Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sale Looks to Go Deeper

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Updated on April 7, 2018 3:44AM EST

This could be the best week all season in terms of two-start pitchers, at least at the top of the heap. Enjoy it while it lasts as the extra off days this season will deprive fantasy managers of double dippers each week. There aren't many fringe options with a pair of outings, meaning this could be a week to activate your third closer or dominant setup man.

For the week, April 9-15

UPDATED: Sunday, April 8, 10:45 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. DET, vs. TOR
2	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. NYY, vs. BAL	Like Scherzer, limited to just 11 frames in two outings
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	at MIN, vs. TEX
4	Luis Severino	NYY	at BOS, at DET
5	Chris Archer	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	As usual, skills better than outcomes
6	Sean Manaea	OAK	at LAD, at SEA	Meds under control, and so is he, breakout impending
7	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. TOR, at BOS	15 K with just 3 BB in initial 13 innings
8	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. DET
9	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. TEX	Looking dominant, using curve more as expected
10	Blake Snell	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	Jump on a pair of starts out of the AL East
11	Jake Junis	KC	vs. SEA, vs. LAA	Pair at home, looking to build on solid spring and strong start
12	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
13	Garrett Richards	LAA	at TEX, at KC	13 K

For the week, April 9-15

UPDATED: Sunday, April 8, 10:45 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. DET, vs. TOR
2	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. NYY, vs. BAL	Like Scherzer, limited to just 11 frames in two outings
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	at MIN, vs. TEX
4	Luis Severino	NYY	at BOS, at DET
5	Chris Archer	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	As usual, skills better than outcomes
6	Sean Manaea	OAK	at LAD, at SEA	Meds under control, and so is he, breakout impending
7	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. TOR, at BOS	15 K with just 3 BB in initial 13 innings
8	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. DET
9	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. TEX	Looking dominant, using curve more as expected
10	Blake Snell	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	Jump on a pair of starts out of the AL East
11	Jake Junis	KC	vs. SEA, vs. LAA	Pair at home, looking to build on solid spring and strong start
12	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
13	Garrett Richards	LAA	at TEX, at KC	13 K in 10.2 IP nice, 7 BB with 3 HR - not so much
14	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. TEX
15	David Price	BOS	vs. NYY	Looks great so far, keep in mind elbow still could become an issue
16	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. DET
17	James Paxton	SEA	at KC
18	Lance Lynn	MIN	vs. HOU, vs. CWS
19	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. HOU, vs. CWS	Solid opener then struggled, pair at home though Houston is a problem
20	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. PHI
21	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at KC, vs. OAK	Good matchups to rebound from disaster versus the Giants
22	Domingo German	NYY	at DET
23	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. SEA	Battled back in last start but still not sharp to open the season
24	Mike Clevinger	CLE	vs. TOR
25	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. TOR
26	Josh Tomlin	CLE	vs. DET, vs. TOR	Win potential elevates ranking, but risk to ratios
27	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at KC	Not a bad pitcher for a slugger
28	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at BAL, at CHC	Second start better than first, will rise in ranks quickly if trend continues
29	Cole Hamels	TEX	at HOU
30	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at MIN
31	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. OAK
32	Yonny Chirinos	TB	at CWS	Earned more than the first guy out in a bullpen game
33	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BOS
34	Andrew Triggs	OAK	at SEA
35	J.A. Happ	TOR	at BAL, at CLE	Tough matchups make Happ borderline start in mixed leagues
36	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BAL
37	Mike Minor	TEX	at HOU
38	Michael Fulmer	DET	at CLE
39	Sonny Gray	NYY	at BOS
40	Jaime Garcia	TOR	vs. NYM, at CLE
41	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. TOR
42	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at KC, vs. OAK
43	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
44	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at LAD
45	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	vs. BAL
46	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. LAA
47	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at MIN
48	Carson Fulmer	CWS	vs. TB, at MIN
49	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	vs. TB, at MIN
50	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. BAL
51	Eric Skoglund	KC	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
52	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. LAA
53	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at DET
54	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. LAA
55	Matt Boyd	DET	at CLE, vs. NYY
56	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
57	Kendall Graveman	OAK	at SEA
58	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. LAA
59	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at CLE
60	James Shields	CWS	vs. TB
61	Alex Cobb	BAL	at BOS
62	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. NYY
63	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN	Great start, one more solid effort and will gain my trust
64	Francisco Liriano	DET	at CLE, vs. NYY
65	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at KC
66	Nick Tropeano	LAA	at KC
67	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at TEX	Risky, but if he gets through unscathed, expect ranking to climb quickly
68	Phil Hughes	MIN	vs. CWS
69	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. LAA, at HOU
70	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. HOU
71	Parker Bridwell	LAA	at TEX
72	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at CLE
73	Chris Tillman	BAL	at BOS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. ATL, vs. COL	Tossed only 11 innings in first two games
2	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at MIA, vs. MIL
3	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. ATL, vs. COL
