Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Tuesday: Look to Eric Lauer vs. Cardinals

ESPN FantasyAug 31, 2026, 05:02 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 Tuesday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR TUESDAY

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
14.6	Jesus Luzardo	L	@ARI	98.5%	52%	6.3	7.4	2.3	7.2
13.1	Paul Skenes	R	SF	99.8%	41%	5.9	6.9	2.2	6.4
11.5	Sean Manaea	L	@TB	8.4%	28%	5.5	6.3	2.0	5.6
10.8	Freddy Peralta	R	NYM	72.7%	27%	5.2	6.3	1.9	5.5
10.1	Gerrit Cole	R	@LAA	91.6%	37%	5.7	7.0	2.8	5.4
10.1	Logan Webb	R	@PIT	94.4%	26%	5.8	7.4	2.6	5.5
10.1	Troy Melton	R	@MIN	67.6%	32%	5.3	6.4	2.2	4.8
9.7	Eric Lauer	L	STL	6.6%	37%	5.7	7.0	2.7	4.9
9.5	Sean Burke	R	@HOU	61.8%	29%	5.2	6.6	2.3	5.2
9.5	MacKenzie Gore	L	ATH	64.2%	37%	5.4	7.4	2.8	5.9
9.5	Bryan Woo	R	@BOS	93.0%	29%	5.2	6.4	2.6	5.4
9.3	Matthew Boyd	L	MIL	53.3%	27%	5.4	6.9	2.3	4.8
8.6	AJ Smith-Shawver	R	@WSH	2.2%	31%	5.0	6.4	2.3	4.6
8.4	Gavin Williams	R	TOR	96.3%	28%	5.1	7.1	2.7	5.5
8.1	Michael McGreevy	R	@LAD	16.4%	24%	5.4	7.0	2.6	4.3
8.1	Robert Gasser	L	@CHC	3.7%	22%	4.7	6.1	2.1	4.5
7.7	Eduardo Rodriguez	L	PHI	76.3%	22%	5.8	8.0	3.2	5.2
7.7	Randy Vasquez	R	@CIN	22.9%	30%	5.0	6.4	2.5	4.0
7.6	Ronel Blanco	R	CWS	0.5%	21%	4.7	6.3	2.2	4.4
7.4	Nick Lodolo	L	SD	39.5%	23%	5.1	7.0	2.9	5.1
6.5	Jake Irvin	R	ATL	0.8%	24%	5.4	7.6	3.2	4.6
6.2	Connor Prielipp*	L	DET	2.2%	13%	4.5	6.7	2.5	4.8
6.2	Spencer Arrighetti	R	@CLE	11.7%	19%	4.7	7.0	2.6	4.6
5.8	Grayson Rodriguez	R	NYY	3.4%	22%	5.1	7.7	3.2	4.9
5.7	Randy Dobnak	R	MIA	5.5%	28%	5.3	7.9	3.1	3.8
5.2	Tyler Phillips	R	@KC	2.4%	21%	4.8	7.1	3.0	4.0
3.9	Jedixson Paez	R	SEA	0.0%	5%	3.0	4.1	1.9	3.0
2.8	Brady Basso	L	@TEX	0.0%	2%	2.2	3.0	1.2	2.0
1.8	Gabriel Hughes	R	BAL	0.3%	21%	4.7	7.4	4.5	4.3
1.7	Kyle Bradish	R	@COL	66.0%	26%	5.1	8.7	5.2	5.5

Pitchers to stream on Tuesday

The Los Angeles Dodgers reinserted Eric Lauer into their rotation, replacing Roki Sasaki. He recorded a quality start in seven of 17 starts and now has a favorable home matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. The veteran southpaw faces a lineup with the ninth-worst wOBA against lefties.
Streaming a pitcher against the team with the second-best record in the majors may seem counterproductive, but the Tampa Bay Rays offense is vulnerable to left-handed pitching, sporting the fifth-lowest wOBA against southpaws. Sean Manaea is in a bit of a rut, but he's completed at least six innings in seven of his previous nine outings. The long ball has been Manaea's issue lately, and the Rays rank second lowest in home run rate facing lefties.

Hitters to stream on Tuesday

Spencer Arrighetti has struggled in two starts since coming off the IL in mid-August, but with several injured starters, the Toronto Blue Jays must keep him in the rotation. Next on the docket is a road affair with the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians don't hit for much power, but their patient, move-the-line approach matches up well with Arrighetti. Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter, Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe, Angel Genao and Travis Bazzana are all options just outside the shores of Lake Erie.