Knowing your league’s rules and settings is one of the most critical elements of being a consistent winner in fantasy baseball. Leagues don’t all have identical settings. Some leagues have innings or start limits. Additionally, some leagues distinguish between starters and relievers, while others use only pitcher spots, allowing gamers to use any hurler in those spots.

This piece isn’t particularly useful in leagues with pitcher spots. However, in those with starter and reliever spots, it’s an area where gamers can push edges, especially in leagues without innings or start limits. Furthermore, while I don’t advocate punting in roto leagues, punting saves can be useful in head-to-head formats. Filling reliever spots with starting pitchers can enhance your odds of beating your opponent in wins and strikeouts or scoring more points than them in points leagues.

Below is a list of six RP-eligible starting pitchers to target and their average draft position (ADP).

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RP-Eligible Starting Pitcher Targets

Bowden Francis (SP, RP – TOR) | Pitcher79/198.6 ADP

Bowden Francis split time between the rotation and the bullpen in 2024. He made 13 starts and 14 relief appearances. According to FanGraphs, Francis had a 3.30 ERA, 3.39 xERA, 4.17 xFIP and 3.88 SIERA in 103.2 innings in 2024. The gap between his ERA and ERA estimators would suggest he was lucky, but his xERA was encouraging.

Interestingly, Francis did his best work as a starter and thrived in the second half. He made 11 appearances and 10 of his 13 starts in the second half. In 65 innings in the second half, Francis had a 1.80 ERA, 3.89 xFIP, 3.57 SIERA, 0.60 WHIP, 3.4% walk rate, 24.7% strikeout rate, 99 stuff+, 106 location+ and 104 pitching+.

Francis’ 1.80 ERA was fortunate. Still, he had an excellent gap between his strikeout and walk rates, and his pitch modeling was stellar. A sub-4.00 ERA, rock-solid strikeout rate and fantasy-friendly WHIP across roughly 150 innings is within reach for Francis in 2025.

Drew Rasmussen (SP, RP – TB) | Pitcher103/267.4 ADP

The Rays have more rotation-worthy pitchers than rotation spots, but they “don’t anticipate going to a six-man [rotation].” The MLB season is long, though, and many of Tampa Bay’s starters will likely face innings restrictions.

Drew Rasmussen is an extremely talented pitcher. Sadly, he’s had two Tommy John procedures and a third procedure in 2023 for an internal brace to support his UCL. Rasmussen made a triumphant return to the hill last year, albeit recording six outs or fewer in 16 appearances across 28.2 innings.

Rasmussen had sparkling numbers in 2024, and his pitch modeling included 121 stuff+, 102 location+ and 119 pitching+. He still has the goods and reportedly doesn’t have more significant risks returning to starting than pitching in relief. Rasmussen’s skills make him an intriguing dart throw at his low-risk fantasy baseball ADP.

Jackson Jobe (SP, RP – DET) | Pitcher105/270.4 ADP

Jackson Jobe isn’t ideal for gamers seeking a trustworthy pitcher immediately in the season. The youngster isn’t a lock to make Detroit’s rotation. Nevertheless, even if Jobe has a blistering spring, keeping him on the bench for at least one start, if not two turns, before trusting him in fantasy baseball lineups is prudent.

The 22-year-old righty was the third pick in the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. His 1.95 ERA in 16 starts spanning 73.2 innings in Double-A last year overstated his underlying data, evidenced by his 4.03 xFIP and 12.7% walk rate. Jobe had a 6.00 ERA and 5.67 xFIP in two starts lasting nine innings in Triple-A and a 0.00 ERA, 2.47 xERA, 4.81 xFIP and 4.85 SIERA in two starts totaling four innings for the Tigers.

Jobe might endure some hiccups before putting it together in The Show. However, Jobe’s 106 stuff+, 96 location+, 104 pithing+ and additions of a two-seam fastball and curveball to his arsenal while training at PitchingWRX in the offseason are reasons to dream about the flame-throwing righty — 97 miles per hour (MPH) average four-seam fastball velocity and 99.3 MPH maximum for the Tigers — hitting the ground running and never looking back this season.

