Welcome back to the 2025 two-start pitcher rankings!
Each week, I’ll break down all the projected two-start starters and group them into 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 tier includes players with a 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; they’re more situation-dependent in weekly leagues. Finally, we have the Avoid tier, which includes two-start pitchers who should remain on your bench or the wire.
I’ll also be highlighting one Two-Start Streamer of the Week. The criteria for a streamer will be a rostered rate under 50% in Yahoo and ESPN leagues. The Streamer of the Week will be highlighted in green in the tables.
Let’s dive in.
As a friendly reminder, the projected starters are just that, projections. They are subject to change.
Set-and-Forget
- Garrett Crochet is the lone “Tier One” starter in the Pitcher List Rankings tentatively scheduled for multiple starts. He may not be quite as dominant as Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, but he’s pretty damn good. There’s no reason he should ever come out of your lineup.
- There are no Tier Two arms this week, but we have a trio of Tier Three options: George Kirby, Ranger Suárez, and Nathan Eovaldi. Kirby and Suarez both have elite upcoming schedules, so they’re clear slam-dunk options. Eovaldi’s task is a bit tougher—home vs. the Diamondback, on the road vs. the Mets—but he’s pitched to a ridiculous 1.38 ERA this season. Even if his advanced metrics aren’t quite as impressive, there’s no reason not to keep riding the wave.
- Freddy Peralta is a step down in Tier Four. He has the potential to toss an absolute gem every time he toes the rubber, but he also has some blowup potential. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be a huge issue vs. the Pirates or Reds.
- Logan Webb is the lowest-ranked starter in this tier, checking in at No. 30 overall in the most recent edition. He hit a rough patch in July, but he’s appeared to get things back on track: he’s allowed just one earned run in back-to-back outings. He’s also had double-digit punchouts in both outings, which is a nice cherry on top. He remains an every-start option.
Most Likely
- Will Warren checks in as the Streamer of the Week thanks to a juicy upcoming schedule. It starts with a home matchup vs. the Twins, who traded away roughly 50% of their active roster before the deadline. They weren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball before then, so it’s a fantastic spot. The Cardinals aren’t much more intimidating, and Warren has plenty of talent in his right arm. He ranks in the 76th percentile for strikeout rate this season, and he’s allowed one run or fewer in back-to-back outings.
- Ryan Pepiot has taken a step back this season, with his xERA dipping to 3.96. While that’s not a terrible figure, it makes him far from a must-start. However, Pepiot’s numbers are inflated by a few blowup outings; he’s otherwise been pretty consistent. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but four outings this season, so he should be able to get things back on track.
- The Tigers are scheduled for seven games next week, so they will potentially have two two-start pitchers. Making things better, those series are vs. the White Sox and Twins, and it doesn’t get much better from a scheduling standpoint. Jack Flaherty is the better of the two options, and he has plenty of win potential in both contests. His overall numbers for the year aren’t great, but he ranks in the 88th percentile for strikeout rate. Any pitcher with win and strikeout upside deserves to be started in fantasy.
- Spencer Strider has not looked like the same pitcher following the second major arm injury of his career. His ERA, xERA, and FIP are all over 4.00, while his average fastball velocity is down to just 95.5 miles per hour. It’s a far cry from the 98.1 mark he posted during his breakout 2022 campaign. The good news is that Strider does draw a solid matchup vs. the Guardians at the end of the week, and the Mets are mired in a deep slump at the moment. Maybe Strider is cooked, but we’re going to need a bit more evidence to write him off.
- Andrew Abbott has been phenomenal for the Reds this season, pitching to a 2.34 ERA and making his first All-Star team. He’s one of the best in baseball at limiting the damage on balls in play, ranking in the 93rd percentile for hard-hit rate. He’ll have to navigate two tough matchups this week, but he’s earned the benefit of the doubt.
