As we head into the final weeks of the fantasy baseball season, hopefully you are competing for the title to your league. If so, then you have probably relied upon one or more of the Starting Pitchers featured in the top tier to achieve your success, and been wise enough to avoid having to use the likes of those in the bottom group. In your effort to be crowned champion, it is suggested you choose wisely how to set up your rotation, and certainly some of the eight starting pitchers in the middle tier could help push you over the top as the season winds down.

Please realize that these articles feature most recent rotation information available when the article is written, but that circumstances do change due to weather conditions, injuries and general craziness with managers. If a pitcher listed here as having two starts ends up with one (or perhaps none) in the upcoming week, apologies but this article is meant to provide analysis, it is up to the manager to set the lineups or rotations.

Without further ado, here are this week’s two start pitchers:

 

Start 'em If You Own 'em

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Aaron Nola PHI

vs. NYM Jason Vargas

@ ATL Anibal Sánchez

 

Tue 9/18 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Corey Kluber CLE

vs. CHW Dylan Covey

vs. BOS David Price

 

Tue 9/18 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 7:05 PM ET

Blake Snell TB

@ TEX Yovani Gallardo

@ TOR Sam Gaviglio

 

Tue 9/18 8:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:07 PM ET

Patrick Corbin ARI

vs. CHC Kyle Hendricks

vs. COL Jon Gray

 

Mon 9/17 9:40 PM ET

Sun 9/23 4:10 PM ET

David Price BOS

@ NYY J.A. Happ

@ CLE Corey Kluber

 

Tue 9/18 1:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 7:05 PM ET

Miles Mikolas STL

@ ATL Mike Foltynewicz

vs. SF Andrew Suarez

 

Mon 9/17 7:35 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:15 PM ET

Jake Arrieta PHI

vs. NYM Zack Wheeler

@ ATL Mike Foltynewicz

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sat 9/22 1:05 PM ET

J.A. Happ NYY

vs. BOS David Price

vs. BAL Andrew Cashner

 

Tue 9/18 1:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:05 PM ET

Mike Foltynewicz ATL

vs. STL Miles Mikolas

vs. PHI Jake Arrieta

 

Mon 9/17 7:35 PM ET

Sat 9/22 1:05 PM ET

Zack Wheeler NYM

@ PHI Jake Arrieta

@ WAS Tanner Roark

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sat 9/22 4:05 PM ET

Kyle Hendricks CHC

@ ARI Patrick Corbin

@ CHW Dylan Covey

 

Mon 9/17 9:40 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:10 PM ET

Stephen Strasburg WAS

@ MIA Trevor Richards

vs. NYM Jason Vargas

 

Mon 9/17 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Hyun-Jin Ryu LAD

vs. COL Jon Gray

vs. SD Bryan Mitchell

 

Mon 9/17 10:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 4:10 PM ET

This baker’s dozen of SP's are the ones to wind up and let go this coming week. Certainly not all of them have superb matchups, but as noted above, by utilizing the services of these hurlers this season you have had more success than failure. Now is no time to doubt these aces, and if you had the foresight to draft them or trade for them this season, now is the time to enjoy the fruits of your preparation.

 

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Wade Miley MIL

vs. CIN Anthony DeSclafani

@ PIT Joe Musgrove

 

Mon 9/17 7:40 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Brad Keller KC

@ PIT Joe Musgrove

@ DET Daniel Norris

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:10 PM ET

Wade LeBlanc SEA

@ HOU Framber Valdez

@ TEX Adrian Sampson

 

Mon 9/17 8:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 3:05 PM ET

Joe Musgrove PIT

vs. KC Brad Keller

vs. MIL Wade Miley

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Felix Pena LAA

@ OAK TBA

@ HOU Framber Valdez

 

Tue 9/18 10:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:10 PM ET

Anibal Sánchez ATL

vs. STL Austin Gomber

vs. PHI Aaron Nola

 

Tue 9/18 7:35 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Tyler Glasnow TB

@ TEX Adrian Sampson

@ TOR Aarón Sánchez

 

Mon 9/17 8:05 PM ET

Sat 9/22 4:07 PM ET

Framber Valdez HOU

vs. SEA Wade LeBlanc

vs. LAA Felix Pena

 

Mon 9/17 8:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:10 PM ET

Miley gets Cincy at home to open up Week 24, which is certainly a tasty matchup, but even heading to PNC Park to wind up the week is not a daunting task for the Brewers southpaw who has pitched superbly on the road in 2018. The big drawback in using him is the subpar K-rate, as he sports just a 5.9 K/9 over his limited 68.2 innings pitched (IP). He generates a ton of groundballs (2.33 GB/FB ratio through 13 starts) which aids him in keeping the ball in the park effectively (0.39 HR/9).

Keller has twirled three consecutive quality starts (QS) and has four QS in his last six trips to the mound. The 23-year old rookie right-hander needs to work on his control (3.3 BB/9 through 127.1 IP) given his low K-rate (6.1 K/9 over 39 appearances, 18 of those as a starting pitcher), but as with the second best middle-tier SP, he gets opposing hitters to drive the ball into the ground efficiently (2.51 GB/FB rate). He is on the road, but his home/road splits are about even, and both venues fall into the pitcher-friendly category of MLB stadiums.

LeBlanc has been a good option as a SP3/4 this season, posting useful ratio stats: 3.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP through 146.2 IP. Just as the two SPs profiled above, he is not a strikeout artist, with a below-average 7.0 K/9 rate in 29 2018 appearances (24 starts). He came within three outs of tossing his fourth consecutive QS in his last outing, where he took a loss at home against the Padres despite holding them to just two earned runs through five innings. He is on the road for both his Week 24 trips to toe the rubber, and taking on Houston is not a favorable matchup, but the second start against the host Rangers looks better for fantasy value.

