Weekly Pitcher Rankings: A September to Remember?

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: A September to Remember?

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Updated on September 6, 2021 12:45AM EST

Things are shaping up for an exciting month. It sure appears the NL West and the wild cards in both leagues will go down to the wire. Both Cy Young awards are up in the air. Even if he doesn't have ample innings to qualify for the AL Cy, we should have a few more chances to marvel at Shohei Ohtani's mound exploits while he chases 50 homers.

From a fantasy perspective, the first full week in September is busy with 96 games, including a doubleheader on Saturday between the Blue Jays and Orioles in Baltimore.

Here is your weekly reminder that I pull the starters from our Projected Starters page so any scheduling questions should be posted over there. I'm happy to address ranking questions below.

Please check back on Sunday night for the weekly refresh.

UPDATED: Monday September 6 12:45 AM ET

Week of Sept. 6-12

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Zack Wheeler	PHI	@MIL, COL
2	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TOR, @NYM	3-0 with .47 ERA and .95 WHIP, fanning 30 over last 19 IP
3	Max Scherzer	LAD	@STL, SD
4	Chris Sale	BOS	TB, @CWS
5	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	PHI, @CLE
6	Max Fried	ATL	WAS, MIA	Soft matchups at home
7	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	SEA, LAA
8	Sonny Gray	CIN	@CHC, @STL	3-0 with 2.79 ERA and .96 WHIP over last 7 GS with 38 K in 38.2 IP
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	@MIL, COL	Skills

Things are shaping up for an exciting month. It sure appears the NL West and the wild cards in both leagues will go down to the wire. Both Cy Young awards are up in the air. Even if he doesn't have ample innings to qualify for the AL Cy, we should have a few more chances to marvel at Shohei Ohtani's mound exploits while he chases 50 homers.

From a fantasy perspective, the first full week in September is busy with 96 games, including a doubleheader on Saturday between the Blue Jays and Orioles in Baltimore.

Here is your weekly reminder that I pull the starters from our Projected Starters page so any scheduling questions should be posted over there. I'm happy to address ranking questions below.

Please check back on Sunday night for the weekly refresh.

