Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Thursday: Breakout coming for Kade Anderson?

ESPN FantasySep 2, 2026, 03:15 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 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
15.0	Tarik Skubal	L	STL	99.4%	41%	6.1	6.4	2.1	7.1
13.0	Hunter Brown	R	CWS	91.7%	38%	5.6	6.6	1.9	6.4
11.9	Kade Anderson	L	ATH	30.0%	34%	5.1	5.4	1.7	5.1
11.6	Logan Henderson	R	@CHC	74.0%	34%	5.3	6.0	2.0	5.5
10.2	Kevin Gausman	R	MIL	83.9%	27%	5.7	7.2	2.5	5.6
10.2	Quinn Mathews	L	@LAD	1.9%	22%	5.1	6.5	1.9	5.4
9.7	Luis Castillo	R	@HOU	45.8%	24%	5.3	6.5	2.3	5.1
9.6	Jake Bennett	L	@BAL	35.4%	33%	4.9	5.8	2.0	4.5
9.6	Tanner Bibee	R	TOR	64.7%	38%	5.8	7.6	2.8	5.1
8.8	Blade Tidwell	R	@PIT	1.2%	26%	5.1	6.8	2.3	4.7
8.5	Jose Soriano	R	@CLE	82.2%	29%	5.5	7.9	2.6	5.2
8.4	Jack Perkins	R	@SEA	1.8%	18%	5.0	6.8	2.5	5.4
8.3	Michael Wacha	R	MIA	71.9%	34%	5.9	7.8	3.2	4.9
7.8	Sandy Alcantara	R	@KC	91.5%	36%	6.0	8.2	3.3	4.6
7.3	Brandon Young	R	BOS	17.6%	22%	5.4	7.3	2.9	4.5
6.7	Shane McClanahan	L	@TEX	56.7%	16%	4.2	5.5	2.1	4.0
6.2	Cal Quantrill	R	TB	24.1%	24%	5.0	6.9	3.0	4.2
3.6	Lake Bachar	R	SF	0.4%	3%	2.3	3.2	1.1	2.2

Pitchers to stream on Thursday

Kade Anderson's first two starts have been serviceable. His third lines up to be his breakthrough effort when the Seattle Mariners host the Athletics. Over his first two outings, the rookie left-hander fanned a modest eight hitters and allowed five walks. Next up is an offense with the ninth-highest strikeout rate against lefties over the past month. The depleted Athletics lineup will go from one extreme to the other, being away from Sutter Health Park and playing in T-Mobile Park.
Jake Bennett has won two straight games, going six scoreless in the Bronx in one to help the Boston Red Sox salvage one game from their recent four-game set with the New York Yankees. A road affair with the Baltimore Orioles is on tap. The left-hander faces a club with below-average production and a high strikeout rate facing southpaws.

Hitters to stream on Thursday

Chandler Simpson leads the majors in steals since the break and has the third most for the season. Thursday is a great day to add him to lineups in need of stolen bases, with the Tampa Bay Rays in Arlington for a matchup with the Texas Rangers. Cal Quantrill takes the hill for the home team, and he has been on the hill for 10 steals, the second most on the staff. No one has been caught this season with Quantrill toeing the rubber.
Bryce Eldridge has 15 home runs over 93 games, with seven coming in 39 games since the break. The San Francisco Giants are in the Steel City for an early matinee with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The initial forecast calls for it to be hot and humid with the wind blowing out to right center. Lake Bachar will start what appears to be a bullpen game for the Pirates. The conditions and scenario put Eldridge at the top of the list for power.