If you’re looking for starting pitching for your fantasy baseball squads on Saturday, the full 15-game slate has a little bit of everything — from a host of top-tier names (from Tyler Glasnow to the white-hot Freddy Peralta to Max Scherzer and many more) to intriguing young arms (Hunter Brown, Logan Allen, Clarke Schmidt) and some under-the-radar options that could shine with intriguing matchups. There’s a lot to get to, but we’re here to break it all down with full recommendations on who to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday, August 26
Pitchers to stream
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs — Assad just keeps on chugging in the Cubs rotation, with another solid outing (two hits, 5.1 innings) against the Detroit Tigers last weekend lowering his ERA to 2.86 over four starts this month. His sinkers in, cutters away routine is keeping hitters off-balance (81st percentile in average exit velocity) and a matchup against the Pirates is nothing to be afraid of.
Clarke Schmidt, Tampa Bay Rays — Other than a blow-up against Atlanta — an offense that hammers even the best pitchers — Schmidt has been rock-solid, with a 5.2-inning, two-run effort with eight Ks last weekend against the Red Sox his fifth start of two or fewer runs in his last eight. The righty has his tight sweeper and curveball working, and he’s allowed more than three runs just once in his last three months — even against the fearsome Rays, his strikeout upside is worth the risk.
Dakota Hudson, St. Louis Cardinals — Hudson is now throwing his slider nearly half the time, and it’s not hard to see why with a swinging-strike rate well over 20%. That’s the biggest reason why he’s thrown three quality starts in his last four outings, and he’s a decent bet to make it four of five in a road matchup with the Phillies — an inconsistent lineup all year, especially against righties.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Saturday, August 26.
