Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Sunday: Cardinals' May looks to keep momentum

ESPN FantasyJun 20, 2026, 05:58 PM ET
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Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.

Other resources: RP depth chart | Start new league
ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Sunday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR SUNDAY

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN's standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher's handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher's roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an "opener" to start their game, but will rely on a "bulk pitcher" to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
15.8	Zack Wheeler	R	NYM	97.7%	50%	6.4	6.6	2.2	7.3
15.6	Logan Gilbert	R	BOS	97.4%	43%	6.5	6.6	2.2	7.1
14.4	Chase Burns	R	@NYY	97.0%	39%	6.3	7.1	2.4	7.2
13.8	Logan Webb	R	@MIA	94.6%	57%	6.7	8.2	2.6	6.5
13.2	Dylan Cease	R	@CHC	99.0%	41%	5.9	7.3	2.3	7.0
11.7	Payton Tolle	L	@SEA	45.1%	29%	5.8	6.7	2.4	5.9
10.6	Gerrit Cole	R	CIN	89.3%	32%	5.5	6.5	2.4	5.4
10.3	Brandon Young	R	@LAD	13.5%	33%	5.8	7.3	2.4	4.9
10.2	Shota Imanaga	L	TOR	80.6%	24%	5.4	6.2	2.3	5.0
10.1	Emmet Sheehan	R	BAL	55.3%	20%	4.6	5.2	1.8	5.2
9.8	Andrew Alvarez	L	@TB	1.2%	26%	4.8	5.7	1.7	4.4
9.6	Dustin May	R	@KC	39.6%	40%	6.2	8.2	3.3	5.6
9.5	Kai-Wei Teng	R	CLE	2.3%	31%	5.5	7.4	2.7	5.8
9.2	Mick Abel	R	@ARI	6.1%	35%	5.0	6.6	2.2	4.9
9.2	Nick Martinez	R	WSH	54.5%	26%	4.9	5.8	1.9	4.1
8.7	Robert Gasser	L	@ATL	0.8%	32%	5.5	7.3	2.9	5.4
8.6	Keider Montero	R	CWS	5.4%	33%	5.7	7.3	2.8	4.4
8.6	Davis Martin	R	@DET	84.9%	31%	5.8	7.9	3.1	5.2
8.4	Slade Cecconi	R	@HOU	3.5%	28%	5.2	6.8	2.5	4.6
8.2	MacKenzie Gore	L	SD	59.6%	33%	5.6	8.2	3.2	5.9
7.7	Stephen Kolek	R	STL	24.1%	35%	6.1	8.5	3.4	4.6
7.2	Ryan Gusto	R	SF	0.1%	10%	4.4	5.4	1.9	3.7
7.1	Reid Detmers	L	@ATH	60.1%	25%	5.1	7.1	3.6	6.3
7.0	Tobias Myers	R	@PHI	0.5%	11%	4.5	5.8	2.1	4.1
6.7	Bryce Elder	R	MIL	78.0%	26%	5.3	7.6	3.1	4.7
6.0	Jack Perkins	R	LAA	1.4%	21%	4.8	7.1	3.3	5.3
5.7	Lucas Giolito	R	@TEX	3.0%	20%	4.8	7.0	2.8	4.1
0.6	Jared Jones	R	@COL	14.5%	17%	4.5	7.5	5.0	4.8
	TBD		MIN	0.0%	0%	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
-2.0	Michael Lorenzen	R	PIT	0.6%	17%	4.8	8.8	6.0	4.6

Pitchers to stream on Sunday

Two things that were never heard on the streets of Boston until recently are, "We're out of beer!" and "Our pitching is fine, but the offense can't score any runs!" The former came courtesy of the 'Tartan Army', the visiting Scottish soccer fans, while the latter is due to one of the most underperforming lineups in the game. While wins are not the best measure of a pitcher's talent, it's fair to say that with a 2.93 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 10 starts, Payton Tolle deserves better than a 3-4 record. He'll seek to snap a two-game losing streak when the Boston Red Sox wrap up a series against the Seattle Mariners and a lineup with the league's worst wOBA facing left-handed pitching.
Sunday marks Dustin May's first start since tossing a complete game, one-hit shutout last Tuesday. The St. Louis Cardinals' right-hander fanned nine while issuing just one free pass. Especially after that performance, it's baffling that he is available in almost 60% of ESPN leagues. He lines up for another solid effort with a road tilt against the Kansas City Royals, especially if Bobby Witt Jr. is unable to return to the lineup after spraining his MCL on Thursday.
Mick Abel is set to come off the 15-day IL and start for the Minnesota Twins when they conclude an interleague series in the desert against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's been out since mid-April with elbow inflammation. Normally, the safe approach is waiting to start a pitcher coming off an extended absence, but before he got hurt, Abel was exhibiting strikeout upside, and he's been solid in rehab. Most importantly, he'll square off with an offense sporting the third-lowest wOBA facing right-handers.

Pitchers to avoid on Sunday

Two of Bryce Elder's past four outings have been quality starts, but they've been bookended by a pair of subpar efforts, with a combined 13.50 ERA and 3.00 WHIP and only three strikeouts in those 7 1/3 innings. Even when Elder is effective, he doesn't miss many bats, so he's susceptible to struggles. He's not the type of pitcher to trust on the last day of the fantasy scoring period, especially since the Atlanta Braves host the Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup of first-place teams. Elder will face a lineup with the fourth-highest wOBA against right-handers, fueled by the fourth-lowest strikeout rate in that scenario. It's best to look elsewhere for pitching points to close out the week.

Hitters to stream on Sunday

Even given his late signing, Lucas Giolito has been disappointing for the San Diego Padres. The veteran right-hander has a career-low 13.6% strikeout rate while logging an eye-popping 17.8% walk rate. The Texas Rangers' lineup is one of the least productive in the league, but they put the ball in play and won't incur much resistance from Giolito. Sunday is a rare chance to seek hitting help in Arlington, with Joc Pederson, Josh Jung, Wyatt Langford, Brandon Nimmo, Ezequiel Duran and Jake Burger the chief targets.