Familiar faces. New places. The trade deadline is over, and while there are mixed reviews about July 31, I was personally entertained throughout the day. Thanks to a last-second acquisition by the Astros, the deadline felt even better.

When you go to a concert, you remember the show by how it ends, not by how it did in the middle.

Teams are going to finalize their rotations soon, so a lot of the schedule below is subject to change. We are waiting to see if certain acquisitions like Aaron Sanchez and Trevor Richards are going to start or get pushed to the bullpen. Plan ahead, and we should have more clarity for next week’s column.

Like I do every week, I’ll break 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 Thursday.

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Don’t Think Twice

Gerrit Cole (8/6 vs. COL, 8/11 @BAL)

Jacob deGrom (8/5 vs. MIA, 8/10 vs. WAS)

Jose Berrios (8/5 vs. ATL, 8/10 vs. CLE)

Luis Castillo (8/5 vs. LAA, 8/11 vs. CHC)

Hyun-Jin Ryu (8/5 vs. STL, 8/11 vs. ARI)

Kyle Hendricks (8/5 vs. OAK, 8/10 @CIN)

Widely Rostered Options

James Paxton (8/6 @BAL, 8/11 @TOR)
I really, truly, think that Paxton is still hurt. I’m taking it matchup by matchup with him, but he’s an easy start with the Orioles and Blue Jays on the schedule. If he bombs this week, expect an IL trip.

Jon Lester (8/6 vs. OAK, 8/11 @CIN)
I debated putting Lester in the top section, but the upside just isn’t there. He’s a safe option to return plus value, though. He has at least 18.5 fantasy points in four of his past six starts.

Lucas Giolito (8/5 @DET, 8/10 vs. OAK)
Besides a strong start against Minnesota to end June, Giolito has basically dominated bad lineups and struggled against good ones. This week, he gets the Tigers, which should be a gem from the White Sox ace. The A’s are 10th in team wRC+, so Giolito may have a tough go against them. Still, it makes for a set-and-forget week for Giolito.

Mike Soroka (8/5 @MIN, 8/10 @MIA)
Soroka has regressed since his hot start, which was expected, but you’re not taking him out of your lineup unless he’s at Coors Field. Although he’s bumped down a tier this week against Minnesota, the Miami matchup more than makes up for it.

Masahiro Tanaka (8/5 @BAL, 8/10 @TOR)
The splitter just has not been there for Tanaka. At least he isn’t facing Boston this week, right? Like Paxton, Tanaka gets a bump because of the matchups. If your trade deadline goes through the end of next week, you should look to flip him after he dominates the Orioles and Jays.

Zack Wheeler (8/5 vs. MIA, 8/11 vs. WAS)
Wheeler stays in New York. After throwing a gem against the White Sox, he’ll reward fantasy managers with another outstanding matchup against the Marlins. However, Wheeler has a 7.94 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and .284 opposing average in four starts against the Nationals this season. In a daily league, I’m benching him for that matchup. In a weekly league, he’s in my lineup.

Miles Mikolas (8/5 @LAD, 8/11 vs. PIT)
It’s been an inconsistent year for Mikolas, and the Dodgers are daunting. His upside is limited with his inability to miss bats, but I like him against Pittsburgh, whom he scored a combined 43 fantasy points against in his past two starts.

In the Danger Zone

German Marquez (8/6 @HOU, 8/11 @SD)
Marquez, who dominated the Dodgers at home, left the game with an injury. It seems like it’s just a cramp, so he should be good to go. The good thing is he gets two road starts next week, but with the injury and one of the starts at Houston, I’m nervous rolling him out there.

Michael Pineda (8/6 vs. ATL, 8/11 vs. CLE)
Overall, it’s been a bounce-back year for Pineda, but I’m benching him this week. Facing Atlanta and a newly improved Cleveland lineup has disaster written all over it.

Max Fried (8/6 @MIN, 8/11 @MIA)
Fried had failed to go six innings in his past four starts before Thursday night. During that stretch, he allowed five runs to the Marlins on July 6 and five (four earned) at Philadelphia last Saturday. The bottom has fallen out from Fried, which I expected to happen. Miami is enticing, but a lefty against the Twins? No thanks.

Jake Arrieta (8/6 @ARI, 8/11 @SF)
He’s here because of his rostership percentage, and that’s it. I’d like to see the Phillies piggyback Arrieta with Jason Vargas. He’s a fade for me in general, but if it’s a points league, I’m OK with him given the venues.

Joe Musgrove (8/5 vs. MIL, 8/11 @STL)
Musgrove has been as unpredictable as one can be this year, and I’m not taking that risk against Milwaukee in my playoff push. Pass.

Streamers Rostered in Under 50% of Leagues

Andrew Cashner (8/6 vs. KC, 8/11 vs. LAA)

Zach Plesac (8/5 vs. TEX, 8/10 @MIN)

Jeff Samardzija (8/5 vs. WAS, 8/10 vs. PHI)

Anibal Sanchez (8/5 @SF, 8/11 @NYM)

Jordan Yamamoto (8/6 @NYM, 8/11 vs. ATL)

Griffin Canning (8/5 @CIN, 8/11 @BOS)

I have to tell you, I don’t love this list of names. Canning and Yamamoto are my favorites in general, but I’m not a fan of the matchups for either. Of the pitchers on this list, I’m going with Sanchez since the Giants are on the schedule. He’s a low-ceiling pitcher who should finish the week with positive results.

Streamers Rostered in Under 25% of Leagues

Dinelson Lamet (8/6 @SEA, 8/11 vs. COL)

Vince Velasquez (8/5 @ARI, 8/10 @SF)

Jake Junis (8/6 @BOS, 8/11 @DET)

Brett Anderson (8/5 @CHC, 8/11 @CHW)

Dylan Cease (8/6 @DET, 8/11 vs. OAK)

You’re only going to get about 10 combined innings from Lamet at the most, but you’ll also get about 17 strikeouts. I’m going with him from this group because of the fantastic matchups and ballparks ahead.

Not Unless You’re Desperate

Sandy Alcantara (8/5 @NYM, 8/10 vs. ATL)

Danny Salazar (8/6 vs. TEX, 8/11 @MIN)

Ariel Jurado (8/5 @CLE, 8/11 @MIL)

Daniel Norris (8/6 vs. CHW, 8/10 vs. KC)

Rick Porcello (8/5 vs. KC, 8/10 vs. LAA)

Jordan Lyles (8/5 @PIT, 8/11 vs. TEX)

Trent Thornton (8/6 @TB, 8/11 vs. NYY)

Taylor Clarke (8/5 vs. PHI, 8/11 @LAD)

Dereck Rodriguez (8/6 vs. WAS, 8/11 vs. PHI)

Mike Montgomery (8/5 @BOS, 8/10 @DET)

Jacob Waguespack (8/5 @TB, 8/10 vs. NYY)

Tyler Alexander (8/6 vs. CHW, 8/11 vs. KC)

Tom Eshelman (8/5 vs. NYY, 8/11 vs. HOU)

Drew VerHagen (8/5 vs. CHW, 8/9 vs. KC)

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