TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 1 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

By SD Dirk on Flickr [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Uncle Leo's Week 1 (2016) fantasy baseball starting pitcher (SP) matchups - starts, sits, plays and benches. MLB streamers, two start pitchers and sleepers, based on matchups.

What’s up RotoBallers. Welcome to Opening Day. We've waited patiently, and will finally be rewarded with some sweet, sweet MLB action. Since you're a smart and savvy RotoBaller reader, and have been using all our awesome preseason tools and content, you've surely drafted some outstanding fantasy teams that are ready to dominate. And as always, we'll be here with pitcher matchups every week of the season and help win some leagues.

Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 1, including our recommendation on whether to start or sit them for your fantasy baseball teams. Next to each matchup below, we also have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. For those who aren't aware, our in-house tool analyzes SP matchups based on a variety of stats/metrics, and recommends whether start, sit, or stream any pitcher for seasonal and DFS leagues. It's pretty cool.

For every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look to analyze all of the projected starting pitcher matchups and put together our optimal lineups. Here at RotoBaller, we believe that it’s key to analyze every SP matchup, each and every week, to help determine which SPs to start/sit and to hopefully find some hidden gems to bolster your teams. This weekly piece considers the pitcher’s opponents, their career stats against the opponent, some ballpark factors and historical splits. With all of this information, we then provide our start/sit recommendations for each starting pitcher matchup for the approaching week of fantasy baseball.

 

SP Matchups & Start/Sit Recommendations

Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list is updated every single day. Our awesome writers bring you analysis on hot or emerging starting pitchers, and also all other fantasy positions.

Note that MLB teams usually shuffle their rotations, so I’ll be updating the matchups throughout the day and week. This is based on 10-14 team league sizes:

