Here’s a terrifying thought: when Week 15 ends, we’ll be more than two-thirds of the way through the Fantasy Baseball regular season. It really is insane when you stop and think about how quickly it’s all gone. So, whether you’re coasting to the finish line, trying to secure your playoff spot, or making that final, desperate push towards a meaningful 2018 campaign, next week’s crop of two-start pitchers will play a significant role in the proceedings. With that in mind, let’s break down what we’ll be dealing with.

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice

Don’t Think Twice

Gerrit Cole (7/9 vs. OAK, 7/14 vs. DET)
Justin Verlander (7/10 vs. OAK, 7/15 vs. DET)
Aaron Nola (7/9 @NYM, 7/14 @MIA)
Trevor Bauer (7/10 vs. CIN, 7/15 vs. NYY)
Eduardo Rodriguez (7/10 vs. TEX, 7/15 vs. TOR)
Patrick Corbin (7/10 @COL, 7/15 @ATL)
Jose Berrios (7/9 vs. KC, 7/14 vs. TB)
Clayton Kershaw (7/9 @SD, 7/14 vs. LAA)
Mike Clevinger (7/9 vs. CIN, 7/14 vs. NYY)
Rich Hill (7/10 @SD, 7/15 vs. LAA)

Widely-Owned Options

Kyle Hendricks (7/9 @SF, 7/15 @SD)
I stand by what I said last week in regards to Hendricks and Tanner Roark’s style of pitching, but sometimes the matchups are just too sweet to ignore. Hendricks might own a 6.75 ERA with a more than modest 15.3% strikeout rate since the beginning of June, however, across the last 30 days, both the Padres and Giants find themselves among a group of nine sad teams unable to crest .300 when it comes to wOBA. Honestly, if Hendricks doesn’t come out of Week 15 unscathed, you’re cutting him.

Zach Eflin (7/9 @NYM, 7/14 @MIA)
The Phillies have yet to announce who will be starting either game in Monday’s doubleheader with the Mets, but logic would dictate one of those two contests will see Eflin take the hill – at least if the blister issue that caused him to leave Wednesday’s start early doesn’t flare up again. If he does go, there are few pitchers currently in better form. Over his last six starts, Eflin has a 1.91 ERA, 2.28 FIP, and has allowed just a single home run. The 24-year-old is healthy, his fastball is pumping in almost 2mph harder than it did last season, and he’s earned a great deal of trust in fantasy circles.

Chase Anderson (7/9 @MIA, 7/14 @PIT)
Speaking of fastball velocity, let’s welcome 2017 Chase Anderson back into the fold. Anderson put up career-highs across the board in 2017, all stemming from a few more miles per hour on his four-seam. That velocity spike disappeared to begin 2018, with the veteran registering only 92.4mph on average in his lone start in March, but, since then, the numbers have steadily risen, culminating in an average of 94.0mph in his most recent start against Minnesota. Plus, no National League team has been worse offensively than the Pirates over the last two weeks. Pittsburgh has mustered a putrid .266 wOBA in that span, striking fear into the hearts of absolutely no one. If anyone’s still selling Anderson based on his 5.22 FIP, now might be the time to buy-low.

Garrett Richards (7/10 vs. SEA, 7/15 @LAD)
The concept of “fine china” isn’t exactly a thing in Millennial culture, but, if it still was, it might as well be re-named “Garrett Richards.” Just off the DL, Richards delivered in a start versus Seattle striking out eight over 5.1 innings. So, time to cover the 30-year-old in bubble wrap and pray that he’s still in one piece the next time he’s needed. The matchups are rough in Week 15, especially a Dodgers team coming off a June that saw them compile a .247 ISO, yet, the allure of a healthy Richards is always a strong enough pull to suck me in.

CC Sabathia (7/10 @BAL, 7/15 @CLE)
We’ve all just accepted that in 2025 we’ll be celebrating a 45-year-old Sabathia much like we do Bartolo Colon, right? The hefty lefty keeps chugging on, pitching to a 2.47 ERA over his last seven starts and inducing a massive 26.3% soft contact rate over that frame of time. In fact, it’s that ability to suppress quality contact that really makes the veteran shine. No American League starter with at least 150 batted ball events can claim to have a lower average exit velocity than Sabathia’s mark of 84.3mph. So, I guess keep respecting your elders. Do talk to strangers, though. Especially the ones with candy. Not all childhood lessons are created equal.

