Chances are you already have a couple of the pitchers in line for two starts in Week 22 (Aug. 20-26). There are no shortage of high-end choices.the
And the White Sox may add another to the mix when they welcome top prospect Michael Kopech to the starting rotation Tuesday. It depends if he performs well enough to earn a second start and if the White Sox decide to bump someone else for him.
You probably shouldn't count on him going twice, but, I'd say all of the top 15 here are advisable plays regardless of the format. Maybe if you're particularly protective of ERA and WHIP in a Rotisserie league, you draw the line at 12 and avoid the capriciousness of Vince Velasquez, but in most cases, the reward justifies the risk.
Where it gets dicey is No. 16, Tyler Anderson, who is coming off a miserable start and has two matchups in the worst pitcher's environment. Of course, he has historically been better there than on the road, and the matchups are pretty good. Shane Bieber is another pitcher I'd normally trust with two starts, but the first of his matchups (at Boston) is terrible and the second (at Kansas City) is terrific.
I think you roll the dice in a points league, where the damage from a bad start typically isn't as debilitating as it is in a categories league. Mike Fiers also Derek Holland, both of whom may actually be available in your league, also meet the points league standard for me.
Two-start pitchers for Week 22 | ||||||||
Pitcher | Rank | Start 1 | Start 2 | |||||
1 | Corey Kluber, CLE | at BOS | at KC | |||||
2 | Gerrit Cole, HOU | at SEA | at LAA | |||||
3 | Rick Porcello, BOS | vs. CLE | at TB | |||||
4 | Blake Snell, TB | vs. KC | vs. BOS | |||||
5 | Jose Berrios, MIN | vs. CHW | vs. OAK | |||||
6 | Masahiro Tanaka, NYY | at MIA | at BAL | |||||
7 | Zack Wheeler, NYM | vs. SF | vs. WAS | |||||
8 | Chris Archer, PIT | vs. ATL | at MIL | |||||
9 | Tanner Roark, WAS | vs. PHI | at NYM | |||||
10 | Kevin Gausman, ATL | at PIT | at MIA | |||||
11 | Kyle Hendricks, CHC | at DET | vs. CIN | |||||
12 | Alex Wood, LAD | vs. STL | vs. SD | |||||
13 | Vince Velasquez, PHI | at WAS | at TOR | |||||
14 | Nathan Eovaldi, BOS | vs. CLE | at TB | |||||
15 | Julio Teheran, ATL | at PIT | at MIA | |||||
16 | Tyler Anderson, COL | vs. SD | vs. STL | |||||
17 | Shane Bieber, CLE | at BOS | at KC | |||||
18 | Chase Anderson, MIL | vs. CIN | vs. PIT | |||||
19 | Mike Fiers, OAK | vs. TEX | at MIN | |||||
20 | Derek Holland, SF | at NYM | vs. TEX | |||||
21 | Dylan Bundy, BAL | at TOR | vs. NYY | |||||
22 | Austin Gomber, STL* | at LAD | at COL | |||||
23 | Pablo Lopez, MIA* | vs. NYY | vs. ATL | |||||
24 | Stephen Gonsalves, MIN | at CHW | vs. OAK | |||||
25 | Lucas Giolito, CHW | at MIN | at DET | |||||
26 | Andrew Cashner, BAL | at TOR | vs. NYY | |||||
27 | Brett Anderson, OAK | vs. TEX | at MIN | |||||
28 | Robbie Erlin, SD* | at COL | at LAD | |||||
29 | Marco Estrada, TOR | vs. BAL | vs. PHI | |||||
30 | Steven Matz, NYM | vs. SF | vs. WAS | |||||
31 | Jordan Zimmermann, DET | vs. CHC | vs. CHW | |||||
32 | Jorge Lopez, KC* | at TB | vs. CLE | |||||
33 | Glenn Sparkman, KC* | at TB | vs. CLE | |||||
34 | Homer Bailey, CIN | at MIL | at CHC |
*RP-eligible