Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Monday (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 will be 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

Pfaadt's success is not a mirage

Arizona Diamondbacks SP Brandon Pfaadt experienced an up and down rookie season, though to be more accurate, it was down and up. Ater posting a 9.82 ERA over his first three outings, spanning just 11 innings, Pfaadt spent time at Triple-A, and when he returned after last season's break, Pfaadt registered a more palatable 4.22 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings. The freshman then recorded a 3.27 ERA over five postseason starts.

Pfaadt's sophom*ore campaign has been steady. He's made 23 starts with his 137 2/3 innings through Saturday rankings as the 16th most in MLB. Pfaadt's 3.92 ERA is 43rd best among qualified pitchers, though his 3.72 xFIP drops him to 24th. Pfaadt's 1.11 WHIP is an impressive 22nd among qualifiers.

Even with these plaudits, Pfaadt is rostered in only 35.5% of ESPN leagues. The reason is likely a slightly below average 22% strikeout rate, though that mark lands 37th among qualified starters.

On average, teams carry between three and four starting pitchers on their roster, so it makes sense that Pfaadt falls just outside the range where he's worthy of being reserves between outings in 10 and 12 team leagues. That said, you want him in your Monday active lineup.

The Diamondbacks open a home set with the Colorado Rockies. Pfaadt faces the lineup with the third lowest wOBA and third highest strikeout rate on the road versus righties.

Everything else you need to know for Monday

• Thirteen games comprise Monday's schedule, with everything contested under the lights. The first two games commence at 6:40 PM ET, both taking place in the Buckeye State with the Cleveland Guardians entertaining the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds hosting the St. Louis Cardinals.

• Andrew Abbott (22.4% rostered) is slated to take the hill for the Reds. Home runs have been an issue for the lefty all season, but even more so lately as he's surrendered six long balls over his last three outings. In Abbott's favor is that the Cardinals tote the fifth lowest road home run rate against lefties into the Great American Ballpark, but of course the venue is one of the better power hitting parks in the league.

• The highlight of Monday's docket is a meeting of first place squads with the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting the Milwaukee Brewers. Both clubs are jostling with the Philadelphia Phillies for the two National League byes. Of the three teams, the Brewers hold the most comfortable division lead. Their game with the Dodgers features not only the return of Mookie Betts, but his return to right field. Clayton Kershaw (32.3% rostered) will be on the hill for the Dodgers. The lefty will be making just his fourth start of the season.

• Last time out, Kershaw tossed 4 2/3 innings against the Phillies, yielding just one earned run on five hits. He fanned five without issuing a walk. After throwing just 72 pitches in his first effort, Kershaw averaged 82 over the next two, so he's close to pitching with no restrictions. With the reminder that even at this point of the season, splits facing left-handers aren't stable, the Brewers boast the second highest home wOBA versus southpaws. As tempting as it may be to start Kershaw, it's not worth the risk at the onset of the fantasy scoring week.

• Guardians SP Ben Lively (24.5% rostered) is outperforming his peripherals. Lively faces a more manageable lineup on Monday when the Guardians play the Cubs. The Cubs will carry an average road offense against right-handers into Progressive Field.

  See Also

  Bengals hoping for more explosive RB plays in post-Joe Mixon era

Starting pitcher rankings for Monday

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.

Hitting report

Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.

Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Monday

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.

• Giancarlo Stanton (NYY, RF -- 30%) at Ky Bush

• Tommy Pham (STL, LF -- 7%) at Andrew Abbott

• Joc Pederson (ARI, LF -- 17%) vs. Blalock

• Logan O'Hoppe (LAA, C -- 47%) vs. Bowden Francis

• Josh Bell (ARI, 1B -- 39%) vs. Blalock

• Daulton Varsho (TOR, LF -- 35%) at Davis Daniel

• Masyn Winn (STL, SS -- 16%) at Abbott

• Taylor Ward (LAA, LF -- 41%) vs. Francis

• Austin Wells (NYY, C -- 12%) at Bush

• Josh Smith (TEX, SS -- 31%) at Bello

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Monday

• Brenton Doyle (COL, CF -- 54%) at Brandon Pfaadt

• Marcell Ozuna (ATL, DH -- 98%) at Blake Snell

• Brice Turang (MIL, 2B -- 67%) vs. Clayton Kershaw

• Austin Riley (ATL, 3B -- 94%) at Snell

• Maikel Garcia (KC, 3B -- 67%) at Pablo Lopez

• Salvador Perez (KC, C -- 97%) at Lopez

• Dansby Swanson (CHC, SS -- 52%) at Ben Lively

• Matt Olson (ATL, 1B -- 95%) at Snell

• Adolis Garcia (TEX, RF -- 85%) at Bello

• Matt Chapman (SF, 3B -- 61%) vs. Chris Sale