Seven weeks of the 2023 MLB season have passed, and our fantasy teams are either right where they need to be or in need of upgrades. The 'wait-and-see' approach and 'give him time' mentality with slow starters has started to wain – it's becoming time to cut bait on starting pitchers who have consistently let us down or relief pitchers who have gone long stretches without holds or saves. Our Week 8 pitching cheat sheet will help you decide which pitchers make for great adds, which streamers and two-start pitchers you should target, which prospects to watch for, and which closers to pinpoint.
In shallow leagues, I've already traded away Reds' pitchers Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft. With their ever-inflating ERAs, WHIPs, and ratios as well as their lack of run support, we just can't justify holding onto the dead weight through their struggles. And then in the case of Pirates' starter Johan Oviedo, we just dropped him for a more promising upside pitcher — Marlins' rookie Eury Perez in one league, bespectacled Astros starter J.P. France in the other. If you've reached the floor of a veteran's production levels, consider dumping him to chase the ceiling of a promising youngster.
MORE FANTASY BASEBALL: Week 8 hitting cheat sheet=
Let's get right to our Week 8 pitching cheat sheet, and find ways for you to put together some big wins. Good luck and enjoy the warmer weather!
MORE MLB: Monday DFS values | AL ROY odds, best bets
Fantasy Baseball Week 8 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 |
| Framber Valdez, Astros | vs. Cubs ***** | vs. Athletics ***** |
| Shohei Ohtani, Angels | @ Orioles **** | vs. Twins ***** |
| Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays | vs. Yankees **** | vs. Orioles **** |
| Justin Verlander, Mets | vs. Rays **** | vs. Guardians **** |
| Shane Bieber, Guardians | @ White Sox **** | @ Mets **** |
| George Kirby, Mariners | @ Red Sox **** | @ Braves *** |
| Freddy Peralta, Brewers | @ Cardinals **** | @ Rays *** |
| Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers | vs. Twins *** | @ Cardinals *** |
| Josiah Gray, Nationals | @ Marlins *** | vs. Tigers *** |
| Jesus Luzardo, Marlins | vs. Nationals *** | @ Giants ** |
| Pablo Lopez, Twins | @ Dodgers ** | @ Angels *** |
| Merill Kelly, D-backs | @ Athletics *** | @ Pirates ** |
| Dane Dunning, Rangers | vs. Braves ** | vs. Rockies *** |
| Hunter Greene, Reds | @ Rockies ** | vs. Yankees ** |
| Jordan Montgomery, Cardinals | vs. Brewers ** | vs. Dodgers ** |
| Domingo German, Yankees | @ Blue Jays * | @ Reds *** |
| Charlie Morton, Braves | @ Rangers ** | vs. Mariners * |
| Lance Lynn, White Sox | vs. Guardians * | vs. Royals ** |
| Alek Manoah, Blue Jays | vs. Yankees * | vs. Orioles ** |
| Michael Wacha, Padres | vs. Royals ** | vs. Red Sox * |
Fantasy Baseball Week 8 Cheat Sheet: Must-roster pitchers
The following pitchers are available in 35-50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be added in all formats. All rostership data is from Yahoo and based on 5x5 or 6x6 category leagues.
Eury Perez, SP, Marlins (63 percent rostered) — Miami's flame-throwing rookie got the surprise call-up from double-A Pensacola last week, and he did not disappoint the thousands of savvy fantasy owners who picked him up ahead of his start against the Reds. Perez struck out seven in 4.2 innings and allowed two solo home runs, two walks, and four hits. He gets another good matchup this week when he faces the Nationals, so scoop him up wherever he's available and enjoy the swing-and-miss clinic.
Tyler Wells, SP, Orioles (57%) — Wells has put up some dazzling performances of late, most recently pitching seven one-hit innings of shutout ball with a career-high eight strikeouts against a hot Pirates club. The right-hander generated 18 swinging strikes in the outing and retired 17 batters in a row at one point. Wells' numbers put him in early-season Cy Young consideration: 2.68 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB over 42 innings. It's utterly insane that he's available in 43 percent of leagues.
Drew Smyly, SP, Cubs (65%) — It may sound crazy, but Smyly has become worthy of an add across all 12-team formats. The veteran has strung together four wins and quality starts over his past six outings, and his 3.05 ERA and 0.97 WHIP are sparkling. He will never blow you away in the strikeout department — and some warmer-weather regression will come once balls start flying a bit more — but Smyly has put together a strong enough sample size to merit being rostered just about everywhere.
Andrew Heaney, SP, Rangers (63%) — After a terrible first start of the season, Heaney has been on-again/off-again spectacular. However, a couple tough-luck losses and the fact that he has only tallied two wins tarnish his first-glance stats. But he has four quality starts over his past five outings, and he has amassed 16 strikeouts over his past two. Another strong start is on the horizon at home against Colorado on Saturday. Don't leave this guy on the wire!
Yennier Cano, RP, Orioles (63%) — Cano is a stone-cold lock of an add in holds + saves leagues, but he also warrants consideration in deep non-holds leagues. His stuff has been fantastic all year, and he has yet to allow a run. His WHIP: 0.20. He will help improve your ratios and nab you an occasional save — and if anything were to ever happen to Felix Bautista, Cano would immediately become an elite closer.
