Now that the season is beginning, you should be grinding the fantasy baseball two-start pitchers to give you an advantage over your competition.
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Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 3
Each week, I will be giving you a breakdown of the two-start options for your fantasy leagues, broken up into the following tiers:
- Must Start: The guys that you have to start because of their talent and/or matchups.
- Should Start: These are the guys that are rostered in most formats and probably should be in your lineup.
- Here We Go: Pitchers that you are probably starting in most formats, but have some level of risk to them.
- Feeling Lucky: Pitchers that are risky, but viable in deeper formats.
- Desperate Measures: Pitchers you shouldn’t use unless you have no other choice.
These are projected two-start pitchers and are subject to change, and they will with the season just getting going.
Must Start
- Trevor Rogers (BAL) vs ARI, at CLE
- Garrett Crochet (BOS) at MIN, vs DET
- Kevin Gausman (TOR) at MIL, at ARI
- Framber Valdez (DET) vs KC, vs BOS
- George Kirby (SEA) vs HOU, vs TEX
- Bryan Woo (SEA) at SD, vs TEX
- Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) at ATH, at SEA
- MacKenzie Gore (TEX) at ATH, vs SEA
- Eury Perez (MIA) at ATL, vs MIL
- Cristopher Sanchez (PHI) vs CHC, vs ATL
- Paul Skenes (PIT) vs WSH, vs TB
- Michael King (SD) vs SEA, at LAA
Should Start
Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs LAA, vs KC – Weathers has been great through three starts, and while he has a history of injuries, that is a problem for later. He has two great matchups, and you are using him everywhere.
Cole Ragans (KC) at DET, at NYY – Ragans would normally be a Must Start, but he hurt his thumb and struggled in his last start. There is risk here if his thumb is still hurt.
Robbie Ray (SF) at CIN, at WAS – Ray has been fantastic to start the season, but these are matchups that can be dangerous because while both the Nationals and the Reds strikeout a lot, they have a lot of power too, and they are both on the road. You are still using him, but there is risk.
Here We Go
Kyle Bradish (BAL) vs ARI, at CLE- Bradish has struggled to start the season and has not looked right, dealing with reduced velocity. These aren’t super tough matchups, but there is a good amount of risk if he continues his struggles.
Will Warren (NYY) vs LAA, vs KC – Warren has started well and has kept the walks in check, which is important. He has two good matchups, but they are both at home, which is a tough place to pitch, but you should be using him here.
Shane McClanahan (TB) at CWS, PIT – McClanahan is clearly not the same pitcher he was before his injuries. His velocity is way down on the fastball, and that makes his secondary pitches less effective. These are two good matchups, so you are using him here, but there is risk unless the velo returns.
Gavin Williams (CLE) at STL, vs BAL – Williams has been great on the surface this year, but he is really struggling to control his pitches. His walk rate is astronomically high, and that will come back to bite him as his BABIP increases and strand rate decreases. That makes him riskier here in spite of the decent matchups, but you are using him until regression hits.
Joey Cantillo (CLE) at STL, vs BAL – Cantillo has been really good so far, throwing 14.2 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 20 strikeouts. The underlying numbers don’t support the massive strikeout numbers, but his stuff looks good, and he is mixing well. This is a nice week to use him with decent matchups on the table as well.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) at BAL, vs TOR – After a rough first two starts, Nelson looked much better in his last start versus the Mets, allowing just one run and no walks in the win over the Mets. He gets a struggling Blue Jays team and an Orioles squad you aren’t running from, so this is a good week to stream him in.
Grant Holmes (ATL) vs MIA, at PHI – Holmes has been great, and while I don’t expect his arm to survive the entire season, until he gets hurt, you are using him in most matchups, especially with Miami as one of them this week.
Reynaldo Lopez (ATL) vs MIA, at PHI – In spite of reduced velo and a suspension from the fight with Jorge Soler, Lopez has been very good this year. He is risky, though, because of that lower velocity. This is one easy matchup and a tougher one at the end of the week, but you are rolling with him until he hits a speed bump.
Feeling Lucky
Cade Cavalli (WSH) at PIT, vs SF – Cavalli has looked mediocre so far after some late draft season hype. He has a good matchup against a struggling Giants team, but he has to go to Pittsburgh to face a hot Pirates team.
Noah Schultz (CWS) vs TB, at ATH – Schultz is a top prospect making his debut this week. He has been fantastic in AAA, but he has to go to Sacramento, which is a very tough place to pitch, so there is a lot of risk and not a lot of win upside pitching for the White Sox.
Mitch Keller (PIT) vs WAS, vs TB – Keller’s best days are behind him, but he offers the ability to go deep into games, and the Pirates are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. Some risk, but these matchups aren’t bad at all.
Desperate Measures
- Bailey Ober (MIN) vs BOS, vs CIN
- Luis Severino (NYM) vs TEX, vs CWS
- Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) at NYY, vs SD
- Reid Detmers (LAA) at NYY, vs SD
- David Peterson (NYM) at LAD, at CHC
- Miles Mikolas (STL) at PIT, vs SF
- Michael Lorenzen (KC) at HOU, vs LAD
- Jeffrey Springs (TB) vs TEX, vs CWS
- Brandon Sproat (NYM) vs TOR, at MIA
- Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs CLE, at HOU
- Mike Burrows (HOU) at SEA, vs STL
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