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Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 8 (2026). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.
Welcome back to our weekly starting pitcher rankings, where we rank the top starting pitchers in baseball. This FSWA-award-winning Best Baseball Series is updated weekly with the "Top 101 Starting Pitchers" from Nick Mariano. His weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks look to assist you to the top spot as well.
Things will be a little different this week, as I'll be supplying the starting pitcher analysis write-ups. But don't worry, these rankings are still from the great Nick Mariano. You can see his top 101 starting pitchers for the rest of the season down below, as well as Eric Cross's top six starting pitcher prospects to stash in Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season.
So, let's take a look at the biggest movers on this week's starting pitcher rankings.
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Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 8
- Zack Wheeler now finds himself at the No. 10 spot in our rest of season rankings after another strong outing on the mound. Wheeler threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Pirates in his last start. He owns a 1.99 ERA and a 25% strikeout rate in his five starts and has looked like his All-Star self despite missing the start of the season. He's a top-10 pitcher for the rest of the fantasy season.
Zack Wheeler was arguably the most impressive pitcher today.
7 IP. 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
13 whiffs
27% CSWVelo was up across the board, but most importantly, up 1.6 mph on his four-seamer.
1.99 ERA & 0.88 WHIP through five starts.pic.twitter.com/Wc8oz0hCrc
— Nicho Roessler (@NichoRoessler) May 18, 2026
-Nathan Eovaldi is the second-biggest riser in Nick's rankings this week. The Rangers right-hander has allowed just one run across his last 22 innings of work (0.41 ERA) and has struck out at least seven batters in three straight starts. Eovaldi dominated the Yankees in back-to-back starts (15 innings, one run allowed) and then threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Astros on Sunday.
- Michael King continues to be a consistent fantasy option. He has a 1.94 ERA and 44 strikeouts in his last five starts, and just delivered a seven-inning scoreless performance with nine strikeouts against the Dodgers on Monday night. Both his .221 expected batting average against and 29% whiff rate suggest that King is here to stay. He's now officially a top-25 pitcher for the rest of the season following his 11-spot move up.
- Kyle Bradish's last two outings make him an intriguing rest-of-season fantasy option. He threw seven innings of three-run ball with a season-high 10 strikeouts against the Athletics on May 8 and then threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against the Yankees last Wednesday. If he can continue to get the swings and misses, he has the chance to rise even further. Bradish is the biggest riser in Nick's rankings this week.
Kyle Bradish, Nasty 86mph Slider...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/kdjQlro1KI
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 20, 2026
-Robbie Ray has looked like a completely different pitcher recently. He has struck out just three total batters in his last two outings and has failed to complete five innings in back-to-back starts. In his last outing, Ray allowed 10 runs (nine earned runs) on 11 hits with one strikeout against the Diamondbacks. Given his poor 5.21 expected ERA and 12.3% barrel rate, the southpaw drops 14 spots in Nick's rankings.
-Eury Perez has dropped all the way down to No. 61 in this week's rankings. Patience is definitely running out for the Marlins pitcher, as he is coming off another poor outing on the mound. Perez gave up five runs on five hits with four walks against the Rays on Sunday. He has now walked at least three batters in three straight starts and has a bottom 5% barrel rate (14.3%).
-Bryce Miller is back! He showed some encouraging things in his season debut last week and then was untouchable in his next start. Miller threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with one walk and seven strikeouts against the White Sox on Tuesday. The Mariners right-hander appears to be settled into a rotation spot, making him a top-50 pitcher for the rest of the season.
-Trey Yesavage got a late start to his season after dealing with a shoulder impingement during the spring. But since being activated off the IL in late April, the Blue Jays starter has been nails on the mound. He currently owns a 1.40 ERA across 19 1/3 innings pitched, and his metrics back up his strong start. Both his expected ERA (2.05) and average batting average against (.162) rank in the 97th percentile.
-Shota Imanaga has dropped four spots from last week's rankings following a rough outing against the Brewers on Monday. Imanaga allowed a season-high eight runs on nine hits with only two strikeouts in his most recent outing. Still, the southpaw projects well for the rest of the season. He comes in at the No. 18 spot in this week's rankings.
-Logan Henderson continues to climb up these rankings. He has thrown the ball well in all four of his major league starts this year and threw five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Twins his last time out. With a 2.94 expected ERA, a 35% chase rate, and a 32.4% strikeout rate, he's easily a top-30 starting pitcher for the rest of the season.
Logan Henderson's 3Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/qAMRrOrl0n
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 16, 2026
-Merrill Kelly had a slow start to the 2026 season, but has since picked things up. He delivered seven innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Mets on May 9 and then went on the road to throw nine innings of one-run ball against the Rockies in a tough pitching environment at Coors Field. These two performances have Kelly trending up.
