Fantasy Baseball Playoff Cheat Sheet: Week 3, September 14 to September 20

By JD, Founder. 2026-09-05

One page for the semifinal week of the fantasy baseball playoffs: the matchups that matter, every two-start pitcher priced start by start, the streamers worth a spot each day, the waiver bats on the best schedules, the Coors Field week, and the injury moves that change the board.

Already Planning for Championship Week? The Week 4 cheat sheet for September 21 to 27 is live and free for everyone.

TL;DR For most leagues the week of September 14 is the semifinal. This cheat sheet finds every edge on the board for September 14 through 20 and helps you stack them: the matchup board, every two-start pitcher priced start by start, streamers for each day, the waiver bats on the best schedules, catcher steal matchups, and the injury moves that change the week. This is the Coors Field week: the Padres play four there and the Mariners three. Updated Sunday, September 13. Twelve starters are announced through Thursday. Gavin Williams starts twice at home for Cleveland, Troy Melton twice for Detroit, and Kyle Harrison is off the Brewers' grid. Shohei Ohtani is on the IL until at least September 23, and Jared Jones, the best two-start pickup on the board when this sheet went up, is a single Wednesday start after the Pirates moved him back a day (updated September 13). Every score on this sheet is the board's innings-priced score: a start is worth its rate times its expected innings over five.

Best Bats: Padres (four at Coors, seven games in all, the best hitting week on the board), Mariners (three in Anaheim, three at Coors), Guardians (home all six against the White Sox and Athletics), Dodgers (seven games, four of them in Cincinnati, now without Ohtani), and Rockies (seven games, all at home). The Yankees are sixth, with Aaron Judge back and Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL.

Best Arms: Rangers (six at home in the best pitcher park in the league, 3.80 runs faced), Red Sox, Blue Jays, White Sox, and Dodgers.

Two-Start Pitcher Targets: Jonah Tong (25%, Monday announced, both starts at home), Troy Melton (54%, Monday in Toronto announced, Sunday in Chicago), Ryan Johnson (11%), Bailey Ober (36%), and Cody Bradford (3%, two home starts in Arlington, deep leagues only). Gavin Williams starts Monday and Sunday at home, the third-best two-start week on the board, but he is on 97 percent of rosters. Connor Prielipp and Foster Griffin are one start each. Cal Quantrill is one start, Saturday against the Blue Jays. Update, September 13: the Pirates announced Jared Jones for Wednesday against the Brewers instead of Tuesday, which pushes his second turn to Monday the 21st. He is one start this week and comes off this list, but at 44 percent rostered with 17 strikeouts in 13 scoreless September innings he is still the best single-start add on the wire.

Best Streams of the Week: Jared Jones (Wed, one start after the Pirates moved him back a day), Corbin Burnes (Mon), Cristian Javier, Matthew Liberatore, Jake Bennett, and Yusei Kikuchi (Wed), Seth Lugo (Thu), Andrew Alvarez, Randy Dobnak, and Kumar Rocker (Fri), Cal Quantrill and Hayden Wesneski (Sat).

Waiver Bats: Spencer Jones, Ty France, Brayan Rocchio, Tommy Edman, and Cole Carrigg sit under 50 percent rostered on the best hitting schedules of the week. Jones is hitting .400 with a .488 on-base in September, France .321 with a .536 slugging mark, and Rocchio has three homers and 11 RBI. Anthony Volpe (14%) has the Yankees' shortstop job with Chisholm out and is four for 11 with a homer, five RBI, and a steal since his recall.

Injuries of Note: Shohei Ohtani went on the IL September 11 with right biceps inflammation on top of the knee and neck issues; he is not eligible back until September 23 and is done pitching for the year. Braxton Ashcraft is out for the season, which briefly made Jared Jones a two-start arm before Pittsburgh moved him to Wednesday. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is shut down for seven to ten days and Anthony Volpe holds shortstop. Nathan Eovaldi and Edward Cabrera are back and not on their grids yet. Kyle Harrison is off the Brewers' grid. The full list is in the Roster Moves section and the Out and Back line at the bottom.

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The Matchup Board, Condensed

Hitters are graded by the park-adjusted runs allowed per game of the staffs they face this week; pitchers by the park-adjusted runs scored per game of the lineups they face. League average is 4.49 runs per game. Nine teams play seven games this week (Padres, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels, Mets, Tigers, Twins, Reds, White Sox). The Nationals play five.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Padres | 7 | 5.61 | +1.12 | 1.067 | | Rangers | 6 | 3.81 | -0.69 |

| Mariners | 6 | 5.59 | +1.10 | 1.072 | | Red Sox | 6 | 4.11 | -0.38 |

| Guardians | 6 | 5.18 | +0.69 | 1.020 | | Blue Jays | 6 | 4.16 | -0.34 |

| Dodgers | 7 | 5.06 | +0.57 | 1.017 | | White Sox | 7 | 4.23 | -0.27 |

| Rockies | 7 | 4.92 | +0.43 | 1.153 | | Dodgers | 7 | 4.28 | -0.21 |

| Yankees | 6 | 4.82 | +0.33 | 1.029 | | Twins | 7 | 4.31 | -0.19 |

| Royals | 6 | 4.80 | +0.31 | 1.024 | | Cubs | 6 | 4.31 | -0.18 |

| Phillies | 6 | 4.79 | +0.30 | 1.011 | | Marlins | 6 | 4.31 | -0.18 |

The fades are below:

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Rangers | 6 | 3.66 | -0.83 | | Reds | 7 | 5.32 | +0.83 |

| White Sox | 7 | 4.03 | -0.46 | | Pirates | 6 | 4.92 | +0.43 |

| Red Sox | 6 | 4.05 | -0.44 | | Padres | 7 | 4.90 | +0.41 |

| Giants | 6 | 4.06 | -0.43 | | Rockies | 7 | 4.82 | +0.33 |

| Blue Jays | 6 | 4.07 | -0.42 | | Orioles | 6 | 4.80 | +0.31 |

| Athletics | 6 | 4.17 | -0.32 | | Brewers | 6 | 4.76 | +0.26 |

Three things stand out. First, Coors. The Padres play four there Monday through Thursday and the Mariners three Friday through Sunday, and the Rockies never leave home, so three lineups spend the week at a 1.153 run factor. Second, the Rangers are the whole story on the pitching side: six home games in the league's most run-suppressing park against Boston and Toronto bats, 3.81 runs faced, the softest week any staff gets in the playoffs. The same park makes Rangers hitters the worst play of the week. Third, the Reds. Seven home games sounds good until you see the Dodgers for four and the Cubs for three: Reds arms face 5.32 runs per game, the worst number on the board by nearly half a run, and Great American Ball Park's home run factors make it worse. One caveat on the Dodgers' 5.06: the staffs they face are graded against a lineup that still had Ohtani in it through September 7. Without him the Dodgers' bats are a shade weaker than the number, but four games at Great American against Lodolo, Lowder, Abbott, and Singer is still a top-five week.

