Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: Starts to stream in Week 11
The pool of two-start streamers is a respectable one this week, with two outstanding options, three men who warrant use in many leagues and a few others who can be considered in deep formats. On the hitting side, the Twins present the best short-term options, and the Mariners offer another pool of players to consider.
Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Tylor Megill, 18% (vs. MIA, vs. SD)
Megill is the ideal two-start streamer this week, as he has pitched well in three starts since returning from the IL (16 IP, 6 ER, 22 SO) and opens the week with a favorable home matchup against a Marlins lineup that sits 29th in OPS. His second outing is more challenging, but at least he will maintain the advantage of his pitcher-friendly home park.
Mitchell Parker, 22% (@DET, vs. MIA)
Parker lacks elite strikeout ability (7.1 K/9 rate) but has used his elite control skills (1.9 BB/9 rate) to fare well (3.47 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) in his initial 10 Major League starts. He can be streamed in all leagues this week, thanks to a dream schedule that includes two starts against bottom-10 offenses.
Chris Paddack, 14% (vs. COL, vs. OAK)
In terms of fantasy production, Paddack has been a dud this year. His overall ratios are poor (5.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP), and he has been especially ineffective of late, allowing 11 runs across 9.2 innings in his past two starts. But two-start slates don’t get much better than this one, as the A’s own a lowly .662 OPS and the Rockies have logged a .649 OPS when playing away from their hitter-friendly home park.
José Soriano, 12% (@ARI, @SF)
A hard thrower who relies heavily on his fastball, Soriano has managed to post respectable results (3.64 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) despite showing unremarkable skills (10.8% K-BB rate) and dealing with bad luck (69.3% strand rate). Soriano has been elite at inducing ground balls (59.6%), which makes him a relatively safe streamer for a pair of matchups against teams that rank in the middle of the pack in OPS.
Erick Fedde, 50% (@SEA, @ARI)
Fedde has fared well in his return to the Majors (3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) and has shown the skills (73:22 K:BB ratio) to support his results. The right-hander gets dinged on fantasy value for pitching on baseball’s worst team, but he is nonetheless a solid streamer for a week with a midlevel matchup (D-backs) and a favorable one (Mariners).
Spencer Arrighetti, 7% (@SF, vs. DET)
Arrighetti has emerged from a disastrous debut by allowing four runs across 14 innings in his past three starts. But the rookie walked three batters in each of those three outings and will remain a risky option until he lowers his 5.0 BB/9 rate. Still, Arrighetti racks up enough whiffs (10.6 K/9 rate) to impact head-to-head leagues during a two-start week with reasonable matchups.
Colin Rea, 8% (vs. TOR, vs. CIN)
Rea has produced a respectable 3.53 ERA, but the rest of his stat line (1.35 WHIP, 4.65 FIP, 44:23 K:BB ratio) shows that he belongs on waivers. Still, there are reasons for some optimism that he can help those in head-to-head leagues this week. The right-hander has held righty batters to a .600 OPS this season, and most of Toronto’s key players bat from the right side. And although the Reds have a higher percentage of lefty batters, their lineup has been below average against righties.
Jameson Taillon, 27% (@TB, vs. STL)
Taillon might be the definition of a boring streamer, as he rarely racks up whiffs (6.4 K/9 rate) while posting uninspiring ratios (3.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). Both of his opponents rank in the bottom half of baseball in OPS, which makes him a safe-but-unspectacular streamer for those in head-to-head formats or deep roto leagues.
Joey Estes, 5% (@SD, @MIN)
Estes was mentioned in this space last week as a sneaky two-start option, and although his second start was pushed back, he still delivered six shutout innings in his lone outing. The rookie ranks lower on the list this week, as his matchups have increased in difficulty, but on the flip side, he is also emerging as a long-term option on the basis of the 25:6 K:BB ratio he has posted thus far.
One-Start Streamers
In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in parentheses.
Reese Olson vs. WSH (Thursday, 41)
Jake Irvin @DET (Wednesday, 35)
Taj Bradley vs. CHC (Thursday, 36)
Matt Waldron @NYM (Friday, 41)
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. OAK (Thursday, 14)
David Peterson vs. MIA (Wednesday, 3)
Lance Lynn vs. PIT (Thursday, 25)
Cole Irvin vs. ATL (Wednesday, 48)
Andrew Abbott @MIL (Saturday, 47)
Zack Littell @ATL (Friday, 39)
Braxton Garrett @NYM (Wednesday, 42)
Sean Manaea vs. SD (Friday, 26)
Cody Poteet @KC (Wednesday, 5)
Alec Marsh vs. NYY (Thursday, 20)
Favorable Monday-Thursday hitting matchups
Twins vs. Rockies, A’s: Minnesota hitters should thrive in three games against a Rockies staff with a 5.33 ERA and one contest against an Oakland starter (Luis Medina) with a lifetime 5.15 mark. Jose Miranda (6%) has been swinging a hot bat and is the best streamer option, while lefty hitters Alex Kirilloff (5%) and Max Kepler (29%) should benefit from having three contests against righty starters.
Mariners vs. White Sox: Although Seattle draws Chicago’s two best starters, they should still fare well in a four-game series against the team that ranks 29th in ERA. There are plenty of streamers to consider from this mediocre lineup. J.P. Crawford (28%) should lead the team in plate appearances, while Dylan Moore (24%) or Ryan Bliss (1%) could swipe a bag and Luke Raley (23%) has power potential.
