After a Thursday bereft of quality pitching, there are aces and profitable matchups aplenty across the MLB schedule on Friday, May 26. Looking for some guidance as you set your DFS and fantasy baseball lineups? We’ve gone ahead and ranked all of the day’s starters from 1 to 30, complete with streamer recommendations.
Starting pitcher rankings for Friday, May 26
Pitchers to stream
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals — The top prospect looked the part in his first outing of the season, fanning six over five shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. His new and improved fastball velocity appears to be here to stay, and his curveball is a legit Major League out pitch — he has every chance to thrive for five or six frames against a struggling Cleveland Guardians lineup.
Alex Wood, San Francisco Giants — Speaking of lefties dominating the Brewers: Milwaukee has been far and away the league’s worst offense against southpaws so far this season, and while Wood has struggled since his return from the IL, this could be the day he puts it all together. His sinker/slider combo is more than good enough to put up a quality stat line here.
Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals — Yes, really — the veteran lefty has turned back the clock this year, and is working on a string of four consecutive quality starts. The floor is pretty low here, and don’t expect a ton of strikeouts, but the Kansas City Royals shouldn’t offer a ton of resistance especially at pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium. He’s among the best bets for a quality start on the waiver wire currently.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Friday, May 26.
Starting pitcher rankings 5/26
Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
---|---|---|
Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
Must-start | ||
1 | Kevin Gausman | @ Twins |
2 | George Kirby | vs. Pirates |
3 | Freddy Peralta | vs. Giants |
4 | Mitch Keller | @ Mariners |
5 | Hunter Brown | @ Athletics |
6 | Chris Sale | @ Diamondbacks |
7 | Max Scherzer | @ Rockies |
8 | Joe Musgrove | @ Yankees |
9 | Lance Lynn | @ Tigers |
10 | Justin Steele | vs. Reds |
Strong plays | ||
11 | Reid Detmers | vs. Marlins |
12 | Shane Bieber | vs. Cardinals |
13 | Jesus Luzardo | @ Angels |
14 | Hunter Greene | @ Cubs |
15 | Matthew Liberatore | @ Guardians |
Questionable | ||
16 | Alex Wood | @ Brewers |
17 | Jon Gray | @ Orioles |
18 | Louie Varland | vs. Blue Jays |
19 | Brandon Pfaadt | vs. Red Sox |
20 | Grayson Rodriguez | vs. Rangers |
21 | Patrick Corbin | @ Royals |
Don't do it | ||
22 | Jared Shuster | vs. Phillies |
23 | Taijuan Walker | @ Braves |
24 | Joey Wentz | vs. White Sox |
25 | Noah Syndergaard | @ Rays |
26 | James Kaprielian | vs. Astros |
27 | Jordan Lyles | vs. Nationals |
28 | Cooper Criswell | vs. Dodgers |
29 | Randy Vasquez | vs. Padres |
30 | Connor Seabold | vs. Mets |