4	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIL, at CIN	Appears over early doldrums
5	Zack Godley	ARI	at SF, at LAD	On the road, but great pitching parks
6	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. ARI, at SD	Need to see a few more strikeouts before deeming him back
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. ARI
8	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. MIL, at CIN	Rematch versus the Brewers, this time at home
9	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at MIA
10	Zack Greinke	ARI	at LAD
11	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. OAK
12	Robbie Ray	ARI	at SF
13	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Can't blame Coors on six walks in Cubs debut
14	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. CIN
15	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. ARI
16	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SF	I may owe Corbin an apology with increased use and effectiveness of slider
17	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SD, at WAS	Facing Padres at home helps soften the blow
18	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. PIT
19	Luis Castillo	CIN	at PHI	Sluggish start to season, give him time
20	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT	0
21	Yu Darvish	CHC	vs. ATL
22	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at MIA	Looking dominant early
23	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at TB
24	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM	Velocity down, but it's early
25	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SD, at WAS	Coors, then tough draw on the road
26	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. NYM, vs. PIT	Not known for punch outs but fanned seven Red Sox last time
27	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ARI	Ten whiffs in five frames to kickoff the season
28	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. OAK
29	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at LAD
30	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. PIT
31	Dillon Peters	MIA	vs. PIT
32	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN
33	Zach Davies	MIL	at NYM
34	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. STL	Solid early, but keep expectations in check
35	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. COL
36	Chris Stratton	SF	at SD	Held his own versus Dodgers in opener
37	Caleb Smith	MIA	vs. NYM
38	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. MIL
39	Matt Harvey	NYM	vs. MIL	Velocity down but still effective
40	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	vs. COL
41	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at MIA
42	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. ATL
43	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at COL, vs. SF	Big risk in Coors
44	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
45	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC, at MIA	South Beach start helps balance Wrigley affair
46	Ben Lively	PHI	vs. CIN, at TB
47	Bryan Mitchell	SD	vs. SF
48	Ty Blach	SF	at SD
49	Cody Reed	CIN	at PHI
50	German Marquez	COL	vs. SD
51	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL, at NYM
52	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at TB
53	Michael Wacha	STL	at CIN
54	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. SF
55	Derek Holland	SF	vs. ARI, at SD
56	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at WAS
57	Julio Teheran	ATL	at WAS, at CHC
58	Junior Guerra	MIL	at STL
59	Brent Suter	MIL	at STL
60	Clayton Richard	SD	at COL, vs. SF
61	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. STL
62	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at WAS
63	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. CIN
64	Homer Bailey	CIN	at PHI, vs. STL
65	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at MIA
66	Brandon Finnegan	CIN	vs. STL
67	Chad Bettis	COL	at WAS
68	Kyle Freeland	COL	at WAS
69	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC
70	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at CHC
71	Steven Brault	PIT	at CHC
72	Tyler Beede	SF	vs. ARI
73	A.J. Cole	WAS	vs. ATL
74	Luis Perdomo	SD	at COL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. ATL, vs. COL	Tossed only 11 innings in first two games
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. DET, vs. TOR
3	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at MIA, vs. MIL
4	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. ATL, vs. COL
5	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. NYY, vs. BAL	Like Scherzer, limited to just 11 frames in two outings
6	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIL, at CIN	Appears over early doldrums
7	Justin Verlander	HOU	at MIN, vs. TEX
8	Zack Godley	ARI	at SF, at LAD	On the road, but great pitching parks
9	Luis Severino	NYY	at BOS, at DET
10	Chris Archer	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	As usual, skills better than outcomes
11	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. ARI, at SD	Need to see a few more strikeouts before deeming him back
12	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. ARI
13	Sean Manaea	OAK	at LAD, at SEA	Meds under control, and so is he, breakout impending
14	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. TOR, at BOS	15 K with just 3 BB in initial 13 innings
15	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. DET
16	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. MIL, at CIN	Rematch versus the Brewers, this time at home
17	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. TEX	Looking dominant, using curve more as expected
18	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at MIA
19	Zack Greinke	ARI	at LAD
20	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. OAK
21	Robbie Ray	ARI	at SF
22	Blake Snell	TB	at CWS, vs. PHI	Jump on a pair of starts out of the AL East
23	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Can't blame Coors on six walks in Cubs debut
24	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. CIN
25	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. ARI
26	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SF	I may owe Corbin an apology with increased use and effectiveness of slider
27	Jake Junis	KC	vs. SEA, vs. LAA	Pair at home, looking to build on solid spring and strong start
28	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SD, at WAS	Facing Padres at home helps soften the blow
29	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. PIT
30	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
31	Luis Castillo	CIN	at PHI	Sluggish start to season, give him time