PROBABLE PITCHERS - SUNDAY (4/3/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
NYM@KC Matt Harvey SP | NYM Start Edinson Volquez SP | KC Start
STL@PIT Adam Wainwright SP | STL Start Francisco Liriano SP | PIT Start
TOR@TB Marcus Stroman SP | TOR Start Chris Archer SP | TB Start
PROBABLE PITCHERS - MONDAY (4/4/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@CLE David Price SP | BOS Start Corey Kluber SP | CLE Start
CHC@LAA Jake Arrieta SP | CHC Start Garrett Richards SP | LAA Start
CHW@OAK Chris Sale SP | CHW Start Rich Hill SP | OAK Sit
COL@ARI Jorge De La Rosa SP | COL Sit Zack Greinke SP | ARI Start
HOU@NYY Dallas Keuchel SP | HOU Start Masahiro Tanaka SP | NYY Start
LAD@SD Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD Start Tyson Ross SP | SD Start
MIN@BAL Ervin Santana SP | MIN Sit Chris Tillman SP | BAL Sit
PHI@CIN Jeremy Hellickson SP | PHI Sit Raisel Iglesias SP | CIN Start
SEA@TEX Felix Hernandez SP | SEA Start Cole Hamels SP | TEX Start
SF@MIL Madison Bumgarner SP | SF Start Wily Peralta SP | MIL Sit
TOR@TB R.A. Dickey SP | TOR Sit Drew Smyly SP | TB Sit
WAS@ATL Max Scherzer SP | WAS Start Julio Teheran SP | ATL Start
PROBABLE PITCHERS - TUESDAY (4/5/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
CHC@LAA Jon Lester SP | CHC Start Andrew Heaney SP | LAA Start
CHW@OAK Jose Quintana SP | CHW Start Chris Bassitt SP | OAK Sit
COL@ARI Chad Bettis SP | COL Sit Shelby Miller SP | ARI Start
DET@MIA Justin Verlander SP | DET Start Wei-Yin Chen SP | MIA Start
LAD@SD Scott Kazmir SP | LAD Start James Shields SP | SD Sit
NYM@KC Noah Syndergaard SP | NYM Start Chris Young SP | KC Sit
SEA@TEX Hisashi Iwakuma SP | SEA Start Martin Perez SP | TEX Sit
SF@MIL Johnny Cueto SP | SF Start Jimmy Nelson SP | MIL Sit
STL@PIT Michael Wacha SP | STL Start Jonathon Niese SP | PIT Sit
TOR@TB Aaron Sanchez RP | TOR Start Jake Odorizzi SP | TB Sit
PROBABLE PITCHERS - WEDNESDAY (4/6/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@CLE Clay Buchholz SP | BOS Start Carlos Carrasco SP | CLE Start
CHW@OAK Carlos Rodon SP | CHW Start Sonny Gray SP | OAK Start
COL@ARI Tyler Chatwood SP | COL Sit Patrick Corbin SP | ARI Start
DET@MIA Anibal Sanchez SP | DET Start Jose Fernandez SP | MIA Start
HOU@NYY Collin McHugh SP | HOU Start Michael Pineda SP | NYY Start
LAD@SD Kenta Maeda SP | LAD Start Andrew Cashner SP | SD Sit
MIN@BAL Kyle Gibson SP | MIN Sit Yovani Gallardo SP | BAL Sit
PHI@CIN Aaron Nola SP | PHI Start Brandon Finnegan RP | CIN Sit
SEA@TEX Wade Miley SP | SEA Sit Colby Lewis SP | TEX Sit
SF@MIL Jeff Samardzija SP | SF Sit Taylor Jungmann SP | MIL Sit
STL@PIT Mike Leake SP | STL Start Juan Nicasio RP | PIT Start
TOR@TB J.A. Happ SP | TOR Sit Matt Moore SP | TB Sit
WAS@ATL Stephen Strasburg SP | WAS Start Bud Norris RP | ATL Sit
PROBABLE PITCHERS - THURSDAY (4/7/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@CLE Joe Kelly SP | BOS Sit Danny Salazar SP | CLE Start
CHC@ARI John Lackey SP | CHC Start Rubby De La Rosa SP | ARI Sit
CHW@OAK Mat Latos SP | CHW Sit Kendall Graveman SP | OAK Sit
HOU@NYY Mike Fiers SP | HOU Sit Nathan Eovaldi SP | NYY Start
LAD@SF Alex Wood SP | LAD Start Jake Peavy SP | SF Sit
MIA@WAS Adam Conley SP | MIA Sit Tanner Roark Sit
MIN@BAL Phil Hughes SP | MIN Sit Ubaldo Jimenez SP | BAL Sit
PHI@CIN Charlie Morton SP | PHI Sit Robert Stephenson SP | CIN Sit
TEX@LAA Derek Holland SP | TEX Sit Hector Santiago SP | LAA Start
PROBABLE PITCHERS - FRIDAY (4/8/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@TOR Rick Porcello SP | BOS Sit Marcus Stroman SP | TOR Start
CHC@ARI Jason Hammel SP | CHC Start Robbie Ray SP | ARI Sit
CLE@CHW Cody Anderson SP | CLE Sit John Danks SP | CHW Sit
HOU@MIL Scott Feldman SP | HOU Sit Chase Anderson SP | MIL Sit
LAD@SF Ross Stripling SP | LAD Sit Matt Cain SP | SF Sit
MIN@KC Tommy Milone SP | MIN Sit Yordano Ventura SP | KC Start
NYY@DET Luis Severino SP | NYY Start Jordan Zimmermann SP | DET Start
OAK@SEA TBD TBD Taijuan Walker SP | SEA Start
PHI@NYM Jerad Eickhoff SP | PHI Sit Jacob deGrom SP | NYM Start
PIT@CIN Francisco Liriano SP | PIT Start Alfredo Simon SP | CIN Sit
SD@COL Colin Rea SP | SD Sit Jordan Lyles SP | COL Sit
STL@ATL Jaime Garcia SP | STL Start Matt Wisler SP | ATL Sit
TB@BAL Chris Archer SP | TB Start Mike Wright SP | BAL Sit
TEX@LAA TBD TBD Matt Shoemaker SP | LAA Sit
PROBABLE PITCHERS - SATURDAY (4/9/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@TOR Steven Wright SP | BOS Sit R.A. Dickey SP | TOR Sit
CHC@ARI Kyle Hendricks SP | CHC Start Zack Greinke SP | ARI Start
CLE@CHW Josh Tomlin SP | CLE Sit Chris Sale SP | CHW Start
HOU@MIL Doug Fister SP | HOU Sit Wily Peralta SP | MIL Sit
LAD@SF Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD Start Madison Bumgarner SP | SF Start
MIA@WAS Tom Koehler SP | MIA Sit Joe Ross SP | WAS Start
MIN@KC Ricky Nolasco SP | MIN Sit Ian Kennedy SP | KC Sit
NYY@DET CC Sabathia SP | NYY Sit Mike Pelfrey SP | DET Sit
OAK@SEA Rich Hill SP | OAK Sit Nathan Karns SP | SEA Start
PHI@NYM Vince Velasquez RP | PHI Start TBD TBD
PIT@CIN Gerrit Cole SP | PIT Start Raisel Iglesias SP | CIN Start
SD@COL Drew Pomeranz RP | SD Sit Jorge De La Rosa SP | COL Sit
STL@ATL Carlos Martinez SP | STL Start Williams Perez SP | ATL Sit
TB@BAL Drew Smyly SP | TB Start Chris Tillman SP | BAL Sit
TEX@LAA Cole Hamels SP | TEX Start Garrett Richards SP | LAA Start
PROBABLE PITCHERS - SUNDAY (4/10/16)
GAME VISITING STARTER START/SIT HOME STARTER START/SIT
BOS@TOR David Price SP | BOS Start Aaron Sanchez RP | TOR Sit
CHC@ARI Jake Arrieta SP | CHC Start Shelby Miller SP | ARI Start
CLE@CHW Corey Kluber SP | CLE Start Jose Quintana SP | CHW Start
HOU@MIL Dallas Keuchel SP | HOU Start Jimmy Nelson SP | MIL Sit
LAD@SF Scott Kazmir SP | LAD Start Johnny Cueto SP | SF Start
MIA@WAS Jarred Cosart SP | MIA Sit Max Scherzer SP | WAS Start
MIN@KC Ervin Santana SP | MIN Sit Edinson Volquez SP | KC Start
NYY@DET Masahiro Tanaka SP | NYY Start Justin Verlander SP | DET Start
OAK@SEA Chris Bassitt SP | OAK Sit Felix Hernandez SP | SEA Start
PHI@NYM Jeremy Hellickson SP | PHI Sit TBD TBD
PIT@CIN Jeff Locke SP | PIT Sit TBD TBD
SD@COL Tyson Ross SP | SD Start Chad Bettis SP | COL Sit
STL@ATL Adam Wainwright SP | STL Start Julio Teheran SP | ATL Start
TB@BAL Jake Odorizzi SP | TB Start TBD TBD
TEX@LAA Martin Perez SP | TEX Sit TBD TBD