UPDATED: Monday September 6 12:45 AM ET

Week of Sept. 6-12

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Zack Wheeler	PHI	@MIL, COL
2	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TOR, @NYM	3-0 with .47 ERA and .95 WHIP, fanning 30 over last 19 IP
3	Max Scherzer	LAD	@STL, SD
4	Chris Sale	BOS	TB, @CWS
5	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	PHI, @CLE
6	Max Fried	ATL	WAS, MIA	Soft matchups at home
7	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	SEA, LAA
8	Sonny Gray	CIN	@CHC, @STL	3-0 with 2.79 ERA and .96 WHIP over last 7 GS with 38 K in 38.2 IP
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	@MIL, COL	Skills still solid but has incurred a few hiccups
10	Walker Buehler	LAD	SD
11	Blake Snell	SD	LAA, @LAD	1.83 ERA and .46 WHIP with 29 K over prior 19.2 IP
12	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	@NYY, @BAL
13	Framber Valdez	HOU	LAA
14	Robbie Ray	TOR	@BAL	Not slowing down: 1.64 ERA and .73 WHIP with 35 K over previous 22 IP
15	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL, @CHC	Coors Field an issue but still deserves top-20 status
16	Charlie Morton	ATL	MIA
17	Joe Musgrove	SD	@LAD
18	Zac Gallen	ARI	TEX
19	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	NYM
20	Triston McKenzie	CLE	MIN	May seem aggressive, but pitching deep with high K
21	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@MIA
22	Adam Wainwright	STL	LAD
23	Frankie Montas	OAK	CWS
24	Edward Cabrera	MIA	NYM, @ATL	Pedigree says the whiffs are coming
25	Luis Garcia	HOU	LAA
26	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@MIA, NYY
27	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@SEA
28	Lucas Giolito	CWS	BOS
29	Lance Lynn	CWS	BOS
30	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@CLE
31	Tyler Mahle	CIN	@STL
32	Jameson Taillon	NYY	TOR, @NYM
33	Taijuan Walker	NYM	NYY
34	Julio Urias	LAD	@STL
35	Carlos Hernandez	KC	@BAL
36	Luke Weaver	ARI	TEX
37	Aaron Civale	CLE	MIN, MIL	Slated to return, should be able to throw around 75 pitches
38	James Kaprielian	OAK	CWS, TEX	In a rut but should rebound
39	Luis Castillo	CIN	@STL
40	Yu Darvish	SD	LAA
41	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@SD
42	Jose Urquidy	HOU	SEA
43	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	TB
44	Cal Quantrill	CLE	MIN
45	Rich Hill	NYM	@MIA
46	Miles Mikolas	STL	LAD, CIN
47	Logan Webb	SF	@COL, @CHC
48	Marco Gonzales	SEA	ARI
49	Corey Kluber	NYY	@NYM
50	Alek Manoah	TOR	@NYY
51	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@HOU, ARI
52	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	TB, @CWS
53	Freddy Peralta	MIL	PHI
54	Jose Berrios	TOR	@NYY
55	John Means	BAL	KC
56	Ian Anderson	ATL	MIA
57	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	WAS
58	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TOR
59	Kyle Gibson	PHI	@MIL
60	Bailey Ober	MIN	@CLE, KC	2.81 ERA and 1.08 WHIP since the break with 40 K in 41.2 IP
61	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	SEA
62	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@OAK
63	Chris Flexen	SEA	ARI
64	Tyler Gilbert	ARI	@SEA
65	Dylan Cease	CWS	BOS
66	A.J. Alexy	TEX	@LAA
67	Sean Manaea	OAK	CWS
68	Zac Lowther	BAL	KC, TOR
69	Zach Plesac	CLE	MIL
70	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	LAD
71	Wade Miley	CIN	@CHC
72	Touki Toussaint	ATL	WAS
73	Paul Blackburn	OAK	TEX
74	Ranger Suarez	PHI	COL
75	Tarik Skubal	DET	@PIT
76	Bryse Wilson	PIT	DET, WAS
77	David Price	LAD	@STL
78	Michael Pineda	MIN	KC
79	Chris Paddack	SD	@LAD
80	Casey Mize	DET	TB
81	German Marquez	COL	@PHI
82	Nestor Cortes	NYY	TOR
83	Mix 12 Reliever
84	Eric Lauer	MIL	PHI
85	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CLE
86	Taylor Hearn	TEX	@OAK
87	Tanner Houck	BOS	@CWS
88	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@ATL
89	Tylor Megill	NYM	NYY
90	Steven Matz	TOR	@NYY, @BAL
91	Kolby Allard	TEX	@OAK
92	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	@SEA
93	Mix 15 Reliever
94	Cole Irvin	OAK	TEX
95	Jon Gray	COL	@PHI
96	Mike Minor	KC	@BAL
97	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@HOU
98	Tyler Anderson	SEA	@HOU
99	Dane Dunning	TEX	@OAK
100	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	@ATL
101	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	NYM
102	Joe Ryan	MIN	@CLE
103	Chris Archer	TB	@DET
104	Mitch White	LAD	@STL, SD
105	Justin Steele	CHC	CIN, SF
106	Alec Mills	CHC	CIN
107	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	SF
108	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@CLE
109	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@BOS
110	John Gant	MIN	@CLE
111	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	@CHC
112	Shane McClanahan	TB	@BOS
113	Patrick Corbin	WAS	NYM, @PIT
114	Logan Allen	CLE	MIN
115	Glenn Otto	TEX	@ARI
116	Josiah Gray	WAS	@PIT
117	Matthew Boyd	DET	TB
118	Kris Bubic	KC	@BAL, @MIN
119	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF, @PHI
120	J.A. Happ	STL	LAD, CIN
121	Eli Morgan	CLE	MIL
122	Mitch Keller	PIT	DET
123	Jon Lester	STL	CIN
124	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@OAK
125	Jose Suarez	LAA	@HOU
126	Tyler Alexander	DET	TB
127	Brady Singer	KC	@MIN
128	Drew Rasmussen	TB	@BOS
129	Paolo Espino	WAS	@ATL, @PIT
130	Matt Manning	DET	@PIT
131	Bailey Falter	PHI	COL
132	Jose Quintana	SF	@CHC
133	Luis Patino	TB	@DET
134	Wily Peralta	DET	@PIT
135	Erick Fedde	WAS	@ATL
136	Steven Brault	PIT	WAS
137	Trevor Williams	NYM	@WAS
138	Griffin Jax	MIN	KC
139	Jaime Barria	LAA	TEX, @HOU
140	Zach Davies	CHC	SF
141	Michael Wacha	TB	@DET
142	Jackson Kowar	KC	@BAL
143	Dillon Peters	PIT	DET
144	Ryan Feltner	COL	@PHI
145	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@COL
146	Keegan Akin	BAL	TOR
147	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@ARI
148	Daniel Lynch	KC	@MIN
149	Thomas Hatch	TOR	@BAL
150	Adrian Sampson	CHC	CIN
151	Packy Naughton	LAA	@SD, @HOU
152	Wil Crowe	PIT	WAS
153	Antonio Senzatela	COL	SF
154	Matt Harvey	BAL	KC, TOR
155	Jimmy Lambert	CWS	@OAK
156	Chris Ellis	BAL	KC
157	Spenser Watkins	BAL	TOR
158	Sean Nolin	WAS	@ATL
159	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	SF

