Now that the season is winding down, you should be grinding the two-start pitchers to give you an advantage over your competition.
Each week, I will be giving you a breakdown of the two-start options for your fantasy leagues broken up into the following tiers:
- Must Start: The guys that you have to start because of their talent and/or matchups.
- Should Start: These are the guys that are rostered in most formats and probably should be in your lineup.
- Here We Go: Pitchers that you are probably starting in most formats but have some level of risk to them.
- Feeling Lucky: Pitchers available in less than 25% of leagues that are risky, but viable in deeper formats.
- Desperate Measures: Pitchers you shouldn’t use unless you have no other choice.
These are projected two-start pitchers and are subject to change.
Must Start
Gerrit Cole vs DET, vs MIL
Zach Eflin vs BOS, vs SEA
Jose Berrios at OAK, vs KC
Cole Ragans vs CHW, at TOR
Justin Steele vs SF, vs ARI
Corbin Burnes at PIT, at NYY
Merrill Kelly vs COL, at CHC
Clayton Kershaw at MIN, at WAS
Logan Webb at CHC, vs COL
Should Start
Kyle Hendricks vs SF, vs ARI
Hendricks has looked like a vintage version of himself since coming off of the IL, throwing 110.1 innings of a 3.59 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He gets two offenses that I am not particularly afraid of in the Giants and Diamondbacks.
Pablo Lopez at CLE, vs NYM
Lopez has been one of the unluckiest pitchers this year, posting a 3.72 ERA in 164.2 innings in spite of a 3.16 xERA and a 3.47 SIERA. Lopez is facing two of the worst offenses in baseball, so I think he should be in your lineup in almost all formats.
Tanner Bibee vs MIN, at LAA
Bibee has been fantastic this season, throwing 124.2 innings of a 3.03 ERA and 125 strikeouts. He has done a great job at limiting walks and home runs. He is facing a pretty nice two-step versus a watered-down Angels team and a Twins offense you shouldn’t be afraid of, necessarily.
Here We Go
Bryan Woo at CIN, at TB
Like Lopez, Woo has pitched much better than the surface numbers say. He has a 3.09 xERA and over a strikeout an inning in his 65 innings pitched this season. He has a tough set of matchups versus the Reds in Cincy and the Rays in Tampa, but I think the true talent level is worth taking the gamble on.
Brandon Pfaadt vs COL, at CHC
Pfaadt had looked better before another bad outing versus the Dodgers. However, this is about matchups and the Rockies in their first game on the road after a home series is just about the best matchup in baseball, and I am not super afraid of the Cubs either.
Gavin Williams vs MIN, at LAA
If we knew for sure that Williams was healthy after leaving his last start with a knee injury after only pitching one inning, he would probably be higher in the tiers. However, not knowing what his health situation is or will bump him down a bit in spite of a pretty decent two-step.
Feeling Lucky
Bryce Miller at CIN, at TB
Miller has struggled out of the All-Star Break, especially with home runs, but he has rebounded over his last five starts, only allowing one home run and four walks over that span while striking out 25 in 27 innings. He has two tough starts, but I think he is worth rolling with.
Reid Detmers vs BAL, vs CLE
Detmers has been up and down this year, which makes him difficult to trust. However, he has done his best work this season over his last three starts, allowing a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings. He still is walking too many, but he has done a great job at not allowing home runs. He has a decent two-start week versus a good Orioles team and a bad Guardians offense.
Andrew Heaney vs HOU, vs OAK
Heaney has been fantastic as of late, throwing 26.1 innings with a 2.39 ERA over his six starts in August with 31 strikeouts. However, he also has a 1.33 WHIP, so this feels pretty fraudulent. He has a rough start to the two-step and a fantastic finish, so I think he is worth rolling out there if just for the matchup versus the A’s.
Jesus Luzardo vs LAD, at PHI
After a really rough stretch to start the month, Luzardo has been rolling in his last two starts. However, this is indicative of the type of fantasy pitcher Luzardo is: unreliable. Add in the fact that he is facing two really tough opponents in the Dodgers and the Phillies, and I would be very tempted to bench him this week in spite of the upside and recent work.
Desperate Measure
Jesse Scholtens at KC, at DET
Hunter Greene vs SEA, vs STL
Rich Hill vs Phi, at HOU
Luis Ortiz vs MIL, at ATL
Zack Thompson at ATL, at CIN
Taj Bradley vs BOS, vs SEA
Jaime Barria vs BAL, vs CLE
Luis Medina vs TOR, at TEX
J.P. France at TEX, vs SD
Joey Wentz at NYY, vs CHW
Peter Lambert at ARI, at SF
Darius Vines vs STL, vs PIT
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