Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Friday: As the Astros seek playoff berth, trust in Diaz and Smith

ESPN FantasySep 24, 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	Cristopher Sanchez	L	TB	99.5%	49%	6.3	6.6	1.9	6.6
15.3	Tarik Skubal	L	@SF	98.5%	48%	6.1	6.3	1.9	6.7
13.3	Reid Detmers	L	@SEA	78.9%	33%	5.7	6.3	1.9	6.3
12.9	Trevor Rogers	L	@NYY	57.1%	43%	5.9	6.7	2.1	5.8
11.1	Joe Ryan	R	TEX	86.7%	33%	5.2	6.0	2.2	5.7
10.8	Jose Soriano	R	CIN	78.3%	36%	5.6	7.2	2.3	5.7
10.6	Will Warren	R	BAL	53.1%	25%	5.5	6.9	2.4	6.0
10.5	Bryce Miller	R	LAA	30.4%	28%	5.3	6.5	2.2	5.4
10.2	Freddy Peralta	R	@PHI	84.6%	22%	5.4	6.5	2.2	5.4
10.0	Brandon Pfaadt	R	@SD	15.0%	32%	5.7	7.0	2.4	4.8
9.5	Eury Perez	R	ATL	66.8%	28%	5.1	6.5	2.2	5.2
9.5	Robert Gasser	L	STL	7.1%	29%	4.9	6.0	2.0	4.6
9.4	Andrew Alvarez	L	NYM	11.4%	29%	5.1	6.4	2.2	4.8
8.9	Nick Lodolo	L	@TOR	38.5%	25%	5.5	7.0	2.6	4.9
8.9	Bubba Chandler	R	@DET	24.1%	34%	5.4	7.4	2.6	5.1
8.8	Casey Mize	R	ARI	23.4%	27%	5.0	6.2	2.1	4.4
8.6	Jackson Jobe	R	PIT	14.6%	24%	5.3	6.9	2.6	5.0
8.5	Sean Burke	R	COL	54.3%	31%	4.9	6.5	2.3	4.9
8.5	Grant Holmes	R	@MIA	16.9%	25%	5.1	6.9	2.3	4.8
7.6	Michael McGreevy*	R	@MIL	18.5%	28%	5.5	7.5	3.0	4.6
7.2	Clay Holmes	R	@BOS, Gm. 2	32.3%	28%	5.2	7.5	2.7	4.6
7.1	Tanner Bibee	R	@KC	61.7%	37%	5.2	7.2	3.0	4.3
6.8	Jake Bennett	L	CHC, Gm. 1	23.6%	23%	4.7	6.2	2.6	4.1
6.5	Brayan Bello	R	CHC, Gm. 2	4.7%	30%	5.3	7.8	3.2	4.9
6.4	Noah Cameron	L	CLE	50.4%	11%	4.5	5.8	2.3	3.8
6.4	Ryan Feltner*	R	@CWS	0.4%	22%	5.1	7.4	2.7	4.3
6.1	David Peterson	L	@BOS, Gm. 1	9.2%	23%	4.9	7.5	3.0	5.0
5.7	Yunior Marte	R	LAD	0.0%	9%	4.3	5.9	2.0	3.3
4.8	Jonathan Pintaro	R	@WSH	0.0%	7%	3.7	5.1	2.1	3.5
4.7	Jordan Montgomery	L	@MIN	0.2%	4%	3.0	3.9	1.4	2.7
4.5	Hayden Wesneski	R	@ATH	17.8%	23%	4.5	6.7	3.3	4.2
3.5	Jacob Lopez	L	HOU	10.0%	18%	4.5	7.2	3.7	4.7

Pitchers to stream on Friday

Andrew Alvarez hopes to carry his late-season momentum into next year. He's been dominant over his past four outings, posting a 1.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 27 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings, albeit with a generous 10 walks. The Washington Nationals end the season with a home series against the New York Mets, whose offense sports the fourth-lowest wOBA facing left-handers over the last month.
Robert Gasser has two reasons to end the regular season on a high note. The first is that the Milwaukee Brewers have not yet clinched the top seed in the National League, and the other is that he's pitching for a spot in the postseason rotation. Allowing just one earned run in 12 innings over his previous two starts has Gasser in the mix with Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison. The Brewers are home against the St. Louis Cardinals, whose second-half fade has them looking to next season. Part of their struggles is a spike in strikeouts facing lefties since the break.
Jackson Jobe is enjoying a strong September with a 3.12 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over his first three outings, fanning 24 with just four walks over 17 frames. The Detroit Tigers host the Pittsburgh Pirates to close out the year. Jobe faces an offense that has produced against right-handers all season, but they also offer strikeout upside and Jobe has been dominant recently.
Injury frustration aside, Bryce Miller has pitched well this season, as opposed to others in the vaunted Seattle Mariners' rotation. The club is hanging onto slim playoff aspirations when they entertain the Los Angeles Angels. Control issues have haunted Miller down the stretch, but the Angels are one of the league's least-patient teams, while striking out at an elevated clip.

Hitters to stream on Friday

With the Houston Astros still in the playoff mix, Yainer Diaz and Cam Smith are two of the best streaming targets. They both enjoy the platoon edge in Sacramento against Jacob Lopez and the Athletics. While Sutter Health Park won't play as small compared to the summer months, the game-time temperature is forecast to be 80 degrees with a slight wind blowing out.
Last season's American League champions are just playing for pride when the Toronto Blue Jays host the Cincinnati Reds. Even so, Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto are solid options for power when they face lefty Nick Lodolo, who has surrendered 20 long balls in only 103 2/3 innings.

Hitters to avoid on Friday

Usually, picking up hitters for a doubleheader is a great way to amass extra counting stats. An exception is the Fenway Park twin bill between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. There is a chance the second game isn't played with the impending Nor'easter, and the wind is forecast to be blowing in around 25 mph for the opener and nightcap.