Two-Start Pitchers

Every arm lined up for two starts this week, priced start by start by the StreamMachine and grouped into the same tiers as the live Two-Start Pitchers board, which re-prices as probables are announced. Announced starts carry no marker; "(p)" marks a start from the FanGraphs probables grid, which covers the whole week, with rotation order only where the grid names an arm the board cannot price. Scores are innings-priced: an arm expected to go four innings shows 80 percent of his rate. We will refresh this table as more starters are announced.

| Wk | Pitcher | Team | Rost% | Score | Matchup | Score | Matchup | ERA | K | IP | xW | xQS |

| :---: | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :--- | :---: | :--- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |

| 113 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | LAD | 100% | 110 | Tue @ CIN (p) | 117 | Sun vs SF (p) | 3.06 | 13 | 13.2 | 0.9 | 0.9 |

| 111 | Tarik Skubal | LAD | 99% | 96 | Mon @ CIN (p) | 126 | Sat vs SF (p) | 2.72 | 14 | 12.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 |

| 94 | Gavin Williams | CLE | 97% | 90 | Mon vs CWS (p) | 97 | Sun vs ATH (p) | 3.87 | 15 | 11.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |

| 90 | Hunter Brown | HOU | 95% | 91 | Tue vs KC (p) | 88 | Sun vs ATL (p) | 3.74 | 13 | 11.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 |

| 84 | Reid Detmers | LAA | 83% | 93 | Mon vs SEA (p) | 74 | Sat vs MIN (p) | 3.83 | 13 | 11.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |

| 74 | Cristopher Sanchez | PHI | 100% | 72 | Tue @ WSH (p) | 76 | Sun @ NYM (p) | 3.42 | 13 | 12.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 |

| 72 | Jacob Misiorowski | MIL | 99% | 68 | Tue @ PIT (p) | 75 | Sun @ BAL (p) | 3.35 | 15 | 12.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 |

| 66 | Cody Bradford | TEX | 3% | 66 | Tue vs BOS (p) | 65 | Sun vs TOR (p) | 3.52 | 9 | 9.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 65 | Troy Melton | DET | 54% | 72 | Mon @ TOR | 58 | Sun @ CWS (p) | 3.30 | 10 | 11.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 |

| 62 | Michael Wacha | KC | 80% | 68 | Tue @ HOU (p) | 55 | Sun @ PIT (p) | 3.88 | 11 | 12.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 |

| 61 | Jonah Tong | NYM | 25% | 64 | Mon vs BAL | 58 | Sun vs PHI (p) | 4.09 | 11 | 10.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 58 | José Soriano | TOR | 86% | 56 | Mon vs DET | 61 | Sun @ TEX (p) | 3.77 | 12 | 11.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 |

| 56 | Ryan Johnson | LAA | 11% | 59 | Tue vs SEA (p) | 53 | Sun vs MIN (p) | 3.89 | 9 | 10.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 |

| 52 | Patrick Sandoval | BOS | 13% | 54 | Tue @ TEX | 50 | Sun @ TB (p) | 4.17 | 10 | 10.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 52 | Bailey Ober | MIN | 36% | 50 | Mon vs NYY (p) | 53 | Sun @ LAA (p) | 3.93 | 8 | 10.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 |

| 48 | Walker Buehler | SD | 27% | 38 | Tue @ COL (p) | 57 | Sun vs MIA (p) | 4.39 | 8 | 9.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 |

| 48 | David Peterson | CHC | 23% | 54 | Mon vs ATL (p) | 42 | Sun @ CIN (p) | 4.29 | 9 | 9.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 |

| 48 | Quinn Mathews | STL | 7% | 52 | Mon vs SF (p) | 43 | Sun vs WSH (p) | 4.20 | 8 | 10.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 |

| 46 | Kade Anderson | SEA | 44% | 55 | Mon @ LAA (p) | 37 | Sun @ COL (p) | 4.27 | 10 | 10.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 43 | Will Warren | NYY | 61% | 44 | Mon @ MIN (p) | 42 | Sun @ AZ (p) | 4.41 | 10 | 10.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 42 | Jack Perkins | ATH | 2% | 41 | Tue @ TB (p) | 44 | Sun @ CLE (p) | 4.37 | 11 | 9.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 |

| 38 | Casey Mize | SD | 53% | 27 | Mon @ COL (p) | 49 | Sat vs MIA (p) | 4.04 | 9 | 10.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 |

| 38 | Davis Martin | CWS | 44% | 37 | Mon @ CLE (p) | 38 | Sat vs DET (p) | 3.76 | 8 | 9.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 |

| 36 | Rhett Lowder | CIN | 20% | 32 | Tue vs LAD | 39 | Sun vs CHC (p) | 4.72 | 10 | 9.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 |

| 35 | Brandon Young | BAL | 37% | 45 | Mon @ NYM (p) | 25 | Sun vs MIL (p) | 4.40 | 10 | 11.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 |

| 30 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | 55% | 31 | Mon vs LAD | 28 | Sat vs CHC (p) | 4.73 | 9 | 9.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 |

| 29 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | 91% | 19 | Mon @ AZ (p) | 38 | Sun @ SD (p) | 3.83 | 10 | 12.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 |

| 29 | Landen Roupp | SF | 43% | 33 | Mon @ STL (p) | 25 | Sun @ LAD (p) | 3.95 | 9 | 10.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |

| 26 | Erick Fedde | CWS | 10% | 26 | Tue @ CLE (p) | 25 | Sun vs DET (p) | 4.38 | 7 | 9.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 |

| 23 | Tomoyuki Sugano | COL | 12% | 24 | Mon vs SD (p) | 22 | Sat vs SEA (p) | 4.60 | 7 | 10.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 |

| 22 | Griffin Jax | TB | 48% | 23 | Tue vs ATH (p) | 21 | Sun vs BOS (p) | 3.91 | 7 | 7.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |

| 22 | Ryan Feltner | COL | 4% | 22 | Tue vs SD (p) | 22 | Sun vs SEA (p) | 5.02 | 8 | 9.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 |

Scores are Stream Scores (50 = league-average start), priced by expected innings. xW = expected wins, xQS = expected quality starts for the week, which go to zero for any start projected at four innings or less. Announced starts carry no marker; "(p)" marks a start from the FanGraphs grid or rotation order, not yet announced; projected starts slide, especially the Sunday ones. The grid lists Connelly Early for the Nationals' Sunday and Spencer Miles for Toronto's Tuesday; the board cannot price either, so Michael Lorenzen's 27 stands in for Toronto and Kent's Tuesday is his only start.

The Dodgers week is the headline, minus Ohtani. The grid runs Skubal, Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow in Cincinnati, then Sheehan Friday, Skubal Saturday, and Yamamoto Sunday against the Giants; Roki Sasaki is off the grid. Both aces price above 110 for the week. Snell (Wednesday, 91) and Glasnow (Thursday, 92) are one start each. Emmet Sheehan, on the grid for Friday at 77, sits at 59 percent rostered, over this sheet's cutoff. The lineup behind them lost Ohtani to the IL on September 11, and he cannot return before September 23. Mookie Betts (.333/.447/.718 with four homers and 14 RBI in September) and Teoscar Hernández (.410 with 12 RBI) are carrying the order; both are rostered everywhere. The Dodgers called up Josue De Paula, their top outfield prospect, the same day, and he is the speculative add if your league is deep enough to chase Ohtani's at-bats.

