Depending on what kind of format you’re in, it might be time for playoffs. Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season will kick off on August 25, as the stretch run is officially underway. And, we have a list of fantasy pitching options you should consider for the upcoming week.
Best Week 21 pitchers to target
- SP Eric Lauer (Blue Jays)
- SP Michael Lorenzen (Royals)
- RP Jose Ferrer (Nationals)
- SP Parker Messick (Guardians)
- SP Cam Schlittler (Yankees)
Since we’re roughly a month away from the end of the 2025 campaign, we’re not going to go into too much detail on why you should pick up player X, Y, etc. For roto leagues, the next week is about crossing T’s and dotting I’s. For H2H leagues, the drill is simple: win and advance.
Thus, finding any cheap wins this week will be of utmost importance.
We’ll start with Eric Lauer, who was temporarily bounced to the bullpen with the return of Shane Bieber. However, the Blue Jays plan to start Lauer on August 27 against the Twins at home. It’s a somewhat cushy matchup for Lauer, who owns a 2.76 ERA and 87 strikeouts across 88 innings this season.
Next up is Michael Lorenzen, who will face Martin Perez and the White Sox on the 26th. Again, a favorable matchup, even though the Sox offense can do damage.
Cam Schlittler, meanwhile, is on track to get two starts this week. One will come on August 25 against the Nationals, while the second will be tentatively scheduled this coming weekend against the White Sox in Chicago.
August has been a very good month for Schlittler, who owns a 2.08 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 21.2 IP thus far. No, he does not have a win this month. Although he should have picked up one this past week against the Rays, as he struck out eight over 6.2 IP on the 20th.
Parker Messick, meanwhile, struck out six over 6.2 IP in his MLB debut this past week against the Diamondbacks. Messick showed off that impressive changeup, which we documented last week.
Lastly, hard-throwing left-hander Jose Ferrer picked up two saves this past week against the Mets. He’s a saves option in deeper, mixed leagues.
Overview of Week 20
I stated last week that youngsters Hurston Waldrep and Nolan McLean had to be on the radar for fantasy. After the weeks those two had, need I say (or write, in this case) more?
Waldrep struck out seven over seven scoreless against the White Sox, solidifying his case for a spot on the 2026 Braves rotation. McLean, meanwhile, struck out seven over seven and gave up one run, en route to his second Major League win.
Bryce Elder — who did fine against the Mets on the 24th — and Dean Kremer, meanwhile, did not have good weeks.
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