Starting pitcher streamer rankings for fantasy baseball for Wednesday, August 23

With a doubleheader in Anaheim, we’ve got a full 15-game schedule around the Majors on Wednesday. And the starting pitching slate has a little bit of everything, from a slew of top-tier names (Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound, Clayton Kershaw, Sandy Alcantara, Corbin Burnes, etc etc.), exciting young arms (Andrew Abbott, Tarik Skubal) and under-the-radar arms with enticing matchups. There’s plenty out there for fantasy managers looking to fortify their staffs for the stretch run, and we’re here to 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 Wednesday, August 23rd

Pitchers to stream

Seth Lugo, San Diego Padres — The Marlins have been a weak offensive outfit against right-handed pitchers basically all season long, and Lugo is coming off a dominant outing against the D-backs last week in which he struck out nine over six shutout innings. The Padres righty has been ultra-reliable this season against beatable matchups, with a 3.92 ERA and a strikeout per inning, and he should churn out five or six solid frames once again (even if Sandy Alcantara spoils his chance at a win).

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals — We’ve been touting Ragans in this space for a couple weeks now, and he finally came through last week against the Cubs, striking out nine over six innings in an impressive win at Wrigley Field. The lefty pumps high-90s gas with an effective slider and changeup, and he has more strikeout upside than just about anyone else you’re liable to find on the waiver wire — especially with a juicy matchup against the lowly A’s at pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum.

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs — Taillon silenced the Royals’ now-formidable lineup last time out, making it three quality starts over his last five. The two exceptions during that stretch came against the Blue Jays and Reds, offenses that are far more formidable than the Tigers squad he’s set to face on Wednesday night. Don’t expect a ton of strikeouts here, but Detroit really doesn’t offer much to be afraid of outside of Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene.

And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Wednesday, August 23.