Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Sunday: Options limited to make up ground

ESPN FantasyJul 25, 2026, 04:05 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
16.3	Cristopher Sanchez	L	NYY	99.8%	51%	6.4	6.6	2.0	7.0
13.9	Jacob Misiorowski	R	COL	99.4%	38%	5.4	5.9	1.8	6.8
13.6	Emmet Sheehan	R	@NYM	50.1%	34%	5.8	6.5	2.0	6.5
13.1	Joe Ryan	R	ATH	97.2%	43%	6.1	7.1	2.6	6.6
12.9	Parker Messick	L	@TB	93.1%	39%	5.7	6.4	1.8	5.6
12.5	Logan Gilbert	R	@TEX	98.5%	40%	6.0	6.8	2.7	6.6
12.4	Freddy Peralta	R	LAD	74.4%	33%	6.0	7.3	2.1	6.2
11.0	Jacob deGrom	R	SEA	97.9%	25%	5.5	6.3	2.5	6.1
10.6	Drew Rasmussen	R	CLE	91.0%	21%	4.9	5.4	1.6	4.8
9.9	Jose Soriano	R	@SF	79.0%	35%	5.6	7.5	2.3	5.1
9.7	Braxton Ashcraft	R	CHC	86.9%	36%	5.5	7.2	2.6	5.3
9.5	Shane Baz	R	ATL	28.7%	36%	5.8	7.6	2.9	5.4
9.4	Janson Junk	R	SD	1.7%	33%	5.2	6.2	2.1	4.2
9.4	Andrew Abbott	L	@STL	41.8%	28%	5.5	7.0	2.4	4.7
8.9	Jameson Taillon	R	@PIT	3.8%	28%	5.7	7.0	2.8	4.7
8.5	Kevin Gausman	R	@BOS	84.5%	31%	5.7	7.8	3.2	5.7
8.4	Ronel Blanco	R	@CWS	3.7%	24%	5.1	6.8	2.5	5.0
8.2	Carson Whisenhunt	L	LAA	0.2%	24%	4.9	6.5	2.1	4.4
7.9	Ranger Suarez	L	TOR	76.0%	27%	5.1	7.0	2.8	5.1
7.9	Framber Valdez	L	KC	71.0%	16%	4.3	5.5	1.9	4.3
7.8	Luinder Avila	R	@DET	1.6%	24%	5.1	7.0	2.5	4.8
7.8	Erick Fedde	R	HOU	2.1%	31%	5.2	7.0	2.6	4.2
7.5	Will Warren	R	@PHI	45.9%	14%	4.8	6.4	2.5	5.0
7.5	Reynaldo Lopez	R	@BAL	8.0%	23%	4.9	6.7	2.7	5.0
7.1	Kyle Leahy	R	CIN	13.7%	15%	4.2	5.4	1.9	3.8
6.8	Jeffrey Springs	L	@MIN	9.5%	20%	5.0	6.8	2.7	4.3
6.5	Walker Buehler	R	@MIA	4.6%	23%	4.9	7.2	2.5	4.2
6.1	Kohl Drake	L	@WSH	0.5%	17%	4.4	6.0	2.4	3.9
5.7	Kyle Freeland	L	@MIL	0.7%	18%	5.1	7.4	3.2	4.5
4.8	Miles Mikolas	R	ARI	0.5%	23%	5.1	7.3	3.4	3.7

Pitchers to stream on Sunday

Those seeking strikeouts need not apply, but if you could use a quality start, Kyle Leahy is in a strong spot with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Cincinnati Reds. Half of Leahy's previous six outings have been quality starts, including his last time out. The Reds are a below-average offense facing right-handers, in part because of a low walk rate, which should allow Leahy to pitch deep into the contest.
On the other hand, Ronel Blanco has as much strikeout upside as any of the streaming options on the card. He'll make his second start of the season when the Houston Astros visit the Chicago White Sox. Blanco fanned eight in 4 2/3 innings when he made his 2026 debut last week, and he has averaged just over one punchout per inning over his career, spanning 278 2/3 frames. The White Sox strike out at the seventh-highest rate in MLB versus righties.
Sunday's ledger is not ideal for those needing to make up points on the last day of the fantasy period. Normally, Shane Baz would not make the cut, but in the spirit of providing at least three options, Baz is the next best candidate. He has been pitching well, with three quality starts in his last four outings, which features 24 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. However, Baz and the Baltimore Orioles have a home date with the dangerous Atlanta Braves, who have Ronald Acuna back in their lineup.

Hitters to stream on Sunday

It's unusual for the leadoff and cleanup hitters on the second-highest-scoring team in the league to be available in more than half of ESPN leagues, but such is the case with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Jake Mangum (available in 95.8%) and Esmerlyn Valdez (available in 51.6%). They're among Sunday's top hitting streamers for their home date against Jameson Taillon and the Chicago Cubs.