May 3, 2023, 01:29 PM ET

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

Note: This file will be updated with overnight pitching changes and weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

What you need to know for Thursday's MLB Games

By Mike Sheets

Fantasy Baseball Essentials

• Closer Chart: Latest bullpen intel
• MLB Depth Charts for every team
• Player news wire with fantasy spin

Starting pitcher rankings 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. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. For the projected stat line, W% is the team's win probability using ESPN projections, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed and K is 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	ER	K
14.2	Justin Verlander	R	@DET	99.3%	61%	5.9	2.0	6.2
13.6	Max Fried	L	@MIA	98.1%	60%	5.9	1.9	5.7
12.4	Pablo Lopez	R	@CWS	96.1%	55%	5.7	2.3	6.3
10.6	Jesus Luzardo	L	ATL	78.2%	40%	5.5	2.3	5.9
10.5	George Kirby	R	@OAK	88.2%	59%	5.3	2.2	5.1
10.3	Lucas Giolito	R	MIN	84.8%	45%	5.6	2.7	6.2
10.2	Drew Rucinski	R	SEA	0.1%	41%	6.2	3.0	5.7
9.8	Zach Eflin	R	PIT	31.0%	51%	5.2	2.3	5.2
9.8	Kevin Gausman	R	@BOS	99.6%	56%	5.4	2.9	6.3
8.9	Rich Hill	L	@TB	4.2%	49%	5.2	2.3	4.6
8.5	Grayson Rodriguez	R	@KC	26.2%	58%	5.1	2.7	5.3
8.4	Jack Flaherty	R	LAA	32.4%	49%	5.0	2.4	5.0
7.9	Eduardo Rodriguez	L	NYM	54.4%	39%	5.3	2.7	5.0
7.6	Griffin Canning	R	@STL	1.9%	51%	4.9	2.5	4.5
5.8	Jordan Lyles	R	BAL	1.3%	42%	5.6	3.7	4.8
5.3	Patrick Corbin	L	CHC	1.1%	48%	5.3	3.7	4.7
4.9	Wade Miley	L	@COL	24.3%	58%	5.2	3.8	4.3
4.3	Brayan Bello	R	TOR	2.1%	44%	4.6	3.2	4.6
1.2	Connor Seabold	R	MIL	0.0%	42%	3.8	3.6	3.7
	TBD		@WSH	0.0%	52%	0.0	0.0	0.0

Best Sub-50% Rostered Hitters for Thursday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

Worst Over-50% Rostered Hitters for Thursday

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