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.
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- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 25
Let’s explore this week’s fantasy baseball two-start pitchers, ranging from must-start options to those you should probably avoid.
Must Start
- Blake Snell (SP – LAD) vs. SDP, at SFG
- Logan Gilbert (SP – SEA) vs. HOU, vs. LAA
- Max Fried (SP – NYY) vs. TBR, vs. BAL
- Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI) vs. MIL, vs. TBR
- Kevin Gausman (SP – CHC) vs. MIA, at BOS
- Logan Henderson (SP – MIL) at PHI, vs. STL
Should Start
Shane Baz (SP – BAL) vs. TOR, at NYY
Shane Baz has quietly been pretty good since the break, posting a 3.96 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 61.1 innings, despite getting unlucky with his strand rate. He has two good matchups this week, making him a great play in most formats.
Jared Jones (SP – PIT) vs. STL, at DET
Jared Jones struggled upon his return from the injured list (IL), but has been fantastic over his last four starts, with a 2.38 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
Jones got his control in check in these outings, which is usually the last thing to return after Tommy John surgery. He has two good matchups this upcoming week and is pretty close to a must-start in most formats.
Here We Go
Anthony Kay (SP, RP – CWS) at KCR, vs. COL
Anthony Kay has been up and down this season — 4.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 141 innings. He has also recently struggled to last five innings over his last five starts.
However, these are about as good of matchups as you can get versus a Royals team that has been bad this season and a Rockies team that struggles away from Coors Field.
Foster Griffin (SP, RP – CLE) at BOS, at KCR
Foster Griffin has been pretty good this season — 3.67 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 166.2 innings. However, he has not gone deep enough to qualify for a win in either of his last two starts, so there is some risk here. The Guardians are still fighting for the division, so there is no reason to think they won’t push Griffin.
Andre Pallante (SP – STL) at PIT, at MIL
Andre Pallante has been quietly very good this season, with a 3.70 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 151 innings. There isn’t much strikeout upside, but these are decent matchups, as the Brewers will have their playoff seeding wrapped up by the end of the week and will likely start their B lineup to finish the season.
Michael Soroka (SP, RP – ARI) at COL, at SDP
Michael Soroka has been great this season, with a 3.45 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 104.1 innings. He has a tough venue in Colorado to start the week, but the Rockies are terrible. Then the Diamondbacks face a hot Padres team to end the season, but the Padres should be locked into a playoff spot by then, so they may not start their best hitters.
Feeling Lucky
Yusei Kikuchi (SP – LAA) at ATH, at SEA
Yusei Kikuchi has not been great this season, but these are great matchups versus the worst team in baseball against lefties in the Mariners and a struggling A’s team. It’s a risky move, but definitely one I would gamble on if I needed strikeouts or a win.
Cristian Javier (SP, RP – HOU) at SEA, at ATH
Cristian Javier has struggled this season, but he has been much better over his last three starts — 2.20 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. He has good matchups this week against the Mariners and A’s, so he’s in a good streaming spot.
Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN) at ATL, at TOR
Andrew Abbott has been pretty terrible this season, but this is all about the matchups. The Braves have not been great against lefties, and the Blue Jays have been one of the worst teams in baseball versus lefties this season. It’s risky, but it could pay off, as the Braves will likely be resting starters this week.
Daniel Lynch (SP, RP – KCR) vs. CWS, vs. CLE
Daniel Lynch has not been great overall as a starter, but has been much better in his last two starts. There is some risk because both of his opponents this week are still fighting for the division, but the talent has been there for him to surprise.
Desperate Measures
- Patrick Sandoval (SP – BOS) vs. CLE, vs. CHC
- Max Scherzer (SP – TOR) at BAL, vs. CIN
- Brady Basso (SP, RP – ATH) vs. LAA, vs. HOU
- JR Ritchie (SP, RP – ATL) vs. CIN, at MIA
- Janson Junk (SP, RP – MIA) at CHC, vs. ATL
- Sean Manaea (SP, RP – NYM) at TEX, at WSH
- Blade Tidwell (RP, SP – SFG) vs. MIN, vs. LAD
- Trey Yesavage (SP – TOR) at BAL, vs. CIN
- MacKenzie Gore (SP – TEX) vs. NYM, at MIN
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