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

What Do You Think
[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Arizona Diamondbacks

Diamondbacks Acquire Infielder Jose Mejia From Baltimore
Arizona Diamondbacks

Wellington Aracena Traded to Diamondbacks
Javier Báez

Javier Baez Suspended From WBC After Positive Marijuana Test
Matthew Stafford

Named 2025 NFL MVP, Will Return in 2026
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Takes Home Offensive Player of the Year Honors
Brendan Rodgers

Red Sox Sign Brendan Rodgers to Minor-League Deal
Michael Harris II

Remains an Everyday Contributor After Joining 20/20 Club
Hunter Goodman

Carries Plenty of Momentum Into 2026 Season
Austin Riley

Productivity Continues to Trend Downward
Bryce Harper

Fantasy Managers Hoping Bryce Harper Bounces Back
Christian McCaffrey

Named Comeback Player of the Year
Bobby Portis

Questionable to Play Friday
Tetairoa McMillan

Named Offensive Rookie of the Year
Myles Garrett

Unanimously Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Set for Celtics Debut Friday
Joel Embiid

Good to Go Against Lakers
Andrew Nembhard

Ready to Return Friday
George Lombard Jr.

Yankees Invite George Lombard Jr. to Spring Training
Pascal Siakam

Available Friday
David Bañuelos

Twins Sign David Banuelos to Minor-League Deal
Ty Jerome

to Sit Out Friday's Action
Deni Avdija

Considered Questionable for Friday's Matchup
Cole Carrigg

Rockies Invite Cole Carrigg to Spring Training
De'Anthony Melton

Will Play Against Suns
Charlie Condon

Invited to Big-League Spring Training
Jalen Duren

Exits Early Thursday
Emmanuel Clase

Accused of Rigging Pitches in 48 Games
Darius Garland

Unavailable Friday Night
Domantas Sabonis

Iffy for Friday
Josh Okogie

Tari Eason Out Thursday
Kelly Olynyk

Luke Kornet Out, Kelly Olynyk In Thursday
Julius Randle

Still Dealing With Thumb Issue, Questionable for Friday
OG Anunoby

Listed as Probable for Friday
Marvin Bagley III

Not Available Thursday for Dallas
Dylan Harper

Cleared to Play Thursday
Dylan Cardwell

Earns Four-Year Contract With Sacramento
Jock Landale

Makes Hawks Debut as Starter
Jordan Lawlar

to Mostly Work in the Outfield
Brandon Williams

Unavailable Thursday
Daniel Gafford

Set to Play vs. San Antonio
Brad Marchand

Evan Rodrigues Among Panthers Absentees Thursday
Calum Ritchie

Rejoins Islanders Lineup as Second-Line Center
Zach Benson

Sits Out Second Straight Game
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Available Against Predators
Rickard Rakell

