Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Saturday: Add Christian Scott for strikeouts

ESPN FantasySep 18, 2026, 03:00 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 Saturday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR SATURDAY

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
16.9	Tarik Skubal	L	SF	99.3%	50%	6.2	6.2	1.9	7.5
12.8	Payton Tolle	L	@TB	81.5%	34%	5.5	6.0	1.8	5.9
12.1	Cam Schlittler	R	@ARI	99.2%	36%	5.5	6.6	2.1	6.1
11.9	Freddy Peralta	R	BOS	81.8%	24%	5.3	6.1	1.8	5.7
11.0	Reid Detmers	L	MIN	78.2%	34%	5.9	7.4	2.7	6.1
10.6	Christian Scott	R	PHI	10.7%	24%	4.9	5.8	1.7	5.1
10.6	Eury Perez	R	@SD	68.0%	27%	5.5	6.8	2.1	5.4
10.5	Jacob Lopez	L	@CLE	13.7%	29%	5.3	6.7	2.1	5.4
10.5	Trevor Rogers	L	MIL	55.1%	32%	5.7	7.0	2.4	5.1
10.1	Joe Ryan	R	@LAA	86.9%	27%	5.1	6.1	2.4	5.6
10.1	Noah Cameron	L	@PIT	52.3%	30%	5.5	6.7	2.3	5.0
10.0	Andrew Painter	R	@NYM	15.3%	32%	5.4	6.8	2.2	4.9
9.9	Casey Mize	R	MIA	25.0%	31%	5.4	6.5	2.2	4.7
9.9	Andrew Alvarez	L	@STL	6.1%	28%	5.3	6.5	2.0	4.7
9.9	Logan Webb	R	@LAD	88.7%	21%	5.5	6.9	2.3	5.3
9.7	Jackson Jobe	R	@CWS	12.1%	33%	5.2	6.4	2.2	4.9
9.5	Matthew Boyd	L	@CIN	53.6%	35%	5.5	7.3	2.7	5.5
9.4	Hayden Wesneski	R	ATL	18.8%	25%	4.8	5.7	1.9	4.4
9.2	Tanner Bibee	R	ATH	62.2%	29%	5.5	7.0	2.6	5.0
9.2	Michael McGreevy	R	WSH	19.2%	33%	5.8	7.4	2.6	4.4
9.1	Robert Gasser	L	@BAL	5.0%	20%	4.6	5.5	1.9	4.7
8.8	Jose Soriano	R	@TEX	78.5%	34%	5.4	7.6	2.7	5.3
8.4	Brandon Pfaadt	R	NYY	16.3%	29%	5.6	7.2	3.0	5.0
8.2	Sean Burke	R	DET	52.3%	23%	5.0	6.8	2.5	5.1
7.9	Bubba Chandler	R	KC	24.3%	28%	5.0	6.9	2.4	4.5
7.5	Grant Holmes	R	@HOU	16.5%	12%	4.4	5.7	2.0	4.4
7.1	Nick Lodolo	L	CHC	38.3%	27%	5.3	7.5	3.2	5.3
6.0	Cal Quantrill	R	TOR	32.5%	22%	5.1	6.8	3.0	3.9
1.7	Bryce Miller	R	@COL	29.9%	21%	4.7	7.6	4.8	4.8
1.0	Gabriel Hughes	R	SEA	0.9%	14%	4.3	6.9	4.2	3.8

Pitchers to stream on Saturday

Christian Scott recorded his third quality start of the season last time out. With a 28.0% strikeout rate, it seems like he should have more over 22 starts, but a high 10.2% walk rate and an inordinate number of foul balls drive up his pitch count. Most of Scott's control issues came early in the season; over his last 11 starts, his walk rate is a more palatable 8.8%. The New York Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies. For the season, the Phillies sport the seventh-lowest wOBA facing right-handers, but for the past month, they've been the third worst.
Casey Mize is finding a groove at an ideal time for the San Diego Padres. Earlier this week, he limited the Colorado Rockies to just two runs in five frames at Coors Field. That came after fanning seven in 5⅔ innings against the Washington Nationals. Next up is a home date against the Miami Marlins. Over the season, the Marlins have been productive against righties, but they're better at home and have fanned at a 27.4% clip away from Miami over the last month.
Robert Gasser is making a case to be in the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff rotation with a 2.33 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over his past four starts, fanning 20 in 19⅓ innings. However, he failed to complete five frames in two of those efforts, with the club preferring to trust its excellent bullpen when Gasser gets in a fifth-inning jam. Next up is a road date with the Baltimore Orioles and a below-average lineup with a high 26.6% strikeout rate versus left-handers.

Hitters to stream on Saturday

The Seattle Mariners are slated to face three right-handers in their weekend set with the Rockies at Coors Field. Expect the rosterships of Dominic Canzone, J.P. Crawford and Lazaro Montes to increase as they're in play for all three games, enjoying the platoon edge on vulnerable pitching.
Mickey Moniak is the primary Rockies target in the interleague affair against the Mariners. He'll face Bryce Miller and his 6.52 second-half ERA.
Joshua Baez has been dealing with tightness in his left side, but if he plays, he's in a favorable spot when the St. Louis Cardinals take on southpaw Andrew Alvarez and the Washington Nationals at home. Small sample alert, but the rookie boasts a 1.051 OPS in 43 plate appearances against lefties.
Spencer Jones continues to strike out at an elevated pace, but he hits the ball hard and is reaping the benefits. Since July 29, he's batting .273/.331/.494 despite a 34.3% strikeout rate. The New York Yankees are in the desert, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brandon Pfaadt appeared to be taking things to the next level, but he has stumbled lately, recording a 5.74 ERA over his last 31⅓ frames, fanning only 23 while yielding five home runs.