Navigate
    Justin Mason | Sun, Jul 19th 2026, 4:30am EDT

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Rankings & Pickups (Week 16)

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Rankings & Pickups (Week 16)

You should be grinding fantasy baseball two-start pitchers to give you an advantage over your competition.

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: Pitchers you have to start because of their talent and/or matchups.
  • Should Start: Pitchers 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.

Make sure you are aware that when making fantasy baseball start or sit decisions, these projected two-start pitchers are subject to change.

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 16

Let’s explore this week’s fantasy baseball two-start pitchers, ranging from must-start options to those you should probably avoid.

Must Start

Should Start

Nick Martinez (SP, RP – TBR) at TOR, vs. CLE

Nick Martinez has been fantastic this season, throwing 105.1 innings with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He doesn’t get many strikeouts, and he will regress a good amount here in the second half.

However, Martinez has good matchups against lackluster offenses this week, so you are using him in most formats.

Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN) at SEA, at STL

Andrew Abbott has been up and down this season, throwing 105 innings with a 4.11 ERA and 84 strikeouts. However, much of the damage against Abbott came in the first month of the season.

Since the start of May, Abbott has a 3.20 ERA in 70.1 innings with 60 strikeouts. He has good matchups this week, including a start in Seattle against the worst team in baseball against lefties.

Michael Wacha (SP – KCR) vs. SFG, at DET

Michael Wacha is about as stable as they come, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the last four seasons and continuing that trend this season.

Wacha has a good set of matchups against teams that have not hit their stride offensively this season. He is a nice streaming option.

Here We Go

Will Warren (SP – NYY) vs. PIT, at PHI

Will Warren has been up and down this season, throwing 98.1 innings with 96 strikeouts. Warren has great stuff but can struggle with command-and-control.

Warren has a tough matchup to start the week, but a good one to end it. He is a high-risk/high-reward play this week.

Tanner Bibee (SP – CLE) vs. MIN, at TBR

Tanner Bibee has a mediocre stat line this season, but a lot of it can be blamed on a few blowup starts. He has otherwise been very reliable for much of the season.

Bibee has tough matchups against two teams that hit righties well, but he has a good enough floor that you are using him in most spots.

Jack Flaherty (SP – DET) at CHC, vs. KCR

Jack Flaherty is always a boom-or-bust proposition. He has a terrible ERA and WHIP this season, but he gets a ton of strikeouts and has actually been really good since the beginning of June, throwing 29.2 innings over six starts with a 2.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts. These aren’t matchups you are running away from. Flaherty is a sneaky streamer.

Framber Valdez (SP – DET) at CHC, vs. KCR

Framber Valdez has been mediocre this season, throwing 107.2 innings with a 4.10 ERA and 87 strikeouts. He has been decent with control and command, but has been too hittable in bad spots.

Valdez has a good matchup and a bad one this week. The Cubs are much better against lefties, but he is still usable in most formats.

Kyle Leahy (SP. RP – STL) at LAA, vs. CIN

Kyle Leahy has been on fire lately, with a 0.47 ERA and two wins over his last four starts across 19.1 innings. He has been pretty lucky this season with a 5.36 xERA, but he has fantastic matchups, and you should risk it on this two-step.

Feeling Lucky

Freddy Peralta (SP – NYM) at MIL, vs. LAD

Freddy Peralta has struggled this season, throwing 104.1 innings with a 4.68 ERA and 104 strikeouts. However, he has been unlucky, with a 3.82 xERA in part due to his low strand rate and high batting average on balls in play (BABIP).

Peralta has two tough matchups, so this is likely a decent time to bench him.

Jose Soriano (SP – LAA) vs. STL, at SFG

Jose Soriano was the best pitcher in baseball through the first month of the season, but has since posted a 5.14 ERA in 68.1 innings and has been virtually the same pitcher he always was.

These are decent matchups here, but there is a risk that Soriano will struggle to keep the ball in the zone, which has been a major issue for him recently.

Kyle Bradish (SP – BAL) at BOS, vs. ATL

Every time it seems like Kyle Bradish is starting to put it together, he goes out and struggles. He has a ton of upside in his arm, but has struggled a lot with control this season and with repeating his mechanics.

Bradish has two tough matchups/ The upside is tantalizing, but he might be better served on your bench in leagues where you have other options.

Desperate Measures


Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn

    Recent News

  1. Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash: Week 19 (2026)
  2. 6 Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 19 (2026)
  3. Fantasy Baseball Saves Plus Holds Rankings & Advice: Week 19 (2026)
  4. 10 Burning Questions: Week 19 (2026 Fantasy Baseball)