You should be grinding fantasy baseball two-start pitchers to give you an advantage over your competition during the season.
Each week, I will give you a breakdown of the two-start options for your fantasy leagues, broken up into the following tiers:
- Must Start: Pitchers you have to start because of their talent/matchups.
- Should Start: Pitchers rostered in most formats and who should probably be in your lineup.
- Here We Go: Pitchers you are probably starting in most formats, but who come with some level of risk.
- Feeling Lucky: Pitchers available in fewer than 25% of leagues that are risky, but viable in deeper formats.
- Desperate Measures: Pitchers you shouldn’t use unless you have no choice.
Make sure you are aware that when making fantasy baseball start or sit decisions that these projected two-start pitchers are subject to change.
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Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers
Must Start
- Tarik Skubal (SP – DET) vs. ATH, vs. MIN
- Kris Bubic (SP, RP – KC) vs. TB, vs. LAD
- Framber Valdez (SP – HOU) vs. PHI, vs. CHC
- Bryan Woo (SP – SEA) at MIN, at TEX
- Luis Castillo (SP – SEA) at MIN, at TEX
- Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN) vs. NYY, vs. SD
- Spencer Schwellenbach (SP – ATL) at NYM, vs. PHI
- Chris Sale (SP – ATL) at NYM, vs. PHI
- Ranger Suarez (SP – PHI) at HOU, at ATL
Should Start
Justin Verlander (SP – SF) vs. MIA, at CWS
Verlander came back from the IL last week and pitched decently. He is not the pitcher he once was, but can still deliver usable innings. He is close to a must start this week though because of these amazing matchups versus two of the worst teams in baseball.
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP – ARI) at CWS, at MIA
E-Rod’s overall line is dreadful, but he is finally healthy and is facing two of the worst teams in the majors. If you can’t use him for this set of matchups, you never will be able to.
Chad Patrick (SP – MIL) vs. PIT, vs. COL
Patrick has quietly been really good this season, throwing 79.2 innings with a 3.50 ERA and 76 strikeouts. He is facing two terrible offenses including the worst team in baseball in the Rockies who struggle on the road.
Shane Smith (SP, RP – CWS) vs ARI, vs. SF
Smith has been amazing this season and might actually be the frontrunner for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He has a tough matchup to start the week and an easier one to end it, but you are using him in just about every format until he slows down or regression hits.
Here We Go
Luis Severino (SP – ATH) at DET, at NYY
Severino has been terrible in Sacramento this season, but amazing on the road, sporting a 6.79 ERA at home and a .93 ERA when away from Sac Town. While he is on the road for both of these games, he does have two very tough matchups versus top offenses, so there is a fair amount of risk here.
Jameson Taillon (SP – CHC) at STL, at HOU
Taillon had been pretty good this season before getting absolutely smoked in his last start. He has an easier matchup to start the week versus a Cardinals team that is only 22nd in OPS over the last month and a tough one versus a hot Houston offense. Both are on the road, but he has a good offense supporting him and he should bounce back at least and the front half of the week.
Stephen Kolek (SP, RP – SD) vs. WSH, at CIN
Kolek has quietly been very good this season, throwing 52.2 innings with a 3.59 ERA and 37 strikeouts. He has easy matchups to start the week but a tougher one at the end of the week in a bad park, so there is risk here, but Kolek has been good enough to be in consideration for a lot of leagues.
Bailey Ober (SP – MIN) vs. SEA, at DET
Ober has been up and down this season and a lot of it is because of the fact he has been dealing with decreased velocity. This is troubling and might mean that he is pitching through an injury. There is a fair amount of risk here and he probably should be a tier below this.
Feeling Lucky
Chris Paddack (SP – MIN) vs. SEA, at DET
Paddack has been up and down this season, but he has been really struggling as of late. These are two mediocre matchups as both the Tigers and the Mariners have been middle of the pack in OPS over the last month, but there is risk as he has put up back to back bad starts.
Mitchell Parker (SP – WSH) at SD, at LAA
Parker has been up and down this season, but he is facing two struggling offenses in the Padres who have been the second worst team in baseball in OPS over the last 30 days and the Angels who have been 23rd. He can struggle with control which leads to problems, but these matchups are good enough to consider risking it.
Matthew Liberatore (SP, RP – STL) vs. CHC, at CLE
Liberatore has struggled as of late after a really fast start to the season. His struggles seem related to a dip in his velocity which doesn’t allow his secondary stuff to play up as well. He has a tough matchup to start the week and an easier one on the back half, but he is risky to use until we see his velocity back up.
Desperate Measures
- Trevor Rogers (SP – BAL) vs. TEX, vs. TB
- Walker Buehler (SP – BOS) at LAA, vs. TOR
- Ryan Yarbrough (SP, RP – NYY) at CIN, vs. ATH
- Taj Bradley (SP – TB) at KC, at BAL
- Max Scherzer (SP – TOR) at CLE, at BOS
- Logan Allen (SP – CLE) vs. TOR, vs. STL
- Cal Quantrill (SP – MIA) at SF, at AR
- German Marquez (SP – COL) vs. LAD, at MIL
- Frankie Montas (SP – NYM) vs. ATL, at PIT
- Paul Blackburn (SP – NYM) vs. ATL, at PIT
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