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TOR, @NYM	3-0 with .47 ERA and .95 WHIP, fanning 30 over last 19 IP
2	Chris Sale	BOS	TB, @CWS
3	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	SEA, LAA
4	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	@NYY, @BAL
5	Framber Valdez	HOU	LAA
6	Robbie Ray	TOR	@BAL	Not slowing down: 1.64 ERA and .73 WHIP with 35 K over previous 22 IP
7	Triston McKenzie	CLE	MIN	May seem aggressive, but pitching deep with high K
8	Frankie Montas	OAK	CWS
9	Luis Garcia	HOU	LAA
10	Lucas Giolito	CWS	BOS
11	Lance Lynn	CWS	BOS
12	Jameson Taillon	NYY	TOR, @NYM
13	Carlos Hernandez	KC	@BAL
14	Aaron Civale	CLE	MIN, MIL	Slated to return, should be able to throw around 75 pitches
15	James Kaprielian	OAK	CWS, TEX	In a rut but should rebound
16	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@SD
17	Jose Urquidy	HOU	SEA
18	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	TB
19	Cal Quantrill	CLE	MIN
20	Marco Gonzales	SEA	ARI
21	Corey Kluber	NYY	@NYM
22	Alek Manoah	TOR	@NYY
23	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@HOU, ARI
24	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	TB, @CWS
25	Jose Berrios	TOR	@NYY
26	John Means	BAL	KC
27	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TOR
28	Bailey Ober	MIN	@CLE, KC	2.81 ERA and 1.08 WHIP since the break with 40 K in 41.2 IP
29	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	SEA
30	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@OAK
31	Chris Flexen	SEA	ARI
32	Dylan Cease	CWS	BOS
33	A.J. Alexy	TEX	@LAA
34	Sean Manaea	OAK	CWS
35	Zac Lowther	BAL	KC, TOR
36	Zach Plesac	CLE	MIL
37	Paul Blackburn	OAK	TEX
38	Tarik Skubal	DET	@PIT
39	Michael Pineda	MIN	KC
40	Casey Mize	DET	TB
41	Nestor Cortes	NYY	TOR
42	Taylor Hearn	TEX	@OAK
43	Tanner Houck	BOS	@CWS
44	Steven Matz	TOR	@NYY, @BAL
45	Kolby Allard	TEX	@OAK
46	Cole Irvin	OAK	TEX
47	Mike Minor	KC	@BAL
48	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@HOU
49	Tyler Anderson	SEA	@HOU
50	Dane Dunning	TEX	@OAK
51	Joe Ryan	MIN	@CLE
52	Chris Archer	TB	@DET
53	AL Reliever
54	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@CLE
55	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@BOS
56	John Gant	MIN	@CLE
57	Shane McClanahan	TB	@BOS
58	Logan Allen	CLE	MIN
59	Glenn Otto	TEX	@ARI
60	Matthew Boyd	DET	TB
61	Kris Bubic	KC	@BAL, @MIN
62	Eli Morgan	CLE	MIL
63	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@OAK
64	Jose Suarez	LAA	@HOU
65	Tyler Alexander	DET	TB
66	Brady Singer	KC	@MIN
67	Drew Rasmussen	TB	@BOS
68	Matt Manning	DET	@PIT
69	Luis Patino	TB	@DET
70	Wily Peralta	DET	@PIT
71	Griffin Jax	MIN	KC
72	Jaime Barria	LAA	TEX, @HOU
73	Michael Wacha	TB	@DET
74	Jackson Kowar	KC	@BAL
75	Keegan Akin	BAL	TOR
76	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@ARI
77	Daniel Lynch	KC	@MIN
78	Thomas Hatch	TOR	@BAL
79	Packy Naughton	LAA	@SD, @HOU
80	Matt Harvey	BAL	KC, TOR
81	Jimmy Lambert	CWS	@OAK
82	Chris Ellis	BAL	KC
83	Spenser Watkins	BAL	TOR