In the Danger Zone

Sean Manaea (7/10 @HOU, 7/15 @SF)
To be clear, from a ratios perspective, Manaea has rebounded since the calendar flipped to June. In that time, a run of 38.1 innings, the Athletics’ ace possesses a pretty reputable 2.79 ERA, however, his FIP remains ugly at 4.60. Why is that? Well, Manaea has skated through 2018 relying on an outlier season when it comes to BABIP. Not only does no qualified American League pitcher have a lower figure than Manaea’s .214 mark for the year, but that number has somehow gotten smaller over this recent six outing success tour. Opponents have had an average of just .193 on balls in play since June 5th. That’s ridiculous in any context, but especially so when you consider how contact-oriented Manaea has been this season. Only eight of the 86 non-Manaea qualified starters have a lower K/9 than the lefty and, unlike some pitchers who can maintain a minuscule BABIP through extreme fly ball tendencies, Manaea’s GB/FB ratio is an unremarkable 1.23. To put it mildly, Sean Manaea is a ticking time bomb.

Dylan Bundy (7/10 vs. NYY, 7/15 vs. TEX)
Here’s the thing, massive strikeout ratio aside, Bundy’s sort of in a lose-lose spot in Week 15. Judging by his career splits, with a devastating slider in the mix, Bundy’s been able to generally hold RHBs at bay. Even in an up-and-down 2018 campaign, the 25-year-old’s held the 202 righties he’s faced to a respectable .272 wOBA. The Yankees are exceedingly right-hand heavy. So, in theory, Bundy might actually have the stuff to navigate MLB’s best offense by ISO (.213), wOBA (.339), and wRC+ (115). Unfortunately, that’s just not the case. While right-handed bats have managed only 34 hits off Bundy this year, eleven of those have been of the home run variety. The risk clearly outweighs the reward – and that’s the matchup that’s supposedly in his favor. Texas presents the opposite situation from a handedness perspective. The Rangers are flush with LHBs and actually sit with the fifth most left-handed plate appearances versus RHPs this season. Bundy has not fared well against lefties, as evidenced by a 1.64 WHIP within the split. That’s scary. Along with the fact that Texas, now fully healthy, has been hitting the ball very well across the past two weeks. Locking Bundy in your lineup seems like playing with fire.

Mike Leake (7/10 @LAA, 7/15 @COL)
Once among the league leaders in barrels per plate appearance, Leake has been considerably better across the past two months. Still, do you want to be the guy that uses the low-upside, contract-oriented pitcher inside Coors Field? I think not. There’s just not a lot to get excited about. Even the version of Leake that’s pitched to a 2.52 ERA across his last 60.2 innings has done so while allowing a 39.1% hard contact rate – a big deal when you’re only striking out 15.1% of your opponents. Even Angel Stadium isn’t exactly an oasis. According to Baseball Prospectus’ Park Factors, no ballpark has been a better place for LHB to hit a home run in 2018 and its not quite close, either. Take solace in what Leake’s given you the past few weeks, but make sure to bench him Monday morning.

Streamers Under 25%

Zack Wheeler (7/9 vs. PHI, 7/14 vs. WAS)
Andrew Suarez (7/9 vs. CHC, 7/15 vs. OAK)

With a top-heavy two-start pitching slate next week, we’re left a little light on streaming options. However, while it might not always be pretty, Zack Wheeler’s been, dare I say, consistently reliable as of late. Wheeler is sporting a 3.03 FIP since May 22nd, a span of time in which he’s pitched into the sixth inning in every single outing. Now, that might not seem like an incredible feat, but, when applied to a two-start schedule, twelve innings with Wheeler’s slightly above-average strikeout rate means we’ll definitely be getting double-digit strikeouts for the week – especially considering the Phillies have struck out in a league-high 26.2% of their plate appearances versus right-handed pitching. Wheeler’s also kept the ball in the yard. He’s surrendered just three home runs across this stretch, an accomplishment validated by a huge 27.9% soft contact rate. Aside from win expectancy, Wheeler really checks all the boxes.

Not Unless You’re Desperate

Danny Duffy
Ivan Nova
Mike Minor
Marco Estrada
Anthony DeSclafani
Francisco Liriano
Eric Lauer
Jeremy Hellickson
Andrew Cashner
Jose Urena
Chris Bassitt
Brian Johnson
Antonio Senzatela
Luis Perdomo
Corey Oswalt

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice

Garion Thorne is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Garion, check out his archive and follow him @GarionThorne.