- Ryne Nelson has quietly been en feugo for the Diamondbacks. He’s allowed more than two earned runs in just one of his past 10 outings, including four straight. He also has eight punchouts in back-to-back starts. Nelson will have to navigate a matchup in Coors Field, but he’s been too good to take out of your lineup.
Questionable
- José Berríos is the definition of a mediocre pitcher. However, he always seems to outperform his peripherals, and he’s doing that again in 2025. Starting him vs. the Cubs is very risky, but the Rangers are just 25th in wRC+ vs. right-handers this season.
- Logan Allen doesn’t bring a ton to the table, but he isn’t going to hurt you very often, either. He’s allowed more than three earned runs in just one of his past 10 outings, including one earned run with six strikeouts vs. the Mets in his last start. He can be streamed against the Marlins, and potentially even against the Braves if you’re desperate.
- Chris Paddack is the other potential multi-start pitcher for the Tigers. He benefits from the same schedule as Flaherty, but he’s simply not the same caliber of pitcher. He wasn’t great against the Twins in his last start, but the schedule is good enough to keep him on the radar.
- Bailey Falter was traded from the Pirates to the Royals, and he was absolutely rocked in his first start with Kansas City. His advanced metrics have suggested he’s due for regression all season, so he’s not someone to get too excited about. That said, matchups vs. the Nationals and White Sox are very appealing, especially from a win standpoint.
- Zebby Matthews has electric stuff. He ranks in the 88th percentile for strikeout rate, and his xERA is more than a full run lower than his actual mark. It’s only a matter of time before he puts it together at the big-league level. Both of his matchups are scary—at the Yankees, home vs. the Tigers—but starting him in either isn’t the craziest idea.
- José Soriano got off to a flying start this season, but he’s started to come crashing back to reality. He allowed seven earned runs in his last outing, and he owns a 4.61 ERA since the beginning of June. There’s plenty of reason not to trust him vs. the Dodgers or on the road vs. the Athletics.
- Only six pitchers this season have thrown at least 70 innings with a FIP of 2.67 or better. Five of them are near the top of the fantasy pitcher rankings: Skubal, Skenes, Eovaldi, Crochet, and Webb. The other is Janson Junk. Can he keep it up? Almost certainly not, and we’ve already started to see some signs of regression. However, he does a great job of keeping the ball in the ballpark and limiting the free passes. There’s no reason to start him in Boston, but he has minimal downside vs. the Guardians.
- Clay Holmes has been a success story for the Mets this season, transitioning well from the bullpen to the starting rotation. However, he’s already nearly doubled his inning total from the past three seasons. The team has already started to limit his outings, which has impacted him from a fantasy perspective. He can still go five and potentially give you a win, but that’s his ceiling at this point.
- Miles Mikolas may be the worst pitcher to get featured in the questionable section this season. He’s truly awful. However, anyone with a pulse is in play as a streamer when facing the Rockies outside of Coors Field.
- Yu Darvish has been up-and-down since making his season debut on July 7, but his 3.66 xERA is respectable. Pitching against the Dodgers in Los Angeles carries plenty of risk, but he should be able to take care of business in San Francisco.
Avoid
- There’s very little to get excited about here. Maybe you can find a start for one or two of these guys if you’re desperate, but you’d have to squint really hard to find it. You’re best off just avoiding this tier entirely, with the risk far outweighing the upside.
- Two players here are worth a shout-out. Cade Cavalli made his season debut last week and looked excellent vs. the Athletics. He pitched to a sub-1.00 xERA with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings. His matchups against the Royals and Phillies are daunting, so he’s not someone to look for this week. However, he is someone to keep an eye on moving forward.
- Cristian Javier is tentatively slated to return to the rotation for the Astros, and he could be in line for multiple starts. He probably won’t be pushed very hard in his first few starts back, though he did reach nearly 80 pitches in his final minor league tune-up. He’s another guy that shouldn’t be started this week but could potentially help you out down the stretch.
