Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: 8/12-8/18

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: 8/12-8/18

Protect your ratios.

Chase wins.

Chase strikeouts

That’s where we are right now in roto-based leagues. In head-to-head and category leagues, you’re either starting your playoffs now, or you’re in the final few weeks of the regular season.

It’s go time, baby.

With that, you have to use your current situation to apply the strategy that you are going to take from this point forward when approaching two-start pitchers.

Like I do every week, I’ll break the pitchers down the two-start pitchers into six categories:

  • Don’t Think Twice – These are your aces that you start no matter what.
  • Widely-Rostered Options – Players rostered in the majority of leagues who should provide a positive return.
  • In the Danger Zone – It’s a dice roll to start them given matchups or other factors.
  • Streamers Rostered in Under 50% of Leagues – These guys should live on the waiver wire, but you can start them this week.
  • Streamers Rostered in Under 25% of Leagues – Same as above but applied to deeper leagues.
  • Not Unless You’re Desperate – I don’t recommend these guys unless you’re swinging for the fences.

Let’s take a look at those pitchers scheduled to make two starts for the upcoming week.

*as projected on CBS as of 12 p.m. August 8

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Don’t Think Twice

Widely-Owned Players

Lance Lynn (8/13 @TOR, 8/18 vs. MIN)
It’s August, but it’s still weird to see Lynn in this tier. If he has one bad start, he deserves a pass, but we will all feel like “it’s finally happening” instead. Toronto is a great matchup for him, but he could run into trouble in Minnesota. He’s brought you this far. It’s no time to ditch him now.

Eduardo Rodriguez (8/12 @CLE, 8/18 vs. BAL)
Rodriguez put together one hell of a July, and he looked like he was finally starting to show the long-awaited consistency that fantasy managers have longed for. Then, he did what Rodriguez has done throughout his career – turned the other direction. To be fair, two of his three most recent starts were against the Yankees, but he followed that up with a lackluster performance against the Royals Wednesday night. Cleveland isn’t the lay-up matchup that it was to start the season, but Baltimore more than makes up for it. Roll him out there with confidence unless you’re protecting your WHIP.

James Paxton (8/12 vs. BAL, 8/17 vs. CLE)
Paxton, oddly enough, has the same matchups as Rodriguez, but in the reverse order. Paxton is coming off of two back-to-back great starts against the Red Sox and Orioles. He’s been helped by relying on his curveball more and not getting rocked in the first inning. He’s just barely out of the above tier. Start him, and feel good about it.

Zack Wheeler (8/13 @ATL, 8/18 @KC)
Was there a more obvious second-half buy-low candidate than Zack Wheeler this year? I really don’t know. Wheeler is avoiding the Nationals this week, which is huge with his struggles against them this year. He’ll get the Braves, which is less-than ideal, but the Royals will more than make up for it. He’s a top 20 pitcher going forward.

In the Danger Zone

Max Fried (8/13 vs. NYM, 8/18 vs. LAD)
Fried has been better of late, but he’s far from the pitcher that he was to start the season. Against the red-hot Mets and the always-hot Dodgers, I’m fading him hard this week unless I’m in a head-to-head points league where I can use Fried as a reliever.

Jose Quintana (8/13 @PHI, 8/18 @PIT)
Quintana is coming off of two solid starts, and a trip to the Keystone State should help him continue to put up solid, but not great, results. I’m still slightly hesitant to start him, but I’m willing to roll the dice if I need wins and ERA help.

Zac Gallen (8/13 @COL, 8/18 vs. SF)
I love Gallen, and I was pleased with his Arizona debut overall. What I’m not pleased with, though, is that Gallen has to make a start in Colorado. I’m passing this week.

Miles Mikolas (8/13 @KC, 8/18 @CIN)
Mikolas has been quietly good of late. He offers a good floor, but low upside, especially when it comes to strikeouts. I like the matchups for him this week, and he’s a good win-chasing option.

Joey Lucchesi (8/12 vs. TB, 8/18 @PHI)
Speaking of good floors and low ceilings, enter Lucchesi. I don’t really want to start him, but I just need a pitcher to plug in who won’t hurt me, I’m OK using Lucchesi. The matchups aren’t ones that I love, but both teams are in the middle of the pack for wRC+ against lefties.

Brendan McKay (8/12 @SD, 8/18 vs. DET)
McKay is probably my favorite streaming option this week against San Diego and Detroit. It’s the Detroit matchup that really solidifies him as a starting option. You can’t expect a lot of innings, but the first two times through the lineup, the results will be positive.

Alex Wood (8/13 @WAS, 8/18 vs. STL)
Wood had a lights-out start against the Braves his last time out, and I really love him in points leagues as a reliever. I approach pitchers coming off an injury with caution, though, which is the only thing holding me back from Wood. He’s a great option for ERA help.

Dylan Cease (8/12 vs. HOU, 8/17 @LAA)
After going seven innings against the Mets, Cease only made it through five innings against the lowly Tigers. With the Astros as his first matchup, I’m going to fade him this week.

Streamers Rostered in Under 50% of Leagues

It will take some courage to trust Kikuchi, but do the matchups get better than Detroit and Toronto? Maybe Baltimore and Miami, but it’s as good as it’s going to get for Kikuchi. I’m rolling him out there if I’m desperate.

Streamers Rostered in Under 25% of Leagues

I really, really don’t like any of these options. Suarez has the best matchups, but I don’t trust the skill. Jurado and Ross are the two I’d most likely go with here with Ross being my preferred option.

Not Unless You’re Desperate

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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.

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Michael Waterloo is an award-winning fantasy baseball writer with published works at The Athletic, FantasyPros and the Associated Press, among other publications. Prior to launching his fantasy career in 2011, he covered the Pittsburgh Pirates as a traveling beat writer for two years at Pittsburgh Sporting News. He finished as a top-25 most accurate fantasy baseball analyst in 2018, his third straight year rising in the rankings. Michael loves baseball analysis, analytics, his dogs, beer and, of course, his wife.

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