Four weeks have passed in the 2023 fantasy baseball season, and the cream is starting to rise to the top at most positions. And while pitching has been a bit of a roller coaster at just about every level, there's still plenty of value widely available in a ton of leagues and a tremendous amount of streaming opportunities for savvy managers to capitalize on.
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One of my favorite stories of the young season has been Reds starter Nick Lodolo, one of my preseason sleepers for the NL Cy Young and a top mention in my breakouts column. He's been electric, and he faces the Rangers and Athletics this week so he could start May with the best odds to win pitching's most coveted award. You won't find Lodolo on any wires anytime soon, but fret not because we ranked the top 25 pitchers slated for two-start weeks.
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Our Week 5 cheat sheet will also highlight the must-roster pitchers owned in under 65 percent of Yahoo leagues, the top waiver adds and streams owned in under 50 percent of leagues, and the top closers, set-up men, and dark horse saves candidates in the bigs. It's a one-stop shop of pitching pandemonium!
Let's dive right into our cheat sheet, and start talking about how you can improve your team both right now and in the not-so-distant future. Good luck and have fun in the last week of April!
All rostership data is from Yahoo and based on 5x5 or 6x6 category leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Week 5 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 |
| Nick Lodolo, Reds | vs. Rangers ***** | @ Athletics ***** |
| Spencer Strider, Braves | vs. Marlins ***** | @ Mets **** |
| Joe Ryan, Twins | vs. Yankees **** | vs. Royals ***** |
| Nestor Cortes, Yankees | @ Twins **** | @ Rangers ***** |
| Drew Rasmussen, Rays | vs. Astros *** | @ White Sox ***** |
| Justin Steele, Cubs | vs. Padres *** | @ Marlins ***** |
| Johan Oviedo, Pirates | vs. Dodgers *** | @ Nationals ***** |
| Kyle Bradish, Orioles | vs. Red Sox *** | @ Tigers ***** |
| Sonny Gray, Twins | vs. Yankees *** | vs. Royals **** |
| Logan Gilbert, Mariners | @ Phillies *** | @ Blue Jays *** |
| Taj Bradley, Rays | vs. Astros ** | @ White Sox **** |
| Charlie Morton, Braves | vs. Marlins *** | @ Mets ** |
| Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays | vs. White Sox *** | vs. Mariners ** |
| Jordan Montgomery, Cardinals | @ Giants *** | @ Dodgers ** |
| Edward Cabrera, Marlins | @ Braves ** | vs. Cubs *** |
| Noah Syndergaard, Dodgers | @ Pirates *** | vs. Cardinals ** |
| Mason Miller, Athletics | @ Angels ** | vs. Reds *** |
| Jose Urquidy, Astros | @ Rays ** | vs. Phillies ** |
| Lance Lynn, White Sox | @ Blue Jays ** | vs. Rays ** |
| Alex Cobb, Giants | vs. Cardinals ** | @ Padres ** |
| Nate Eovaldi, Rangers | @ Reds *** | vs. Yankees * |
| Josiah Gray, Nationals | @ Mets * | vs. Pirates *** |
| Martin Perez, Rangers | @ Reds *** | vs. Yankees * |
| Dean Kremer, Orioles | vs. Red Sox * | @ Tigers ** |
| Colin Rea, Brewers | vs. Tigers ** | vs. Angels * |
Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Cheat Sheet: Must-roster pitchers
The following pitchers are available in 35-50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be added in all formats.
Andrew Heaney, SP, Rangers (65 percent rostered) — Heaney has quietly been very good as of late. He hurled five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Royals two weeks ago, blanked the World Series-champion Astros across five innings in Houston last weekend, and earned a quality start and his second win of the season Saturday vs. the Athletics. His next game will be at home vs. the Yankees, so that's a tough test. But he's already proven that he pitches better in the heat, and after seeing how composed he was against the 'stros, we're hitching our wagons to the Hean.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, Royals (63%) — Chapman still has just one save on the season, but he also still hasn't given up a run this year. He's pitching with elite speed and control, and it's only a matter of time before he (a) replaces KC closer Scott Barlow or (b) gets traded out of the midwest. If you're in a holds + saves league, why is he even available? If you're in a saves-only league, enjoy the strikeouts and ERA trimmer for now and relish the saves later.
