Projecting Rest of Season Top 10 Starting Pitchers in 2026 Fantasy Baseball: August Update

August 11, 2026

Dan Palyo projects which 10 starting pitchers will finish the season in the top 10 for the 2026 fantasy baseball season as we head into Week 20 of MLB action.

Fellow fantasy baseball players and pitching enthusiasts, it is indeed once again time to refresh the list of top-10 starting pitchers for fantasy baseball.

It's been an incredible year for pitching as we've seen Jacob Misiorowski emerge as a nearly unhittable force. Chris Sale and Cristopher Sanchez are posting numbers that would win them a Cy Young in the National League in prior years, but the Miz has it just about locked up. Meanwhile, in the American League, it's a two-horse race between Dylan Cease and Cam Schlittler, who both have been lights out in recent weeks.

So, which starting pitchers do we expect to finish in the top 10 by the end of the season? I'm here to offer my two cents. If you disagree with my projections, feel free to let me know. I promise that you won't be the first!

Current Top 10 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

Here are the top 10 most valuable starting pitchers in 5x5 roto leagues right now, according to Yahoo's player rankings. All stats were current through Sunday, August 9.

Remember, this is the current top 10. Keep reading to see my projected top 10!

Rather than gush over the top arms that we've seen on this list all season (Sanchez, Schlittler, Sale, and Miz), let's talk a bit about my guy (and maybe yours, too), Drew Rasmussen!

Drew Rasmussen over his last 3 starts:

20 IP, 0 R, 27 Ks pic.twitter.com/qfNHETuZUM

— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2026

He's the top-rated starter over the last month, going 4-0 over his last four starts with a 0.72 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. He's usually underrated as he's typically only a slightly above-average strike pitcher, but he's incredibly solid all season and can shut down a lineup by inducing weak contact and groundballs even without inducing a bunch of whiffs.

I don't have him in my final top-ten only because I think this amazing run he's been on won't last forever and because the competition for the leaderboard is so steep. But he's set up for a top-20 finish at worst and is going to end up being one of the most profitable values at his ADP this year.

Another one of my preseason favorites, Parker Messick, is back on the leaderboard this month, holding it down in the tenth slot. Messick is a lot like Rasmussen in that he's not flashy, but gets the job done just about every time out. The only stat holding him back is "only" nine wins and just one win over the last month despite posting a 1.82 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over his last four starts.

Messick's teammate, Gavin Williams, narrowly misses the cut here at number 11. He ranks third on the Yahoo Player Rater over the last month with a whopping 51 strikeouts across his last 31 and one-third innings.

Gavin Williams, 101mph ⛽️

Vargas's reaction. 😲 pic.twitter.com/aSaL42K8KR

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2026

Somehow, despite striking out double-digit hitters in four straight starts, he also managed to only win one decision. Imagine if the Guardians had a decent offense and could provide more run support for their elite starters!

Projected Top 10 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

I have to keep pushing Skubal up the ranks, even though he's still sitting just outside the top ten. I know his first two Dodger starts have been somewhat underwhelming, but his 2.77 SIERA is still the second best of this elite group of pitchers at 2.77 (there's a huge gap between Miz and the rest of the pack, as Miz is sitting at an unreal 2.04). Skubal only has seven wins on the season, but is going to have a chance to win every start the rest of the way with a solid offense providing him run support.

Cease continues to climb the ranks, too. He's getting absolutely no run support from a scuffling Toronto offense, but posted a 1.29 ERA over the last month with 36 strikeouts in 28 innings. He's pitching deep into games as the Jays are allowing him to stack up the numbers he needs for the Cy Young race.

I will get some pushback here, but I have to drop Yamamoto down the ranks a little. He's overperforming quite a bit in ratios with a 3.65 SIERA, and I don't think he can hang at the top with the big dogs with only a 23.8% strikeout rate.

My other big inclusion here, besides Skubal, is fellow lefty Jesus Luzardo. He continues to have a blow-up start every six weeks or so that ultimately caps his ceiling, but he's been really, really good of late with an eight-inning shutout of Miami and then a 12-strikeout performance against Toronto in his last two starts.

Jesús Luzardo on Sunday:

7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 12 K

Here's a fun stat. Luzardo's ER breakdown this season...

0-2 ER: 18 Starts
3-4 ER: 0 Starts
5+ ER: 6 starts

He's either dominant or gets blown up, there's no middle ground with him.#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/gpz2fwrQJR

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 10, 2026

If he can avoid that bad start the rest of the way, Luzardo has the strikeouts and win potential that could push him up into the leaderboard.

Honorable Mentions

Other than Gavin Williams, who ranks 11th currently and still couldn't make my final list despite his recent run, there are a few other pitchers of note worth mentioning.

Logan Gilbert hasn't won a game since July 19th, despite pitching well for the most part. He's not getting much run support in Seattle. His lack of wins and a 3.42 ERA (good for most pitchers, but below our very high standards) are holding him back.

Troy Melton continues to rise in the rankings and is now inside the top-15 after another scoreless outing against the Giants. That makes three straight starts without surrendering an earned run for the rookie!

Since 1920, only one pitcher has a sub-2.00 ERA in their first 29 career games (min. 75 IP).

That pitcher is Troy Melton 🤯

The 25-year-old looks READY to take over the top of Detroit's rotation! pic.twitter.com/pFlT6BaJGl

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 10, 2026

Melton's a regression candidate (4.06 SIERA, 3.04 xERA), but he's a potential league-winner for those managers who were able to snag him off waivers. Despite having only average strikeout stuff, he has done a great job of limiting hard contact (5.2% Barrel%), and his emergence has to help Tigers fans feel a little better about the future of their rotation after the loss of Tarik Skubal.

Last but not least, I have to get in a final shout-out for my strikeout prop king, Sean Burke, of the Chicago White Sox.

Burke's last start against the Red Sox was the first time he had failed to go six innings or more since June. It was also the first time he hadn't recorded at least five strikeouts since May!

Sean Burke, K'ing the Side in the 2nd.

5Ks thru 2 pic.twitter.com/mS598B92Ln

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 30, 2026

Burke's 144 strikeouts place him right between Braxton Ashcraft and Chase Burns on the leaderboard. He's picked up some velocity on his four-seamer and has really dialed in his control over the last few months, separating himself from the pack and establishing himself as a young starter to be reckoned with going forward.

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