Musgrove has two home starts this coming scoring period, but he is pretty even up at PNC Park or on the road in 2018, so that is no reason to favor him especially this week. He has been inconsistent over the past month, so there is no basis to rely upon him especially, although he does supply a decent number of K's (7.9 K/9 through 109.1 IP) and has good control (1.19 BB/9), so the first start of the week against the cellar-dwelling Royals has some attractiveness if you are searching for a streaming option.

Pena has a pair of road visits to the bump coming up in Week 24, and is working on a two-game win streak, with four consecutive QS on the sheet to boot. He is a good source for whiffs, providing his fantasy owners with an attractive 8.4 K/9 rate over his 81.2 IP this season. Both his matchups are less than ideal, having to take on the two teams vying for the lead in his team’s division. He is in the midst of an audition for a role in the starting rotation next season, so expect him to put forth his best efforts, which to be fair have been better than merely acceptable of late.

Sanchez has a pair of home games in store this week, and while he has been slightly better away from SunTrust Park, his splits are not dramatic enough to worry about him pitching on the mound in Atlanta this scoring period. He does feature an appealing 3.01 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through his 119.2 IP, and is racking up the swings and misses at an impressive clip as well (8.9 K/9 through his 22 appearances). Given Philly’s road woes, the second start of the week looks to be the more inviting game to utilize the rejuvenated veteran righthander.

Glasnow bounced back from a disastrous game against the Blue Jays where he was tagged for seven earned runs in less than a full inning by holding the visiting Indians to just two earned runs over seven innings (where he still took the loss, his sixth against one victory on the season). He is striking out opposing hitters at a prodigious rate (11.0 K/9 through 94.1 IP) but hurts himself with his lack of control (4.4 BB/9 in 42 appearances/eight starts). He has been much more hittable on the road, where both his Week 24 starts take place, which lessens his appeal at this point in the fantasy season, although he is a SP to keep on your radar for 2019’s drafts.

Valdez takes the bump in a couple of home games against AL West rivals when he faces the Mariners and then the Angels in Week Twenty-Four. The 24-year old lefty had shown good strikeout tendencies in the minors prior to his promotion to the big leagues, and had also seemingly learned better control last season, but neither the K's nor command of the zone have been features of his admittedly small sample of work in the MLB. It is not likely the Astros will expect him to pitch deep into games as the season winds down, so victories are not likely to be a big part of his appeal in 2018.

 

Not On My Roster

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Adrian Sampson TEX

vs. TB Tyler Glasnow

vs. SEA Wade LeBlanc

 

Mon 9/17 8:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 3:05 PM ET

Bryan Mitchell SD

vs. SF Andrew Suarez

@ LAD Hyun-Jin Ryu

 

Mon 9/17 10:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 4:10 PM ET

Jason Vargas NYM

@ PHI Aaron Nola

@ WAS Stephen Strasburg

 

Tue 9/18 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:35 PM ET

Andrew Suarez SF

@ SD Bryan Mitchell

@ STL Miles Mikolas

 

Mon 9/17 10:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:15 PM ET

Aarón Sánchez TOR

@ BAL Andrew Cashner

vs. TB Tyler Glasnow

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sat 9/22 4:07 PM ET

Jake Odorizzi MIN

@ DET Jordan Zimmermann

@ OAK TBA

 

Mon 9/17 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 4:05 PM ET

Jon Gray COL

@ LAD Hyun-Jin Ryu

@ ARI Patrick Corbin

 

Mon 9/17 10:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 4:10 PM ET

Daniel Norris DET

vs. MIN TBA

vs. KC Brad Keller

 

Tue 9/18 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:10 PM ET

Jordan Zimmermann DET

vs. MIN Jake Odorizzi

vs. KC Jake Junis

 

Mon 9/17 7:10 PM ET

Sat 9/22 6:10 PM ET

Sam Gaviglio TOR

@ BAL Dylan Bundy

vs. TB Blake Snell

 

Tue 9/18 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:07 PM ET

Trevor Richards MIA

vs. WAS Stephen Strasburg

vs. CIN Tyler Mahle

 

Mon 9/17 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:10 PM ET

Andrew Cashner BAL

vs. TOR Aarón Sánchez

@ NYY J.A. Happ

 

Mon 9/17 7:05 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:05 PM ET

Tyler Mahle CIN

@ MIL Chase Anderson

@ MIA Trevor Richards

 

Tue 9/18 7:40 PM ET

Sun 9/23 1:10 PM ET

Dylan Covey CHW

@ CLE Corey Kluber

vs. CHC Kyle Hendricks

 

Tue 9/18 7:10 PM ET

Sun 9/23 2:10 PM ET

Anthony DeSclafani CIN

@ MIL Wade Miley

@ MIA Jose Urena

 

Mon 9/17 7:40 PM ET

Sat 9/22 7:10 PM ET

The top denizens of this tier could potentially provide some fantasy value if the matchups work out. None of these SP's inspire total confidence, of course, thus their status as a bottom tier two-start pitcher. Odorizzi, for that matter, is coming off an effort where he no-hit the Yankees into the eighth inning this past week, but that does not erase all the poor efforts he has provided this season previously. Sampson and Mitchell are trying to make cases that they be added to their respective rotations going forward, but the track records do not necessarily inspire tremendous confidence. You will be safer to just avoid any of these 15 SPs to wind up your season.

FANation Chat is now live on the site. Feel free also to send any starting pitching or other fantasy baseball questions to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a private response to your specific issue. The more detail you can provide about your team and league, including settings (H2H vs roto, points or categories, weekly or daily moves, roster size, league size, etc.) the better the response will be suited to your individual situation. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in all your fantasy endeavors.