Welcome to Week 3 of our Top 50 Starting Pitchers of the Week series for 2023. Every Friday, we review the upcoming slate and rank the starters based on their ability, matchups, and their number of scheduled starts. Today’s rankings are for the week of Monday, April 17, through Sunday, April 23. As usual, there are plenty of matchups to be excited about and plenty of others to be wary of.
Top 50 Starting Pitcher Rankings: Week 3
As always, our planning starts with the Expert Consensus Rankings and is adjusted based on the Pitcher Planner. It would be best to double-check this resource before setting your lineup, as rotations change frequently. The complete Top 50 is below, but first, let’s review the matchups that are the juiciest and scariest for next week.
Two-Start Starters with the Best Matchups
It should be a good week for fantasy managers who invested in Jacob deGrom (SP – TEX). The Rangers’ ace will face Kansas City on the road and Oakland at home. He could generate 20 strikeouts for the week. Shohei Ohtani (SP,DH – LAA) and Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI) should also have huge weeks. Ohtani has a relatively tough first start in Boston but then gets the Royals in Anaheim. Wheeler will begin the week on the road against the White Sox, then face the Rockies at home on the weekend.
Two-Start Starters with the Worst Matchups
Gerrit Cole (SP – NYY) gets a two-start week but will have to face the Angels and Blue Jays, but at least both games are at home. Kevin Gausman (SP – TOR) has two road starts at Houston and against the Yanks in the Bronx. Yikes! Cristian Javier (SP,RP – HOU), who’s been kind of “meh” this year, will have trouble turning things around against the Blue Jays in Houston and the Braves in Atlanta. Hold your breath Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) managers as the veteran is scheduled to face the Cardinals in St. Louis and the Padres at home.
Best Matchups for Pitchers with One Start
Among the high-end solo start pitchers, Shane Bieber (SP – CLE) has the best matchup, facing Miami in Cleveland. Pablo Lopez (SP – MIN) has looked like an ace thus far for the Twins and should continue to roll against the Nationals at home. Back of the rotation options Jon Gray (SP – TEX), Alex Cobb (SP – SF), and the rookie Grayson Rodriguez (SP – BAL) could be in for big weeks. Gray faces the A’s at home, Cobb gets the Marlins in Miami, and Rodriguez will take on the lowly Tigers in Baltimore.
Worst Matchups for Pitchers with One Start
If Framber Valdez (SP – HOU), Logan Webb (SP – SF), Blake Snell (SP – SD), or Nestor Cortes Jr. (SP – NYY) is on your roster, you probably have to start them next week, but keep your expectations in check. Valdez is on the road in Atlanta, which is never easy. The other three are at home but face formidable offenses. Webb gets the Mets, Snell the Braves, and Cortes will take on the Blue Jays.
| Rank | Player | Matchup(s) |
| 1 | Jacob deGrom | @KC, OAK (two starts) |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | @BOS, KC (two starts) |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | @CWS, COL (two starts) |
| 4 | Gerrit Cole | LAA, TOR (two starts) |
| 5 | Spencer Strider (SP,RP – ATL) | @SD, HOU (two starts) |
| 6 | Corbin Burnes (SP – MIL) | BOS |
| 7 | Aaron Nola (SP – PHI) | COL |
| 8 | Kevin Gausman | @HOU, @NYY (two starts) |
| 9 | Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA) | @CLE |
| 10 | Cristian Javier | TOR, @ATL (two starts) |
| 11 | Shane McClanahan (SP – TB) | CWS |
| 12 | Shane Bieber | MIA |
| 13 | Dylan Cease (SP – CWS) | @TB |
| 14 | Max Scherzer (SP – NYM) | @SF |
| 15 | Hunter Greene (SP – CIN) | TB, @PIT (two starts) |
| 16 | Luis Castillo (SP – SEA) | STL |
| 17 | Julio Urias (SP – LAD) | @CHC |
| 18 | Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN) | TB, @PIT (two starts) |
| 19 | Clayton Kershaw (SP – LAD) | NYM, @CHC (two starts) |
| 20 | Lance Lynn (SP – CWS) | PHI, @TB (two starts) |
| 21 | Zac Gallen (SP – ARI) | SD |
| 22 | Alek Manoah (SP – TOR) | @NYY |
| 23 | Yu Darvish (SP – SD) | @ARI |
| 24 | Framber Valdez | @ATL |
| 25 | Logan Gilbert (SP – SEA) | MIL |
| 26 | George Kirby (SP – SEA) | STL |
| 27 | Logan Webb | NYM |
| 28 | Chris Sale (SP – BOS) | LAA, @MIL (two starts) |
| 29 | Dustin May (SP – LAD) | NYM, @CHC (two starts) |
| 30 | Blake Snell | ATL |
| 31 | Jesus Luzardo (SP – MIA) | SF, @CLE (two starts) |
| 32 | Nestor Cortes Jr. | TOR |
| 33 | Kyle Wright (SP – ATL) | HOU |
| 34 | Freddy Peralta (SP – MIL) | @SEA |
| 35 | Joe Ryan (SP – MIN) | @BOS |
| 36 | Pablo Lopez | WSH |
| 37 | Jeffrey Springs (SP,RP – TB) | @CIN |
| 38 | Lucas Giolito (SP – CWS) | PHI |
| 39 | Sonny Gray (SP – MIN) | @BOS, WSH (two starts) |
| 40 | Charlie Morton (SP – ATL) | @SD |
| 41 | Jordan Montgomery (SP – STL) | ARI |
| 42 | Chris Bassitt (SP – TOR) | @HOU |
| 43 | Brady Singer (SP – KC) | TEX |
| 44 | Merrill Kelly | @STL, SD (two starts) |
| 45 | Jon Gray | OAK |
| 46 | Jack Flaherty (SP – STL) | ARI, @SEA (two starts) |
| 47 | Drew Rasmussen (SP – TB) | @CIN |
| 48 | Alex Cobb | @MIA |
| 49 | Grayson Rodriguez | DET |
| 50 | Marcus Stroman (SP – CHC) | @OAK, LAD (two starts) |
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