Jaime Garcia could have a great week, or he could be a disaster

In head-to-head leagues, it’s time to pull out all the stops to reach the postseason. That includes picking up pitchers who have two-start weeks you would have never considered earlier in the season. This week’s crop isn’t full of options that are readily available on the waiver wire, but light matchups do present a couple of under the radar opportunities.

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Must Start

• Jon Lester (8/22 @SD, 8/27 @LAD)
• Stephen Strasburg (8/22 @BAL, 8/27 COL)

We don’t have many answers in terms of Strasburg’s struggles but it’s hard to justify benching him, especially in a deeper league. Lester is a no brainer, especially with those two matchups.

 High-End

• Dylan Bundy (8/22 WSH, 8/27 @NYY)
• Kevin Gausman (8/23 WSH, 8/28 @NYY)
• David Price (8/22 @TB, 8/27 KC)
• Homer Bailey (8/22 LAD, 8/28 @ARI)
• Doug Fister (8/22 @PIT, 8/27 TB)
• Jaime Garcia (8/23 NYM, 8/28 OAK)
• Carlos Carrasco (8/22 @OAK, 8/27 @TEX)
• Yordano Ventura (8/23 @MIA, 8/28 @BOS)
• Jameson Taillon (8/22 HOU, 8/27 @MIL)
• Chris Archer (8/23 BOS, 8/28 @HOU)
• Hisashi Iwakuma (8/23 NYY, 8/28 @CWS)
• Reynaldo Lopez (8/23 @BAL, 8/28 COL)

Bundy showed some cracks in his last start, but he is still a very useful option, especially in a two-start week. Gausman is a pitcher with large home-road splits but he is still worthwhile due to the strikeouts he gets. Price has been better of late but he hasn’t regained “must-start” form. Bailey isn’t pitching deep into games but the strikeouts and ratios have been there. Fister is a matchup play, and he’s got two very good ones this week. Garcia is either excellent or dreadful, but he has started well at home and has kind matchups this week. Carrasco has not been good of late but the strikeouts are still elite and he still has plenty of ability to shut down lineups. The fantasy community loves to bash Ventura, but when he pitches well there isn’t much said. He faces two good lineups this week, but he has been very consistent since the beginning of July.  Taillon is a classic high-floor pitcher as he keeps the ball in the yard and doesn’t surrender free passes. Archer has been good at home and awful on the road but both these matchups will be tough for him. Iwakuma is one of the most predictable pitchers in all of baseball and even if he isn’t stellar he won’t crush you for a week with a bad outing. Lopez has the potential to win the strikeouts category singlehandedly for your team and that alone is enough to take him seriously for this two-start week.

 Low-End

• Anibal Sanchez (8/23 @MIN, 8/28 LAA)
• Scott Kazmir (8/22 @CIN, 8/27 CHC)
• Michael Pineda (8/22 @SEA, 8/28 BAL)
• Danny Salazar (8/23 @OAK, 8/28 @TEX)
• Andrew Cashner (8/23 KC, 8/28 SD)
• Ivan Nova (8/23 HOU, 8/28 @MIL)

Do yourself a favor and don’t watch Sanchez if you start him, but he has strung together some nice starts after getting absolutely crushed earlier in the season. Kazmir is consistent, not necessarily good, but if you’re hunting wins to go along with decent ratios he could be an option. Pineda has gotten it together in August but a homer-prone pitcher against the Orioles is a lot of risk. Salazar is a risk returning from injury but we saw the potential reward for the entire first half of the season. Cashner’s WHIP has been a disaster of late but if there is ever a week to start him this is it thanks to facing two light-hitting offenses. Nova has been pretty good for the Pirates but his upside isn’t very high and there is still plenty of risk.

 Stay Away

• Archie Bradley (8/23 ATL, 8/28 CIN)
• Zack Godley (8/22 ATL, 8/27 CIN)
• Rob Whalen (8/23 @ARI, 8/28 @SF)
• Mike Foltynewicz (8/22 @ARI, 8/27 @SF)
• Anthony Ranaudo (8/23 PHI, 8/28 SEA)
• Nick Martinez (8/23 @CIN, 8/28 CLE)
• Joe Wieland (8/22 NYY, 8/27 @CWS)
• Edwin Jackson (8/22 CHC, 8/28 @MIA)
• Jon Niese (8/23 @STL, 8/28 PHI)
• Chad Bettis (8/22 @MIL, 8/28 @WSH)
• Andrew Triggs (8/22 CLE, 8/28 @STL)
• Kyle Gibson (8/23 DET, 8/28 @TOR)
• Ross Stripling (8/23 @CIN, 8/28 CHC)
• Jimmy Nelson (8/23 COL, 8/28 PIT)
• Tyler Skaggs (8/23 @TOR, 8/28 @DET)
• Blake Snell (8/22 BOS, 8.27 @HOU)

*BOS has another potential two-start pitcher

 Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive, visit fantasy-phenoms.com, or follow him @danmarcus3.