Two-Start Starters: Week 14

Welcome to the 14th 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, though they carry 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 Griffin Jax, 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

• Shota Imanaga wasn’t at his best against the Mets or Rockies in his last two outings, but he faces two underwhelming offenses this week.
• Parker Messick has a high floor and an enticingly high ceiling.  He just dominated the White Sox (and will face them again this week) and has 19 K’s over his last two starts and a 27.2% K rate on the season.
• Two three-run homers hurt Nolan McLean in his last outing against the Cubs, but he did return 19 whiffs and a 36% CSW.  He’s still a set-and-forget for me and has the upside you want from an ace, but it hasn’t been the smoothest ride with him this season.
• Dominant is the best word to describe Braxton Ashcraft in his last outing against the Mariners. 6.0 IP, 1 ER on 5 hits with no walks and 10 K’s, racking up 15 whiffs on 86 pitches and a 41% CSW? If you have him on your fantasy team, I’m jealous.  This isn’t a flash in the pan; he has a 31.4% CSW%, 21.7% K-BB%, 14.2% SwStr%, and a WHIP just over 1.
• Bryan Woo is getting closer to falling out of this tier after another rough outing.  Despite the struggles, the walk rate is still excellent (4.8%), and he’s striking out just under a 4th of the batters he faces (24.6% K rate).  His FIP (3.06) and xERA (3.05) are notably lower than his 4.26 ERA.
• Jacob DeGrom: AGA

• The Red Sox’s issues are overshadowing how good Ranger Suarez has been this season.  Both his ERA and FIP are below 3.00; he has an above-average K% and BB%; and a career-low HR/9.  He has 3 quality starts in his last 4 outings as well.  One thing to note, Suarez pitches better on the road, and he’ll face a dangerous Nationals offense in Fenway before heading to the Angels.  I’d play him in weekly leagues, and he’s a set-and-forget against the Angels in daily leagues.
• Sean Burke is coming off two phenomenal starts against the Yankees (7.1 IP, 1 ER, 8K, sub 1.00 WHIP) and Guardians (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 K).  He faces the Orioles this week before facing the Guardians again.  The fastball generates whiffs and can miss bats in the zone, which can set up his slider/curveball to generate whiffs at the bottom or outside the zone.
• Ryan Weathers had three rough starts in a row before settling back in his last two starts against the AL Central’s White Sox and Tigers, combining for 12.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 14 K over those outings.  He’ll face the Tigers again this week and another AL Central team, the Twins.
• Griffin Jax (STOW) threw 88 pitches in his last outing, alleviating the main concern with starting him.  The stuff is good, and I really liked his approach in his last outing, throwing 25 changeups armside with 25 sweepers away and 21 Sinkers armside to tunnel the three pitches.
• Trey Yesavage was one out away from a quality start in his last outing and only allowed two hits while striking out five. The bad part is that he also walked five, and these games where he loses the zone are starting to become too common.  Despite that, the upside is there with him, and facing the Mets and pitching in Seattle helps his case to be in this tier this week.

• Eduardo Rodriguez had his two-start week pushed due to a rainout, but the same thoughts from last week still apply.  His ERA (2.27) is heavily outperforming his xERA (4.48) and FIP (4.06).  The K% and BB% are both below average, but he’s getting results.  In his last outing, he went 6.2 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 3, and striking out 5.
• Gage Jump has a strong fastball and slider combination.  He zones his slider well but also generates chase on the pitch at a high rate.  His fastball is zoned and chased at elite rates, and he has a high SwStr% on the pitch as well.  That’s a recipe for success, and even against the Dodgers in Sacramento its worth some consideration.  Against the Marlins, I’m more than comfortable starting him as well.
• Javier Assad might only start one game this week, depending on where the newly acquired David Peterson slides into the rotation. Regardless, Assad has favorable matchups this week and is elite at limiting walks (5.7% BB), which helps keep his WHIP to a career low 1.04 mark.  The upside is limited by a lack of strikeouts, and it’s an anomaly for him to clear 90 pitches in an outing.
• Nick Lodolo is tough to figure out.  He’s had an up-and-down year, but his last start against the Brewers was his best outing of the season.  Maybe he’s turning a corner, and he could be a nightmare for the Orioles’ lefties, but there are some questions — outing length, quality of innings — that concern me; his 5.59 ERA and 5.39 FIP aren’t from one or two nightmare outings.
• Tanner Bibee is getting killed by the HR this year, and his strikeout and walk rate have regressed; his 3.78 ERA is notably lower than his 4.57 FIP.  He can strike out 8 over 7 quality innings, or give up 7 ER over 3.  I’m more confident in his start against the Rangers this week than against the White Sox.
• Eric Lauer in Sacramento is a scary thought, but he could be worth a flier against the Padres in daily leagues if you need innings.  He won’t strike out the world, but he hasn’t had any catastrophic outings since joining the Dodgers.
• The Marlins strikeout king, Sandy Alcantara, has to pitch in Coors and Sacramento this week.  Despite that, I’d consider him against the Rockies, but I’m looking for better options than him vs the A’s offense.
• Brandon Sproat dared the Reds to hit his fastball last game, zoning the pitch 69.6% of the time.  They couldn’t, whiffing 6 times and taking 4 others for called strikes. He finished the game with a 43.5% CSW% on the pitch.  Is he going to do that again against the Reds and/or the Diamondbacks? I’m not sure, but if you’re looking for a pitcher to take a flier on, Sproat is a good option.
• Shane Drohan has a solid K% (23.9%) and BB% (7.8%) this season.  The worrisome part with him is that he’s a converted reliever and has walked 3 in each of his last two starts.
• Zebby Matthews pitched better than expected against the Dodgers, thanks to 9 CS on his four-seamer.  That is probably not sustainable, and while the ceiling can be pretty high, the floor is pretty low.  He’s a high-risk, decently high-reward play.  Between him and Sproat, I’d take Sproat.
• Bubba Chandler has allowed 2 ER or fewer in his last 4 starts.  However, he only had a 20% CSW% in his last outing and has eclipsed the 30% mark only twice this season.  Another reason for concern: he has 5 Ks and 5 BBs over 11.1 IP in his last two starts combined.  The stuff is so good, but the results aren’t there yet.

• Two notes: the Braves might run a 6-man rotation again, leaving Grant Holmes with just one start again, and Kyle Leahy might take Matthew Liberatore’s spot due to the rainout

I’m looking for better options on days these pitchers start. There’s not much to say about any of them here, but I’m happy to elaborate on any of the two-start starters this week! Just reply to Nick’s post with the article on Twitter/X and I’ll answer any questions!