Best MLB fantasy points matchups — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Every starting pitcher on the Sunday, August 23, 2026 slate — ranked by projected DraftKings fantasy points. Tap any card for the full breakdown.
Each starting pitcher below carries a 0–100 matchup score — a read on the spot in front of him, not a ranking of how good he is, so a star in a brutal matchup can sit below an average starting pitcher in a soft one. Confidence next to it is coverage: how much real data backs the number. Scores lock at first pitch and are graded against the box score the next morning — wins and misses both, with the record on this page. How this board is built →
PROJ1 on a projected lineup — updates ~2h before first pitchⓘ
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#Pitcher · MatchupScore
22 with a ptsLive count — updates as games play
1
Nolan McLeanP
NYM@CWS
22.5pts live
Proj 17.0 pts, #3
2
Cal QuantrillP
TEXvsLAA
21.9pts live
Proj 10.7 pts, #16
3
Nick MartinezP
TB@BAL
20.9ptsFinal
Proj 11.5 pts, #11
4
Cristopher SánchezP
PHIvsSTL
15.6ptsFinal
Proj 15.9 pts, #5
5
Cristian JavierP
HOUvsATH
15.4pts live
Proj 7.7 pts, #22
6
Kyle LeahyP
STL@PHI
14.6ptsFinal
Proj 14.5 pts, #7
7
Janson JunkP
MIAvsWSH
11.3pts live
Proj 9.4 pts, #18
8
Jackson KentP
WSH@MIA
10.3pts live
Proj 11.0 pts, #15
9
Sean NewcombP
CWSvsNYM
9.3pts live
Proj 7.4 pts, #25
10
José SorianoP
TOR@NYY
9.25pts live
Proj 13.4 pts, #8
11
Carlos RodónP
NYYvsTOR
8.6pts live
Proj 11.3 pts, #14
12
Shane BazP
BALvsTB
7.95ptsFinal
Proj 11.3 pts, #13
13
Daniel Lynch IVP
KCvsDET
6.75pts live
Proj 6.4 pts, #28
14
Blake SnellP
LADvsPIT
5.65pts live
Proj 18.2 pts, #1
15
Yusei KikuchiP
LAA@TEX
4.45pts live
Proj 10.5 pts, #17
16
Bryce MillerP
SEAvsCHC
3.65pts live
Proj 13.8 pts, #10
T16
Bailey OberP
MIN@SD
3.65pts live
Proj 10.3 pts, #19
18
Jake BennettP
BOSvsSF
2.8pts live
Proj 17.1 pts, #4
19
Walker BuehlerP
SDvsMIN
2.4pts live
Proj 10.2 pts, #20
20
Matt WilkinsonP
SF@BOS
2.05pts live
Proj 9.0 pts, #26
21
Mitch BrattP
AZvsCIN
1.7pts live
Proj 9.4 pts, #24
22
Foster GriffinP
CLE@COL
1.5pts live
Proj 15.5 pts, #6
Grades post here as games go final — how often our top-ranked matchups hit, vs the season.
Best MLB Fantasy Points Matchups — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Blake Snell (LAD) leads the Sunday, August 23, 2026 board at 100, projected for about 18.2 pts is the model's top DK pitcher tonight. Shota Imanaga (CHC) is next at 92. This board composes every arm's full stat line into one DraftKings number — the roster decision, priced.
Top spot: Blake Snell
Blake Snell (LAD) is the projected points leader at about 18.2 pts against PIT — the full package of innings, whiffs, and a live win chance, netted against the damage he figures to allow.
The rest of the top of the board
Shota Imanaga (CHC) (92) — about 17.3 pts vs SEA.
Nolan McLean (NYM) (90) — about 17.0 pts vs CWS.
Jake Bennett (BOS) (90) — about 17.1 pts vs SF.
Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) (83) — about 15.9 pts vs STL.
Foster Griffin (CLE) (74) — about 15.5 pts vs COL.
How it played out
The top 10 starts averaged 8.1 pts. Blake Snell finished with 5.65. Every projection is graded against the box score.
What actually makes a DK pitching score
DraftKings pitcher scoring is strikeouts and innings, with everything else as seasoning: IP ×2.25, K ×2, a +4 win bonus, and deductions for earned runs (−2), hits (−0.6), and walks (−0.6). Run the math and the shape is clear — a seven-inning, eight-strikeout start is worth ~31.75 before the win bonus, and no realistic ER line erases that. So ceiling lives where whiffs meet a long leash, and the win bonus is why the model carries a win probability for every start rather than treating pitching points as a rate stat. Salary decides the rest: the slate's best arm and the slate's best price are rarely the same card.
How to read the fantasy points board
Each starter's projected DK points are composed from the model's own component boards — projected outs, strikeouts, earned runs, hits, and walks, plus his win probability — scored with the actual DraftKings formula (IP ×2.25, K ×2, Win ×4, ER −2, H −0.6, BB −0.6). The 0–100 score ranks tonight's slate; the points number is the projection itself, graded against the real box score once the game's final.
The Fantasy Points board projects a starter's projected DraftKings fantasy points. One statistical model scores every matchup on the slate the same way — a star and a backup judged on the matchup in front of them, not their name — and every number is graded against the real box score once the games go final.
How the model gets its number
It isn't a gut call or a name game. The projection is built from a few things:
His strikeout, outs, earned-run, hits and walks projections, composed via the DK pitcher formula.
Those pieces combine into one number, and the model re-tunes itself weekly against how its past calls actually landed.
Is there a betting edge here?
Composed from the tuned pitcher boards, so it inherits their sharpness. A DFS tool, not a book market.
How to use it
The pitcher side of the DFS build — sort by value, then lock a top arm in the optimizer.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Which pitcher has the best fantasy points matchup today (Sunday, August 23, 2026)?
Blake Snell (LAD) — top of the board at 100, projected for about 18.2 pts against PIT.
What are the best pitcher fantasy points props today?
The top projected starts on Sunday, August 23, 2026: Blake Snell (~18.2 pts), Shota Imanaga (~17.3 pts), Nolan McLean (~17.0 pts), Jake Bennett (~17.1 pts), Cristopher Sánchez (~15.9 pts). The full board ranks every starter.
How are DraftKings pitcher points calculated?
IP ×2.25, K ×2, Win ×4, ER −2, H −0.6, BB −0.6, plus rare bonuses for complete games and no-hitters. Innings and strikeouts dominate — which is why leash and whiffs, together, are what this board is really ranking.
Should I pay up for the top projected pitcher in DFS?
In cash games, usually — pitcher is the highest-variance-reduction slot on the roster. In tournaments, check the salary column first: the top projection at full price and a near-equal projection at a discount are different decisions, and the discount often wins the leverage math.
How is the fantasy points score calculated?
Ranked by projected DraftKings fantasy points — innings, strikeouts, the win, and the runs / hits / walks allowed. Scores are set 0–100 across the slate, with a projected fantasy points number alongside, and graded against the box score. The exact weighting is our own, tuned weekly against results.
Can I use this for pitcher props or DFS?
Yes — the board surfaces the best fantasy points spots and projects a number. Where there's a posted line we show the over/under and which side our projection leans. We show the data and grade it, not picks.
