If you’re looking for pitching for your fantasy baseball squads on Wednesday, well, you’re in luck. There’s a pretty good chance this is the deepest slate of the year for starting pitchers, with only two falling in the “do not start” tier of our daily rankings. That means the other 28 are all varying degrees of in play, and while some of them come with plenty of risk, there’s also plenty of value if you know where to look. So 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 Wednesday, July 26
Pitchers to stream
Seth Lugo, San Diego Padres — The righty has been a solid No. 3 for the Padres amid Yu Darvish’s struggles, with three quality starts in his last four outings — while allowing more than three runs just three times in 14 appearances overall this year. His fastball and curveball have both been giving batters fits, and while the profile isn’t spectacular, he should continue to be rock-solid (and comes with a very good chance of nabbing a win) against a weak Pittsburgh Pirates lineup.
Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians — People seem to have soured a bit on the rookie after four straight uninspiring starts, but the schedule hasn’t done him any favors of late with matchups against the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Things get considerably easier with the Kansas City Royals coming to town, a team that Williams has allowed three runs against while striking out 13 in 12.2 innings so far this season. The righty still has the electric fastball/breakers combo that made him such a tantalizing prospect, and he has monster upside on Wednesday.
Jose Quintana, New York Mets — Quintana looked largely like himself in his season debut last week, mixing fastballs on the corners with curves and changeups down en route to five innings of two-run ball. Most encouragingly, he threw 77 pitches, meaning he should be more than stretched out enough to go five or even six frames against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. This remains a dismal lineup without Aaron Judge, if Quintana has his usual command he should have no problems.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Wednesday, July 26.
