For over 20 weeks we’ve been grinding through the fantasy baseball season. We survived early-season struggles, made it through the dog days of summer and navigated the September call-ups. Now, it’s playoff time. If you’re even bothering to read this, chances are you were lucky enough to secure a playoff spot and are competing for a championship. Like the game of baseball, anything can happen in one matchup. No matter how good your team is, a boost as small as picking up a two-start pitcher could be the difference maker.
For more help setting this week’s lineups, check out Eric Cross’ Waiver Wire Pickups.
Keep up with all the latest Fantasy Baseball happenings with Van Lee, Jeff Zimmerman, and Rob Silver on the Launch Angle Podcast.
Two-Start Pitchers for Week of September 10
*As always, keep in mind that these are the probable two-start pitchers as of Saturday, September 8 and are subject to change.
No-Brainer Two-Start Pitchers
It’s simple. These are the two-start pitchers you should slot into your roster and not worry about. These are the guys that have a pair of favorable matchups, are hot of late, or are just plain studs.
- Corey Kluber – 9/10 @ TB, 9/16 vs. DET
- Justin Verlander – 9/10 @ DET, 9/16 vs. ARI
- Zack Greinke – 9/11 @ COL, 9/16 @ HOU
- Miles Mikolas – 9/11 vs. PIT, 9/16 vs. LAD
- J.A. Happ – 9/10 @ MIN, 9/16 vs. TOR
- Jake Arrieta – 9/10 vs. WAS, 9/16 vs. MIA
- German Marquez – 9/10 vs. ARI, 9/15 @ SF
Now is not the time to be stingy with your ace. Chances are, they’re the reason you are where you are and you need to trust them to take you further. They’ll give you depth and consistency and should go a long way in determining if you move on or not.
Safe Bets
There’s no doubt that these guys could go out there and keep opposing hitters at bay. They’re the kind of pitchers you can lean on to give you six quality innings. They’re solid, safe bets and should be relied on to put forth respectable outings.
- Zack Wheeler – 9/11 vs. MIA, 9/16 @ BOS: His impressive seven-decision win streak might be over, but Wheeler has been on a different level. Since mid-July, Wheeler has completed seven innings in eight of his last 10 starts. That includes his last four, in which he also struck out a combined 32 batters and allowed just five runs. His impressive run is more than enough for me to be confident in running him out for a tough matchup at Boston.
- Rich Hill – 9/10 @ CIN, 9/15 @ STL: If you’re looking for strikeouts, then Rich Hill is your guy. Will he put up double-digits every week? No, but in his last four starts he’s tallied 31 and should continue the trend against the Reds and Cardinals. He’s also posted a 3.00 ERA over his last 15 starts and more importantly, has stayed healthy.
- Jose Quintana – 9/10 vs. MIL, 9/16 vs. CIN: Quintana hasn’t been much more than just barely serviceable this year. His season ERA sits at an underwhelming 4.14 but has had a slightly better 3.83 mark over his last seven starts. That being said, he hasn’t really hurt fantasy owners much. He won’t make or break your weak but if you need all the help you can get, Quintana shouldn’t have a problem handling the Brewers and Reds.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu – 9/11 @ CIN, 9/16 @ STL: I’ll admit, I did not expect the Dodgers to trust Ryu with two starts in a week since coming back from his injury. Sure enough, he’s done it twice and is in line for another two-start week. Not only has he remained healthy for all of his starts, he’s seemingly picked up right where he left off before hitting the DL. In his five starts since returning, he’s allowed just seven runs in 28.2 innings. The Dodgers clearly think he can handle two starts, so you should too.
- Dereck Rodriguez – 9/10 vs. ATL, 9/16 vs. COL
- Andrew Heaney – 9/10 vs. TEX, 9/15 vs. SEA
- Joe Musgrove – 9/10 @ STL, 9/16 @ MIL
Matchups Too Good To Pass Up
When you’re sifting through the waiver wire for some value, matchups should play a huge factor. With two-start pitchers, a lot of times you’re stuck with one matchup that works in the pitcher’s favor and one, not so much. This week, a handful of pitchers have the good fortune of drawing two back-to-back favorable matchups. In a time where every point counts, you should take these into consideration.
- Wade LeBlanc – 9/11 vs. SD, 9/16 @ LAA
- Lucas Giolito – 9/10 @ KC, 9/16 @ BAL
- Mike Minor – 9/10 @ LAA, 9/16 @ SD
- Mike Fiers – 9/11 @ BAL, 9/16 @ TB
Proceed With Caution
It’s never a sure thing what you’re going to get from these guys. Their matchups aren’t overly challenging, which could allow them to turn in some really solid numbers. There’s always risk, though, so don’t expect too much.
- Tanner Roark – 9/10 @ PHI, 9/16 @ ATL: Owning Roark this season has been an adventure, to say the least. For a time at the end of July and into August, Roark looked like he was going to be a huge part of your playoff run. Since then, he’s stopped striking anybody out and has gotten lit up in his last two starts. While he always has the potential to put up big numbers, the playoffs are not the time to be hoping for productivity.
- Sean Newcomb – 9/10 @ SF, 9/16 vs. WAS: I know it’s tempting but you need to ignore Newcomb’s May and June when deciding whether to start him twice or not. Sure, he was dominant for a stretch but he’s far from it now. In his last seven starts, he’s posted a 5.40 ERA and has allowed five or more runs in three of those starts.
- Jake Odorizzi – 9/11 vs. NYY, 9/16 @ KC
- Sandy Alcantara – 9/11 @ NYM, 9/16 @ PHI
Nothing To See Here
Stay away from these two-start pitchers. I know the thought of two starts in a week is tempting, but it’s more likely these guys put you in the negative than help you.
- Jamie Barria
- Brad Keller
- Wade Miley
- Aaron Sanchez
- Jason Vargas
- Trevor Richards
- Adam Wainwright
- Francisco Liriano
- Andrew Cashner
- Antonio Senzatela
- Cody Reed
- Trevor May