Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Friday: Mize poised for a standout performance?

ESPN FantasyJul 30, 2026, 04:00 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 | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | Betting notes for Friday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR FRIDAY

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
15.6	Dylan Cease	R	STL	99.1%	55%	6.8	8.2	2.6	7.9
15.3	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	R	BOS	99.8%	41%	6.4	6.8	2.0	6.8
13.7	Paul Skenes	R	@CIN	99.8%	37%	5.8	6.5	2.3	7.2
13.6	Foster Griffin	L	@ATL	86.0%	45%	6.3	6.9	2.4	6.2
13.5	Hunter Brown	R	TEX	90.7%	43%	5.7	6.5	1.9	6.2
12.7	Freddy Peralta	R	MIA	72.7%	38%	5.9	7.1	2.1	6.1
12.3	Shota Imanaga	L	NYY	81.8%	37%	6.0	6.9	2.5	6.2
12.1	Bryce Miller	R	MIN	63.2%	40%	5.8	6.7	2.3	5.5
12.0	Hunter Greene	R	PIT	68.8%	27%	5.7	6.6	2.5	6.9
10.9	Ranger Suarez	L	@LAD	77.3%	28%	5.4	6.4	2.2	5.6
10.3	Nick Martinez	R	CWS	65.5%	31%	5.2	5.9	1.9	4.4
10.3	Janson Junk	R	@NYM	1.6%	24%	5.1	5.7	1.7	4.3
9.6	Tanner Bibee	R	ARI	62.1%	41%	6.1	8.1	3.1	5.5
9.6	Brandon Young	R	PHI	19.5%	38%	5.9	7.7	2.9	5.2
9.2	Carson Whisenhunt	L	@SD	2.3%	29%	5.0	6.4	1.9	4.4
8.9	Shane Drohan	L	@LAA	15.7%	31%	5.3	7.2	2.7	5.5
8.5	Zebby Matthews	R	@SEA	4.6%	24%	5.6	7.5	2.9	5.5
7.7	Kyle Leahy	R	@TOR	20.4%	20%	4.9	6.3	2.3	4.3
7.4	JP Sears	L	SF	1.6%	8%	4.0	4.8	1.6	3.7
7.4	Will Warren	R	@CHC	41.0%	19%	4.5	6.2	2.3	4.8
6.7	Bryce Elder	R	WSH	38.4%	25%	5.5	7.7	3.3	4.8
6.3	Jordan Montgomery	L	@HOU	0.4%	6%	3.9	5.0	1.8	3.7
6.3	Ryan Johnson	R	MIL	0.6%	19%	4.7	6.5	2.7	4.2
6.2	Mitch Bratt	L	@CLE	0.2%	17%	4.6	6.3	2.7	4.4
6.1	Brian Keller	R	@BAL	0.1%	7%	3.8	4.8	1.9	3.6
5.6	Erick Fedde	R	@TB	2.1%	8%	3.9	5.3	1.8	3.2
5.1	Casey Mize	R	@ATH	39.6%	35%	5.3	7.9	4.1	5.2
2.3	Michael Wacha	R	@COL	56.4%	39%	5.8	9.3	5.8	5.4
0.9	Jeffrey Springs	L	DET	8.9%	4%	3.0	5.0	2.8	2.8
-1.2	Tomoyuki Sugano	R	KC	2.5%	24%	4.9	8.2	5.8	4.0

Pitchers to stream on Friday

Shane Drohan was slated to start Wednesday's game against the San Francisco Giants, but the Milwaukee Brewers opted to use a bullpen game to give their rotation extra rest as they prepare for the stretch run. While Drohan missed a chance to pitch in one of the best pitching venues in the league, he will instead square off against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. It's a favorable trade-off since the Angels strike out at the highest rate versus left-handed pitching.
Two short IL stints have cost Casey Mize six or seven starts for the Detroit Tigers; otherwise, he'd be in the thick of the AL Cy Young Award conversation. That said, his ERA estimators put his actual 2.70 mark about a run too low. The Athletics have been mostly potent at home, but lately they've been less productive and could be without Nick Kurtz.

Pitchers to avoid on Friday

The Kansas City Royals open an interleague set on the road against the Colorado Rockies. Early in the season, using opposing pitchers in Coors Field was a solid play for an extended stretch, but those days are gone. Since June 1, the Rockies are the fourth-most productive team at home. Michael Wacha and his 3.60 ERA are set to take the hill, but his skills point to a level almost a run higher. His lack of strikeouts and fly ball tendencies make for a bad fit against the rejuvenated Rockies lineup.

Hitters to stream on Friday

Injuries have forced the Arizona Diamondbacks to keep Mitch Bratt in their rotation, despite a 6.32 ERA and 1.98 WHIP over four starts. The 23-year-old southpaw has issued 11 free passes while punching out just 10 and allowing four homers over 15 2/3 frames. Bratt is set to face the Cleveland Guardians on the road. Angel Martinez, Rhys Hoskins, Brayan Rocchio and David Fry benefit from the platoon edge over the vulnerable lefty.