-Nick Martinez has been one of the biggest surprises early on. Although his metrics don't back up his numbers, there's no denying how consistent Martinez has been on the mound. He has allowed two runs or fewer in all 10 of his starts and has given up one run or fewer in five consecutive outings. That has him rising up 19 spots in Nick's rankings.
-Michael McGreevy is another pitcher whose metrics don't align with his actual numbers. However, McGreevy has been untouchable on the mound in recent weeks. The Cardinals right-hander has allowed just two runs over his last 24 innings (0.75 ERA), which included throwing six shutout innings against the Dodgers back on May 2. He moves from 96 overall to 76 overall in the rest of the season rankings.
Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 8
| Rank | Tier | Player | (+/-) | $ | PV | Trend |
| 1 | 1 | Paul Skenes | 0 | $45.5 | 45.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 2 | 2 | Shohei Ohtani | 0 | $41.0 | 41.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 3 | 2 | Chris Sale | 0 | $41.0 | 40.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 4 | 2 | Cam Schlittler | 1 | $41.0 | 40.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 5 | 2 | Jacob deGrom | -1 | $40.0 | 40.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 6 | 2 | Cristopher Sanchez | 0 | $40.0 | 39.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 7 | 2 | Jacob Misiorowski | 1 | $39.5 | 38.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 8 | 2 | Bryan Woo | -1 | $39.0 | 38.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 9 | 2 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 1 | $38.5 | 37.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 10 | 3 | Zack Wheeler | 5 | $36.5 | 31.0 | 5.5 ▲ |
| 11 | 3 | Nolan McLean | 0 | $35.5 | 35.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 12 | 3 | Chase Burns | 0 | $35.5 | 35.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 13 | 3 | Joe Ryan | 3 | $33.0 | 30.5 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 14 | 3 | Dylan Cease | 3 | $33.0 | 30.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 15 | 4 | Logan Gilbert | -2 | $31.0 | 34.0 | -3.0 ▼ |
| 16 | 4 | Nathan Eovaldi | 22 | $30.0 | 16.0 | 14.0 ▲ |
| 17 | 4 | Kevin Gausman | 1 | $30.0 | 28.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 18 | 4 | Shota Imanaga | -4 | $29.0 | 33.5 | -4.5 ▼ |
| 19 | 4 | George Kirby | 1 | $27.0 | 27.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 20 | 4 | Drew Rasmussen | -1 | $26.5 | 27.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 21 | 5 | Jesus Luzardo | 1 | $26.5 | 26.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 22 | 5 | Michael King | 11 | $26.5 | 17.0 | 9.5 ▲ |
| 23 | 5 | Freddy Peralta | 1 | $24.5 | 24.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 24 | 5 | Parker Messick | 3 | $23.0 | 19.5 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 25 | 5 | Braxton Ashcraft | 6 | $21.0 | 17.0 | 4.0 ▲ |
| 26 | 5 | Gavin Williams | 6 | $21.0 | 17.0 | 4.0 ▲ |
| 27 | 5 | Logan Henderson | 7 | $21.0 | 16.5 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 28 | 5 | Carlos Rodon | -5 | $20.5 | 25.0 | -4.5 ▼ |
| 29 | 5 | Shane McClanahan | 6 | $20.0 | 16.5 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 30 | 5 | Kyle Harrison | 6 | $20.0 | 16.0 | 4.0 ▲ |
| 31 | 6 | Will Warren | -5 | $18.0 | 20.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 32 | 6 | Framber Valdez | -3 | $18.0 | 18.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 33 | 6 | Kyle Bradish | 24 | $17.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 ▲ |
| 34 | 6 | Jose Soriano | -4 | $16.5 | 18.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 35 | 6 | Sonny Gray | 2 | $16.5 | 16.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 36 | 6 | Connelly Early | 4 | $16.0 | 15.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 37 | 6 | Payton Tolle | 5 | $16.0 | 14.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 38 | 6 | Spencer Strider | 5 | $16.0 | 14.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 39 | 6 | Robbie Ray | -14 | $16.0 | 21.5 | -5.5 ▼ |
| 40 | 6 | Michael Soroka | 5 | $15.5 | 12.0 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 41 | 6 | Davis Martin | 3 | $15.0 | 13.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 42 | 6 | Emerson Hancock | -14 | $15.0 | 19.5 | -4.5 ▼ |
| 43 | 6 | Landen Roupp | -2 | $14.0 | 14.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 44 | 6 | Max Meyer | 2 | $14.0 | 11.5 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 45 | 6 | Ryan Weathers | -6 | $14.0 | 15.0 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 46 | 6 | Emmet Sheehan | 5 | $13.5 | 10.0 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 47 | 7 | Connor Prielipp | 6 | $12.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 48 | 7 | Bryce Elder | 6 | $12.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 49 | 7 | Ryne Nelson | 3 | $12.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 50 | 7 | Bryce Miller | 19 | $11.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 ▲ |
