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Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 17 (2026). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.
Welcome back to our weekly starting pitcher rankings for Week 17, where we rank the top starting pitchers for fantasy baseball. This FSWA-award-winning Best Baseball Series is updated weekly with the "Top 101 Starting Pitchers." Nick Mariano's Weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks look to assist you in reaching the top spot as well.
This week will be a little different, as Andy Smith is taking over for Nick Mariano to rank the top 101 starting pitchers. Andy's ranking can be found below, and Joey Pollizze will still provide the analysis of the biggest risers and fallers of the week. Fantasy managers can also check out Eric Cross' top pitching prospects to stash down below.
Let's take a look at the biggest risers on this week's starting pitcher rankings for Week 17.
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Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 17
-Dylan Cease has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball over the last few weeks. Although he gave up five runs (three earned runs) across six innings against the Rays on Monday night, he's a big riser in Andy's rankings for this week. Cease has a 2.13 ERA and a 37.3% strikeout rate across his last seven starts since June 1. He is now ranked as a top-10 pitcher.
-Jesus Luzardo has been lights on the mound recently. He has a 1.49 ERA and a 36.8% strikeout rate over his last seven starts and is coming off another strong start against the Mets over the weekend. The Phillies southpaw threw five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts on July 18. Given that Luzardo has allowed one earned run or fewer in five consecutive outings, he moves up nine spots to No. 12 overall.
Jesus Luzardo is on a heater 🔥
Last 42 1/3 IP - 1.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 63:16 K:BB
I hope you bought him on the low!pic.twitter.com/7beUkca6gD
— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) July 21, 2026
-Shohei Ohtani drops all the way to No. 17 overall after recent news that he will be shut down from throwing indefinitely. Ohtani continues to deal with irritation in his left knee, and the Dodgers have decided to move him out of the rotation for the time being. The good news, though, is that the Japanese right-hander will throw off a mound sometime later this week.
-Eury Perez has been untouchable since coming off the injured list in late June. The Marlins right-hander has a 1.24 ERA and 30.2% strikeout rate in his last five starts. He has allowed two runs or fewer in each of those five outings and just threw six shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Brewers on Sunday. Perez is now ranked 24th overall on Andy's rest of season rankings.
-Foster Griffin has come out of nowhere to become a fantasy superstar. He has an incredible 1.25 ERA and a solid 23.8% strikeout rate since the beginning of June. He has thrown seven innings of one-run ball in each of his last two starts and hasn't allowed more than one run in a start since May 30. Griffin is now a top-30 pitcher for the rest of the season.
On pitch No. 99, Foster Griffin ties a career high with 9 strikeouts! pic.twitter.com/cyAaLNM1hb
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2026
-Braxton Ashcraft's workload could finally be catching up to him. Ashcraft is just two innings away from throwing the most innings in his professional career, and we are only in late July. His five earned runs across five innings against the Brewers on July 11 and his eight runs (seven earned) against the Yankees on Monday both raise some concern moving forward. He's a big faller this week.
-Griffin Jax had his first bad start in over a month against the Red Sox his last time out. He allowed seven runs across five innings back on July 17. Even though he is a semi-big faller this week, he is still a top-50 pitcher for the rest of the season. Having an 80th percentile chase rate (33.7%), 89th percentile whiff rate (31.4%), and 66th percentile strikeout rate (24.7%) are all positive signs.
-Christian Scott is in a groove on the mound right now. He threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Royals on July 8 and then threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against the Phillies in his most recent outing. Scott also continues to show his swing-and-miss potential, with an 87th percentile strikeout rate (28.5%). The Mets right-hander rises 15 spots into the top-50.
-Peter Lambert is one of the biggest risers in Andy's rankings for Week 17. Lambert remains a consistent fantasy pitcher option and has been really good in the month of July. He has allowed two earned runs in his last 17 2/3 innings of work. In his most recent start, the Astros right-hander threw six innings of one-run ball with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
Peter Lambert's 9th and 10th Ks pic.twitter.com/csc6aACqnQ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 18, 2026
-MacKenzie Gore continues to be an inconsistent pitcher option. He has allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last four starts and gave up five earned runs across 5 2/3 innings against the Braves in his last start this past weekend. With a high ERA (4.80) and a lower-than-usual whiff rate (25.7%), the southpaw is clearly trending down. His -20 drop to No. 74 overall is the biggest fall of the week.
