We're seven weeks into the 2023 MLB season and one full week into May, and pitching continues to be a challenge for most fantasy baseball managers. Many factors have attributed to the league-wide inconsistencies at the starting pitcher position, including colder weather, shift rules, and of course, the dreaded pitch clock. Our Week 7 pitching cheat sheet will help you target the best two-start pitchers this week, pinpoint some free agent values and streamer options, and discuss the bullpen situations.
Two Logans sit atop our two-start pitcher rankings this week, narrowly edging out the D-backs' Zac Gallen and the Rays' Shane McClanahan thanks to strong matchups. You may notice a couple new names added to the top 20, as well — the Guardians' Tanner Bibee has looked promising and has a fantastic matchup against the Tigers on Monday evening, while the D-backs' Brandon Pfaadt looked brutal in his MLB debut but does draw home starts against the Marlins and Giants this week. Both seem worthy of adds, although we can't blame you if you keep Pfaadt on your bench until he shakes the big-league rust off.
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Speaking of rust, it might be time to panic if you're a Nick Lodolo or Jack Flaherty owner. Both have looked terrible on the mound of late, Lodolo getting crushed by long-balls and Flaherty struggling to keep players off the base-paths. We won't be cutting bait on Lodolo just yet (although we can't imagine starting him right now), but we should at least explore superior options so we can move on from old Jacky boy. Our must-roster pitchers list and top waiver-wire streams will shine a light on some worthy adds.
Let's get right to our Week 7 pitching cheat sheet, and find ways for you to put together some big wins. Good luck and enjoy the warmer weather!
All rostership data is from Yahoo and based on 5x5 or 6x6 category leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Best two-start SPs
Star rating within matchups denotes confidence level. * = lowest confidence, ***** = highest confidence. Two-start pitchers not worth rostering/streaming have been excluded from this list.
| Starting Pitcher | Early-week opponent | Late-week opponent |
| Logan Webb, Giants | vs. Nationals ***** | @ D-backs ***** |
| Logan Gilbert, Mariners | vs. Rangers ***** | @ Tigers ***** |
| Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks | @ Rangers **** | vs. Nationals ***** |
| Shane McClanahan, Rays | @ Orioles **** | vs. Yankees **** |
| Max Scherzer, Mets | @ Reds **** | @ Nationals **** |
| Dylan Cease, White Sox | @ Royals **** | vs. Astros *** |
| Freddy Peralta, Brewers | vs. Giants **** | @ Mariners *** |
| Nestor Cortes, Yankees | vs. Athletics **** | vs. Rays ** |
| Tanner Bibee, Guardians | vs. Tigers **** | vs. Angels ** |
| Anthony DeSclafani, Giants | vs. Nationals *** | @ D-backs *** |
| Lucas Giolito, White Sox | @ Royals *** | vs. Astros ** |
| Mitch Keller, Pirates | vs. Rockies *** | @ Orioles ** |
| Andrew Heaney, Rangers | @ Mariners ** | @ Athletics *** |
| Hunter Brown, Astros | @ Angels ** | @ White Sox *** |
| Marcus Stroman, Cubs | vs. St. Louis *** | @ Twins ** |
| Charlie Morton, Braves | vs. Red Sox *** | @ Blue Jays * |
| Zach Eflin, Rays | @ Rays ** | vs. Blue Jays ** |
| Jon Gray, Rangers | @ Mariners * | @ Athletics *** |
| Miles Mikolas, Cardinals | @ Cubs ** | @ Red Sox * |
| Brandon Pfaadt, D-backs | vs. Marlins * | vs. Giants * |
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Must-roster pitchers
The following pitchers are available in 35-50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be added in all formats.
