Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Saturday's MLB games (2024)

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: This file has been updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

Drawing Blancos

I'm tapping out. Ronel Blanco's first three starts came on one of my "Need to Know" coverage days. Even though he landed favorably in the Starting Pitcher Rankings each time, I recommended fading the Houston Astros right-hander. I'll take my crow with a side of steamed vegetables, please.

Guess who is slated to pitch on Saturday? Yup, Blanco is scheduled for a road date with the Washington Nationals. He's rostered in 83.8% of ESPN leagues, so it's not a matter of picking him up, but I'm no longer going to point to a poor 9.2% K-BB% and warn he's due a correction. Go ahead, feel free to ignore a .118 BABIP and 86.7% left on base mark, both of which are wholly unsustainable. Consider his 0.86 as deserved, regardless of a 4.64 xFIP and 4.67 SIERA.

Hang your hat on the fact Blanco has altered his pitch mix by throwing more changeups and fewer sliders. Note his swinging strike rate portends a higher strikeout rate. Your team, your call.

I'm still not deploying Blanco. One of these times I'll be right.

• Somewhere Ernie Banks is smiling with the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins playing two in Wrigley Field on Saturday. Javier Assad (23.3% rostered in ESPN leagues) is slated to start the opener for the hosts with Shota Imanaga getting the nod in the nightcap. The guests will counter with Edward Cabrera (15.8%) in the first game, followed by Jesus Luzardo. Of the four hurlers, Assad checks in as the best streaming option. Luzardo's and Imanaga's rostership levels are too high, and Cabrera is facing a better lineup with lower strikeout potential. Assad isn't likely to rack up a lot of punchouts, but he should limit hits and runs and be in a position to garner a win.

• Saturday's ledger kicks off at 1:05 p.m. ET in the Bronx with Nestor Cortes (33.6% rostered) and the New York Yankees taking on Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays. Cortes is ranked as the top streamer for the day. This may seem aggressive, but through the early part of the season, the Rays have recorded the third-lowest wOBA in MLB, with a strikeout rate a tick above average. In addition, Tampa Bay has been running, but Cortes does an excellent job of controlling the running, usually by holding the ball for varying times before delivering.

• Logan Allen (12.5%) is my favorite spot starter on Saturday's docket. Just be sure to click on the correct Logan Allen as the older version was promoted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and is back in the league. The Cleveland Guardians' Allen has a home date with the Oakland Athletics. The southpaw is off to a slow start, but facing the Athletics has been a panacea for many hurlers as they sport the third-lowest wOBA and second-highest strikeout rate in MLB so far this season.

• Reese Olson (8.5%) is in a favorable spot with the Detroit Tigers visiting the Minnesota Twins. Olson pitched well in his last start, fanning eight Texas Rangers in 6⅓ innings. He allowed just six hits and one earned run. Olson draws a Twins team checking in with the fourth-poorest wOBA and third-worst strikeout rate so far.

It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday

Reliever report

To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing and lots more.

Josh Bell (MIA, 1B -- 34%) at Jose Cuas and Shota Imanaga
Bryan De La Cruz (MIA, LF -- 10%) at Cuas and Imanaga
Jorge Polanco (SEA, 2B -- 9%) at Kyle Freeland
Mitch Haniger (SEA, LF -- 11%) at Freeland
Mitch Garver (SEA, C -- 15%) at Freeland
Tim Anderson (MIA, SS -- 3%) at Cuas and Imanaga
Anthony Rendon (LAA, 3B -- 3%) at Graham Ashcraft
Miguel Amaya (CHC, C -- 0%) vs. Jesus Luzardo and Anthony Bender
Emmanuel Rivera (MIA, 3B -- 0%) at Cuas and Imanaga
Jesse Winker (WSH, DH -- 10%) vs. Ronel Blanco

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

Michael Busch (CHC, 3B -- 60%) vs. Jesus Luzardo
Spencer Torkelson (DET, 1B -- 58%) at Bailey Ober
Jonah Heim (TEX, C -- 53%) at Charlie Morton
Colton Cowser (BAL, RF -- 57%) at Cole Ragans
Luis Campusano (SD, C -- 56%) vs. Jose Berrios
Salvador Perez (KC, C -- 87%) vs. Corbin Burnes
Jackson Holliday (BAL, SS -- 66%) at Ragans
Evan Carter (TEX, LF -- 84%) at Morton
Michael Busch (CHC, 3B -- 60%) vs. Anthony Bender
Jordan Westburg (BAL, 2B -- 51%) at Ragans