6:20 PM ET

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

What you need to know for Friday's MLB Games

By Todd Zola

Fantasy Baseball Essentials

• Closer Chart: Latest bullpen intel
• MLB Depth Charts for every team
• Player news wire with fantasy spin

Starting pitcher rankings 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. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. For the projected stat line, W% is the team's win probability using ESPN projections, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed and K is 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	ER	K
14.3	Max Fried	L	@NYM	97.7%	63%	6.0	1.8	5.8
13.4	Framber Valdez	L	PHI	99.0%	52%	6.2	2.3	6.8
13.3	Alek Manoah	R	SEA	95.0%	53%	6.1	2.2	5.9
12.8	Aaron Nola	R	@HOU	99.6%	48%	5.9	2.3	6.7
12.5	Jacob deGrom	R	NYY	99.6%	58%	5.1	2.2	6.9
11.9	Luis Castillo	R	@TOR	99.6%	47%	6.0	2.5	6.3
11.7	Marcus Stroman	R	@MIA	88.4%	58%	5.6	2.0	5.2
11.0	Pablo Lopez	R	KC	96.9%	61%	5.5	2.5	5.8
10.4	Zach Eflin	R	@CWS	29.9%	53%	5.5	2.5	5.3
10.2	Jesus Luzardo	L	CHC	80.9%	42%	5.4	2.3	5.8
10.2	Lucas Giolito	R	TB	84.8%	47%	5.7	2.7	6.0
9.9	Tyler Anderson	L	@MIL	36.4%	51%	5.5	2.5	5.0
9.8	Dustin May	R	STL	81.0%	55%	5.1	1.9	4.6
9.4	Shane Bieber	R	@BOS	99.7%	55%	5.7	3.0	5.8
9.2	Wade Miley	L	LAA	21.7%	49%	5.6	2.7	4.9
8.9	David Peterson	L	ATL	6.8%	37%	5.0	2.3	5.4
8.8	Grayson Rodriguez	R	@DET	22.9%	53%	5.3	2.6	5.3
8.7	Jack Flaherty	R	@LAD	37.1%	45%	5.0	2.2	5.1
8.4	Eduardo Rodriguez	L	BAL	35.1%	47%	5.2	2.7	5.3
8.3	Rich Hill	L	@WSH	1.8%	60%	5.0	2.5	4.5
7.3	Kyle Muller	L	CIN	1.0%	49%	5.0	2.4	4.4
6.8	Nick Pivetta	R	CLE	10.5%	45%	5.2	3.2	5.3
6.4	Luis Cessa	R	@OAK	0.3%	51%	4.6	2.3	3.7
6.3	Jordan Lyles	R	@MIN	1.9%	39%	5.6	3.6	5.1
4.6	Merrill Kelly	R	@COL	66.8%	52%	5.2	4.1	5.0
4.6	Chad Kuhl	R	PIT	0.1%	40%	4.9	3.4	4.5
4.2	Clarke Schmidt	R	@TEX	2.5%	42%	4.2	3.1	4.2
2.0	Kyle Freeland	L	ARI	20.2%	48%	4.9	4.4	4.2

Best Sub-50% Rostered Hitters for Friday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

Worst Over-50% Rostered Hitters for Friday

Editor's Picks