32	Garrett Richards	LAA	at TEX, at KC	13 K in 10.2 IP nice, 7 BB with 3 HR - not so much
33	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT	0
34	Yu Darvish	CHC	vs. ATL
35	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at MIA	Looking dominant early
36	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. TEX
37	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at TB
38	David Price	BOS	vs. NYY	Looks great so far, keep in mind elbow still could become an issue
39	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM	Velocity down, but it's early
40	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. DET
41	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SD, at WAS	Coors, then tough draw on the road
42	James Paxton	SEA	at KC
43	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. NYM, vs. PIT	Not known for punch outs but fanned seven Red Sox last time
44	Lance Lynn	MIN	vs. HOU, vs. CWS
45	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. HOU, vs. CWS	Solid opener then struggled, pair at home though Houston is a problem
46	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. PHI
47	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at KC, vs. OAK	Good matchups to rebound from disaster versus the Giants
48	Domingo German	NYY	at DET
49	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ARI	Ten whiffs in five frames to kickoff the season
50	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. OAK
51	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. SEA	Battled back in last start but still not sharp to open the season
52	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at LAD
53	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. PIT
54	Dillon Peters	MIA	vs. PIT
55	Mike Clevinger	CLE	vs. TOR
56	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. TOR
57	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN
58	Zach Davies	MIL	at NYM
59	Josh Tomlin	CLE	vs. DET, vs. TOR	Win potential elevates ranking, but risk to ratios
60	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at KC	Not a bad pitcher for a slugger
61	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. STL	Solid early, but keep expectations in check
62	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at BAL, at CHC	Second start better than first, will rise in ranks quickly if trend continues
63	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. COL
64	Chris Stratton	SF	at SD	Held his own versus Dodgers in opener
65	Cole Hamels	TEX	at HOU
66	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at MIN
67	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. OAK
68	Caleb Smith	MIA	vs. NYM
69	Yonny Chirinos	TB	at CWS	Earned more than the first guy out in a bullpen game
70	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. MIL
71	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BOS
72	Andrew Triggs	OAK	at SEA
73	J.A. Happ	TOR	at BAL, at CLE	Tough matchups make Happ borderline start in mixed leagues
74	Matt Harvey	NYM	vs. MIL	Velocity down but still effective
75	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	vs. COL
76	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BAL
77	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at MIA
78	Mike Minor	TEX	at HOU
79	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. ATL
80	Michael Fulmer	DET	at CLE
81	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at COL, vs. SF	Big risk in Coors
82	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
83	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC, at MIA	South Beach start helps balance Wrigley affair
84	Ben Lively	PHI	vs. CIN, at TB
85	Bryan Mitchell	SD	vs. SF
86	Sonny Gray	NYY	at BOS
87	Jaime Garcia	TOR	vs. NYM, at CLE
88	Ty Blach	SF	at SD
89	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. TOR
90	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at KC, vs. OAK
91	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
92	Cody Reed	CIN	at PHI
93	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at LAD
94	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	vs. BAL
95	German Marquez	COL	vs. SD
96	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. LAA
97	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at MIN
98	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL, at NYM
99	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at TB
100	Michael Wacha	STL	at CIN
101	Carson Fulmer	CWS	vs. TB, at MIN
102	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	vs. TB, at MIN
103	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. BAL
104	Eric Skoglund	KC	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
105	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. LAA
106	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. SF
107	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at DET
108	Derek Holland	SF	vs. ARI, at SD
109	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at WAS
110	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. LAA
111	Julio Teheran	ATL	at WAS, at CHC
112	Junior Guerra	MIL	at STL
113	Matt Boyd	DET	at CLE, vs. NYY
114	Brent Suter	MIL	at STL
115	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
116	Clayton Richard	SD	at COL, vs. SF
117	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. STL
118	Kendall Graveman	OAK	at SEA
119	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. LAA
120	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at CLE
121	James Shields	CWS	vs. TB
122	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at WAS
123	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. CIN
124	Homer Bailey	CIN	at PHI, vs. STL
125	Alex Cobb	BAL	at BOS
126	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at MIA
127	Brandon Finnegan	CIN	vs. STL
128	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. NYY
129	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN	Great start, one more solid effort and will gain my trust
130	Francisco Liriano	DET	at CLE, vs. NYY
131	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at KC
132	Nick Tropeano	LAA	at KC
133	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at TEX	Risky, but if he gets through unscathed, expect ranking to climb quickly
134	Chad Bettis	COL	at WAS
135	Phil Hughes	MIN	vs. CWS
136	Kyle Freeland	COL	at WAS
137	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. LAA, at HOU
138	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC
139	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at CHC
140	Steven Brault	PIT	at CHC
141	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. HOU
142	Parker Bridwell	LAA	at TEX
143	Tyler Beede	SF	vs. ARI
144	A.J. Cole	WAS	vs. ATL
145	Luis Perdomo	SD	at COL
146	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at CLE
147	Chris Tillman	BAL	at BOS