Bryce Miller, SP, Mariners (61 percent rostered) — Miller has been my priority add No. 1 in every league since his call-up — he has filthy stuff, superb location and movement on his four-seamer, and a big-league confidence that you don't usually see in 24-year-olds. His debut against the Athletics was awesome — 10 strikeouts, two hits, one run across six innings — but his follow-up against the Astros might have been even more impressive. Going against the defending-champion Astros, Miller allowed just two hits and a walk across six shutout frames while striking out five and collecting the win. Nails. With Robbie Ray (elbow) and Easton McGee (forearm) both on the shelf, Miller is here to stay for the AL West-contending Mariners.
Tanner Bibee, SP, Guardians (57%) — My second-favorite young ace, Bibee mixes a 95 mile-per-hour fastball with a nasty slider and changeup, the latter two of which generate a massive amount of swings-and-misses. Through two starts and 11 total innings, Bibee is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts. The Guardians just always seem to come up with young studs in their rotation, don't they? Bibee is a must-roster and likely will be for many years to come.
Jason Adam, RP, Rays (62%) — With Pete Fairbanks on the IL with forearm issues, Adam has come up huge as the intermim closer for the MLB-leading Rays. He's three-for-three in save opportunities over the past week, and he has racked up 10 strikeouts over his past six outings without giving up a run. Adam's a must-add regardless of Fairbanks' long-term prognosis.
José Berríos, SP, Blue Jays (61%) — Berrios got roughed up against the Red Sox at Fenway last week, but he has certainly been much more good than bad over the past month. He has registered three quality starts over his past four outings, and he has 41 strikeouts over 40.1 innings. His 1.24 WHIP, high K-rate, low hard-hit data, and tendency to induce far more grounders than fly balls all suggest he's well worthy of ownership at any league size or format — especially given that he plays for the Blue Jays.
Yusei Kikuchi, SP, Blue Jays (58%) — Like Berrios, Kikuchi recently stumbled at Fenway but he's been otherwise-pristine with five wins, a 3.35 ERA, and 1.19 WHIP. He's not a strikeout machine, but Kikuchi can certainly string together quality starts and rack up some wins for Toronto.
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Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Top waiver-wire pitchers & streams
The following pitchers are available in right around 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should at least be on your streaming radar.
Logan Allen, SP, Guardians (43 percent rostered) — Allen immediately caught fire after his call-up, striking out eight batters in each of his first two MLB starts. And although his whiff-rate went down and WHIP went up his last time out against Minnesota, we still love his sparkly 2.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 19 Ks in 16.2 innings. The 24-year-old rookie might not be as good as teammate Bibee, but he's almost as worthy of a roster spot across all formats.
Mason Miller, SP, Athletics (41%) — Yet another young stud with blistering pitch speed and supreme across-the-board talent, Miller might be the best pitcher for the worst team in baseball. He has 98 mile-per-hour gas, a slider that opponents are hitting .105 against, a wicked cutter that reaches 94 mph, and a surprisingly-effective changeup. And for someone with such a canon, Miller limits hard contact pretty well on the whole. Who cares if he plays for the A's — this dude is an ace!
Michael King, RP, Yankees (50%) — King has looked fantastic so far in 2023, and could be not-so-quietly gunning toward the full-time closer gig for the Bronx Bombers. He has looked much better than Clay Holmes, tallying nine strikeouts and two saves across his past four outings while Holmes looks volatile as all get-out. Grab him immediately, especially in saves + holds leagues.
Bailey Ober, SP, Twins (42%) — Ober has been healthy and effective as of late, two things we don't exactly come to expect from him at this rate in his career. But who can argue with an 0.98 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and two wins through 18.1 innings? You might not want to start him against the Padres this week, but otherwise Ober will absolutely be worthy of must-add and typically must-start status.
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Prospects to watch
Mike Soroka, SP, Braves (22 percent rostered) and Allan Winans, SP, Braves (0%) — Soroka has looked solid at triple-A Gwinnett, maintaining a 1.32 ERA and 13/4 K/BB through 13.2 innings over three starts. He's more than ready to make his return to prime time, and could very well be called back up during Atlanta's brutal current stretch of 17 games without a day off. Many remember Soroka went 13-4 and got named an NL All-Star in 2019, but injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the Canadian ever since. Here's hoping he's good to go the next time he gets the call. Winans might be a little further out, but he's certainly got just as much promise. The tall righty has some tremendous swing-and-miss stuff (43.8% CSW), and he rarely issues free passes. Put Soroka in your queue, and at least keep an eye on Winans.
Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Cheat Sheet: Closer rankings, bullpen report
| Team | Optimal closer to own | CP Grade | Top set-up man | Looming/IL/Deep Stash |
| Cleveland Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | A+ | James Karinchak | Trevor Stephan |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | A | Erik Swanson | Yimi Garcia |
| Houston Astros | Ryan Pressly | A | Rafael Montero | Hector Neris |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Devin Williams | A | Matt Bush | Pete Strzelecki |
| San Diego Padres | Josh Hader | A | Luis Garcia | Robert Suarez |
| Baltimore Orioles | Felix Bautista | A- | Cionel Perez | Mychal Givens |
| Boston Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | A- | John Schreiber | Ryan Brasier |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Giovanny Gallegos | B+ | Ryan Helsley | Zack Thompson |
| Cincinnati Reds | Alexis Diaz | B+ | Ian Gibaut | Derek Law |
| New York Mets | David Robertson | B- | Adam Ottavino | Brooks Raley |
| San Francisco Giants | Camilo Doval | B- | Taylor Rogers | Tyler Rogers |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | David Bednar | B- | Colin Holderman | Duane Underwood Jr. |
| New York Yankees | Clay Holmes | B- | Wandy Peralta | Michael King |
| Minnesota Twins | Jhoan Duran | B- | Jorge Lopez | Griffin Jax |
| Miami Marlins | A.J. Puk | B- | Dylan Floro | Tanner Scott |
| Atlanta Braves | A. J. Minter | B- | Joe Jimenez | Collin McHugh |
| Los Angeles Angels | Carlos Estevez | B- | Jose Quijada | Jimmy Herget |
| Colorado Rockies | Daniel Bard | C+ | Pierce Johnson | Dinelson Lamet |
| Chicago White Sox | Reynaldo Lopez | C+ | Aaron Bummer | Liam Hendriks |
| Washington Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | C+ | Hunter Harvey | Carl Edwards Jr. |
| Texas Rangers | Jose Leclerc | C | Jonathan Hernandez | Will Smith |
| Kansas City Royals | Scott Barlow | C- | Aroldis Chapman | Dylan Coleman |
| Seattle Mariners | Paul Sewald | C- | Matt Brash | Andres Munoz |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Evan Phillips | C- | Brusdal Graterol | Daniel Hudson |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Pete Fairbanks | C- | Jason Adam | Colin Poche |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Jose Alvarado | C- | Craig Kimbrel | Seranthony Dominguez |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Andrew Chafin | C- | Scott McGough | Mark Melancon |
| Oakland A's | Jeurys Familia | D+ | Zach Jackson | Dany Jimenez |
| Detroit Tigers | Alex Lange | D | Jose Cisnero | Jason Foley |
| Chicago Cubs | Michael Fulmer | D | Brad Boxberger | Adbert Alzolay |
Every closer graded B+ or better is safe at the top of the Clase — err, class. We could see Adam Ottavino supplanting David Robertson for the Mets, but for now they just split closing duties. David Bednar would be graded better if he played on a better team — dem's the brakes. Carlos Esteves has emerged as the Halos closer to own after Jose Quijada stumbled through a couple recent outings — Esteves is our biggest riser of the past week. We love A.J. Puk in Miami, but Dylan Floro is also no slouch. The Rockies should be psyched to have Daniel Bard back from his battles with anxiety, and pretty soon the White Sox will be ecstatic to have Liam Hendriks back now that his non-Hodgkin lymphoma is in remission. Congrats, big guy! Stash that man on your IL wherever he's available. Also stash Aroldis Chapman, who we mention nearly every week is better than Scott Barlow in the back of Kansas City's 'pen. The worst of the rest are far too volatile for our liking.
