You should be grinding the fantasy baseball 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 that are risky, but viable in deeper formats.
- Desperate Measures: Pitchers you shouldn’t use unless you have no other choice.
Make sure you are aware that when making fantasy baseball start or sit decisions that these projected two-start pitchers are subject to change.
Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers
Must Start
Should Start
Shane Baz (SP – TB) vs. CWS, at CIN
Shane Baz was on a hot streak before the All-Star break and has been great on the road this season. His home start is versus a really bad White Sox team, so that shouldn’t scare you off. He is a top-tier player in most formats this week.
Eury Perez (SP – MIA) vs. SD, at MIL
Eury Perez has been great since returning from Tommy John surgery, throwing 34 innings with a 3.18ERA and 35 strikeouts. There is some risk with Perez as Tommy John returnees often struggle with consistency with their command and control. The upside is high and he has done a good job thus far, so you are using him until he struggles.
Cade Horton (SP – CHC) vs. KC, at CWS
Cade Horton has a fantastic set of matchups versus the 25th- and 29th-worst offenses in baseball this season. However, he has not consistently gone deep enough in games to qualify for a win, but these are too good of matchups to pass up in most formats.
Here We Go
Kevin Gausman (SP – TOR) vs. NYY, at DET
Kevin Gausman has been up and down this season, throwing 109.2 innings with a 4.19 ERA and a 23% strikeout rate. He has a set of tough matchups here versus two of the best offenses in the game.
Gausman will be started by a lot of fantasy managers this week, but he might be best served on your bench as opposed to in your starting lineup.
Tanner Bibee (SP – CLE) vs. BAL, at KC
Tanner Bibee has been all over the place this season, throwing 109 innings this year with a 4.29 ERA and 95 strikeouts. These matchups are pretty decent versus an Orioles offense that was mediocre over the last month and a Royals offense that has struggled.
There is some risk because Bibee has been unpredictable, but the matchups are good enough to take a risk on.
Jacob Lopez (SP, RP – ATH) at TEX, at HOU
Jacob Lopez has been inconsistent this season, but there is a ton of upside in his arm. He has a 28% strikeout rate so far this season, which would almost put him in the top 10 of the league if he were a qualified pitcher.
There isn’t a ton of win upside on the A’s, but Loez does have a good matchup at Texas, and neither game is in Sacramento, which is a terrible place to pitch.
Zac Gallen (SP – ARI) vs. HOU, at PIT
Zac Gallen has struggled a ton this season, throwing 115 innings with a 5.40 ERA. He seemed to be back on track with back-to-back fantastic outings, but then he got beat up again right before the break against the Angels.
Gallen has a tough matchup versus the Astros and then he has a great one at Pittsburgh, so there is some risk and reward here.
Brady Singer (SP – CIN) at WSH, vs. TB
Brady Singer has been pitching much better over his last 10 starts, throwing 53.1 innings with a 3.71 ERA and 49 strikeouts. He pitches in a tough environment, but Washington is not an offense that you are afraid of, though Tampa Bay was hot heading into the break. There is some good risk and reward here.
Landen Roupp (SP, RP – SF) at ATL, vs. NYM
Landen Roupp has been good this season, throwing 96.1 innings with a 3.27 ERA. When his control is in check, he can be dominant. However, he has a tough matchup at the end of the week, but the Braves to start the week is a nice one.
Davis Daniel (SP – ATL) vs. SF, at TEX
Davis Daniel looked good in his first start in the Majors this year and has two good matchups versus struggling offenses.
Feeling Lucky
Max Scherzer (SP – TOR) vs. NYY, at DET
Max Scherzer is a Hall of Famer once his career is done, but he is not the pitcher he was at the prime of his career. He has a tough set of matchups versus two of the best offenses in baseball, so he is probably best suited for your bench.
Tomoyuki Sugano (SP – BAL) at CLE, vs. COL
Tomoyuki Sugano has struggled a ton lately, but he does have about as good of matchups as you can ask for. The Guardians and Rockies have been the 27th- and 28th-worst offenses in terms of OPS, so if you can’t use him here, you never can.
Stephen Kolek (SP – SD) at MIA, at STL
Stephen Kolek is returning from the Minors for these two starts, and they aren’t bad matchups, but in his last start before his demotion, he got beat up pretty badly.
Kolek doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts and the Padres haven’t provided a lot of run support recently, so there is a bunch of risk here and not a ton of upside.
Desperate Measures
- Richard Fitts (SP – BOS) at PHI, vs. LAD
- Kyle Hendricks (SP, RP – LAA) at NYM, vs. SEA
- Jake Irvin (SP – WSH) vs. CIN, at MIN
- Mitch Keller (SP – PIT) vs. DET, vs. ARI
- Matthew Liberatore (SP – STL) at COL, vs. SD
- Erick Fedde (SP – STL) at COL, vs. SD
- Austin Gomber (SP – COL) vs. STL, at BAL
- Randy Vasquez (SP – SD) at MIA, at STL
- Jack Perkins (SP – ATH) at TEX, at HOU
- Colton Gordon (SP – HOU) at ARI, vs. ATH
- Shane Smith (SP – CWS) at TB, vs. CHC
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