Welcome to the third edition of the 2026 two-start pitcher rankings!
Each week, I’ll break down all the projected two-start starters into four tiers: Set and Forget, Most Likely Start, Questionable, and Avoid. Set-and-Forget starters are simply that; get them in your lineup and shift your focus to other positions. 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, the Avoid tier includes the pitchers who should remain on your bench or the wire.
I will also be highlighting one Two-Start Streamer of the Week. The criteria for a streamer will be a rostered rate under 50% in Yahoo & ESPN leagues. The streamer of the week for this upcoming week is Joey Cantillo, and he will have (STOW) next to his name.
As a friendly reminder, the projected starters are just that, projections, and are subject to change
This week’s set-and-forget tier is filled with players who should be lineup staples. Trevor Rogers is someone I’m very high on this week, as he has two solid match-ups and is coming off a quality start where he threw 101 pitches. Any week you expect two starts from Garrett Crochet, Cristopher Sánchez, Paul Skenes, or Bryan Woo should be a good week, but George Kirby is still a command artist who threw an 8-inning complete game in just 90 pitches. Kevin Gausman looks better than ever so far this season, allowing a minuscule 0.58 WHIP with his highest CSW since 2020.
- Ryne Nelson has two tough match-ups this week against the Orioles and Blue Jays. Nelson’s coming off a strong start against the Mets, and his biggest issue this year has been a ridiculous 2.40 HR/9, driven by a 28.6% HR/FB (career rate: 17%). I expect some positive regression to the mean, and despite being strong offenses on paper, the Blue Jays and Orioles are just 25th and 15th in FB% so far this season, which should further aid Nelson’s run prevention.
- Kyle Bradish has had a bit of a rocky start to the season, allowing at least 2 ER in each start. However, he has two favorable match-ups this week and should be fully built up now after throwing 96 pitches in his last start.
- Gavin Williams is getting strong results despite some command issues. A ridiculous 37.3% K% overshadows his comically high 20.9% BB%, giving him an above-average 16.4 K-BB%. The upside is tantalizing, and as long as the strikeout rate stays notably higher than the walk rate, I’m going to keep starting him.
- Joey Cantillo (STOW) has had a phenomenal start to the season and is the proud owner of a well above-average 33.3% K% despite a slightly below-average 11.7% BB%. Cantillo’s only rostered in 14.5% of ESPN leagues and 28% of Yahoo leagues. Cantillo’s first start is looking more like an anomaly with every outing, and all of his offspeed pitches are above value per PLV. He’s someone on my list to potentially roster this season, not just stream.
- Framber Valdez got BABIP’d in his start against the Twins, allowing 10 hits and 8 runs. He still pitched 5 innings, and his ability to go deep in games should always give him a high floor. The Royals and Red Sox are both in the bottom 12 in wRC+ this season, so expect a nice bounce-back from Framber.
- Mike Burrows faces a struggling Mariners offense, and a Cardinals offense, I believe, is overperforming. He’s slightly above average this season when it comes to limiting barrels, and his xwOBA against is .057 points lower than his actual wOBA, indicating he’s been unlucky this season.
- Cole Ragans wore a linedrive off the hand in his last start. He allowed 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk while only recording two outs (both via strikeout). However, I still think he’s an ace, and if it weren’t for that fluke linedrive off the hand, he’d be in the Set-and-Forget tier. I just want to ensure there’s no lingering effects.
- Will Warren is someone who is worth streaming this week if he’s available. He induces ground balls at a high rate, and he’s limiting walks at a career rate this season (7.9%) without tanking his strikeout rate (22.2%). Warren (and the Yankees offense) should only improve as the weather warms up.
- Mitch Keller is off to a strong start this season. He has a high floor but a lower ceiling than some of the other names in this list, but he’s off to a strong start this season and has two favorable match-ups this week.
- Michael King didn’t have his best stuff against the Pirates this week, but still managed to go 6 innings. While his stuff has taken a step back this year, he’s shown he can still go deep in games and benefits from facing the struggling Mariners and Angels.
- Robbie Ray is volatile, but he just dealt against the Phillies. Pitching in Cinci can be a little intimidating, but they have been the worst offense in the sport this season, and both CJ Abrams and James Wood have standard splits and struggle more against lefties.
- Shane McClanahan only threw 69 pitches in his last start, and wasn’t very crisp with his command (4 walks), but still managed to strike out 5. He faces the White Sox first this week before heading to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates (whose best hitters are lefties).
- Nathan Eovaldi and Mackenzie Gore both start their weeks in the launching pad in Sacramento before heading to Seattle to face the underwhelming Mariners offense. I expect Eovaldi’s mix of offspeed to keep the Athletics off balance, and Gore has given us no reason to doubt him yet this season.
- I’m not sure anyone hates pitching in Sacramento more than Luis Severino, who will be making his first two starts at home this season this week. Last season, Severino posted a 6.01 ERA and .345 wOBA at home compared to a 3.02 ERA and .277 wOBA away from Sacramento. If he’s solid against the Rangers, he may be worth the risk against the White Sox, but he’s also historically been worse against lefties, which is where the majority of the White Sox power is (Murakami, Montgomery)
- Grant Holmes against the Marlins is playable as he’s been effective against the Diamondbacks, Royals, and Angels this season, but I haven’t seen enough to be confident in his ability to corral the Phillies lineup.
- Neither Yusei Kikuchi nor Reid Detmers should be trusted against the Yankees, but in a deeper daily league, they could be worth a flier against the Padres. Kikuchi is the more intriguing option of the two to me, especially if he can show improved command of his offspeed stuff against the Yankees.
- Eury Perez, please, can we see some better command? The stuff can be so good he’s worth consideration, but he has two tough match-ups in the Braves and Brewers, who have the 6th and 7th best offense by wRC+, respectively, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggles as he did against the Yankees, who only chased on 22.9% of pitches and forced him to throw strikes.
- Bailey Ober had a strong start against the Tigers this week, but he doesn’t generate whiffs (8% swStr) nor has the velocity (88.6 mph) to feel confident in getting solid results from. Maybe against the struggling Reds at home? I’d still look for better options
- Matthew Liberatore is the pitcher I’d trust the most on this list. His last start (5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) was probably more of a product of bad luck, as he allowed a .500 BABIP. In daily lineups, I would definitely start him against the Guardians and would still consider him against the Astros. In that rough Nationals outing, he still posted a CSW of 31.5% and 5.13 PLV. While that feels high for him, he could be someone to monitor going forward if he can come close to replicating these values.
- Cade Cavalli has done a good job of limiting barrels this season, but the elevated walk rate (14.5%) and the lack of strikeouts/whiff (17.7% K%, 9.1% swStr%) scare me away from Cavalli right now.
There isn’t anyone potentially exciting in this group of starters. I would look for better options.