The rotation notes. Cleveland runs Gavin Williams Monday against the White Sox and Sunday against the Athletics, both at home: 90 and 97, a 94 for the week and the third-best two-start line on the board behind the two Dodgers, with 24 strikeouts and two earned runs in 13 September innings behind it. He is on 97 percent of rosters, so this is a lineup note, not a pickup. Foster Griffin is Tuesday only (52) after 11 earned runs in 8.1 September innings, Joey Cantillo has Friday (50), and Tanner Bibee Saturday. Detroit's week: Troy Melton is announced for Monday in Toronto (72) and lined up for Sunday in Chicago (58), a Tier B two-start week at 54 percent rostered; Drew Anderson is announced for Tuesday and is one start, Framber Valdez has Friday, Jackson Jobe Saturday, and Keider Montero, on the paternity list, is the grid's Wednesday starter for now. Milwaukee's grid has no Kyle Harrison on it: Shane Drohan is Friday in Baltimore (44) and Robert Gasser Saturday (48). The twelve announced starters run through Thursday: Tong, Soriano, Lodolo, and Melton Monday; Manaea, Lowder, Anderson, and Sandoval Tuesday; Bennett, Abbott, and Robert Stock Wednesday; Sonny Gray Thursday. The Pirates rebuilt their week around Ashcraft's injury and briefly had Jared Jones lined up twice; on September 13 they announced him for Wednesday against the Brewers (53) instead of Tuesday, which pushes his second turn to Monday the 21st. He is one start this week, still worth the add at 44 percent on the back of 17 strikeouts in 13 scoreless September innings, but as a Wednesday stream rather than the top two-start pickup. Skenes is Thursday (64) and Chandler Friday (75); Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday are unannounced.

One note on the fades. Everything that pitches at Coors this week is a bench call, and the grid names all four Padres starters there: Casey Mize (Monday, 27), Walker Buehler (Tuesday, 38), Robbie Ray (Wednesday, 28, and 82 percent rostered, so this is the one that will cost someone a week), and Michael King (Thursday, 53). Bryce Miller's Saturday there is a 21 and Kade Anderson's Sunday a 37; the grid has Emerson Hancock for Saturday instead, but he is still on the IL, and neither version is startable. The Rockies' own arms are worse: Sugano (24 and 22), Feltner, Freeland, Tanner Gordon, and Gabriel Hughes face the Padres and Mariners at altitude. Nick Lodolo, announced for Monday, gets the Dodgers and Cubs at Great American for 31 and 28, Landen Roupp draws the Cardinals and then the Dodgers for a 29, Will Warren's two starts price 44 and 42, and Zac Gallen's return start Tuesday against the Marlins is a 34.

Best Available Two-Start Arms

Under 50 percent rostered, in order of conviction. The week column shows each start with its Stream Score (50 = a league-average start).

Update, September 13: Jared Jones led this list until the Pirates announced him for Wednesday rather than Tuesday. He is a single start now, at the top of Wednesday's streamers below, with his next turn on Monday the 21st.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Jonah Tong | NYM | 25% | Mon vs BAL (64), Sun vs PHI (58) | Monday is announced. Recalled September 7 and told he stays in the rotation for the rest of the year; seven strikeouts in five innings that night, a 0.84 ERA over his last four Triple-A starts, and both starts at home. The Orioles half is the one to trust; the Phillies half is the risk. |

| Ryan Johnson | LAA | 11% | Tue vs SEA (59), Sun vs MIN (53) | 1.71 ERA in five August starts, then two more good ones to open September: 12 innings, four runs, 11 strikeouts, three walks. The Mariners are the second-best hitting week on the board, so treat Tuesday as a ratio risk; Sunday against the Twins is the cleaner start. |

| Bailey Ober | MIN | 36% | Mon vs NYY (50), Sun @ LAA (53) | Monday against the Yankees and Sunday in Anaheim; Prielipp is Friday only. Angels bats at home grade below average; the Yankees without Chisholm are the tougher half. Ratios first, the strikeouts are modest, and Ober has one start of more than five innings since August 20. |

| Cody Bradford | TEX | 3% | Tue vs BOS (66), Sun vs TOR (65) | Two home starts in the best pitcher park in baseball against lineups that grade bottom five on the road, and both are on the grid. The pitcher is the problem: a 1.57 WHIP on the season and eight runs in eight September innings. Tier B on the schedule, deep leagues on the arm. Nathan Eovaldi is back and not on the grid; if he takes a turn this week it comes out of these two starts. |

| Quinn Mathews | STL | 7% | Mon vs SF (52), Sun vs WSH (43) | Two home starts at Busch against the Giants and the Nationals, two of the bottom-half lineups on the road, and a 2.45 ERA over two September starts. Six walks in those 11 innings are the caution. |

| Patrick Sandoval | BOS | 13% | Tue @ TEX (54), Sun @ TB (50) | Tuesday is announced. Two pitcher's parks and a Red Sox staff with the second-softest week, but a 1.76 WHIP on the season and a 2.00 WHIP in September. Deep leagues, ratios at your own risk. |

| Davis Martin | CWS | 44% | Mon @ CLE (37), Sat vs DET (38) | Tier D. White Sox arms have the fourth-softest week, but these are its two hardest stops, and the board expects under five innings from him. One run in 10.2 September innings is the case; ratios only. |

| Troy Melton | DET | 54% | Mon @ TOR (72), Sun @ CWS (58) | Over this table's cutoff, but on some wires. Monday in Toronto is announced and Sunday in Chicago is on the grid; a 2.42 ERA and 1.05 WHIP on the season, and White Sox bats are the second-worst hitting week. Nine runs in 11 September innings is the recent form; the season says start him. |

Innings Limits and Short Leashes

September is when teams start protecting young arms, and a pitcher on a limit is worth less than his matchup says: shorter outings, fewer wins, and the second start of a two-start week can vanish without notice. These are the arms on this sheet with a confirmed limit or a stated plan to shorten them, from the teams' own comments. Check back before the week starts; this is the list most likely to grow.

| Pitcher | What the team has said | What it means this week |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Kyle Leahy, STL | Innings "significantly curtailed" down the stretch to keep him healthy for 2027. 132 innings, 44 more than he threw as a reliever last year. The Cardinals recalled Cooper Hjerpe on September 6 to piggyback him, and Hjerpe threw four perfect innings behind Leahy's 2.2-inning start that day; Hjerpe stays on a starter's schedule as the second half of the pairing. | Friday against the Nationals rates a 72, the best rate on this list, and the board prices it at four innings: a 57. At three innings it is a 43. Plan on no quality start, and on Hjerpe being in line for the bulk of the game and the win. Ratios-only leagues can still use him. |

| Christian Scott, NYM | Career-high 108 innings. Interim manager Andy Green says he will not pitch on four days' rest again this season; the six-man rotation is how they get there. | The grid confirms the extra rest: Nolan McLean has Thursday and Scott has Saturday against the Phillies. The 69 rate is a 62 at the four and a half innings he has been averaging, and that is if the start happens. Do not plan a lineup around it. |

| Sean Manaea, NYM | Not limited himself, but the Mets are running a six-man rotation with Jonah Tong to spread out Scott and Thornton. | Tuesday against the Orioles is announced and it is his only start; the grid has Robert Stock for Wednesday, Thornton Friday, and Scott Saturday. The Tuesday prices a 46 after a 7.59 ERA in September. |

| Jake Bennett, BOS | 120 innings, past his college high of 117. Boston has built extra rest into his schedule since mid-August, including a nine-day break. | The extra-rest pattern held: Wednesday in Arlington is announced and it is his only start; Sunday in Tampa is Sandoval's. The start is a 68 after nine earned runs in 11.1 September innings; five and a half innings clears the five-inning line, so the 68 stands. |

| Griffin Jax, TB | Back from elbow discomfort on a 60 to 65 pitch count, and he opened for Ian Seymour on September 5 (2.2 innings, three runs) rather than starting outright. | Two September outings of 7.2 innings and seven earned runs pulled his rates to 32 and 30, and the pitch count (three and a half innings) prices the starts at 23 and 21. A pass in every format this week. |