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Zack Wheeler	PHI	@MIL, COL
2	Max Scherzer	LAD	@STL, SD
3	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	PHI, @CLE
4	Max Fried	ATL	WAS, MIA	Soft matchups at home
5	Sonny Gray	CIN	@CHC, @STL	3-0 with 2.79 ERA and .96 WHIP over last 7 GS with 38 K in 38.2 IP
6	Aaron Nola	PHI	@MIL, COL	Skills still solid but has incurred a few hiccups
7	Walker Buehler	LAD	SD
8	Blake Snell	SD	LAA, @LAD	1.83 ERA and .46 WHIP with 29 K over prior 19.2 IP
9	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL, @CHC	Coors Field an issue but still deserves top-20 status
10	Charlie Morton	ATL	MIA
11	Joe Musgrove	SD	@LAD
12	Zac Gallen	ARI	TEX
13	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	NYM
14	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@MIA
15	Adam Wainwright	STL	LAD
16	Edward Cabrera	MIA	NYM, @ATL	Pedigree says the whiffs are coming
17	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@MIA, NYY
18	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@SEA
19	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@CLE
20	Tyler Mahle	CIN	@STL
21	Taijuan Walker	NYM	NYY
22	Julio Urias	LAD	@STL
23	Luke Weaver	ARI	TEX
24	Luis Castillo	CIN	@STL
25	Yu Darvish	SD	LAA
26	Rich Hill	NYM	@MIA
27	Miles Mikolas	STL	LAD, CIN
28	Logan Webb	SF	@COL, @CHC
29	Freddy Peralta	MIL	PHI
30	Ian Anderson	ATL	MIA
31	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	WAS
32	Kyle Gibson	PHI	@MIL
33	Tyler Gilbert	ARI	@SEA
34	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	LAD
35	Wade Miley	CIN	@CHC
36	Touki Toussaint	ATL	WAS
37	Ranger Suarez	PHI	COL
38	Bryse Wilson	PIT	DET, WAS
39	David Price	LAD	@STL
40	Chris Paddack	SD	@LAD
41	German Marquez	COL	@PHI
42	Eric Lauer	MIL	PHI
43	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CLE
44	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@ATL
45	Tylor Megill	NYM	NYY
46	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	@SEA
47	Jon Gray	COL	@PHI
48	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	@ATL
49	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	NYM
50	Mitch White	LAD	@STL, SD
51	Justin Steele	CHC	CIN, SF
52	NL Reliever
53	Alec Mills	CHC	CIN
54	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	SF
55	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	@CHC
56	Patrick Corbin	WAS	NYM, @PIT
57	Josiah Gray	WAS	@PIT
58	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF, @PHI
59	J.A. Happ	STL	LAD, CIN
60	Mitch Keller	PIT	DET
61	Jon Lester	STL	CIN
62	Paolo Espino	WAS	@ATL, @PIT
63	Bailey Falter	PHI	COL
64	Jose Quintana	SF	@CHC
65	Erick Fedde	WAS	@ATL
66	Steven Brault	PIT	WAS
67	Trevor Williams	NYM	@WAS
68	Zach Davies	CHC	SF
69	Dillon Peters	PIT	DET
70	Ryan Feltner	COL	@PHI
71	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@COL
72	Adrian Sampson	CHC	CIN
73	Wil Crowe	PIT	WAS
74	Antonio Senzatela	COL	SF
75	Sean Nolin	WAS	@ATL
76	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	SF

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Todd Zola

@toddzola

Todd has been writing about fantasy baseball since 1997. He won NL Tout Wars and Mixed LABR in 2016 as well as a multi-time league winner in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Todd is now setting his sights even higher: The Rotowire Staff League. Lord Zola, as he's known in the industry, won the 2013 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Article of the Year award and was named the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year. Todd is a five-time FSWA awards finalist.

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