Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Thursday: Look to Cards' McGreevy on meager slate

ESPN FantasyJul 22, 2026, 03:45 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 | Start new league
ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Thursday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR THURSDAY

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
10.5	Taj Bradley	R	@CLE	66.8%	34%	6.1	8.2	3.1	6.5
10.5	Troy Melton	R	KC	59.0%	38%	5.7	7.0	2.6	5.5
10.3	Michael McGreevy	R	ARI	25.6%	39%	6.0	7.4	2.5	4.6
10.2	Ian Seymour	L	@TOR	21.2%	29%	4.9	5.6	2.0	5.0
10.0	Chris Sale	L	SD	99.6%	25%	4.8	5.8	2.0	5.4
8.6	Gavin Williams	R	MIN	95.4%	27%	5.1	7.1	2.7	5.7
8.3	Brandon Pfaadt	R	@STL	4.6%	26%	5.2	6.7	2.5	4.4
7.9	Shane Bieber	R	TB	18.5%	26%	5.3	7.0	2.8	4.8
5.1	Randy Dobnak	R	@DET	0.1%	21%	4.9	7.2	2.8	3.6
4.3	Griffin Canning	R	@ATL	0.5%	7%	3.9	5.9	2.4	3.7

Pitchers to stream on Thursday

With only five games on the abbreviated Thursday slate, we'll go off script and highlight Detroit Tigers righty Troy Melton, whose 59% rostership is a bit above the usual 50% maximum used to identify streamers. The 25-year-old is coming off consecutive nine-strikeout efforts. He'll be challenged to match that when the Tigers host the Kansas City Royals, whose strikeout rate is a tick below average facing right-handers, but the Royals' power and overall production are below average.
Michael McGreevy has recorded a quality start in seven of his last eight outings for the St. Louis Cardinals, including each of his last four. He has a modest 28 strikeouts over those 47 2/3 innings, but he has allowed just nine walks and six homers to key his run prevention. On Thursday, McGreevy faces a Arizona Diamondbacks lineup that sports the league's lowest wOBA against right-handers.
Ian Seymour is in a rut, yielding eight earned runs over his last two starts, spanning 8 1/3 innings. However, in the prior four efforts, the lefty posted a 2.74 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with 31 punchouts over 23 frames. Seymour will look to get back on track when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Toronto Blue Jays, who have the league's lowest wOBA versus left-handers.

Hitters to stream on Thursday

Griffin Canning carries a bloated 6.67 ERA and 1.62 WHIP into Truist Park when the San Diego Padres visit the Atlanta Braves. The 12:15 p.m. ET start will keep temperatures from reaching their peak during the game, but the early forecast calls for high humidity and a gentle wind to left field, further benefiting Braves hitters. Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley, Dominic Smith and Jim Jarvis are readily available to fill holes in a Thursday lineup weakened by a five-game ledger.