| Shane Drohan, MIL | Nearing his career high of 129 innings. Milwaukee has said it will flip him to the bullpen after one more turn through a six-man rotation. | Friday in Baltimore on the grid: a 55 rate, a 44 at the four innings the board expects, 29 percent rostered. Eleven earned runs in 7.2 September innings did not help the case. If this is the "one more turn", it is a four-inning start with the bullpen behind him and a coin flip on the win at best. |

| Kyle Harrison, MIL | Not an innings limit, a leash. Two straight 3.2-inning blowups (nine runs and five homers at Wrigley on August 31, six runs and four walks in Cincinnati on September 6), a velocity drop, and after the second one Pat Murphy said he will "give a hard look" at moving him to relief "in the immediate future." | Off the Brewers' grid: Drohan has Friday in Baltimore and Robert Gasser Saturday, so the tandem plan looks like a bullpen move. He is on 72 percent of rosters; in a weekly-lineup league he is a drop. |

| Hayden Wesneski, HOU | Fourteen months out for Tommy John; Espada says they are "mindful of workload." No formal cap stated. | Saturday against the Braves is the second-best Saturday start on the board at 77, behind only Quantrill. Expect five or six innings, not seven. Five and a half clears the five-inning line, so the 77 stands. |

| Cristian Javier, HOU | Same Tommy John cohort; five-inning outings since his return. | Wednesday against the Royals rates an 81, the best rate of any streamer this week, and is priced at four and a half innings, a 72: the best Wednesday play. Thirteen strikeouts in 11 September innings say the rate is real. |

| Kade Anderson, SEA | Rookie called up late; Seattle plans a regular turn but is watching his innings. | Already a skip because of the Coors start Sunday, not the workload. Monday in Anaheim is a fine 55. |

How a limit changes the numbers. A Stream Score used to be a rate: it graded the innings a pitcher throws, not how many, so a capped arm could carry a 70 into a game where he was pulled after the fourth. That is the wrong number to set a lineup with, and the board no longer shows it. A fantasy start is counting stats, and counting stats scale with innings: a starter has to finish five innings to get the win, and the model's share of team wins falls from 51 percent at 4.6 innings to 5 percent at two, so a four-inning start roughly cuts the pitcher's win odds by a third and a three-inning opener outing by half. Strikeouts drop in proportion to the innings. A quality start needs six innings, so anyone held to four or fewer now shows zero expected quality starts. Every score on this sheet and on the live StreamMachine and Two-Start boards is the rate times the expected innings over five, five innings being the line a starter has to reach for the win: a four-inning start is worth 80 percent of its rate, a three-inning start 60 percent, and a start of five innings or more keeps its rate in full. Pro members can see both numbers on the board. In a ratios-only league you can read the rate; everywhere else the score is the number to use.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Kyle Leahy | Fri vs WSH, at 4 IP | 72 | 4 | 57 | 20% | 3.7 |

| Kyle Leahy | Fri vs WSH, at 3 IP if Hjerpe takes more | 72 | 3 | 43 | 11% | 2.8 |

| Christian Scott | Sat vs PHI | 69 | 4.5, if the start happens | 62 | 28% | 5.3 |

| Griffin Jax | Tue vs ATH | 32 | 3.5 | 23 | 18% | 3.5 |

| Griffin Jax | Sun vs BOS | 30 | 3.5 | 21 | 17% | 3.5 |

| Shane Drohan | Fri @ BAL | 55 | 4 | 44 | 20% | 3.9 |

| Cristian Javier | Wed vs KC | 81 | 4.4 | 72 | 24% | 4.7 |

| Nick Pivetta | Fri vs MIA | 83 | 4.5 (stretching out after the IL) | 74 | 28% | 4.7 |

| Corbin Burnes | Mon vs MIA | 69 | 4.5 (stretching out after the IL) | 62 | 27% | 4.2 |

| Jonah Tong | Mon vs BAL | 64 | 5.2 | 64 | 33% | 5.4 |

| Jonah Tong | Sun vs PHI | 58 | 5.2 | 58 | 30% | 5.4 |

| Jake Bennett | Wed @ TEX | 68 | 5.5 | 68 | 27% | 4.9 |

| Hayden Wesneski | Sat vs ATL | 77 | 5.6 | 77 | 34% | 5.3 |

Score = rate times expected innings divided by five, capped at one, which is the live board's formula. Expected innings blend each pitcher's last four starts with his season average and apply the caps the teams have announced. Quality starts for Leahy, Scott, Jax, Drohan, and Javier: zero, and the board says so. Harrison is off the grid. Pivetta and Burnes are on the list because San Diego and Arizona are still stretching them out after the IL, not because of a cap. Tong is on the list as a rookie with 87 pitches in his first start, not because a cap has been stated. Manaea and Bennett have one start each; the grid gave their second starts to others.

Not on a limit, for the record: Troy Melton says none has been relayed to him, Washington has said it will not cap Cade Cavalli, Pittsburgh budgeted Jared Jones for under 180 innings and he is at 86, and Cam Schlittler is past 160 innings with no stated restriction.

Streamers by Day

Single starts under 55 percent rostered, ranked by Stream Score, every date from the grid or an announcement. Scores are for the matchup shown and are innings-priced; 50 is a league-average start. Monday is a ten-game slate and Thursday a nine-game day this week, so plan the bench spots around Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Wednesday and Friday are deep enough that arms in the 60s are bench-worthy in most formats.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Mon Sep 14 | Corbin Burnes | AZ | vs MIA | 40% | 62 | Activated September 8 and threw three scoreless innings that night. Marlins bats grade bottom ten on the road. The board expects about 4.5 innings, which is the whole gap between the 69 rate and the 62; the ratios and the park still make it the best Monday single start on the wire. |

| Mon Sep 14 | AJ Smith-Shawver | ATL | @ CHC | 16% | 43 | Cubs bats grade below average at Wrigley; nine runs in 7.1 September innings say deeper leagues only. |

| Tue Sep 15 | Reynaldo López | ATL | @ CHC | 22% | 52 | Activated September 9 for Bryce Elder's spot and gave up six runs in 4.2 innings the same night. The score is the Cubs' below-average lineup and Wrigley in September; the pitcher is a question mark. |

| Tue Sep 15 | Sean Manaea | NYM | vs BAL | 25% | 46 | Announced, and his only start of the week. Orioles bats grade bottom eight on the road; nine runs in 10.2 September innings is the caution. |

| Tue Sep 15 | Andre Pallante | STL | vs SF | 37% | 50 | Two runs in ten September innings since his activation, at home against a bottom-four road lineup. The strikeouts are modest; ratios play. |

| Tue Sep 15 | Drew Anderson | DET | @ TOR | 13% | 49 | Announced, and his only start; Melton has Sunday. A 3.27 ERA in two September starts; Blue Jays bats grade bottom five at home. A strikeout arm (105 in 97 innings) for a ratio-neutral day. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Cristian Javier | HOU | vs KC | 17% | 72 | The best Wednesday play. Thirteen strikeouts in 11 innings of two-run ball across two September starts. Royals bats grade above average this week, and the 72 already has his 4.4-inning leash priced in (the rate is an 81). |

