Two-Start Pitchers Lookahead: Week 26 (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

Each week during the fantasy baseball season, I take a look at two-start pitchers for the week ahead. This week, we’ll focus on pitchers tentatively lined up to make multiple starts for the week of September 21-September 27. This will be the final week of the regular season, so pitchers projected to start two weeks in advance are not guaranteed.

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Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers Lookahead: Week 26

Scheduling Notes

• All teams play six games in the final week of the regular season

Targeting pitchers who face teams with high strikeout rates and who don’t generate much quality contact can be valuable. Here are the bottom five teams in strikeout rate since the All-Star break:

The bottom five teams in wOBA since the All-Star Break:

Two-Start Pitchers

These are the pitchers lined up for two starts in the final week of the regular season and their roster rates:

Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI 98% | vs. MIL; vs. TBR

Jacob deGrom (SP – TEX) 97% | vs. NYM; @ MIN

Max Fried (SP – NYY) 97% | vs. TBR; vs. BAL

Kevin Gausman (SP – CHC) 84% | vs. MIA; @ BOS

Logan Henderson (SP – MIL) 76% | @ PHI; vs. STL

Framber Valdez (SP – DET) 72% | vs. WSN; vs. PIT

Nick Martinez (SP -BAL) 70% | @ NYY; @ PHI

Robbie Ray (SP – SD) 69% | @ LAD; vs. ARI

Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN) 37% | @ ATL; @ TOR

Jake Bennett (SP – BOS) 34% | vs. CLE; vs. CHC

Shane Baz (SP – BAL) 32% | vs. TOR; @ NYY

Joey Cantillo (SP – CLE) 22% | @ BOS; @ KCR

Andre Pallante (SP – STL) 15% | @ PIT; @ MIL

Yusei Kikuchi (SP – LAA) 11% | @ ATH; @ SEA

Anthony Kay (SP – CWS) 5% | @ KCR; vs. COL

Cristian Javier (SP – HOU) 3% | @ SEA; @ ATH

Janson Junk (SP – MIA) 2% | @ CHC; vs. ATL

Spencer Miles (SP – TOR) 1% | @ BAL; vs. CIN

Daniel Lynch IV (SP – KC) 1% | vs. CWS; vs. CLE

Kyle Freeland (SP – COL) 1% | vs. ARI; @ CWS

Blade Tidwell (SP – SF) 1% | vs. MIN; vs. LAD

Brady Basso (SP – ATH) 0% | vs. LAA; vs. HOU

Jackson Kent (SP -WAS) 0% | @ DET; vs. NYM

Two-Start Pitcher Notes

• Logan Henderson has had a phenomenal season for the Brewers. In 88.1 innings, he has a 2.34 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and 1.5 BB/9. He’s recorded seven quality starts in 16 tries, and has pitched at least five innings in every start, sans his first test in the majors. He’s thrown 90+ pitches in six straight starts and will be a big part of the Brewers’ postseason plans. There’s a real chance he doesn’t make both starts since they’ve already clinched a playoff berth, though.
• Framber Valdez has struggled by his standards in his first season in Detroit. He’s pieced together a 4.17 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9. However, including Friday’s start against the Rockies, he’s recorded four straight quality starts with 10 strikeouts compared to six walks in 23 innings. In his potential two-start week, Valdez faces the Nationals and Pirates. The Nationals have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 season and are really good against left-handed pitching. The Pirates, on the other hand, are one of the worst teams against southpaws (.304 wOBA), and they strike out the second most (26.0%).
• Nick Martinez has had a productive, albeit unbelievable, first season with the Rays. He’s compiled a 2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, and 1.3 BB/9 across a career-high 28 starts. What makes it unbelievable is that his strikeout rate is the lowest since 2017, and his xERA is the highest it’s been since then, too. Martinez has been significantly better than in that 2017 season, but it’s hard to trust when he gives up so much contact in the air. He faces the Yankees and Phillies on the road in his two-start week, and I don’t see either matchup going well.

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