Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Thursday: Lean on Young as Angels travel to Baltimore

ESPN FantasyAug 5, 2026, 04:05 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 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
17.3	Cristopher Sanchez	L	WSH	99.8%	70%	6.5	6.7	2.0	7.2
13.0	Dylan Cease	R	@CHC	99.1%	41%	5.9	7.4	2.3	7.0
12.5	Hunter Greene	R	ATH	64.2%	41%	5.9	6.8	2.6	6.6
11.1	Framber Valdez	L	@SEA	68.9%	29%	5.4	6.6	2.1	5.6
11.0	Nolan McLean	R	@CLE	92.7%	30%	5.6	7.1	2.3	5.9
10.9	Bryce Miller	R	DET	59.7%	33%	5.5	6.5	2.3	5.3
10.3	Foster Griffin	L	NYM	83.2%	31%	5.4	6.6	2.4	5.3
10.1	Brandon Young	R	LAA	19.1%	42%	5.9	7.5	2.8	5.3
8.9	David Peterson	L	TOR	6.1%	24%	5.4	7.3	2.4	4.9
8.4	Braxton Ashcraft	R	@MIL	85.1%	26%	5.0	6.6	2.5	5.2
8.3	Martin Perez	L	MIA	6.1%	29%	4.9	6.3	2.3	4.4
8.3	Dustin May	R	PIT	12.1%	30%	5.4	7.5	2.9	5.3
8.1	Michael Wacha	R	MIN	56.7%	36%	5.9	7.9	3.3	4.7
8.0	Ryan Johnson	R	@BAL	0.4%	21%	5.0	6.4	2.5	4.6
7.9	Luis Castillo	R	@BOS	47.0%	28%	5.5	7.4	3.2	5.2
7.5	Ranger Suarez	L	CWS	75.5%	23%	4.5	6.1	2.5	4.9
7.4	Mason Barnett	R	@CIN	0.0%	22%	5.0	6.8	2.8	5.0
6.9	Bailey Ober	R	@KC	15.7%	29%	5.3	7.1	3.2	4.4
6.8	Kohl Drake	L	SD	0.5%	22%	4.7	6.3	2.5	4.0
6.6	Janson Junk	R	@ATL	1.5%	18%	4.8	6.3	2.6	3.9
5.9	Walker Buehler	R	@ARI	4.6%	25%	5.0	7.5	2.9	4.3
4.9	Miles Mikolas	R	@PHI	0.4%	10%	4.9	6.6	3.1	3.7

Pitchers to stream on Thursday

Nine of Brandon Young's 18 outings have been quality starts. He sports a modest 19.4% strikeout rate, but his control is league average and he keeps the ball in the yard, which makes Young a solid streamer when the Baltimore Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards. The 27-year-old right-hander faces a lineup with the highest strikeout rate in the league versus righties, along with a below-average walk and home run rate.
The St. Louis Cardinals dealt Dustin May to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the week. A change in pitch mix has keyed his improved control and command, while ticking up his strikeout rate. When players are traded after adjusting, there is always concern whether the new team adds their own flavor or leaves things status quo. However, the Brewers excel at working with pitchers to maximize effectiveness and likely won't change anything. May's first post-deadline outing is against the Pittsburgh Pirates, though without Ryan O'Hearn, their offense isn't as productive.
There was a time when Bailey Ober was a near-automatic streamer, but injuries and ineffectiveness knocked him out of the fantasy "circle of trust." After posting a 3.98 ERA and 1.28 WHIP last month, the righty is back on the fantasy radar. The Minnesota Twins have a road date with the Kansas City Royals, setting Ober up for a solid effort. The Royals sport a below average wOBA facing righties and are without Vinnie Pasquantino.

Hitters to stream on Thursday

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't fortify their rotation at the trade deadline, so lefty Kohl Drake will serve as the fifth starter. Drake has 12 punchouts in his first 13 major league innings, but he's also issued five free passes while allowing three long balls. The San Diego Padres are in the desert for an NL West matchup. Their right-handed contingent benefits from the platoon advantage, especially Luis Rengifo, Ty France and Xander Bogaerts.