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Starting pitchers get you 40% of the key stats in 5x5 leagues, and are sometimes even more important in H2H and points leagues. Our starting pitcher depth charts have a special fantasy baseball focus, to let you know which pitchers are worth owning and which aren't. MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance all the time, so stay on top of all MLB starting pitcher depth charts for the AL and NL, and dominate in pitching this year.
We will be updating the MLB Starting Pitcher Depth Charts for Fantasy Baseball all season long. Below you'll find our Week 8 depth charts.
Week 8 MLB Starting Pitcher Depth Charts for Fantasy Baseball
It was time to finally make a decision on a couple of aces. Zack Greinke looks like he has made a nice recovery from his early-season slump but guys like Dallas Keuchel, Chris Archer, and Sonny Gray have yet to make any sort of impression needed to recover our confidence in them. It is for this reason that Archer, Gray, and Keuchel have remained or have been moved to the "Solid Options" tier instead of the "Fantasy Ace" tier. On the upside, Matt Harvey has remained in the top tier solely due to the difference between his ERA and FIP, while starters like Chris Tillman, Danny Salazar, and Jordan Zimmerman have jumped up a tier to gain Fantasy Ace status at the present moment.
Tyler Chatwood has become a solid option as opposed to a streamer. What else is there to call a player who is the best in baseball on the road but is far from serviceable in his home park? Joe Kelly returned to the Red Sox lineup and flirted with a n0-no through 6.2 IP. Don't expect Kelly to hang around the rotation for very long though, Eduardo Rodriguez is on his way back to the rotation and that means someone from Boston has to go, and I doubt it will be David Price, Steven Wright, or Rick Porcello. Also, be on the lookout for Yu Darvish to return Saturday. Whether his ERA and WHIP are immediately reliable may be a toss-up, but he is always good for a high volume of strikeouts. Returns from the DL are shaking things up for some Major League rotations, so familiarize yourself with every team's depth chart so you aren't left in the dust.
AL EAST: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka | Michael Pineda, Luis Severino | Nathan Eovaldi | CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova | Jacob Lindgren, Chad Green |
Red Sox | David Price | Steven Wright, Rick Porcello | N/A | Joe Kelly, Clay Bucholz | Eduardo Rodriguez (INJ), Michael Kopech |
Blue Jays | Marcus Stroman | J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez | Marco Estrada | R.A. Dickey | N/A |
Orioles | Chris Tillman | Kevin Gausman | Yovani Gallardo | Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Ubaldo Jimenez | Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey, |
Rays | N/A | Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Chris Archer | Matt Moore, Blake Snell, Erasmo Ramirez | N/A | N/A |
AL Central: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Tigers | Jordan Zimmerman | Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez | Shane Greene | Michael Fulmer, Mike Pelfrey | Matt Boyd, Daniel Norris |
Royals | N/A | Edinson Volquez | Yordano Ventura, Ian Kennedy, Kris Medlen (INJ) | Chris Young, Dillon Gee | Mike Minor (INJ), Kyle Zimmer |
Indians | Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco (INJ) | N/A | Cody Anderson, Josh Tomlin |
N/A |
Rob Kaminsky |
White Sox | Chris Sale, Jose Quintana | N/A | Carlos Rodon, Mat Latos | John Danks | Frankie Montas |
Twins | N/A | Ervin Santana | Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Duffey | Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco | Jose Berrios |
AL West: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Astros | N/A | Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Dallas Keuchel |
Mike Fiers, Doug Fister | Scott Feldman | N/A |
Rangers | Cole Hamels | Derek Holland | Martin Perez, Colby Lewis, A.J Griffin | Nick Martinez | Yu Darvish (INJ), Chi Chi Gonzalez |
Mariners | Felix Hernandez | Taijuan Walker | Hisashi Iwakuma, Wade Miley, Nate Karns | James Paxton | Edwin Diaz |
Athletics | N/A | Sonny Gray | Jesse Hahn, Rich Hill, Sean Manaea | Chris Bassitt, Kendall Graveman | Henderson Alvarez (INJ), Felix Doubront (INJ) |
Angels | N/A | Andrew Heaney (INJ), Hector Santiago | Tyler Skaggs (INJ) | Matt Shoemaker, Jered Weaver | Tim Lincecum |
NL EAST: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Mets | Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey | Steven Matz | Bartolo Colon | N/A | Zack Wheeler (INJ) |
Braves | N/A | Julio Teheran | Mike Foltynewicz | Williams Perez, Matt Wisler, Bud Norris | Manny Banuelos (INJ) |
Nationals | Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg | Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross | Tanner Roark | N/A | Lucas Giolito |
Marlins | Jose Fernandez | Wei Yin Chen | Tom Koehler, Adam Conley | Jarred Cosart | N/A |
Phillies | N/A | Aaron Nola, Jeremy Hellickson, Vincent Velasquez | Jerad Eickhoff, Charlie Morton | Brett Oberholtzer | Jake Thompson |
NL Central: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Pirates | Gerrit Cole | Francisco Liriano | Juan Nicasio | Jon Niese, Jeff Locke | Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon |
Cubs | Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester | Jason Hammel, John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks | N/A | Trevor Cahill | Duane Underwood |
Cardinals | Carlos Martinez | Michael Wacha, Jaime Garcia, Adam Wainwright | Marco Gonzales | Mike Leake | Tim Cooney, Tyler Lyons |
Reds | N/A | Raisel Iglesias (INJ) |
John Lamb, Tim Adleman, Robert Stephenson, Anthony DeSclafani (INJ) | Brandon Finnegan, Alfredo Simon | Michael Lorenzen (INJ), Homer Bailey (INJ), |
Brewers | N/A | Jimmy Nelson | Chase Anderson, Zach Davies | Wily Peralta, Matt Garza (INJ) | Tyler Cravy, Taylor Jungmann |
NL West: 2016 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Team Name | Fantasy Aces | Solid Options | Deeper Options / Streamers | Ignore | Watch List |
Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw | Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda | Alex Wood, Ross Stripling | N/A | Hyun Jin Ryu (INJ), Brett Anderson (INJ), Mike Bolsinger (INJ), Brandon McCarthy (INJ) |
Padres | N/A | Tyson Ross (INJ), James Shields, Drew Pomeranz |
Andrew Cashner(INJ), Colin Rea | Jeremy Guthrie, Robbie Erlin | N/A |
Rockies | N/A | Jon Gray, Tyler Chatwood | Jorge De La Rosa, Chad Bettis, Jordan Lyles, |
Yohan Flande, Christian Bergman | Jeff Hoffman |
Giants | Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto | Jeff Samardzija | Chris Heston, Jake Peavy | Matt Cain | Tyler Beede |
Diamondbacks | Zack Greinke | N/A | Patrick Corbin, Shelby Miller, Robbie Ray, Rubby De La Rosa | N/A | Archie Bradley, Braden Shipley |
Depth Chart Definitions:
- Fantasy Aces - Pitchers to anchor a rotation, a #1 or #2 fantasy starter
- Solid Options - The meat of your rotation, a #3 - #5 type fantasy starter
- Deeper Options / Streamers - All pitchers with value, but depending on your league size these are bottom rotation types or players worth streaming
- Ignore - Unless you're in NL / AL only leagues, you shoudn't really touch these guys
- Watch List - Your list of prospects or injured pitchers who might soon hold value
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