A word to the wise for those fantasy baseball managers and DFS players on the hunt for starting pitching help on Saturday, June 17: tread lightly. Sure, there are highlights on today’s slate — Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Bobby Miller looks to keep his historic start going, Lucas Giolito and Logan Gilbert square off in Seattle while Blake Snell and Zach Eflin do battle in San Diego — but for the most part, the schedule today is chock full of landmines.
A whopping 11 of 30 starters fall in the “do not start” tier of our daily starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball, and a handful more have upside that comes with a very, very low floor. Luckily, we’re here to help you sift through it all, so let’s break down today’s slate with to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday, June 17
Pitchers to stream
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox — Bello’s allowed more than two runs just once since the calendar flipped to May, and he just spun seven innings of two-run ball on just three hits allowed against this very same Yankees lineup last weekend. New York is desperately missing Aaron Judge right now, and they’re very beatable as long as Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton remain cold. Bello has the stuff and the much-improved command to sail through at least five or six frames again.
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels — Canning got knocked around a bit by the Seattle Mariners last time out, but the righty had been very good over his previous three starts, and now he gets a Vinnie Pasquantino-less Kansas City Royals squad in pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium. If he has the feel for his full compliment of breaking pitches, he has big upside.
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees — The floor with Schmidt remains low, especially in Fenway Park, but he’s posted a 2.33 ERA over the last month — and he did just put up 5.1 innings of one-run ball against these same Red Sox last weekend. Boston’s lineup outside of Rafael Devers is really struggling right now, meaning Schmidt could find success for the second start in a row.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Saturday, June 17.
Starting pitcher rankings 6/17
| Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
| Must-start | ||
| 1 | Bobby Miller | vs. Giants |
| 2 | Logan Gilbert | vs. White Sox |
| 3 | Mitch Keller | @ Brewers |
| 4 | Lucas Giolito | @ Mariners |
| 5 | Braxton Garrett | @ Nationals |
| Strong plays | ||
| 6 | Bryce Elder | vs. Rockies |
| 7 | Griffin Canning | @ Royals |
| 8 | Shane Bieber | @ Diamondbacks |
| 9 | Zach Eflin | @ Padres |
| 10 | Blake Snell | vs. Rays |
| 11 | Brayan Bello | vs. Yankees |
| 12 | Kodai Senga | vs. Cardinals |
| Questionable | ||
| 13 | Hunter Greene | @ Astros |
| 14 | Kyle Gibson | @ Cubs |
| 15 | Clarke Schmidt | @ Red Sox |
| 16 | Justin Steele | vs. Orioles |
| 17 | Wade Miley | vs. Pirates |
| 18 | Brandon Bielak | vs. Reds |
| 19 | Tommy Henry | vs. Guardians |
| Don’t do it | ||
| 20 | James Kaprielian | vs. Phillies |
| 21 | Mike Mayers | vs. Angels |
| 22 | Adam Wainwright | @ Mets |
| 23 | Dane Dunning | vs. Blue Jays |
| 24 | Jake Irvin | vs. Marlins |
| 25 | Alex Wood | @ Dodgers |
| 26 | Cristopher Sanchez | @ Athletics |
| 27 | Connor Seabold | @ Braves |
| 28 | Joey Wentz | @ Twins |
| 29 | Trevor Richards | @ Rangers |
| 30 | Brent Headrick | vs. Tigers |