Out Thursday
Brayden Point

Won't Play in Olympics
Jonathan Huberdeau

to Have Season-Ending Hip Surgery
Kade Strowd

Diamondbacks Pick Up Kade Strowd, Two Minor-Leaguers
Blaze Alexander

Orioles Acquire Blaze Alexander From Diamondbacks
Osvaldo Bido

Yankees Claim Osvaldo Bido Off Waivers From Angels
Ken Waldichuk

Nationals Claim Ken Waldichuk Off Waivers From Rays
Tarik Skubal

Wins Arbitration Case, to Make $32 Million in 2026
Colt Emerson

to Begin the Year in the Minors?
Cole Young

Appears to be the Favorite to Start at Second Base
CFB

Houston, Vanderbilt, Tennessee Land Top-Three QBs in 2026 Class
Joe Mixon

Committed to Playing in 2026
CFB

Michigan Signs Top-15 Recruiting Class Despite Coaching Change
CFB

USC Finishes with No. 1 Signing Class in 2026
Valeri Nichushkin

Sets Up Three Goals Wednesday
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Denied Medical Redshirt Waiver By NCAA
Ryan O'Reilly

Delivers Three Assists in Overtime Loss
Matt Boldy

Records Historically Fast Hat Trick Wednesday
Jet Greaves

Gives Blue Jackets Second Straight Shutout
Wyatt Kaiser

Hurt Against Blue Jackets
Sandis Vilmanis

Injured in Wednesday's Win
Jack Hughes

Out Thursday
Marcus Foligno

Out Wednesday Against Predators
Kiefer Sherwood

Set for Sharks Debut on First Line
Martin Necas

Misses Third Consecutive Game
Kirill Marchenko

a Game-Time Call Wednesday
Sam Bennett

Anton Lundell Available for Panthers Wednesday
Nick Bjugstad

Devils Add Nick Bjugstad in Trade
Artemi Panarin

Traded to Kings, Signs Two-Year Extension
CFB

Sam Leavitt to be Limited In Spring Practice
Jordan Love

Avoids Offseason Surgery
Matt Fitzpatrick

Back in Action at WM Phoenix Open
Sahith Theegala

Riding Hot Start Into WM Phoenix Open
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Regain Form at WM Phoenix Open
Viktor Hovland

a Volatile Option at WM Phoenix Open
Rasmus Hojgaard

Aims to Build on Solid Start to 2026
Brian Harman

Looks to Find Form at WM Phoenix Open
Daniel Berger

Has the Tools to Go One Step Higher at Scottsdale
Max Greyserman

Searching for Consistency at WM Phoenix Open
Jake Knapp

Wants Revenge at WM Phoenix Open
CFB

Joey Aguilar Granted Temporary Restraining Order Against NCAA
Joel Dahmen

Carrying Momentum Into WM Phoenix Open
Corey Conners

Unlikely to Contend at Scottsdale
Sepp Straka

Seeks a Rebound After The American Express
Jordan Spieth

Healthy Heading to WM Phoenix Open
Keith Mitchell

Building Momentum for Event in Scottsdale
Tom Hoge

The Tom Hoge Roller Coaster Heads to Scottsdale for WM Phoenix Open
Rickie Fowler

Worth a Look at WM Phoenix Open
Xander Schauffele

Making Second Appearance at Phoenix Open
Collin Morikawa

Needs a Bounce-Back at Waste Management Phoenix Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Has a Shot to Challenge at the Waste Management Phoenix Open
Max Homa

Playing Well Heading to Waste Management Phoenix Open
Ben Griffin

Will Need to Find Approach Game to Compete in Phoenix
Michael Penix Jr.

Matt Ryan Not Committing to Michael Penix Jr. as the Starting QB
NASCAR

Billy Horschel Unlikely to Right the Ship in Phoenix
Matthew Stafford

Doesn't Need Offseason Back Surgery
CFB

Joey Aguilar Files New Lawsuit Against NCAA Seeking Sixth Year of Eligibility
Davante Adams

Expected to Return to Rams in 2026
Los Angeles Rams

Rams Sign Sean McVay, Les Snead to Contract Extensions
Diego Lopes

Outclassed At UFC 325
Alexander Volkanovski

Dominates Diego Lopes
Dan Hooker

Stopped In The Second Round
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Extends His Win Streak
Rafael Fiziev

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
MMA

Maurício Ruffy Gets Back In The Win Column
San Francisco 49ers

49ers Set to Name Raheem Morris Their Defensive Coordinator
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Close to Naming Klint Kubiak the Next Head Coach
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Finalizing Deal to Make Mike LaFleur the Next Head Coach
CFB

Gus Malzahn Retiring from Coaching
Breece Hall

Jets Want to Re-Sign Breece Hall, Could Use Franchise Tag