A.J. Puk, Marlins (60%) — Puk makes the list for the second consecutive week, as the Marlins closer was only 32 percent owned last Monday. He's been super solid, with four saves on the season and three in just the past week. Like Chapman in Kansas City, Puk's command and whiff rates make up for the fact that he plays for a team with an inconsistent offense. And if you have Puk and shortstop Brice Turang on your team like yours truly, you can rename your team "Turang Clan Ain't Nothin' to Puk With."
Johan Oviedo, SP, Pirates (60%) — Oviedo has been spectacular for the Pirates, especially the past couple starts. He fanned 10 Cardinals at St. Louis 10 days ago, and then pitched six innings of one-run ball in a win over the Rockies in Colorado on Wednesday. Coors Field, Schmoors Field — he made it a pitcher's stadium that day. Grab Oviedo, give him a standing ovation, and then rename your squad "You Don't Mess with the Johan." I'm here all week, folks.
Jose Quijada, RP, Angels (52%) — Quijada has been getting most of the save opportunities for Los Angeles as of late, and he's been sparkling with the exception of an absolute implosion against the Royals on Saturday night. Prior to that five-run shellacking, he had gone 3-of-3 in save opportunities with an 0.00 ERA over his past four games.
Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Cheat Sheet: Top waiver-wire pitchers & streams
The following pitchers are available in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should at least be on your streaming radar.
Adam Ottavino, RP, Mets (50 percent rostered) — By my estimation, Ottavino is the best reliever in the Mets' bullpen since Edwin Diaz got hurt — and it's starting to look like Buck Showalter agrees. AO has three saves and one hold over the past 12 days, so he could be distancing himself from fellow reliever David Robertson. If you're short on closers and want a high-upside, grab Mr. Otta-matic.
Wade Miley, SP, Brewers (48%) — Miley has three wins over four starts to go along with a crisp 1.96 ERA and 0.957 WHIP. He's never been a huge strikeout guy, but a starter with solid ratios and strong run support will always be worthy of an add.
Seth Lugo, SP/RP, Padres (48%) — Lugo has a 2.78 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 22 innings, and he plays for a squad that sports one of the best lineups in the bigs. He's worth a scoop in 12-team leagues.
Noah Syndergaard, SP, Dodgers (38%) — We're not suggesting vintage Thor is back — he's taken three losses in a row and only fanned two batters in two of those three games — but he did look pretty damn good against his former team, the Mets (two runs on five hits and two walks). He also tallied nine strikeouts against the Cubs two starts ago.
Kyle Finnegan, RP, Nationals (33%) — Most will see Finnegan's bloated 8.59 ERA and 1.91 WHIP and keep scrolling, but Finnegan has quietly notched a save in each of his past three closing opportunities and hasn't given up a run since April 4 (six appearances ago). It's the Nats, but if you need a closer, he's their guy.
Fantasy Baseball Week 5 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 | Ryan Helsley | B+ | 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 | 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 |
| 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 |
| Los Angeles Angels | Jose Quijada | D+ | Carlos Estevez | Jimmy Herget |
| 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. We love A.J. Puk in Miami, but Dylan Floro is also no slouch. The Rockies should be psyched to have Daniel Bard back 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 mentioned earlier is better than Scott Barlow in the back of Kansas City's 'pen. Andrew Chafin and Jose Quijada have some appeal for the D-backs and Angels, but it would have to be a pretty deep saves-only league for me to entertain either. The worst of the rest are far too volatile for our liking.