Fantasy Baseball Week 8 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.
Josiah Gray, SP, Nationals (48 percent rostered) — After a bit of a slow start to the season, Gray has come into form and suddenly looks like a world-beater. He has wins in three of his past four starts for Washington, and he completed six-plus frames in each of those victories. He won't rack up more strikeouts than innings pitched in most outings — and he does sometimes allow more base-runners than WHIP-guys would prefer — but his 2.96 ERA and four quality starts make him well worth an add in all 12-team formats.
Wandy Peralta, RP, Yankees (11%) — He may be only 11 percent rostered, but we have Peralta as the second-highest priority in our free agent queues at the start of Week 8. He has notched each of the past two save opportunities for the Yankees — on back-to-back nights — and his stuff has looked downright un-hittable lately. His fastball and sinker both hit 96 mph on the gun on the regular, while his changeup and slider both register at 89-plus. The result: lots of whiffs and not a lot of hard contact. If he continues to see the majority of the Bronx Bombers' save chances, you're going to look like a genius for grabbing him.
Seth Lugo, SP/RP, Padres (46%) — Lugo has quietly been awesome this season, inducing ground balls on 47 percent of the contact he sees and typically keeping his hard-hit data down. His curveball generates a ton of whiffs, but his four-seam fastball is his put-away pitch. Opposing hitters are batting just .215 against the four-seamer, which he can pound in and around the zone with surgical precision. Lugo should be rostered just about everywhere except for shallow 10-team leagues.
Domingo German, SP, Yankees (46%) — German has rebounded from a rough April and put together a very solid month of May. Over his past three outings, the veteran has allowed just nine hits, six walks, and four total earned runs across 19 innings. His ERA, which was up to 5.54 on April 26, has plummeted down to 4.00 even. We might not start German on Tuesday against the Blue Jays, but we will absolutely give him the nod later this week against the Reds.
Tanner Bibee, SP, Guardians (43%) — The guy who still has no photo on Yahoo did his thing over the weekend, striking out seven batters in 7.2 innings en route to a one-run quality start against the Angels. Bibee is 24, he's in a fantastic system for pitchers, and he flaunts a solid four-pitch arsenal that most veterans would kill to have. His four-seamer regularly registers at 95 mph-plus, while his slider, curveball, and changeup are practically un-hittable when everything is working. Scoop the Bibes and enjoy the vibes.
J.P. France, SP, Astros (38%) — Speaking of vibes, this guy is a whole vibe (as the kids say). He's got the mini fu manchu mustache, the goggles for protection (and intimidation), and a spin rate on his fastball that sits in the 96th percentile of the majors. But his stats are even better than his image and sabermetrics through two starts. France has allowed just one run in 11.2 innings and he has an 8:2 K:BB ratio. Opponents are hitting just .146 against him. Grab him now before his next start at home against the Cubs.
Other pitchers under 50 percent owned worth adding: Dane Dunning, SP, Rangers (37%); Logan Allen, SP, Guardians (36%); Kyle Freeland, SP, Rockies (33%); Matt Strahm, SP/RP, Phillies (33%); Cal Quantrill, SP, Guardians (33%); Louie Varland, SP, Twins (29%); Mason Miller (IL-eligible), SP, Athletics (25%);
Fantasy Baseball Week 8 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 8 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 |
| 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 | Ryan Helsley | A- | Giovanny Gallegos | 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 | Wandy Peralta | B+ | Clay Holmes | Michael King |
| Minnesota Twins | Jhoan Duran | B+ | Jorge Lopez | Griffin Jax |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | B | Erik Swanson | Yimi Garcia |
| Miami Marlins | Dylan Floro | B | Tanner Scott | A.J. Puk |
| Atlanta Braves | Raisel Iglesias | B- | A. J. Minter | Collin McHugh |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Pete Fairbanks | B- | Jason Adam | Colin Poche |
| Los Angeles Angels | Carlos Estevez | B- | Jose Quijada | Jimmy Herget |
| Detroit Tigers | Alex Lange | B- | Jose Cisnero | Jason Foley |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Chicago Cubs | Michael Fulmer | D | Brad Boxberger | Adbert Alzolay |
The Cardinals' Ryan Helsley has looked electric of late, and he moves way up in our rankings now that St. Louis seems to be coming alive. Baltimore's Felix Bautista moves up into elite territory as well — that whole back-end of the bullpen looks fantastic, and Bautista's confidence is sky-high. Kenley Jansen was flirting with a solid A right around when he notched his 400th career save, but the Sox closer has looked awful in his two appearances since then. Like we said in waivers, scoop up Wandy Peralta of the Yankees before it's too late. He's looked incredible locking down the ninth inning in New York's past two save opportunities. Speaking of New York, the Mets' David Robertson could be in A- territory this time next week — he's super dependable. Not so dependable as of late: the Blue Jays' Jordan Romano, the Braves' Raisel Iglesias, and the Angels' Carlos Esteves.
