The number of no-brainer two-start options for this week is low to begin with.
Factor in two series at Coors Field, and it drops even more.
The Tigers and Diamondbacks visit the mile-high monstrosity this week, and Michael Fulmer and Zack Godley are among the two pitchers starting there.
Normally, you wouldn't think twice about starting those two in a two-start week, but with Fulmer scuffling of late and Godley's other start coming against the Dodgers, they're not exactly automatic.
But are they advisable? Again, the selection is limited to begin with, which makes starting them easier to justify. Even including those two, there are only 15 two-start pitchers who I'd feel comfortable starting across all formats, including sleepers Luke Weaver and Mike Fiers. And Weaver may not even make a second start, depending what the Cardinals decide to do with Adam Wainwright. The way his past two major-league starts have gone (with a minor-league stint in between), I'll take the one start at Milwaukee just in the hope of a second start at San Francisco, but it's a definite gamble.
Any of the top 18 options are justifiable in points leagues, if you're looking to squeeze in another start by whatever means possible, and I wouldn't classify anyone inside the top 20 as unusable. But in a categories format where I'm looking to preserve ERA and WHIP, anyone outside the top 15 is liable to do more harm than good.
Two-start pitchers for Week 22 | ||||||||
Rank | Pitcher | Start 1 | Start 2 | |||||
1 | Corey Kluber, CLE | at NYY | at DET | |||||
2 | Chris Sale, BOS | at TOR | at NYY | |||||
3 | Max Scherzer, WAS | vs. MIA | at MIL | |||||
4 | Jake Arrieta, CHC | vs. PIT | vs. ATL | |||||
5 | Luis Severino, NYY* | vs. CLE | vs. BOS | |||||
6 | Rich Hill, LAD | at ARI | at SD | |||||
7 | Ervin Santana, MIN | vs. CHW | vs. KC | |||||
8 | Aaron Nola, PHI | vs. ATL | at MIA | |||||
9 | Marcus Stroman, TOR | vs. BOS | at BAL | |||||
10 | Jeff Samardzija, SF | at SD | vs. STL | |||||
11 | Drew Pomeranz, BOS | at TOR | at NYY | |||||
12 | Michael Fulmer, DET | at COL | vs. CLE | |||||
13 | Zack Godley, ARI* | vs. LAD | at COL | |||||
14 | Luke Weaver, STL | at MIL | at SF | |||||
15 | Mike Fiers, HOU | vs. TEX | vs. NYM | |||||
16 | Jhoulys Chacin, SD* | vs. SF | vs. LAD | |||||
17 | Trevor Bauer, CLE | at NYY | at DET | |||||
18 | Matt Moore, SF | at SD | vs. STL | |||||
19 | R.A. Dickey, ATL | at PHI | at CHC | |||||
20 | Ian Kennedy, KC | vs. TB | at MIN | |||||
21 | Mark Leiter, PHI* | vs. ATL | at MIA | |||||
22 | Sal Romano, CIN | vs. NYM | at PIT | |||||
23 | Trevor Williams, PIT* | at CHC | vs. CIN | |||||
24 | James Shields, CHW | at MIN | vs. TB | |||||
25 | Austin Pruitt, TB* | at KC | at CHW | |||||
26 | Jose Urena, MIA* | at WAS | vs. PHI | |||||
27 | Andrew Cashner, TEX | at HOU | vs. LAA | |||||
28 | Edwin Jackson, WAS* | vs. MIA | at MIL | |||||
29 | Jaime Garcia, NYY | vs. CLE | vs. BOS | |||||
30 | Lucas Sims, ATL | at PHI | at CHC | |||||
31 | Andrew Heaney, LAA | vs. OAK | at TEX | |||||
32 | Chris Tillman, BAL | vs. SEA | vs. TOR | |||||
33 | Chris Flexen, NYM* | at CIN | at HOU | |||||
34 | Daniel Gossett, OAK | at LAA | at SEA | |||||
35 | Antonio Senzatela, COL | vs. DET | vs. ARI | |||||
36 | Jordan Zimmermann, DET | at COL | vs. CLE | |||||
37 | Luis Perdomo, SD* | vs. SF | vs. LAD | |||||
38 | Matt Garza, MIL | vs. STL | vs. WAS | |||||
39 | Tom Koehler, TOR | vs. BOS | at BAL | |||||
40 | Marco Gonzales, SEA | at BAL | vs. OAK | |||||
41 | Justin Nicolino, MIA | at WAS | vs. PHI |
*RP-eligible