Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: Plenty of solid options to stream

This is such a great week for two-start pitchers that those who miss out on adding at least a couple names from this list will be at a disadvantage in head-to-head fantasy baseball leagues. Unfortunately, the list of one-start pitchers is less appealing. On the hitting side, players from the Rangers and Braves should be valuable over the coming days.

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Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)

Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals, 55% (@PHI, @KC)

There is little doubt that Liberatore has been the most skilled, successful starter among this week’s two-start group, as his 3.07 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 38:6 K:BB ratio are the envy of most starters. The lefty’s 2.78 xERA is even lower than his actual mark, and given his age (25), there is a good chance that Liberatore is at the outset of a breakout season. His matchups are reasonable enough to make him a no-doubt option in every league, which is why we’re including him here even though his rostered percentage bumped over 50 Monday morning.

Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks, 43% (@SF, vs. COL)

Since a rough outing on April 3, Kelly has been among the most reliable starters in baseball, allowing three or fewer runs in each of his past six starts. The veteran lacks the strikeout skills to have a significant ceiling, but he could be particularly stingy this week, when he works at San Francisco’s pitcher-friendly park before facing a Rockies club that has averaged 2.2 runs per game on the road.

Colin Rea, Cubs, 33% (vs. MIA, vs. CWS)

Rea has been surprisingly effective in five starts since joining the rotation, posting a 2.96 ERA to go along with a 23:7 K:BB ratio. In most weeks, the veteran would be an option only in 15-team leagues, but his matchups this week are especially enticing, as he will face two teams who have combined for a 27-53 record. Rea might have the best win potential of any pitcher in this week’s article.

Michael Wacha, Royals, 45% (@HOU, vs. STL)

Death, taxes and Michael Wacha grinding through a serviceable fantasy campaign. The 33-year-old is working on a fourth straight season with an ERA under 3.50 and a WHIP below 1.20, but his mediocre strikeout skills (6.8 K/9) make him a fringe option in shallow leagues. His matchups this week are average, which is the only reason he doesn’t sit closer to the top of this list.

Ryan Gusto, Astros, 11% (vs. KC, @TEX)

An injury to Hayden Wesneski has opened a rotation spot for Gusto, who has shown strong skills (29:8 K:BB ratio) while splitting his time between the rotation and bullpen. The right-hander is unlikely to go deep into games, but he could throw five effective innings twice this week, by virtue of facing two teams who rank among the bottom 5 in runs scored.

Andrew Abbott, Reds, 39% (vs. CWS, vs. CLE)

For the second straight year, Abbott is outperforming his ERA estimators on the strength of favorable batted ball luck. The lefty is an interesting case study, as he has fared slightly better over his career when working at his offense-inducing home park despite giving up plenty of fly balls. In the end, maintaining low exit velocities leads to plenty of cans of corn. Abbott is a risky long-term option but feels safe during a two-start week that starts by facing one of the worst teams in baseball.

Justin Verlander, Giants, 29% (vs. ARI, vs. ATH)

After a slow start to the season, Verlander has fared much better (2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 18:6 K:BB ratio) in his past four outings. The veteran should enjoy working twice at his pitcher-friendly home park, although his matchups include an average Athletics offense and a dangerous D-backs lineup. He should help those in 12-team leagues.

Jack Leiter, Rangers, 29% (vs. COL, vs. HOU)

Facing the Rockies on the road feels like a free square right now, which makes Leiter an option in 12-team leagues this week. But before getting too excited, managers should know that the 25-year-old has struggled (8.31 ERA, 1.77 WHIP) in three starts since returning from the IL. The Rockies matchup is the only reason Leiter is on this week’s list.

Grant Holmes, Braves, 34% (vs. WSH, @BOS)

After struggling with walks earlier in the season, Holmes has made small strides in that area by issuing six free passes in his past three starts. The righty punches out plenty of batters (40 SO in 39.1 IP), which is enough reason in 12-team leagues to overlook a tough matchup in Boston for his second outing of the week.

Tanner Houck, Red Sox, 44% (@DET, vs. ATL)

By posting a 3.57 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in his past four starts, Houck has been slowly earning back trust since allowing 11 earned runs over 2.1 innings on April 14. He also has a solid 31:12 K:BB ratio if we overlook the April 14 outing, which means that he is a more viable fantasy option than is suggested by his unimpressive overall ratios (6.10 ERA, 1.50 WHIP). With matchups that are slightly worse than average this week, the righty is a fringe option in 12-team leagues.

Jake Irvin, Nationals, 21% (@ATL, @BAL)

Simply put, Irvin doesn’t strike out enough batters to have consistent success. His 6.2 K/9 rate is a weak mark, and he has been especially poor of late, with just six strikeouts in his past three starts. Irvin will make two starts against offenses that have underachieved, and managers who want to roll the dice with him will have to hope that his unsustainable .230 BABIP and 80.6% strand rate can last another week.

David Peterson, Mets, 39% (vs. PIT, @NYY)

Peterson has recorded a career-best 57.5% groundball rate, and his heavy reliance on inducing grounders annually allows him to record a respectable ERA despite poor plate dominance (career 13.7% K-BB ratio). The southpaw has polarizing matchups this week, as the Pirates rank last in runs scored and the Yankees place first. The second matchup is tough enough to keep Peterson on waivers in 12-team leagues.

One-Start Streamers

In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in brackets.

Matthew Boyd vs. CWS (Saturday, 48)
Luis Severino @SF (Saturday, 39)
Nick Martinez vs. CWS (Thursday, 22)
Dustin May vs. LAA (Friday, 44)
Landon Knack vs. ATH (Tuesday, 3)
Jameson Taillon vs. MIA (Wednesday, 27)
Ben Brown vs. MIA (Tuesday, 14)
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. MIN (Thursday, 35)
Erick Fedde @PHI (Wednesday, 17)
José Quintana @CLE (Wednesday, 41)
AJ Smith-Shawver vs. WSH (Thursday, 47)
José Soriano @SD (Tuesday, 21)
Dean Kremer vs. MIN (Wednesday, 6)
Lucas Giolito vs. ATL (Saturday, 18)

Favorable Monday-Thursday hitting matchups

Rangers vs. Rockies, Astros: Texas could break out of an early season slump when they face a Rockies staff with a 5.77 ERA. Josh Smith (33%) has been regularly hitting out of the leadoff spot, while Joc Pederson (6%) continues to bat in the heart of the lineup and has made some improvements on his slow start. Recently recalled youngster Evan Carter (11%) is an option as well.

Braves vs. Nationals: Atlanta could score runs in bunches when the team spends four days against a Nats pitching staff that ranks 28th with a 5.45 ERA. Leadoff hitter Alex Verdugo (4%) can be added, as well as catcher Sean Murphy (36%). In deeper leagues, lineup regulars Eli White (5%) and Nick Allen (1%) are options.

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