| 51 | 7 | Michael Wacha | 8 | $11.5 | 8.0 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 52 | 7 | Trey Yesavage | 11 | $11.0 | 6.5 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 53 | 7 | Nick Lodolo | -5 | $10.0 | 10.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 54 | 7 | Randy Vasquez | 4 | $9.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 55 | 7 | Sandy Alcantara | -5 | $9.0 | 10.5 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 56 | 7 | Edward Cabrera | 0 | $8.5 | 8.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 57 | 7 | Ranger Suarez | 10 | $8.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 58 | 7 | Foster Griffin | 6 | $8.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 59 | 7 | Casey Mize | N/A | $8.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 60 | 7 | Zebby Matthews | N/A | $7.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 61 | 7 | Eury Perez | -14 | $7.5 | 11.5 | -4.0 ▼ |
| 62 | 8 | Christian Scott | 6 | $6.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 63 | 8 | Nick Martinez | 19 | $5.5 | 3.0 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 64 | 8 | Reid Detmers | -3 | $5.5 | 7.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 65 | 8 | Trevor Rogers | 1 | $4.5 | 5.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 66 | 8 | Spencer Arrighetti | 7 | $4.5 | 4.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 67 | 8 | Peter Lambert | 8 | $4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 68 | 8 | Justin Wrobleski | 8 | $4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 69 | 8 | Tanner Bibee | 8 | $3.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 70 | 8 | Jack Leiter | 8 | $3.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 71 | 8 | Joey Cantillo | 9 | $3.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 72 | 8 | Merrill Kelly | 21 | $3.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 73 | 8 | Cade Cavalli | 17 | $3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 74 | 8 | J.T. Ginn | N/A | $3.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 75 | 8 | Griffin Jax | N/A | $3.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 76 | 9 | Michael McGreevy | 20 | $2.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 77 | 9 | Bailey Ober | 9 | $2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 78 | 9 | Trevor McDonald | 6 | $2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 79 | 9 | Bubba Chandler | -7 | $2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 80 | 9 | Seth Lugo | -6 | $2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 81 | 9 | Andrew Abbott | 7 | $2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 82 | 9 | Eduardo Rodriguez | 12 | $2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 83 | 9 | Walbert Urena | 17 | $2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 84 | 9 | Noah Schultz | -24 | $2.0 | 7.5 | -5.5 ▼ |
| 85 | 9 | Zach Thornton | N/A | $2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 86 | 10 | Matthew Liberatore | N/A | $1.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 87 | 10 | Carmen Mlodzinski | N/A | $1.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 88 | 10 | Mike Burrows | -5 | $1.5 | 3.0 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 89 | 10 | Aaron Nola | -18 | $1.5 | 4.5 | -3.0 ▼ |
| 90 | 10 | Mitch Keller | -5 | $1.5 | 2.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 91 | 10 | Dustin May | 0 | $1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 92 | 10 | Ben Brown | N/A | $1.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 93 | 11 | Sean Burke | 6 | $1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 94 | 11 | Roki Sasaki | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 95 | 11 | Stephen Kolek | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 96 | 11 | Noah Cameron | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 97 | 11 | Tyler Mahle | -18 | $1.0 | 3.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 98 | 11 | Janson Junk | -17 | $1.0 | 3.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 99 | 11 | Griffin Canning | -12 | $1.0 | 2.5 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 100 | 11 | Zac Gallen | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 101 | 11 | Slade Cecconi | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
Top Starting Pitcher Prospects for Fantasy Baseball - Week 8
Here are the key SP stashes, including honorable mentions, from our esteemed, industry-leading prospect analyst, Eric Cross. You should also read his full Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash article, which is updated weekly!
| Cross Stash Rank | Player | ETA |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | July |
| 2 | River Ryan | June |
| 3 | Thomas White | July |
| 4 | Carlos Lagrange | July |
| 5 | Gage Jump | July |
| 6 | Jonah Tong | July |
| HM | Hagen Smith | - |
| HM | Jaxon Wiggins | - |
| HM | Brody Hopkins | - |
| HM | Jack Wenninger | - |
| HM | Hunter Barco | - |
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
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