-Roki Sasaki displayed some unexpected heat in his most recent start against the Yankees. He topped out at 101.8 mph and threw 21 pitches of at least 100+ mph. That resulted in him delivering his best start in quite some time, as Sasaki allowed one run (zero earned runs) with one walk and five strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings. The Dodgers right-hander is up 15 spots from last week.
Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 17
| Rank | Tier | Player | (+/-) | $ | PV | Trend |
| 1 | 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | 0 | $46.0 | 44.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 2 | 1 | Tarik Skubal | 2 | $44.5 | 43.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 3 | 1 | Zack Wheeler | 2 | $44.0 | 43.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 4 | 1 | Chris Sale | -1 | $44.0 | 44.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 5 | 1 | Cam Schlittler | -3 | $44.0 | 44.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 6 | 2 | Paul Skenes | 0 | $41.0 | 41.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 7 | 2 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 1 | $40.5 | 40.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 8 | 2 | Cristopher Sanchez | -1 | $40.0 | 41.0 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 9 | 2 | Dylan Cease | 8 | $38.5 | 31.0 | 7.5 ▲ |
| 10 | 2 | Hunter Greene | 4 | $38.0 | 35.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 11 | 2 | Logan Gilbert | 2 | $37.5 | 36.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 12 | 2 | Jesus Luzardo | 9 | $37.0 | 27.0 | 10.0 ▲ |
| 13 | 3 | Joe Ryan | -4 | $36.5 | 40.0 | -3.5 ▼ |
| 14 | 3 | Chase Burns | -4 | $36.0 | 39.0 | -3.0 ▼ |
| 15 | 3 | Jacob deGrom | -3 | $35.0 | 38.0 | -3.0 ▼ |
| 16 | 3 | Bryce Miller | -1 | $34.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 17 | 3 | Shohei Ohtani | -6 | $34.0 | 38.0 | -4.0 ▼ |
| 18 | 4 | Drew Rasmussen | -2 | $29.5 | 32.0 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 19 | 4 | Payton Tolle | 6 | $28.0 | 25.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 20 | 4 | Parker Messick | 6 | $27.5 | 25.0 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 21 | 4 | Nolan McLean | 3 | $27.0 | 25.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 22 | 4 | Bryan Woo | -3 | $26.5 | 27.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 23 | 4 | Logan Webb | 0 | $26.0 | 26.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 24 | 4 | Eury Perez | 11 | $25.5 | 20.0 | 5.5 ▲ |
| 25 | 4 | Gerrit Cole | 5 | $25.0 | 22.5 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 26 | 4 | George Kirby | 1 | $24.0 | 24.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 27 | 4 | Sonny Gray | 1 | $24.0 | 24.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 28 | 4 | Foster Griffin | 8 | $23.5 | 19.0 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 29 | 4 | Nathan Eovaldi | -7 | $23.5 | 26.5 | -3.0 ▼ |
| 30 | 4 | Logan Henderson | 3 | $23.0 | 21.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 31 | 4 | Ranger Suarez | N/A | $22.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | 4 | Braxton Ashcraft | -12 | $22.0 | 27.0 | -5.0 ▼ |
| 33 | 5 | Gavin Williams | -2 | $21.5 | 22.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 34 | 5 | Kevin Gausman | -5 | $21.0 | 23.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 35 | 5 | Hunter Brown | -3 | $21.0 | 22.0 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 36 | 5 | Troy Melton | 6 | $19.5 | 15.0 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 37 | 5 | Shota Imanaga | 0 | $19.0 | 17.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 38 | 5 | Kyle Bradish | 0 | $19.0 | 17.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 39 | 5 | Jake Bennett | 6 | $18.0 | 13.0 | 5.0 ▲ |
| 40 | 5 | Sandy Alcantara | 0 | $17.0 | 16.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 41 | 5 | Shane McClanahan | -2 | $16.5 | 17.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 42 | 6 | Sean Burke | 4 | $15.0 | 12.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 43 | 6 | Jared Jones | 4 | $15.0 | 12.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 44 | 6 | Trevor Rogers | -3 | $14.0 | 15.0 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 45 | 6 | Justin Wrobleski | -1 | $14.0 | 14.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 46 | 6 | Joey Cantillo | 5 | $13.0 | 11.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 47 | 6 | Griffin Jax | -13 | $12.0 | 21.0 | -9.0 ▼ |
| 48 | 6 | Casey Mize | -5 | $12.0 | 14.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 49 | 6 | Robbie Ray | -1 | $11.0 | 11.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 50 | 6 | Christian Scott | 15 | $10.5 | 7.0 | 3.5 ▲ |
