Two-Start Starters: Week 17

Welcome to the 17th 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 Kyle Leahy, 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

• Payton Tolle had some hiccups heading into the break, but he’s been so good for the Red Sox and his fantasy managers this year.  He’s a set-and-forget.
• Parker Messick has fully broken out this year and should be a staple in lineups
• Jacob Misiorowski is day-to-day, but as of writing, he’s scheduled for two starts next week.
• Joe Ryan is 6th on The List for a reason, as he’s establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport.
• Cristopher Sánchez struggled in the All-Star game, but that was an exhibition game.  Don’t let that meaningless inning change anything.
• Drew Rasmussen struggled in his last two starts, but before that, he was pitching deep into games, going 6 innings three times and 7 innings twice.  He has a sub-1 WHIP (0.95) on the season and is striking out every 4th batter (25% strikeout rate) while boasting the third-best walk rate (4.3%) among starters
• Dylan Cease has an insane 36.9% K rate and “only” a 1.13 WHIP despite his 11% walk rate simply because hitters can’t touch his stuff.  He has a 16.6% SwStr% and 32.9% CSW on the season.  His last two starts: 15 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 0 R, 20 K

• Shane Baz is slated to face a red-hot Red Sox team and an ice-cold Braves (last in wRC+ since June 1st). While he might have an abnormal strikeout game (striking out 3 or fewer), he’s good for a strikeout an inning more often than not.  A plus for Baz is that the Orioles have shown they are happy to let him throw 100 pitches.  There is some blowup potential as they’ll let him try to work his way out of jams, but the floor and ceiling are both decently high.
• Andrew Abbott was on a stretch of 12 starts with a 2.86 ERA before his last outing.  In that last outing, he struggled to generate whiffs on the sweeper and strikes on the four-seamer.  A poor quality start with a strikeout per inning is always on the table when Abbott pitches.
• Framber Valdez’s curveball is the key to unlocking his strikeouts, and it bullied the A’s in his final outing before the break (44.4% CSW).  The pitch count has hovered in the high 80s in his recent outings, but after a layoff and track record as a workhorse, it’s fair to expect him to get the pitch count into at least the 90s if he’s rolling.
• Michael Wacha faces a Giants team that is in the middle of the pack when it comes to hitting LHP (17th in wRC+), and has been better against LHH this year, matching up nicely against the Tigers and their plethora of impact LHH.
• Kyle Leahy (STOW) and his kitchen sink approach were on a nice run before his rain-shortened outing against the Braves (3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K) his last time out.  In the four starts prior, he pitched 22.1 innings, allowing just 4 ER while striking out 21. He’ll face an Angels team that does most of its damage against LHP, and the Reds in St. Louis.
• Nick Martinez is limited by his lack of strikeouts (14.5%), but it’s more than fair to expect over 5 quality innings with a strong WHIP (1.12 on the season).
• Nathan Eovaldi has been hurt by his high HR/FB% (25.3%), which has led to his 4.04 ERA despite a strong 1.18 WHIP.  His K% (25.9%) and BB% (5.6%) are in the top 20% among SP, and he allows just under a hit per inning.  Over his last 4 starts (24 IP), he’s been a strikeout machine, striking out 37 batters over that stretch.
• Kevin Gausman hasn’t returned great results or showcased great command in his last two outings (7 ER, 8 BBs over 11.1 IP), but the strikeouts are still there, and he’s allowing under a hit per inning in each of his last 3 starts.  If the walks get back under control, that’s a recipe for success, especially when he can be depended on to pitch deep into games.

• Reynaldo López kept the velocity up in his last start! It didn’t lead to the strikeouts it previously did, but it’s a good sign. The pitch count was up to 85 as well, so 90+ should now be on the table.
• Jack Flaherty was highlighted in the All-Star edition as an intriguing arm to me for the rest of the season. That logic is still very applicable, and at Wrigley in the Summer is a good litmus test coming out of the break.
• Janson Junk has good stuff that has yet to really translate. A fastball with that much iVB should miss bats at a higher rate, and his changeup is his only pitch with an above-average Whiff rate.  He’s been allowing over a hit per inning in most of his starts since May.  Against the Padres, he might be worth a stream.
• Freddy Peralta is seeing the strikeouts start to return, striking out 28.6% and 26.1% in his last two starts, but the walks were an issue in the last one (5 walks). Despite surpassing the 100 IP threshold, the length of his outings is still a concern as he’s averaging barely over 5 IP an outing, and is allowing far too many baserunners (1.44 WHIP) to feel confident in at the moment.  There have been more glimpses in recent outings, but the issues are still too prevalent.
• Will Warren successfully navigated a dangerous Nats offense and their deadly LHH despite his struggles against that handedness.  The road ahead isn’t much easier than that last outing, as he faces a Pirates team that is first in wRC+ since June 1st and a Phillies team that features plenty of dangerous LHH, highlighted by Schwarber and Harper.
• Randy Vásquez is going through a rough stretch right now (albeit with two starts coming against the Dodgers), but neither the whiffs nor the called strikes were ever there to inspire a lot of confidence.  The ceiling is very limited with Vasquez, maybe in deeper leagues vs a struggling Braves offense, he’s worth a flier early in the week?
• Matthew Liberatore against an Angels team that is the best in the sport against LHP is a scary proposition, but at home with the Cardinals defense behind him against the Reds could be worth consideration, although he shouldn’t be the first option.

I’m looking for better options on the 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!