Despite the short slate, there is no shortage of good pitching options available for your daily fantasy baseball lineups Thursday. However, Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels are pitching in the afternoon set, so the evening pitcher pool will be shallower, especially with Chris Sale and Johnny Cueto struggling.
That's OK because we still like a few of the top-level (Bumgarner) and value pitchers (Wacha, Matz, Pineda). Whether you go expensive or cheap with your pitchers, we'll help you squeeze in the right DFS hitter picks to fill out the rest of your lineups. Good luck in all your daily fantasy baseball contests, and be sure to check out today's best DFS picks from Fantasy Alarm, too.
MORE: SN Fantasy | Daily hitter splits | DFS Playbook
Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Rankings
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | vs. D-backs |
| 2 | Madison Bumgarner | Giants | at Padres |
| 3 | Cole Hamels | Rangers | at Athletics |
| 4 | Michael Wacha | Cardinals | vs. Brewers |
| 5 | Steve Matz | Mets | at Reds |
| 6 | Michael Pineda | Yankees | vs. White Sox |
| 7 | Chris Sale | White Sox | at Yankees |
| 8 | Ian Kennedy | Padres | vs. Giants |
| 9 | Johnny Cueto | Royals | vs. Mariners |
| 10 | Patrick Corbin | D-backs | at Dodgers |
| 11 | Jarred Cosart | Marlins | vs. Phillies |
| 12 | Taylor Jungmann | Brewers | at Cardinals |
| 13 | Cody Anderson | Indians | at Twins |
| 14 | Erasmo Ramirez | Rays | at Red Sox |
| 15 | Kyle Gibson | Twins | vs. Indians |
| 16 | Wade Miley | Red Sox | vs. Rays |
| 17 | James Paxton | Mariners | at Royals |
| 18 | Jeff Locke | Pirates | at Rockies |
| 19 | Josh Smith | Reds | vs. Mets |
| 20 | Chris Bassitt | A's | vs. Rangers |
| 21 | Tyler Wilson | Orioles | at Nationals |
| 22 | Tanner Roark | Nats | vs. Orioles |
| 23 | Alec Asher | Phillies | at Marlins |
| 24 | Chad Bettis | Rockies | vs. Pirates |
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Saves Sleepers
Neftali Feliz picked up the save for the Tigers on Wednesday despite blowing the save Tuesday. The fact that manager Brad Ausmus went right back to Feliz indicates he's the favorite for saves in Detroit with Bruce Rondon out of the picture. However, Alex Wilson could be used if Feliz falters.
With Zach Britton still nursing a sore left lat, Baltimore's Darren O'Day picked up his second save in as many days on Wednesday. Britton will likely get his closer job back when he's able to pitch, but at this point, it could easily be O'Day's gig for the rest of the season.
Check our MLB Closer Depth Chart for more closer changes.
Weather Watch
There are no significant threats of rain today, so it should be a clear day around the league.