Now that the season is past the halfway point, you should be grinding the 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: 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.
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Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 17
Let’s explore this week’s fantasy baseball two-start pitchers, ranging from must-start options to those you should probably avoid.
Must Start
- Payton Tolle (SP – BOS) at ATH, at LAD
- Gerrit Cole (SP – NYY) at CHW, at CHC
- Max Fried (SP – NYY) at CHW, at CHC
- George Kirby (SP – SEA) at TEX, vs MIN
- Chris Sale (SP – ATL) at NYM, vs WAS
- Zach Wheeler (SP – PHI) at MIA, at BAL
- Chase Burns (SP – CIN) vs CLE, vs PIT
Should Start
Kyle Bradish (SP – BAL) at DET, vs PHI
Bradish stumbled early in the season, but over his last six starts, he has a 2.03 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 40.0 innings. He could stumble again, but until he does you are using him everywhere.
Justin Wrobleski (SP – LAD) vs SEA, vs BOS
Wrobleski has been fantastic this year, but most of the season, his underlying skills didn’t support it. However, over his three starts, the strikeout stuff has been there and he has racked up 27 strikeouts over this three-game stretch. With the better skills and the Dodgers’ offense behind him, you are starting him everywhere.
Landen Roupp (SP – SF) vs MIL, at SD
Roupp has been great in his two starts since the break, throwing 13.o innings, allowing just two earned runs. He can struggle with control at times, but when he attacks the zone, he pitches like an ace. He has a tough start to begin the week, but a great one at the end making him a very good play this week.
Michael King (SP – SD) vs COL, vs SF
King has been great this season, throwing 119.1 innings with a 3.24 ERA and 103 strikeouts. He has been pretty lucky with a low BABIP and decreasing strikeout rate. While he is due for some regression, these are starts you want to attack in most formats.
Griffin Jax (SP – TB) vs TEX, vs CHW
Since becoming a starter, Jax has a 3.38 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 72.0 innings. The more impressive thing is over his last five starts, the stuff has looked better and more like when he was an elite reliever. The front half of the week is a nice matchup, so you are firing him into your lineup.
Here We Go
Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA) vs PHI, at NYM
Alcantara has been up and down all season and pretty much became a low upside innings eater. However, he has two really nice matchups this week so you are using him.
Brandon Sproat (SP – MIL) at SF, at LAA
Sproat really struggled to start the season, but he has been much better as of late, throwing 23.0 innings over his last five starts with a 2.74 ERA and 28 strikeouts. It is a high risk profile as he tends to struggle with command and control, but there is a ton of upside and he has very good matchups this week.
Colin Rea (SP – CHC) at STL, vs NYY
Rea has struggled this year and on the surface, it may look weird that he is being recommended. However, he has two great matchups this week versus two teams that have been struggling offensively over the last 30 days. The Yankees are the 29th best team in xOBA over this time frame and the Cardinals are the 23rd. There is risk, but it is one worth gambling on.
Feeling Lucky
Anthony Kay (SP – CWS) vs NYY, at TB
Kay has been up and down throughout the season, but he has been better as of late, throwing 28.0 innings over his last six starts with a 3.21 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He has struggled to get to five innings in half of those starts which does give him a level of risk that you may not want to take in spite of matchup with a struggling Yankees offense.
Tatsuya Imai (SP – HOU) at LAA, vs TEX
Imai is the definition of high risk/high reward. In his last six starts, he has three terrible ones, two fantastic ones and a pretty good one. These aren’t matchups you are running from though, so if you have a high threshold for disappointment, take a risk.
Walbert Urena (SP – LAA) vs HOU, vs MIL
Urena has been very good this season, throwing 87.1 innings with a 2.78 ERA and 83 strikeouts. However, he has struggled with control which has led to a 1.31 WHIP. He is usable in most formats where you do not have any issues with your ratios, especially your WHIP.
Desperate Measures
- Max Scherzer (SP – TOR) at WAS, vs STL
- Noah Schultz (SP – CWS) vs NYY, at TB
- Slade Cecconi (SP – CLE) at CIN, at ARI
- Keider Montero (SP – DET) vs BAL, at ATH
- Seth Lugo (SP – KC) at MIN, at COL
- Jack Perkins (SP – ATH) vs BOS, vs DET
- Gage Jump (SP – ATH) vs BOS, DET
- Kumar Rocker (SP – TEX) vs SEA, at HOU
- Martin Perez (SP – ATL) at NYM, vs WAS
- Tyler Phillips (SP – MIA) vs PHI, at NYM
- Zac Thornton (SP – NYM) vs ATL, vs MIA
- Andrew Alvarez (SP – WAS) vs TOR, at ATL
- David Peterson (SP – CHC) at STL, vs NYY
- Brady Singer (SP – CIN) vs CLE, vs PIT
- Bubba Chandler (SP – PIT) vs ARI, at CIN
- Mitch Keller (SP – PIT) vs ARI, at CIN
- Matthew Liberatore (SP – STL) vs CHC, at TOR
- Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) at PIT, at CLE
- Tyler Mahle (SP – SF) vs MIL, at SD
- Bailey Ober (SP – MIN) vs KC, at SEA
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