Daniel Marcus takes us through Week 18’s two-start pitchers. Be sure to review our Two-Start Pitcher Rankings chart.
Elite Options
- Jon Lester (8/3 @PIT, 8/8 SF)
- Jake Arrieta (8/4 @PIT, 8/9 SF)
- Corey Kluber (8/4 @LAA, 8/9 MIN)
- Max Scherzer (8/4 ARI, 8/9 COL)
- Scott Kazmir (8/4 @TEX, 8/9 @OAK)
- Felix Hernandez (8/3 @COL, 8/9 TEX)
- Shelby Miller (8/4 SF, 8/9 MIA)
Most of these names speak for themselves, as usual. Jake Arrieta is the least talked about fantasy stud pitcher, but he is in the same class as Kershaw, Scherzer and the other elites. Hernandez is a bit of a concern due to his start at Coors Field but he is one of the few pitchers you start with confidence no matter where he is. There has been a whole lot of speculation regarding Kazmir’s move away from the pitcher friendly O.co Coliseum, but he has looked great in his first two starts as an Astro. Lester has really turned it around in June and July. Miller hit a rough patch in June in his breakout campaign, but has regained form in July and doesn’t face the toughest lineups this week.
Strong Options
- Lance McCullers (8/3 @TEX, 8/8 @OAK)
- Masahiro Tanaka (8/4 BOS, 8/9 TOR)
- Chris Tillman (8/3 @OAK, 8/9 @LAA)
- Francisco Liriano (8/3 CHC, 8/9 LAD)
- Jake Odorizzi (8/3 @CWS, 8/9 NYM)
- Tyson Ross (8/3 @MIL, 8/8 PHI)
- John Lackey (8/4 @CIN, 8/9 @MIL)
An innings limit may become a worry for McCullers down the stretch, but not yet. Tanaka has surrendered runs of late but has worked deep into games and is still getting strikeouts. Since late June, Tillman has been a stud, so go get him off your waiver wire. Liriano and Odorizzi have both delivered quality innings consistently throughout the season with very few exceptions. Ross has steadily improved this season, but his control issues curtail the innings he can pitch.
Low-End Options
- Garrett Richards (8/3 CLE, 8/9 BAL)
- Brett Anderson (8/4 @PHI, 8/9 @PIT)
- Patrick Corbin (8/4 @WSH, 8/9 CIN)
- Ervin Santana (8/3 @TOR, 8/8 @CLE)
- Tom Koehler (8/3 NYM, 8/8 @ATL)
- Dan Haren (8/4 NYM, 8/9 @ATL)
- Colby Lewis (8/3 HOU, 8/9 @SEA)
- R.A. Dickey (8/3 MIN, 8/8 @NYY)
- Anthony DeSclafani (8/5 STL, 8/9 @ARI)
- Andrew Cashner (8/4 @MIL, 8/9 PHI)
- Phil Hughes (8/4 @TOR, 8/9 @CLE)
- Marco Estrada (8/4 MIN, 8/9 @NYY)
- Jose Quintana (8/3 TB, 8/9 @KC)
Richards had been quite good until his past two starts when home runs have become an issue. Anderson is a guy who won’t kill you but has limited upside due to lack of strikeouts. Corbin has been extremely strong but a return from Tommy John is always a bumpy road. Santana has been decent since his return from suspension but he has tough matchups coming this week. Haren, Lewis, DickeyThe and DeSclafani offer the same fantasy value as they can provide solid innings, but are prone to giving up bunches of runs and offer little in strikeout potential. The Mets throttled Cashner just when he seemed to be turning it around so I am approaching him very cautiously at this point. My opinion of Hughes is very similar to that of Cashner. Estrada has shown improvement this season but is still a risk and faces some good offenses this week. Quintana is a steady option but any matchup against the Royals presents risk.
Stay Away
- Zack Godley (8/3 @WSH, 8/8 CIN)
- Eddie Butler (8/4 SEA, 8/9 @WSH)
- Jeremy Guthrie (8/4 @DET, 8/9 CWS)
- Chris Bassitt (8/4 BAL, 8/9 HOU)
- Jerome Williams (8/4 LAD, 8/9 @SD)
- Matt Cain (8/3 @ATL, 8/8 @CHC)
- Rick Porcello (8/4 @NYY, 8/9 @DET)
- Doug Fister (8/3 ARI, 8/8 COL)
- Jake Peavy (8/4 @ATL, 8/9 @CHC)
- Bartolo Colon (8/3 @MIA, 8/9 @TB)
- Justin Verlander (8/4 KC, 8/9 BOS)
- Wily Peralta (8/3 SD, 8/8 STL)
- Jesse Chavez (8/3 BAL, 8/8 HOU)
Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive or follow him @danmarcus3.