| 51 | 6 | Framber Valdez | 7 | $10.0 | 8.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 52 | 7 | Emerson Hancock | 5 | $9.5 | 8.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 53 | 7 | Michael King | -1 | $9.5 | 10.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 54 | 7 | Reid Detmers | 2 | $9.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 55 | 7 | Ryan Weathers | -5 | $8.5 | 11.0 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 56 | 7 | Gage Jump | -7 | $8.5 | 11.0 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 57 | 7 | Ian Seymour | -4 | $8.0 | 10.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 58 | 7 | Bailey Ober | 2 | $8.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 59 | 7 | Landen Roupp | 2 | $8.0 | 7.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 60 | 7 | Taj Bradley | -5 | $7.5 | 9.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 61 | 7 | Peter Lambert | 22 | $7.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 62 | 7 | Tanner Bibee | 23 | $7.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 ▲ |
| 63 | 7 | Cade Cavalli | 6 | $6.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 64 | 8 | Shane Baz | 7 | $5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 65 | 8 | Trey Yesavage | 1 | $5.5 | 6.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 66 | 8 | Shane Drohan | -2 | $5.5 | 7.0 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 67 | 8 | Matthew Boyd | 11 | $5.5 | 3.0 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 68 | 8 | Emmet Sheehan | -6 | $5.0 | 7.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 69 | 8 | Walbert Urena | -2 | $5.0 | 6.5 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 70 | 8 | Freddy Peralta | -11 | $4.5 | 9.0 | -4.5 ▼ |
| 71 | 8 | Jack Flaherty | 4 | $4.5 | 3.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 72 | 8 | Nick Martinez | 5 | $4.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 73 | 8 | Brandon Sproat | -5 | $4.0 | 6.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 74 | 8 | MacKenzie Gore | -20 | $4.0 | 9.5 | -5.5 ▼ |
| 75 | 8 | Merrill Kelly | 5 | $3.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 76 | 8 | Kyle Leahy | 10 | $3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 77 | 8 | Roki Sasaki | 15 | $3.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 78 | 9 | Shane Bieber | N/A | $2.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 79 | 9 | Dustin May | -16 | $2.5 | 7.0 | -4.5 ▼ |
| 80 | 9 | Reynaldo Lopez | -6 | $2.5 | 3.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 81 | 9 | Jose Soriano | -5 | $2.0 | 3.5 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 82 | 9 | Janson Junk | N/A | $2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 83 | 9 | Will Warren | -13 | $2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 84 | 9 | Grant Holmes | N/A | $2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 85 | 9 | Brady Singer | N/A | $2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 86 | 9 | Andrew Abbott | 3 | $2.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 87 | 10 | Zebby Matthews | -15 | $1.5 | 3.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 88 | 10 | Eduardo Rodriguez | -15 | $1.5 | 3.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 89 | 10 | Sean Manaea | -8 | $1.5 | 3.0 | -1.5 ▼ |
| 90 | 10 | Zac Thornton | -8 | $1.5 | 2.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 91 | 10 | Tatsuya Imai | -7 | $1.5 | 2.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 92 | 10 | Seth Lugo | -4 | $1.5 | 2.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 93 | 11 | Matthew Liberatore | 6 | $1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 94 | 11 | Michael McGreevy | 6 | $1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 95 | 11 | Ryan Johnson | -4 | $1.0 | 1.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 96 | 11 | Davis Martin | -3 | $1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 97 | 11 | Michael Wacha | -18 | $1.0 | 3.0 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 98 | 11 | Tyler Mahle | 0 | $1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 99 | 11 | Aaron Nola | N/A | $0.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 100 | 10 | Noah Schultz | -10 | $0.5 | 1.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 101 | 11 | Robert Gasser | -7 | $0.5 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
Top Starting Pitcher Prospects for Fantasy Baseball - Week 17
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!
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners |
| 2 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | Marlins |
| 3 | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox |
| 4 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees |
| 5 | Quinn Mathews | SP | Cardinals |
| 6 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers |
| HM | George Klassen | SP | Angels |
| HM | Jack Wenninger | SP | Mets |
| HM | Hunter Barco | SP | Pirates |
| HM | Brody Hopkins | SP | Rays |
| HM | Jonah Tong | SP | Mets |
| HM | Jaxon Wiggins | SP | Cubs |
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