You should be grinding 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: Pitchers you have to start because of their talent and/or matchups.
- Should Start: Pitchers 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, these projected two-start pitchers are subject to change.
Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 13
Let’s explore this week’s fantasy baseball two-start pitchers, ranging from must-start options to those you should probably avoid.
Must Start
Should Start
Foster Griffin (SP – WSH) vs. PHI, at BAL
Foster Griffin has quietly been fantastic this season, throwing 84 innings with a 3.32 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He is due for some regression as he has a 4.36 xERA and a home run problem.
However, Griffin does a great job of mixing and matching his deep arsenal, and these aren’t matchups you are running from.
Anthony Kay (SP, RP – CWS) vs. CLE, vs. KCR
Anthony Kay’s overall line does not look great — 4.61 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. However, much of the damage came in two starts at Philadelphia and Arizona, which accounted for 14 of his 36 earned runs this season.
Kay has been a lot more stable in his other 11 starts. He has great matchups this week and is a fantastic under-the-radar streamer.
Andre Pallante (SP – STL) vs. ARI, vs. MIA
Andre Pallante is not an overly talented pitcher, but he has a full arsenal and mixes and matches well to keep hitters off balance. He has been great over his last six starts, throwing 34.1 innings with a 2.88 ERA, 29 strikeouts and four wins.
There is a risk that Pallante regresses and gets blown up, but the Marlins and Diamondbacks have struggled offensively over the last month. Pallante is worth streaming while he is hot.
Kyle Bradish (SP – BAL) at LAA, vs. WSH
Kyle Bradish has been one of the most frustrating pitchers to roster this season. He will get destroyed in what seems like a great matchup and then go out and dominate like he just did against the Mariners — one run, two walks, one hit and 12 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. The upside is why you are starting him, but there is always risk.
Here We Go
Ryan Weathers (SP – NYY) at DET, at BOS
Ryan Weathers has been up and down lately, throwing two gems and having three disaster outings in his last five starts. He has decent matchups this week as both the Red Sox and Tigers have been poor offensively over the last 30 days.
Both starts are on the road, where Weathers has struggled. There is a strikeout and win upside here, but also risk.
Framber Valdez (SP – NYM) vs. NYY, vs. HOU
Framber Valdez has been alternating good starts with bad ones over the last two months, which has made rostering him frustrating.
Valdez has a good matchup to end the week versus the Rangers, but a tough one against a good Astros offense. He did just shut down the Astros in his last start, so he could bounce back and have a nice week.
Michael Wacha (SP – KCR) at TBR, at CWS
Michael Wacha is a boring pitcher who doesn’t offer much in the way of strikeouts and wins, but he can give solid ratios week in and week out.
Wacha is facing a struggling Rays offense in a good park to pitch in and a powerful White Sox team that can be dangerous. You should be starting him if you are looking for help with ratios. But you may want to look elsewhere if wins or strikeouts are what you seek.
Grant Holmes (SP – ATL) at SDP, at SFG
Grant Holmes has been up and down most of the season, throwing 68.2 innings with a 4.33 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He struggles with command and control, but has good win potential on the Braves. These are two poachable games against a struggling Padres offense and a 31-44 Giants team.
Feeling Lucky
Edward Cabrera (SP – CHC) at NYM, at MIL
Edward Cabrera has been up and down this season and has been battered in two of his last three outings. You still get strikeouts and win potential. With a good matchup to start the week and a bad one to end it, he is a risky play.
Kodai Senga (SP – NYM) vs. CHC, vs. PHI
Kodai Senga came off the injured list (IL) last week and pitched poorly, walking four in four innings, but also notching five strikeouts.
Senga has a tough matchup to start the week versus the Cubs, but then gets to face a Phillies offense that has the worst wOBA in baseball over the last 30 days.
Shane Bieber (SP – TOR) vs. HOU, vs. TEX
Shane Bieber is making his season debut this week with a bad and good matchup. He wasn’t great while on his rehab assignment, but he went five innings in each of his last two AAA starts. Bieber has the ability to go deep enough to qualify for wins, but it’s risky starting pitchers off the IL.
Desperate Measures
- Jake Bennett (SP – BOS) at COL, vs. NYY
- Luinder Avila (SP, RP – KCR) at TBR, at CWS
- Sam Aldegheri (SP – LAA) vs. BAL, vs. ATH
- Kumar Rocker (SP – TEX) at MIA, at TOR
- Tyler Phillips (SP, RP – MIA) vs. TEX, at STL
- Alan Rangel (SP, RP – PHI) at WSH, at NYM
- Brady Singer (SP – CIN) vs. MIL, at PIT
- Ryan Feltner (SP – COL) vs. BOS, at MIN
- Adrian Houser (SP – SFG) vs. ATH, vs. ATL
- Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) at STL, at TBR
- Mitch Keller (SP – PIT) vs. SEA, vs. CIN
- Kyle Leahy (SP, RP – STL) vs. ARI, vs. MIA
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