a ton of under-the-radar names that could come through big-time in plum spots — only five scheduled starters fall into the “don’t do it” tier of our daily starting pitcher rankings. Who should you roll with? Let’s break it all down, with recommendations on who to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Friday, September 8
Pitchers to stream
Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants — Harrison’s had an up-and-down start to his MLB career, with clunkers against the Phillies and Padres sandwiching an 11-K masterpiece against the Reds that hinted at the top prospect’s massive upside. His shaky command means the floor here is lower than you’d like, but the matchup doesn’t get any easier against the woeful Rockies at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. If you’re in need of strikeout upside, look no further.
Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers — The turmoil that continues to swirl around the Dodgers’ rotation has given Sheehan another chance at sticking in the rotation, and he gets a very nice matchup against a Nationals squad that’s struggled with right-handed pitching all year. Sheehan hasn’t pitched more than four innings since the end of July, but he should be able to go at least 70-80 pitches — and if he’s as locked-in as he was against the Braves last weekend (four innings, one run, six Ks) he could go five and snag a win.
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels — Opposing Quantrill Thursday will be Canning, who’s been dialed in since being inserted back into L.A.’s rotation a couple of weeks ago. The righty has allowed just three runs while punching out 16 batters over his last 13 innings, and if he has the feel for his full compliment of breaking balls again tonight, he should have no problem carving up a depleted Guardians lineup that hasn’t done much of anything lately (third-worst team OPS over the last three weeks).
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Friday, September 8.
