Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Monday: Need a hitter? Check on the Red Sox

ESPN FantasyJul 26, 2026, 04:15 PM ET
Close
Follow on X

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 | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | Betting notes for Monday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR MONDAY

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
16.1	Zack Wheeler	R	@MIA	98.7%	58%	6.3	6.7	2.1	7.2
14.5	Gerrit Cole	R	@CWS	86.6%	51%	6.6	7.2	2.6	6.8
12.2	Chase Burns	R	CLE	98.0%	38%	6.1	7.5	2.9	7.0
12.0	Zach Thornton	L	ATL	12.7%	29%	5.4	5.7	1.6	4.7
10.1	Kyle Bradish	R	@DET	75.5%	34%	5.7	7.5	2.6	5.6
9.8	Martin Perez	L	@NYM	5.6%	27%	5.1	6.1	1.8	4.3
9.7	Tyler Mahle	R	MIL	1.2%	32%	5.8	7.8	2.6	5.1
9.6	Brandon Sproat	R	@SF	4.6%	32%	5.6	7.3	2.4	4.9
9.2	David Peterson	L	@STL	3.1%	28%	5.3	7.0	2.3	4.8
9.0	Noah Schultz	L	NYY	3.4%	22%	4.9	6.4	2.0	5.0
8.6	Merrill Kelly	R	@PIT	21.3%	37%	5.9	8.0	3.2	5.1
8.5	Walbert Urena	R	HOU	13.3%	36%	5.7	7.7	2.7	4.5
8.3	Keider Montero	R	BAL	13.0%	25%	5.0	6.4	2.3	4.3
8.3	Tatsuya Imai	R	@LAA	18.2%	29%	5.6	8.1	3.1	5.9
8.2	George Kirby	R	@TEX	93.0%	30%	5.2	6.7	2.8	5.0
8.0	Andrew Alvarez	L	TOR	0.9%	26%	5.1	6.8	2.4	4.4
7.2	Matthew Liberatore	L	CHC	3.8%	27%	5.0	7.0	2.5	4.4
7.1	Kumar Rocker	R	SEA	3.8%	23%	4.9	6.8	2.8	4.7
6.6	Mitch Keller	R	ARI	21.9%	19%	4.6	6.3	2.4	3.9
6.3	Slade Cecconi	R	@CIN	3.1%	19%	4.7	6.4	2.8	4.4
5.9	Max Scherzer	R	@WSH	2.0%	15%	4.4	6.0	2.6	4.1
5.7	Payton Tolle	L	@ATH	48.1%	30%	4.9	7.0	3.8	5.5
5.0	Jack Perkins	R	BOS	1.0%	18%	4.7	7.2	3.5	5.3
4.1	Tyler Phillips	R	PHI	1.9%	3%	3.4	4.9	1.8	2.8

Pitchers to stream on Monday

After heading into the break with a couple of poor outings, Tatsuya Imai emerged with a solid effort in his first start after the All Star break, fanning eight in six frames. The Houston Astros open a road series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels, giving Imai a chance to build on his momentum, facing the lineup with the second-highest strikeout rate facing right-handers.
Keider Montero has been reinserted into the Detroit Tigers' rotation with Jack Flaherty on the 15-day IL. It feels like he should miss more bats when watching him pitch, but his control and command make up for his lack of dominance. That said, he throws five pitches at least 13% of the time, so tweaking his repertoire could lead to more strikeouts.
Mitch Keller's first outing after the break was five scoreless innings with six strikeouts against the New York Yankees. This is the type of outing that lends optimism for a solid stretch run as the Pittsburgh Pirates try to remain in the chase for the NL Wild Card. However, Keller's strikeout rate has declined for the third straight season, so he's just a matchup play, preferable for home affairs. Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in PNC Park merits a shout-out on a thin card for streamers, with the Diamondbacks toting a below-average offense versus right-handers.

Hitters to stream on Monday

The Boston Red Sox are one of the hottest teams in MLB, but because of their slow start, their highest-rostered hitter is Jarren Duran, at 68.1%. Technically, he's over the 50% cutoff used to identify streamers, as are Wilyer Abreu (63.9%) and Willson Contreras (54.3%). However, with the club opening a series in Sutter Health Park, facing four vulnerable pitchers, it's worth checking the availability of all Red Sox, including newly acquired Curtis Mead.