Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Friday: Roki Sasaki in a great spot to shine

ESPN FantasyJun 4, 2026, 03:30 PM ET
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Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.

Other resources: RP depth chart | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | Betting notes for Friday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR FRIDAY

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN's standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher's handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher's roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an "opener" to start their game, but will rely on a "bulk pitcher" to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
15.3	Jesus Luzardo	L	CWS	91.2%	46%	6.3	6.7	2.1	7.1
13.1	Bryan Woo	R	@DET	99.1%	43%	6.0	6.4	2.2	5.7
12.6	Roki Sasaki	R	LAA	26.9%	41%	6.0	7.1	2.4	6.1
12.1	Ryan Weathers	L	BOS	53.6%	36%	6.1	7.5	2.6	6.5
11.9	Trey Yesavage	R	BAL	71.9%	36%	5.5	6.7	2.1	6.1
11.6	Michael King	R	NYM	88.5%	34%	5.3	6.3	1.8	5.5
11.6	Drew Rasmussen	R	@MIA	83.4%	37%	5.6	6.4	2.0	5.0
11.2	Peter Lambert	R	ATH	9.9%	32%	5.4	6.6	1.9	5.4
11.1	Jack Perkins	R	@HOU	1.5%	24%	5.1	5.9	1.7	5.4
10.9	Anthony Kay	L	@PHI	7.3%	27%	5.5	6.4	2.1	5.1
10.8	Reid Detmers	L	@LAD	22.1%	26%	5.6	6.9	2.4	6.0
10.4	Framber Valdez	L	SEA	81.4%	27%	5.8	7.4	2.6	5.7
10.3	Christian Scott	R	@SD	6.2%	24%	5.5	6.8	2.2	5.3
10.2	Sonny Gray	R	@NYY	83.2%	28%	5.2	6.3	2.3	5.6
10.1	Brady Singer	R	@STL	5.4%	37%	5.9	7.5	2.7	5.1
10.1	Ben Brown	R	SF	34.4%	33%	5.7	7.2	2.6	5.5
10.0	Brandon Young	R	@TOR	3.4%	29%	5.7	7.0	2.4	4.9
10.0	Zebby Matthews	R	KC	13.6%	35%	6.1	7.8	3.1	5.8
9.5	Merrill Kelly	R	WSH	30.8%	36%	6.1	7.7	3.0	5.0
9.5	Parker Messick	L	@TEX	92.3%	32%	5.2	6.6	2.5	5.3
9.4	Michael Wacha	R	@MIN	72.7%	32%	5.8	7.6	2.8	5.2
9.1	Robbie Ray	L	@CHC	55.3%	28%	5.2	6.8	2.4	5.1
9.0	Kyle Leahy	R	CIN	4.2%	27%	5.5	7.2	2.5	4.9
8.4	Foster Griffin	L	@ARI	35.4%	20%	4.6	5.6	2.0	4.3
8.1	Martin Perez	L	PIT	6.9%	26%	5.1	6.6	2.6	4.5
7.7	Kumar Rocker	R	CLE	3.4%	23%	5.1	6.9	2.6	4.5
7.2	Mitch Keller	R	@ATL	39.1%	27%	5.2	7.0	2.9	4.5
6.8	Tyler Phillips	R	TB	1.7%	7%	4.2	5.3	1.8	3.7
3.3	Brandon Sproat	R	@COL	1.5%	31%	5.4	8.3	4.8	5.1
0.5	Ryan Feltner	R	MIL	0.2%	14%	4.2	7.2	4.2	3.8

Pitchers to stream on Friday

Back in 2024, when Roki Sasaki was posted, talent evaluators indicated that while Paul Skenes was the better prospect, it wasn't outlandish to talk about them in the same conversation. Keep in mind that at the time, Sasaki was just 22 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season. The main takeaway isn't the Sasaki-Skenes comparison, but that Sasaki is still very young and had some health issues to overcome. After a slow start to the month, he posted a 3.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in May, fanning 28 in 28 1/3 innings. He's in a great spot to keep rolling in May with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Los Angeles Angels. Sasaki will face an offense that's been productive on the road, but they also lend high strikeout upside.
In his five starts since Ben Brown joined the Chicago Cubs' rotation, he's registered a 1.73 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 29 punchouts and no homers allowed in 26 frames. It took a couple of outings to build up his pitch count, but he's fully stretched out with limitations. The Cubs are in Wrigley Field for a Friday matinee. They sport a league-average road wOBA when facing right-handers, though they strike out over 25% of the time.
After recording three quality starts after joining the Minnesota Twins' rotation last month, Zebby Matthews ended May on a down note after being hit hard by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's in a good spot to get June off to a strong start with a home date against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals put the ball in play, but they lack power and patience.
Peter Lambert still walks too many batters, but unlike his tenure with the Colorado Rockies, he's not giving up a bunch of homers with the Houston Astros. Plus, his new club is working with his repertoire, as Lambert is throwing fewer four-seamers, curves, and changeups while introducing a cutter and using his sinker more. Expect the club to continue tweaking until Lambert throws more strikes. A home date with the Athletics is on the docket. Facing righties on the road, the Athletics are one of the least patient teams with one of the highest strikeout rates.

Hitters to stream on Friday

With Eury Perez, Janson Junk and Robby Snelling, along with Braxton Garrett struggling and demoted after coming off the IL, the Miami Marlins have been scrambling for starting pitching. Friday's plan is piggybacking Ryan Gusto and Tyler Phillips. They're both right-handed, so the Tampa Bay Rays can deploy their usual left-handed lineup. This avails favorable matchups for Jonathan Aranda, Richie Palacios and Chandler Simpson when the Sunshine State clubs battle at Tropicana Field.