Welcome to the FantasyPros Week 23 starting pitcher rankings for 2024. On Fridays, we view the upcoming week and rank starting pitchers based on their talent and the team they play against. These rankings are for Monday, September 2 through Sunday, September 8.

These rankings use expert consensus rankings (ECR) as a starting point. Matchup information can be found on the helpful Pitcher Planner’s resource for probable pitchers.

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
• Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
• Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
• MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

As usual, remember that some starts are projected over a week in advance. Dates can change due to rain, injuries or anything else. Two-start weeks often end up as one-start weeks.

Be sure to check the FantasyPros Pitcher Planner for the most up-to-date information.

Top 50 Starting Pitcher Rankings: Week 23

Best Matchups

• Michael Wacha‘s average ERA across the last three seasons is 3.29. It might as well be sparkling with glitter. Despite his actual results, his xERA is above 4.00. Wacha has not had a season with an xERA below 4.00 since 2017, when it was 3.98. Despite the unfavorable advanced stats, Wacha’s career ERA is 3.90. He has been an above-average pitcher with a career 8.0 K/9 and a waiver-wire hero in recent years. Is the Royal getting lucky? The numbers say so. Fantasy managers might as well take all the luck they can get for Wacha’s double-start week against Cleveland and Minnesota. Be confident in Wacha.
• Nestor Cortes has had an up-and-down season. He is amid his hottest stretch. The Yankee has thrown three consecutive quality starts, allowing just one run, 10 hits, two walks and striking out 19 over 20.2 innings. Cortes was one of the best pitchers around in 2021 and 2022. He was disappointing last season and had a sharp decline. His late 2024 performance is reminiscent of his dominant years. Start Cortes against the Cubs.
• Ryne Nelson is in the middle of a stretch even better than Cortes. Nelson has a 2.76 ERA between 7/2 and 8/23. That’s something special. The 26-year-old Diamondback has 62 strikeouts in just as many innings during this period. Nelson has been shutting down opposing offenses. Start him against the mediocre Giants.

Unfavorable Matchups

• Bailey Ober always seems to have the occasional blow-up start. His most recent one occurred on 8/26. The Twin allowed nine runs. It. Was. Brutal. The star should go back to his usual dominance soon. Fantasy managers should be cautious as he tries to find his groove against a sturdy Royals team. It might be a good idea to bench him in a close playoff matchup in favor of the hotter hand.
• Tanner Bibee suffered an unlucky loss against the Brewers after allowing just one run. He wasn’t all that bad. He followed up this performance by allowing four runs to the Rangers’ offense over 5.2 innings. Not all that bad, but certainly not great. It’s a good idea to think twice about starting him this week against the Royals and the Dodgers — especially the Dodgers. The playoffs are tricky and it can be easy to get caught in the trap of over-managing. No matter the final decision, exercise caution this week regarding the Guardians ace.
• Ronel Blanco was phenomenal during the start of the season. He has been less amazing since the All-Star break. He has an ERA of 4.98 and 1.43 WHIP across seven starts since the break. Rookie pitchers running out of steam around the end of the season is a tale as old as time. Fantasy managers shouldn’t trust the Astro in high-stakes matchups as he faces the Diamondbacks.

Top 50 Pitchers (9/2 – 9/8)

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