| Wed Sep 16 | Matthew Liberatore | STL | vs SF | 22% | 71 | Two straight short starts: 8.2 innings and seven earned runs in September, and the board expects under five innings from him. Giants bats are a bottom-four road week, Busch Stadium suppresses runs, and he struck out 41 in 32 August innings. A start, not a slam dunk. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Yusei Kikuchi | LAA | vs SEA | 26% | 65 | One run in ten September innings across two starts, with 11 strikeouts and seven walks. The score likes Angel Stadium; the Mariners are the second-best hitting week on the board, so treat the 65 as a ceiling. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Jake Bennett | BOS | @ TEX | 46% | 68 | Announced. One start, and it is the good one: Arlington, against Rangers bats on the worst hitting week in baseball. Nine earned runs in 11.1 September innings are the caution; five and a half innings clears the five-inning line. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Michael Soroka | AZ | vs MIA | 38% | 62 | Activated September 9 and threw four innings behind Gallen the next day, which is why the board flags him as a piggyback candidate. 3.53 ERA and 1.16 WHIP on the season before the injury, a home start, and Marlins bats that grade bottom ten. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Jared Jones | PIT | vs MIL | 44% | 53 | Announced September 13, a day later than the grid had him, which cost him his Sunday start. 17 strikeouts and no runs in 13 September innings, 100 strikeouts in 85.2 on the season. Brewers bats grade above average this week, so the 53 is the ratio caution, not a knock on the arm; the best single-start add on the wire. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Chris Bassitt | BAL | @ NYM | 20% | 57 | Mets bats at home grade about average. The 4.88 season ERA is the cap. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Anthony Kay | CWS | @ CLE | 20% | 49 | Guardians bats are the third-best hitting week, and eight runs in 8.1 September innings do not help. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Anthony Molina | SF | @ STL | 5% | 41 | Five shutout innings on September 4, then seven runs in his next 3.2. Busch Stadium and a below-average Cardinals lineup keep him on the list; deep leagues only. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Max Scherzer | TOR | vs DET | 19% | 49 | Tigers bats grade middle of the pack on the road; a 4.8-inning leash and a 6.38 season ERA. Name value only. |

| Wed Sep 16 | Robert Stock | NYM | vs BAL | 0% | 44 | The six-man rotation's sixth man, announced for Wednesday against the Orioles. A 5.93 ERA in seven starts and a 4.4-inning leash; the Orioles' bottom-eight road bats are the only reason he is listed. |

| Thu Sep 17 | Seth Lugo | KC | @ HOU | 38% | 62 | The top Thursday score. Houston's bats grade below average at home. An 8.31 August ERA and five runs in ten September innings are the counterargument. |

| Thu Sep 17 | Ethan Pecko | HOU | vs KC | 6% | 44 | The other side of the Lugo game. One run in 4.1 innings on September 5; a 4.5-inning leash and ten walks in 17 innings on the season. Deep leagues. |

| Thu Sep 17 | Dustin May | MIL | @ PIT | 39% | 41 | Pirates bats grade below average at home, and two runs in 9.2 September innings are a better line than August's 6.41 ERA, but a 4.7-inning leash keeps him at the floor. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | vs SF | 59% | 77 | Over the cutoff. On the grid for Friday. Ten strikeouts in 5.2 innings of one-run ball on September 2, and 118 strikeouts in 101 innings on the season. Giants bats are a bottom-four road week. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Andrew Alvarez | WSH | @ STL | 23% | 70 | 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in August, then six runs in 4.1 innings on September 5 and seven scoreless innings in the start after it. Busch Stadium and a Cardinals lineup that grades below average. The best Friday play under the cutoff. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Zac Thornton | NYM | vs PHI | 30% | 54 | On the grid for Friday against the Phillies at home. 113 innings between the majors and minors against 72.2 last year, so the Mets are watching him too; six runs in five innings on September 5 is the last line. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Tyler Phillips | MIA | @ SD | 13% | 54 | Three September starts, 13.2 innings, five runs, and a 4.7-inning leash. The Padres come home from four at Coors, and Petco is the comedown. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Randy Dobnak | KC | @ PIT | 11% | 64 | Pirates bats grade below average at home in a pitcher's park, and Ryan O'Hearn's return does not change that much. Ten runs in 17.2 September innings with a 0.96 WHIP; the second-best Friday play under the cutoff. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Kumar Rocker | TEX | vs TOR | 22% | 62 | Home in Arlington against Blue Jays bats that grade bottom six. August was ugly (6.00 ERA) and September opened with five innings of relief, then one run in four innings in his first start back; the park and the lineup are why the score holds up. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Peter Lambert | HOU | vs ATL | 37% | 60 | Thirteen innings, six runs, no walks in two September starts. Braves bats are a bottom-half road week, and now without Lane Thomas; the 5.76 August ERA says ratios risk. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | @ LAA | 16% | 54 | One start, and the cleaner half of the Twins' week: Anaheim, against a bottom-ten lineup. Nine innings, two runs, and ten strikeouts in September relief. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Kyle Leahy | STL | vs WSH | 42% | 57 | The best rate on Friday (72) at home against a Nationals lineup on a five-game week, priced at the four innings he will get before Cooper Hjerpe takes over. Ratios-only leagues; everyone else, look at Alvarez in the same game. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Grayson Rodriguez | LAA | vs MIN | 24% | 55 | 2.93 ERA in five August starts, then nine runs in ten September innings. Twins bats grade below average without Buxton. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | vs ATH | 47% | 50 | Seventeen strikeouts and eight walks in 11.2 September innings, a 6.17 ERA; Athletics bats are a bottom-eight road week. Strikeouts with ratio risk. |

| Fri Sep 18 | Shane Drohan | MIL | @ BAL | 29% | 44 | The Brewers have said the bullpen is next for him, and the four-inning leash is priced in; see the innings section. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Cal Quantrill | TEX | vs TOR | 52% | 96 | The best single start on the wire all week, just over the cutoff. Home in the league's best pitcher park against Blue Jays bats that grade bottom six. 1.45 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in August, 2.08 in two September starts. Grab him for this alone. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Hayden Wesneski | HOU | vs ATL | 43% | 77 | Two September starts, 13 innings, three runs, a 0.62 WHIP; Braves bats are a bottom-half week. Five and a half innings clears the five-inning line, so the 77 is the full rate. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Jacob Lopez | ATH | @ CLE | 45% | 67 | One start this week, in Cleveland against the third-best hitting week; the score trusts his August (2.48 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 29 innings) more than his September (six runs in 12 innings). |

| Sat Sep 19 | Christian Scott | NYM | vs PHI | 19% | 62 | Saturday by the six-man order. Seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings on September 3. The Mets are managing his innings, and the 62 already prices the four and a half he will get, if the start happens; see the innings section. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Andrew Painter | PHI | @ NYM | 46% | 49 | Five runs in 12 September innings with 12 strikeouts and two walks. Mets bats at home grade about average; the 5.71 season ERA is why the score is modest. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Robert Gasser | MIL | @ BAL | 17% | 48 | Three runs in nine September innings across two starts; Orioles bats grade bottom twelve. Deep leagues. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Spencer Arrighetti | TOR | @ TEX | 27% | 48 | Arlington is the best park in baseball for a pitcher, and Rangers bats are the worst hitting week. Eight runs in 11 September innings are why that only gets him to 48. |

| Sat Sep 19 | Jackson Jobe | DET | @ CWS | 32% | 45 | Seven strikeouts in five innings on September 5. White Sox bats are the second-worst hitting week; the 4.9-inning leash and 12 walks in 28 innings keep him down here. |

| Sun Sep 20 | Grant Holmes | ATL | @ HOU | 41% | 54 | A thin Sunday outside the two-start arms. Nine scoreless September innings across two starts, and Astros bats grade below average at home. |

Skip: everything at Coors Field this week, which means both Rockies two-start arms, Casey Mize Monday (27), Walker Buehler Tuesday (38), Robbie Ray Wednesday (score 28, and he is on most rosters), Michael King Thursday (53), Bryce Miller Saturday (21), and Kade Anderson Sunday (37); every Reds arm other than the ones you already own; Landen Roupp both times; Will Warren both times (44 and 42); Erick Fedde both times (26 in Cleveland, 25 against Detroit); Zac Gallen Tuesday against the Marlins (34, in his second start back); Griffin Jax both times (23 and 21 with the pitch count priced in); Luis Castillo Thursday against the Tigers (35, and 56 percent rostered); the Pirates' Wednesday and Saturday bullpen games; Walbert Ureña Thursday against the Twins; and Jack Perkins Tuesday in Tampa (41).

