Welcome to another edition of the 2024 two-start pitcher rankings!
My rankings have four tiers: Set and Forget, Probably Start, Questionable, and Avoid. Set and Forget starters are simply that; get them in your lineup and don’t think twice. The Most Likely Start tier includes players with the mix of skill and matchups that make them almost certainly two-start plays, but not without some elevated risk compared to the top tier. Questionable starters are those best suited for daily lineup leagues where you can bench them against the tougher of their two opponents or are more situation-dependent in weekly leagues. Finally, we have the Avoid tier, which includes two start SPs who should remain on your bench or the wire.
Each week, I’ll be selecting my Two-Start Streamer of the Week. The criteria for a streamer will be a rostered rate under 50% in Yahoo leagues. The Streamer of the Week will be highlighted in the tables in green. Reach out to me in the PL+ Discord or on Twitter @AnthonyTucker81 and let me know if you’d grade the weekly streamer as a win or loss.
As a friendly reminder, the projected starters are just that, projections and subject to change.
Set and Forget
- Jared Jones looks every part the fantasy ace and has instantly vaulted into a must-start option. The only thing holding him back from even higher expectations is workload restriction. Even if his outings are intentionally limited in certain starts, his per-inning numbers are still more than enough to make him a top option.
- Tanner Houck is elevated to tier one after turning quality starts in three of his first four, including a recent three-hit shutout against the same Guardians lineup he’ll see on Monday. It’s at least partially the result of a favorable schedule, but luckily for Houck, things look similarly manageable next week. The Cubs lineup looks particularly pedestrian as most of the lineup is off to a cold start, and with Seiya Suzuki on the IL.
Most Likely
- Reid Detmers and Yusei Kikuchi are two early season standouts each boasting some of the best strikeout rates in the league (34.9% and 33.0% respectively). While they’re moving closer to auto-start status, they’ll each face two of the top lineups in the majors. While the Orioles and Dodgers create some hesitation, they belong in lineups.
- Zack Littell is seemingly defying expectations, succeeding despite a low PLV and below-average command. It’s not a profile you want to rely on, but a pairing of the Tigers and White Sox is more than enough to buy in for next week. Littell is this week’s Two Start Streamer of the Week. It might come with an elevated WHIP, but he has as much opportunity as any starter on the board this week to walk away with two wins to his name.
- It’s sounding like there’s some potential that Taijuan Walker could return to the Phillies rotation next week, however, until there’s confirmation both Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez each line up for two. The lefties each dismantled the Rockies, but Sánchez, equipped with an elite changeup, looks like the more reliable option to keep the momentum into next week.
Questionable
- Hunter Greene has yet to quell any concerns about his volatility, but he remains a strikeout machine worthy of the risk. It’s particularly dicey against a pair of deep lineups, however, the opportunity to set yourself apart in strikeouts should be enough to outweigh the potential cons.
- Ryan Weathers, Brady Singer, and Hunter Brown are all daily league options given one matchup worth starting. Weathers (vs WAS) is likely the best bet of the bunch. He’s a clear bench against Atlanta (as are most non-top 30 arms), but he’s shown enough throughout Spring Training and the first month of the season to keep him in consideration as a decent streaming option.
- Chris Paddack, Jon Gray, and Jose Quintana are worthy of a look in 15-team leagues. There’s not much to be excited about with the trio of veterans, but they could take advantage of lineups that haven’t hit their stride yet this season. Amongst them, Paddack has the most downside risk, but the White Sox have been submitting lineup cards that look closer to what you’d expect from a Triple-A squad.
Avoid
- Similarly to the way his big league career began last season, Andrew Abbott has a strong ERA and WHIP to begin the 2024 campaign. If you were just looking at surface-level stats, it might be enough to add him to your roster. Looking closer, however, he’s a clear avoid against the Phillies and Rangers. A pedestrian 10.7% K-BB rate with an underwhelming 7.4% SwStr% makes it clear that Abbott is a matchup-dependent play.
- Paul Blackburn may be off to a great start, tallying three quality starts and not allowing a run until his fourth, but he’s a clear avoid on the road against the AL East’s top sluggers.
- Jordan Wicks‘ 15.9% SwStr% jumps off the page, a number that is right up there with some of the league’s best. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made it through five full innings yet this season. There’s certainly reason to be intrigued by the second-year pro, just not enough to pick up for a start against the Astros. Keep him on your watch list to see if he can put it all together later in the season.
Two-Start Streamer of the Week Record: 2-1. At the time of publishing, Seth Lugo hadn’t made his second start, however, 7 IP and 0 ER is enough to consider this a win.
Think y’all sleeping on Abbott and Littell, they’re both solid guys IMO. Getting too lost in the spreadsheets over there. Abbott now is building a pretty solid track record of success despite whatever nonorganic, genetically modifed stats you try to use to say otherwise. Certainly not uber high ceiling guys but just solid execution. I like the pitch mix from Littell, he has something to work all directions and commands them all decently well. Easy consistent delivery that makes picking up pitches quickly difficult. A pitcher not a thrower, but i’ve seen him gas it up to 97 if he needs to. All while gobbling hog on Reynaldo Lopez (and Seth Lugo I guess too). Don’t trust it.