Brandon Finnegan seems to have turned a corner of late
With the September 1st roster expansions taking effect, it will be more and more difficult to find two start pitchers this season. We walk you through the expected two-start pitchers but make sure to monitor teams out of the playoff hunt for shifts in their rotation.
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Must Start
- Kyle Hendricks (9/5 @MIL, 9/11 @HOU)
- Chris Sale (9/5 DET, 9/11 KC)
- Masahiro Tanaka (9/5 TOR, 9/10 TB)
- Corey Kluber (9/6 HOU, 9/11 @MIN)
- Justin Verlander (9/5 @CWS, 9/11 BAL)
- Cole Hamels (9/5 @SEA, 9/10 @LAA)
Every time any of these pitchers take the ball it should be a no doubt start. Trust them en route to your fantasy championship.
High-End
- Zack Greinke (9/5 @LAD, 9/11 SF)
- Drew Pomeranz (9/5 @SD, 9/11 @TOR)
- Jake Odorizzi (9/5 BAL, 9/10 @NYY)
- Adam Wainwright (9/5 @PIT, 9/10 MIL)
- Tyler Anderson (9/5 SF, 9/10 @SD)
- Brandon Finnegan (9/6 NYM, 9/11 @PIT)
- Felix Hernandez (9/6 TEX, 9/11 @OAK)
- Gio Gonzalez (9/5 ATL, 9/10 PHI)
Greinke’s getting closer to form but the matchups will be a test this week. Pomeranz is settling into the Boston rotation but any start at Toronto is a reason to pause. Odorizzi has turned into a strong starter on a consistent basis in the second half of the season. Wainwright has been inconsistent and August was ugly but the matchups are there this week. Anderson is still flying under the radar and the matchups play this week. It remains to be seen if Finnegan has truly turned a corner, but for right now it sure looks like he has. Hernandez has looked very good since returning from the DL, save his last start. The matchups are juicy this week for Gonzalez.
Low-End
- Matt Wisler (9/5 @WSH, 9/11 NYM)
- R.A. Dickey (9/5 @NYY, 9/11 BOS)
- Zach Davies (9/5 CHC, 9/10 @STL)
- Bartolo Colon (9/5 @CIN, 9/11 @ATL)
- Robert Stephenson (9/5 NYM 9/10 @PIT)
- Luke Weaver (9/6 @PIT, 9/11 MIL)
- Matt Moore (9/5 @COL, 9/11 @ARI)
- Mike Fiers (9/5 @CLE, 9/10 CHC)
- Dallas Keuchel (9/6 @CLE, 9/11 CHC)
- Chad Kuhl (9/5 STL, 9/10 CIN)
- Jerad Eickhoff (9/5 @MIA, 9/10 @WSH)
- Ryan Vogelsong (9/6 STL, 9/11 CIN)
Wisler has shown in spurts that he is capable of being a streamable pitcher, but he’s still very difficult to trust. Similar to Wisler, Davies has shown the capability of being a contributor to fantasy teams but he has been inconsistent and faces tough matchups. Dickey has a pretty safe floor but there is little to no upside. Colon offers the same type of appeal as Dickey. Stephenson has shown he can hang in the big leagues and his matchups aren’t particularly daunting this week. The matchups leave Weaver as a low-end streaming option, but I wouldn’t feel good about it. Moore has found success as a Giant but runs are aplenty at Coors and Chase Fields. Both Fiers and Keuchel are pitchers to stream at home but that matchup comes against the Cubs this week. Kuhl has been pretty consistent for the Pirates but there is no upside. Eickhoff won’t kill your ratios but there isn’t much strikeout upside. Vogelsong isn’t pitching deep into games but his ratios are fine.
Stay Away
- Ubaldo Jimenez (9/5 @TB, 9/11 @DET)
- Jered Weaver (9/5 @OAK, 9/10 TEX)
- Paul Clemens (9/6 BOS, 9/11 COL)
- Edwin Jackson 9/5 BOS, 9/10 COL)
- Jacob Esch (9/5 PHI, 9/11 LAD)
- Wily Peralta (9/6 CHC, 9/11 @STL)
- Martin Perez (9/6 @SEA, 9/11 @LAA)
- Ross Detwiler (9/5 LAA, 9/11 SEA)
- Pat Dean (9/5 KC, 9/11 CLE)
- Luis Cessa (9/6 TOR, 9/11 TB)
- Jeff Hoffman (9/6 SF, 9/11 @SD)
- Josh Tomlin (9/5 HOU, 9/10 @MIN)
- Edinson Volquez (9/5 @MIN, 9/11 @CWS)
- Adam Morgan (9/6 @MIA, 9/11 @WSH)
- James Paxton (9/5 TEX, 9/10 @OAK)
- Drew Smyly (9/6 BAL, 9/11 @NYY)
Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive, visit fantasy-phenoms.com, or follow him @danmarcus3.