Waiver Bats on the Best Schedules

Under 50 percent rostered, on the teams with the best hitting weeks. The stat line is September through the 12th; the notes carry the August context. Platoon note: the Rays face 4.5 expected left-handed starts, three quarters of one a game and by far the most in baseball this week, so their left-handed bats are the ones to bench. The Royals and Padres face none, and the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, and Tigers face fewer than one, which makes their lefties close to platoon-proof.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Spencer Jones | NYY | 37% | L | .400/.488/.571, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB | The hottest name on this list, after four homers and five steals in August. Judge's return took one outfield spot back, but Grisham is still out and Chisholm's IL trip thins the lineup further, so the at-bats hold; Yankees bats are a top-six week in Minnesota and Arizona. |

| Ty France | SD | 36% | R | .321/.406/.536, 1 HR, 4 R | Four games at Coors, and the bat woke back up after a .303/.400/.434 August. He hits right-handed, so the zero left-handed starters on the Padres' schedule does nothing for him; the case is the park, 20 homers, and a .510 slugging mark on the season. |

| Brayan Rocchio | CLE | 35% | S | .222/.282/.528, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB | Three homers, 11 RBI, and two steals in the first 11 games of September after a lost August (.181). Thirteen homers and 18 steals on the season, six home games, no platoon risk. |

| Tommy Edman | LAD | 40% | S | .250/.340/.364, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 1 SB | Ten runs in 11 games with eligibility at three positions, after a .189 August. Seven games, four of them at Great American Ball Park, and Ohtani's absence moves everyone up a spot in the order. |

| Cole Carrigg | COL | 31% | S | .275/.293/.450, 1 HR, 1 SB | Willi Castro's IL trip hands him the at-bats and he is taking them. A switch-hitter with seven homers and nine steals on the season, and seven games at Coors. |

| Angel Martínez | CLE | 9% | S | .273/.333/.545, 2 HR, 7 R | Home all six on the third-best hitting week, against White Sox and Athletics staffs, and still warm after a .324 August with 15 RBI. Switch-hitter, so no platoon risk. |

| Anthony Volpe | NYY | 14% | R | 4 for 11, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB (3 G) | Recalled September 10 when Chisholm went down. The shortstop job is his for the rest of the month, on a top-six hitting week; eight steals in 58 big-league games this year. |

| Kyle Karros | COL | 18% | R | 3 for 19, 1 HR (5 G) | Activated September 7. Third baseman with a .258/.352/.421 line, 11 homers, and 59 runs in 118 games, and seven home games in the week he comes back. Watch the lineups; the playing time is the question. |

| Xander Bogaerts | SD | 39% | R | .314/.415/.371, 0 HR, 3 SB | The average is gone on the season, but 21 steals, three of them this month with a .415 September on-base, and four games at Coors. He hits right-handed, so the Padres' no-lefties week is not part of the case. A steals-and-runs play. |

| Ezequiel Tovar | COL | 28% | R | .318/.348/.455, 1 HR, 1 SB | Seven games at Coors is the whole case. The bat has been below average all year (.213 on the season); September is the exception so far. |

| Connor Norby | COL | 20% | R | .273/.368/.424, 1 HR, 6 R | Corner infielder with seven Coors games and a hot August (.295/.386/.475) that has held up. Karros's return makes the playing time the question again. |

| Dominic Canzone | SEA | 35% | L | .277/.320/.489, 2 HR, 7 RBI | 22 homers on the season, and three games at Coors close the week. Bench him on lefty days; the Mariners face 1.3 of them. |

| Troy Johnston | COL | 18% | L | 3 for 18, 0 HR (5 G) | .282 on the season and a .319 August, and seven home games. The Rockies face 0.7 lefty starts, so he plays every day. This is the schedule, not the form. |

| Austin Wells | NYY | 14% | L | .120/.313/.120, 0 HR, 4 R | Same Yankees week, now with Judge hitting in front of him. Minnesota's and Arizona's parks both play up for left-handed power relative to the Bronx this month, and he hit three homers in August; the September line is the caveat. |

Off the schedule but too hot to leave out: Henry Bolte (ATH, 32% rostered) is hitting .341/.471/.659 with four homers and six steals in 11 September games. The Athletics face a bottom-eight week on the road in Tampa and Cleveland, so the schedule is against him, but he is playing every day and running.

Roster Moves That Change the Week

The moves since the week two sheet that shape this board, newest first. We will add the rest as the week approaches.

| Move | Effect |

| --- | --- |

| Nathan Eovaldi activated (Sep 12) | Back for the Rangers, and not on the grid for the week yet. If he takes a turn, it comes out of Cody Bradford's two home starts. |

| Edward Cabrera activated (Sep 12) | Not on the Cubs' grid this week either; if he slots in, David Peterson's Sunday in Cincinnati is the start at risk. |

| Keider Montero to the paternity list (Sep 12) | The grid still lists him for Wednesday in Toronto. Around it, Troy Melton starts Monday (announced) and Sunday, Valdez Friday, Jobe Saturday. |

| Josh Jung activated (Sep 12) | Rangers bats are still the worst hitting week on the board, Jung included. |

| Shea Langeliers activated (Sep 12) | Athletics bats on a bottom-eight road week; the catcher-eligible power is back. |

| Esmerlyn Valdez to the IL, hamstring (Sep 12) | A Pirates outfield bat; Ronny Simon was recalled. |

| Shohei Ohtani to the IL, right biceps inflammation (Sep 11, retroactive to Sep 8) | Knee, biceps, and neck; four games missed last week, a setback after one game back, and no return before September 23, when the Dodgers have five games left. He is done pitching for the year. Dodgers bats stay a top-five week on the schedule, with Betts and Teoscar Hernández carrying it; Josue De Paula was called up the same day. |

| Eli White to the IL, foot (Sep 11) | A Red Sox bench bat; Boston's hitting week is a bottom-five fade regardless. |

| Ryan O'Hearn activated (Sep 11) | Seventeen homers back in the Pirates' lineup for six home games; their schedule still grades middle of the pack, and their arms face the second-toughest week. |

| Lane Thomas to the IL, intercostal strain (Sep 11) | Braves bats were a bottom-half road week already. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was recalled. |

| Braxton Ashcraft to the IL, right arm discomfort (Sep 10) | Done for the year, and the Pirates rebuilt the week around it: Skenes Thursday, Chandler Friday, and Jared Jones, first lined up for Tuesday and Sunday, then announced September 13 for Wednesday, which makes him one start this week with the next turn Monday the 21st. Antwone Kelly covers a bullpen game. |

| Austin Martin activated (Sep 10) | A Twins outfield piece back for a seven-game week, still without Buxton. |

| Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the IL, right thumb sprain (Sep 9) | Hurt on a slide September 8, shut down for seven to ten days, and with 18 games left he may not be back this regular season. Anthony Volpe was recalled September 10 and holds shortstop. The Yankees' hitting week is still top six, but the steals in it are mostly gone. |

| Reynaldo López activated, Bryce Elder to the IL, knee surgery (Sep 9) | López takes Elder's turn and is on the grid for Tuesday at Wrigley at 52 after six runs in 4.2 innings the night he came back. |

| Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka activated (Sep 9) | Both into Arizona's home week against the Marlins and Yankees. Soroka's Wednesday against Miami is a 62; Gallen's Tuesday is a 35 after 3.1 innings in his first game back, with Soroka throwing four behind him. |

| Pete Fairbanks activated (Sep 9) | Back for the Marlins' six-game week in Arizona and San Diego; the ninth inning is his again. |

| Blaze Alexander to the IL, back (Sep 9) | Orioles bats were already a bottom-twelve week. |

| Corbin Burnes activated (Sep 8) | Three scoreless innings his first night back. On the grid for Monday against the Marlins at 62 (a 69 rate at 4.5 expected innings), a single start, 40 percent rostered. |

| Masyn Winn activated (Sep 8) | Cardinals shortstop back for a six-game home week against the Giants and Nationals; 10 steals on the season. |

| Taylor Walls to the IL, hip (Sep 8) | Nick Madrigal was called up. Rays bats face 4.5 left-handed starts this week, the most in baseball. |

| Matt Waldron to the IL, chest (Sep 8) | The Nationals' five-game week was already a fade; Jackson Kent's Tuesday prices 15 and is his only start; the grid gives Sunday to Connelly Early. |

| Aaron Judge activated (Sep 7) | Back after 84 games with a rib stress fracture, straight into the lineup. Yankees bats hold a top-six week in Minnesota and Arizona even without Chisholm; start the whole order, Judge included, and keep Spencer Jones and Volpe. |

| Joe Ryan activated (Sep 7) | On the grid for Saturday in Anaheim at 84. One start, and Minnesota's staff holds the eighth-softest week. |

| Nick Pivetta activated (Sep 7) | On the grid for Friday against the Marlins at Petco, an 83 rate and a 74 at the 4.5 innings San Diego is letting him go, still the best Padres start of the week by twenty points. Everything else San Diego throws is at Coors. |

| Jonah Tong recalled (Sep 7) | Told he stays in the rotation for the rest of the season. Monday against the Orioles is announced; Sunday against the Phillies is on the grid. 25 percent rostered. |

| Emmet Sheehan recalled (Sep 7) | The sixth Dodgers arm; on the grid for Friday against the Giants at 77 and on 59 percent of rosters. |

| Ke'Bryan Hayes and Kyle Karros activated (Sep 7) | Hayes rejoins a Reds lineup that hosts the Dodgers and Cubs. Karros walks into seven Coors games at 18 percent rostered. |

| Luis Robert Jr. to the IL, hamstring (Sep 6) | Six days after his activation. Orioles bats are a bottom-twelve week regardless. |

| Ceddanne Rafaela to the IL, quad (Sep 6) | Red Sox bats were already a bottom-five week in Arlington and Tampa. |

| Dalton Rushing and Tommy Pham to the IL (Sep 6) | Dodgers catching splits shift toward Will Smith for the Cincinnati series; the White Sox lose a lineup piece for a seven-game week. |

| Willi Castro to the IL, heel (Sep 5) | The Rockies lose their best hitter for a seven-game home week. Cole Carrigg and Connor Norby pick up the at-bats. |

| Jameson Taillon back to the IL, elbow (Sep 5) | One day after his activation. José Soriano's Monday against Detroit is announced, and the grid gives Spencer Arrighetti Saturday in Arlington. |

| J.T. Ginn to the IL, elbow (Sep 5) | The Athletics rotation is Perkins, Springs, Jump, Lopez, and Brady Basso. Their arms face a bottom-eight week anyway. |

| Trent Grisham to the IL, hamstring (Sep 5) | Opens Yankees outfield at-bats for Spencer Jones on a top-six hitting week. |

| Bobby Miller activated (Sep 5) | Dodgers rotation depth for a seven-game week; with Sheehan recalled the Skubal and Yamamoto two-start projections hold. |

| Shane McClanahan to the IL, forearm (Sep 4) | Griffin Jax and Nick Martinez carry the Rays' rotation; Jax projects to two starts, on a pitch count and at 23 and 21. |

| Andre Pallante activated (Sep 4) | Back in the Cardinals' rotation; Pallante's Tuesday is a 50, and Liberatore's Wednesday against the Giants is a 71. |

| Konnor Griffin activated (Sep 4) | Pirates bats get a top prospect for a week their schedule grades middle of the pack; their arms face the second-toughest week. |

| Riley Greene activated (Sep 1) | The Tigers play seven, all on the road in Toronto and Chicago. The lineup is whole for it. |

| James Wood activated (Sep 2) | Washington plays five games this week, the fewest in baseball. Even at full strength the Nationals are a volume fade. |

| Will Smith activated (Sep 1) | Dodgers catching is back to normal for a seven-game week. |

| Ryan McMahon activated (Sep 1) | Yankees infield intact with Judge back; now it covers for Chisholm. |

| Kirby Yates to the IL, shoulder (Sep 3) | Pirates saves are unsettled in a week their arms face the Brewers and Royals. |

| Byron Buxton to the IL, hip (Aug 30) | Twins bats face the Yankees and Angels short-handed. |

| Willson Contreras to the IL, hamstring (Aug 31) | Red Sox bats are a bottom-four week anyway: six road games in Arlington and Tampa. |

| Roki Sasaki (IL since Aug 27) | Off the grid. The Dodgers have said relief is likelier when he returns; Yamamoto has Sunday. |

| Kyle Freeland back on the grid (IL since Aug 24) | Listed for Wednesday at Coors against the Padres. It does not change the verdict: every Rockies arm faces the Padres and Mariners at altitude. |

| Emerson Hancock on the grid (IL since Aug 30) | Listed for Saturday at Coors, but he has not been activated, so the board runs Bryce Miller there on rotation order. Neither is startable there. |

Steals: Who to Run On

Statcast caught stealing above average through September 12, minimum 20 attempts, laid over this week's schedule.

| Most runnable | Team | Att | CS | CS% | vs avg | Who gets him this week |

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Iván Herrera | STL | 36 | 1 | 3% | -6.0 | Giants Mon to Wed, Nationals Fri to Sun (Nasim Nunez, CJ Abrams, Jacob Young) |

| Victor Caratini | MIN | 49 | 6 | 12% | -6.0 | Yankees Mon to Wed (Anthony Volpe, Spencer Jones, now that Chisholm is out), Angels Thu to Sun (Zach Neto) |

| Ryan Jeffers | MIN | 37 | 4 | 11% | -5.3 | Same Yankees and Angels runners |

| Drake Baldwin | ATL | 36 | 3 | 8% | -4.8 | Cubs Mon to Wed (Pete Crow-Armstrong), Astros Fri to Sun |

| Cal Raleigh | SEA | 56 | 8 | 14% | -4.4 | Angels Mon to Wed (Neto), Rockies Fri to Sun (Carrigg) |

| Carson Kelly | CHC | 59 | 11 | 19% | -3.5 | Braves Mon to Wed, Reds Fri to Sun (Elly De La Cruz) |

| Hunter Feduccia | LAD | 51 | 7 | 14% | -3.6 | Reds Mon to Thu (De La Cruz), Giants Fri to Sun |

| Austin Hedges | CLE | 34 | 2 | 6% | -3.5 | White Sox Mon to Wed, Athletics Fri to Sun (Henry Bolte, six steals in ten September games, Lawrence Butler) |

| Kyle Higashioka | TEX | 35 | 6 | 17% | -3.3 | Red Sox Tue to Thu, Blue Jays Fri to Sun (Andrés Giménez) |

