For more Fantasy baseball insights, and to keep up with all the latest news, roster trends, and more throughout the season, subscribe to Fantasy Baseball Today now on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. You can find us on YouTube now, with full episodes and clips available every Monday through Friday.
A shortened Week 1 meant no two-start pitchers — not unless your league counted the Mariners-Athletics series in Japan — and so we were robbed of the weekly practice of rounding up our favorites on the waiver wire.
Time to reintroduce ourselves to the habit.
Week 2 (April 1-7) is here, and the likelihood of skipped starts makes for a full slate of two-start possibilities, many of whom are widely available in CBS Sports leagues. That's not to say two starts are always better than one, particularly in categories leagues where a two-start pitcher can negatively impact ERA and WHIP, but pitchers you'd have half a mind to use in a one-start week become full-minded plays with two.
The top 10nine here are obvious, high-ownership, no-questions-asked starters across all formats with two starts, which makes Domingo German, with two favorable matchups and big strikeout potential, the highest-rated sleeper. I'd feel comfortable playing any of the top 14 in a standard 5x5 categories league and would expand the list of usable options through No. 17, Zach Eflin, in points leagues.
Rank | Pitcher | Start 1 | Start 2 |
1 | Max Scherzer, WAS | vs. PHI | at NYM |
2 | Mike Clevinger, CLE | at CHW | vs. TOR |
3 | Chris Sale, BOS | at OAK | at ARI |
4 | David Price, BOS | at OAK | at ARI |
5 | Chris Archer, PIT | vs. STL | vs. CIN |
6 | Marcus Stroman, TOR | vs. BAL | at CLE |
7 | Kyle Hendricks, CHC | at ATL | at MIL |
8 | Brad Peacock, HOU* | at TEX | vs. OAK |
9 | Matt Strahm, SD* | vs. ARI | at STL |
10 | Brad Keller, KC* | vs. MIN | at DET |
11 | Domingo German, NYY | vs. DET | at BAL |
12 | Kyle Gibson, MIN | at KC | at PHI |
13 | Steven Matz, NYM | at MIA | vs. WAS |
14 | Caleb Smith, MIA | vs. NYM | at ATL |
15 | Julio Urias, LAD* | vs. SF | at COL |
16 | Sean Newcomb, ATL | vs. CHC | vs. MIA |
17 | Zach Eflin, PHI | at WAS | vs. MIN |
18 | Ryan Yarbrough, TB*^ | vs. COL | at SF |
19 | Sean Reid-Foley, TOR | vs. BAL | at CLE |
20 | Tyson Ross, DET | at NYY | vs. KC |
21 | Merrill Kelly, ARI | at SD | vs. BOS |
22 | Mike Fiers, OAK | vs. BOS | at HOU |
23 | Drew Pomeranz, SF* | at LAD | vs. TB |
24 | Anthony DeSclafani, CIN | vs. MIL | at PIT |
25 | Tyler Mahle, CIN | vs. MIL | at PIT |
26 | Drew Smyly, TEX | vs. HOU | at LAA |
27 | Shelby Miller, TEX | vs. HOU | at LAA |
28 | Zach Davies, MIL | at CIN | vs. CHC |
29 | Ivan Nova, CHW | at CLE | vs. SEA |
30 | Chris Stratton, LAA | at SEA | vs. TEX |
31 | Aaron Brooks, OAK* | vs. BOS | at HOU |
32 | Chad Bettis, COL | at TB | vs. LAD |
33 | David Hess, BAL | at TOR | vs. NYY |
*RP-eligible | ^may follow an "opener" | |||