Clay Holmes (RP – NYM) | Pitcher120/296 ADP

Clay Holmes is undervalued. He hasn’t made a start in the Majors since 2018. Nevertheless, Holmes was an above-average-to-excellent starter the previous four years with the arsenal, elite ground-ball rate and lack of a pronounced split capable of transitioning to starting.

Since 2022, Holmes has held 356 lefties to a .286 wOBA and 437 righties to a .256 wOBA. Furthermore, in 63 innings last season, Holmes put up the following stats:

• 3.14 ERA
• 3.29 xERA
• 3.01 xFIP
• 2.87 SIERA
• 1.30 WHIP
• 8.1% Walk Rate
• 25.1% Strikeout Rate
• 65% Groundball Rate
• .322 batting average on balls in play (BABIP)
• 32.4 CSW%
• 124 stuff+
• 100 location+
• 120 pitching+

An uncharacteristically high BABIP inflated Holmes’ WHIP. Otherwise, his statistical profile was strong. Gamers shouldn’t hesitate to snap up Holmes earlier than his ADP to see if he can successfully pivot from pitching well in the bullpen to doing so in a rotation.

Jordan Hicks (SP, RP – SF) | Pitcher190/441 ADP

The Giants looked like mad geniuses early last year for signing Jordan Hicks and using him as a starter. He couldn’t keep up his torrid start, struggled during the summer and finished the year as a reliever.

According to Buster Posey, Hicks will start again this year.

Asked about the rotation and potential upgrades, Buster Posey talked at length about how much belief he has in the Giants young pitchers. He also said Jordan Hicks will remain in the rotation.

– Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 9, 2024

Hicks bulked up this offseason after wearing down last year. All stories about players being stronger or in the best shape of their lives should be taken with a grain of salt at this point in the calendar. Nonetheless, Hicks’ steep statistical decline in his first year as a legitimate starter in the Majors at least passes the sniff test for his claim of wearing down.

In Hicks’ first 15 starts last year, he had the following stats:

• 76.2 innings
• 2.82 ERA
• 3.95 xFIP
• 4.13 SIERA
• 1.23 WHIP
• 8.8% Walk Rate
• 21.3% Strikeout Rate
• 53.7% Groundball Rate
• 27.4 CSW%
• 102 stuff+
• 100 location+
• 103 pitching+

Sure, Hicks’ ERA was markedly better than his ERA estimators. Yet, he had some encouraging marks before his season went off a cliff. Hicks’ velocity also dipped 0.5 MPH on his heater in his final 14 appearances (five starts) from 94.8 MPH to 94.3 MPH.

Again, the velocity dip also supported Hicks wearing down. Hicks could be useful this year if he can maintain his early-2024 pace over most of the 2025 season. Hicks is also a viable option to roster for early in the year and ditch if his production slips again.

Hayden Wesneski (SP, RP – HOU) | Pitcher240/525 ADP

Hayden Wesneski was part of Chicago’s package sent to Houston for Kyle Tucker. Wesneski has spent time as a reliever and starter to this point in his big-league career with the Cubs, but the Astros view him as a starter.

Weneski’s numbers aren’t jaw-dropping. Still, they were adequate in 68 appearances (22 starts) spanning 190 innings for the Cubs. He had the following stats in those innings:

• 3.93 ERA
• 4.07 xFIP
• 3.94 SIERA
• 1.17 WHIP
• 7.6% Walk Rate
• 23 % Strikeout Rate
• 28 CSW%
• 99 stuff+
• 104 location+
• 102 pitching+

Could Wesneski be Houston’s next success story? As Brian McTaggart’s piece for MLB.com noted, “the club has identified things Wesneski can adjust to help take his performance to another level,” and the Astros have made changes that helped other pitchers such as Collin McHugh, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander excel.

I’d be much less intrigued by Wesneski in leagues with pitcher spots instead of splitting up starters and relievers. Still, he’s a sneaky RP-eligible starting pitcher gamers can file away as a late-round pick.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.