This is the Nationals' week, the one the deep dive flagged: five games is a volume fade, but three of them are in St. Louis against the most runnable catcher in baseball, and Washington's three fastest players all hit at the top of the order. It is also the week Minnesota's tandem hands free bags to the Yankees and Angels, and Caratini is tied with Herrera at the bottom. Chisholm's thumb takes the best Yankees runner out of it; Volpe stole a base his first night back, and Neto is still the one steals reason to keep an Angel in the lineup on his own merits.

| Best throwing | Team | Att | CS | CS% | vs avg | Who loses |

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Brandon Valenzuela | TOR | 56 | 17 | 30% | +7.2 | Tigers Mon to Wed, Rangers Fri to Sun |

| Freddy Fermin | SD | 57 | 19 | 33% | +6.9 | Rockies Mon to Thu, Marlins Fri to Sun |

| Joe Mack | MIA | 51 | 14 | 27% | +6.9 | Diamondbacks Mon to Wed, Padres Fri to Sun (Fernando Tatis Jr.) |

| Adley Rutschman | BOS | 42 | 16 | 38% | +5.6 | Rangers Tue to Thu, Rays Fri to Sun |

| Patrick Bailey | CLE | 56 | 17 | 30% | +4.4 | White Sox and Athletics, whenever he starts over Hedges |

| William Contreras | MIL | 51 | 14 | 27% | +4.4 | Pirates Mon to Wed (Oneil Cruz), Orioles Fri to Sun |

Elly's week is a runner's week end to end: Dalton Rushing's IL trip makes Hunter Feduccia (-3.6) the Dodgers' catcher for more of the Monday-to-Thursday series, and Chicago's Carson Kelly (-3.5) catches the weekend. Oneil Cruz runs into Contreras for three; his steals come back Friday against the Royals.

Highest Edge Plays

| Play | Data |

| --- | --- |

| Padres bats for four at Coors: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, plus France and Bogaerts off the wire. Zero lefty starters faced, which helps Merrill; France and Bogaerts hit right-handed. | SD 5.61, 7 G, 0.0 LHP starts |

| Start every Mariners bat, then double down at Coors Friday to Sunday: Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena, plus Canzone off the wire. | SEA 5.59, 3 G at Coors |

| Guardians bats at home all six: José Ramírez, Steven Kwan, plus Rocchio and Martínez off the wire. And Gavin Williams twice at home, Monday and Sunday. | CLE 5.18, 6 home G |

| Rockies bats, all seven at home: Carrigg, Karros, Johnston, and Tovar off the wire. Fade every Rockies arm. | COL 7 home G, run factor 1.153 |

| Dodgers everything but Ohtani: Skubal and Yamamoto twice each, Snell Wednesday, Glasnow Thursday, Sheehan Friday, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Edman, and the lineup for four in Cincinnati. | LAD bats 5.06, arms 4.28, 7 G |

| Trust Rangers arms at home: Bradford Tuesday and Sunday, deGrom Wednesday, Gore Thursday, Rocker Friday, Quantrill Saturday. Bench Rangers bats. | TEX arms 3.81, bats 3.66 |

| Jared Jones Wednesday and Chandler Friday at PNC, in the one Pirates week that is about the arms, not the bats. | PIT arms face 4.92, but home starts vs MIL and KC |

| Bench every Reds arm, every Rangers bat, and every pitcher who visits Coors, Robbie Ray and Michael King included. | CIN arms 5.32; COL run factor 1.153 |

Too Long; Didn't Read

Bats: Padres, Mariners, Guardians, Dodgers (without Ohtani), Rockies, then Yankees (Judge is back, Chisholm is out), Royals, Phillies. Fade Rangers, White Sox, Red Sox, Giants, Blue Jays, Athletics.

Arms: Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, White Sox, Dodgers. Fade Reds, Pirates (except Jones and Chandler), Padres, Brewers, Rockies, Royals, and anyone at Coors.

Two-start pickups: Tong first (Monday announced), then Melton if he is on your wire (54%), Ryan Johnson, Ober, Bradford in deep leagues, Mathews in deeper ones. Jared Jones is one start now, Wednesday against the Brewers, and the best single-start add. Gavin Williams starts twice but is rostered everywhere. Prielipp, Griffin, and Quantrill are one start; Jax is a 23; Davis Martin is Tier D.

Streamers: Burnes Monday, Javier, Liberatore, Bennett, and Kikuchi Wednesday, Lugo Thursday, Alvarez, Dobnak, Rocker, and Lambert Friday, Quantrill and Wesneski Saturday.

Innings limits: Leahy (Hjerpe piggyback), Scott, Jax, Bennett, Harrison off the grid, Drohan on it for one more turn (Friday), and the Mets' six-man shuffle. Every score on this sheet and the live board prices those innings in; use the number you see.

Waiver bats: Spencer Jones, France, Rocchio, Edman, Carrigg, Volpe. Bolte if you can stomach the schedule.

Out: Ohtani, Ashcraft, Montero (paternity), E. Valdez, L. Thomas, E. White, Chisholm, Elder, Walls, B. Alexander, Waldron, Robert, Rafaela, Rushing, Pham, W. Castro, Taillon, Ginn, Grisham, McClanahan, Buxton, W. Contreras, Yates, Sasaki, Hancock. Back: Eovaldi, E. Cabrera, Jung, Langeliers, O'Hearn, Volpe, A. Martin, Burnes, Gallen, Soroka, R. López, Fairbanks, Winn, Judge, J. Ryan, Pivetta, Hayes, Karros, Tong, Sheehan, Greene, Wood, W. Smith, McMahon, Pallante, Griffin, B. Miller; Freeland is back on the grid.

Why it matters: This is the semifinal for most leagues, and the wire is thinner than it was a week ago: every team still alive has already done its shopping. The edges this week are concentrated in three places, Coors Field, Arlington, and the Dodgers' schedule, so the moves are simple. Get your bats to Denver, get your arms to Texas, and keep every pitcher away from the Rockies. If your league runs on a different calendar, the week two cheat sheet covers September 7 through 13, the week four cheat sheet covers championship week, September 21 through 27, and the standard playoff deep dive graded that week in August.

Start or Sit Questions? General feedback? Leave a comment below and I will get to you ASAP.

Matchup grades are the park-adjusted runs allowed per game of the staffs each team's hitters face and the park-adjusted runs scored per game of the lineups each team's pitchers face, computed from the MLB schedule for September 14 through 20, team run totals through September 12, and the park factor model behind the StreamMachine. Probable starters are MLB's announced probables where they exist (twelve as of September 13) and the FanGraphs Roster Resource probables grid for the rest of the week, with rotation order only where the grid names an arm the board cannot price; every projected start can slide. Stream Scores are from the FanRanked StreamMachine (50 = league-average start), priced by expected innings. Rostered percentages average the major fantasy platforms. Catcher throwing is Statcast caught stealing above average for 2026 through September 12, minimum 20 attempts. Injury moves are from the MLB transaction log, August 20 through September 13.

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About the author

JD, Founder at FanRanked. Former professional baseball player of 5 years, hardcore fantasy baseball fan for much, much longer.