Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Thursday: Change of fortune for Ryan Weathers?

ESPN FantasyJul 29, 2026, 03:30 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.

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ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Thursday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR THURSDAY

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
14.8	Nolan McLean	R	MIA	92.7%	41%	6.2	6.9	1.8	6.5
14.5	Eury Perez	R	@NYM	76.8%	33%	6.1	6.6	1.8	6.4
13.9	Paul Skenes	R	@CIN	99.8%	43%	5.8	6.5	2.3	7.2
13.6	Foster Griffin	L	@ATL	85.8%	45%	6.3	6.9	2.5	6.2
12.9	Nathan Eovaldi	R	@TB	87.6%	33%	5.8	6.4	2.0	6.0
11.8	Ryan Weathers	L	@CWS	26.3%	35%	5.9	7.4	2.7	6.6
11.7	Sean Burke	R	NYY	68.2%	35%	5.9	7.3	2.6	6.5
11.6	Shota Imanaga	L	@STL	81.2%	34%	6.0	6.9	2.4	5.4
10.9	Shane McClanahan	L	TEX	53.9%	26%	5.1	5.9	1.8	5.0
10.5	Robbie Ray	L	@SD	67.8%	38%	5.3	6.8	2.0	5.1
10.4	Bryce Miller	R	@LAD	63.2%	35%	5.4	6.5	2.3	5.1
9.3	Roki Sasaki	R	SEA	26.9%	25%	5.5	7.2	2.6	5.4
9.3	Noah Cameron	L	@MIN	10.8%	34%	5.7	7.5	2.8	5.3
8.8	Andre Pallante	R	CHC	15.9%	33%	5.6	7.5	2.5	4.3
8.4	Bailey Ober	R	KC	16.0%	27%	5.3	6.7	2.7	4.7
6.6	Grant Holmes	R	WSH	10.4%	22%	4.9	7.0	2.8	4.6
4.7	Sonny Gray	R	@ATH	93.2%	34%	5.4	8.4	4.5	5.8
4.6	German Marquez	R	SF	0.5%	6%	3.9	5.5	2.0	3.0
4.6	Rhett Lowder	R	PIT	2.1%	6%	3.9	5.7	2.4	3.8
2.3	Mason Barnett	R	BOS	0.0%	17%	4.6	7.5	3.9	4.2

Pitchers to stream on Thursday

Lady Luck has not been kind to Ryan Weathers this month. His 5.03 July ERA is inflated from a .421 BABIP and 68.8% left-on-base rate. Fanning 24 with only five free passes in 19 2/3 frames should have resulted in an ERA closer to his 2.44 xFIP this month. The southpaw has a chance to end the month on a high note with the New York Yankees matching up with the Chicago White Sox on the South Side. Although the White Sox lead the American League in runs per game, they are more potent against right-handers and have a high strikeout rate facing lefties.
Roki Sasaki likely has the highest starting pitcher ERA when active on fantasy rosters and the lowest when he's reserved. He's trending up again after logging three straight solid efforts, recording two quality starts while falling one out shy of a third. He's in a good spot to stay on a roll with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Seattle Mariners, who will tote a below-average road wOBA versus right-handers into Chavez Ravine.
Noah Cameron's July ERA is 4.88, but his ERA estimators are almost a run lower. It's not just bad luck; he has walked 12 in 24 innings this month. However, the lefty has a favorable matchup to close out July with the Kansas City Royals visiting the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are second in the American League in runs per game, but they struggle facing left-handers.

Hitters to stream on Thursday

Injuries contributed to his struggles, but moving from Coors Field to Petco Park has not been the panacea for German Marquez. In fact, his 7.38 ERA at home is much higher than his 3.24 road mark, though both samples are too small to dissect. The main point is Marquez is vulnerable, with a low strikeout rate and an above-average walk rate. The San Francisco Giants offense is not featured a lot, but this is a favorable road matchup. Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames and Bryce Eldridge are in play on a 10-game slate where fantasy managers likely have holes to fill.