Monday means a lighter slate of games around the Majors, and it’s one light on top-end starting pitchers. Sure, Cy Young contenders in Blake Snell and Luis Castillo will be taking the bump, but after that, you’ll have to have a fairly discerning eye if you’re looking for help for your fantasy baseball staff. Luckily, our daily starting pitcher rankings are 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 Monday, August 21
Pitchers to stream
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs — Marcus Stroman remains on the IL, so Assad remains in Chicago’s rotation — and he continues to take full advantage of the opportunity, with a 2.70 ERA in three outings so far in August and consecutive quality starts against the Blue Jays and White Sox. His cutter has emerged as a real weapon, and at this point the Cubs are letting him work deep into games, giving him a great chance at a win against Alex Faedo and the Tigers.
Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics — Since getting rocked by the Red Sox in his first outing after the All-Star break, Blackburn has been sharp, posting a 2.10 ERA in 30 innings over his last five starts. Now he gets a Royals team that’s been surprisingly frisky on offense of late but is still lacking in impact bats behind Bobby Witt Jr. If Blackburn has his breaking stuff cooking once again, he should be in for a solid day at the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum.
Allan Winans, Atlanta Braves — After another mediocre effort from Yonny Chirinos as Atlanta’s fifth starter, it’s well past time to let Winans have a crack at locking down a big-league rotation spot as the Braves near the postseason. The 28-year-old has been sensational down at Triple-A this year, with a 2.79 ERA and 1.027 WHIP across 20 appearances (15 starts) and he dazzled in his MLB debut last weekend, silencing the Mets with nine strikeouts over seven shutout innings. He almost looked like a young Michael Soroka at times, filling up the zone with his sinker and slider and using an effective changeup as his out pitch, and he gets New York again at home on Monday night.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Monday, August 21.
