Welcome to the 19th 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 Ian Seymour, 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
- Chris Sale, at 37, is still one of the best pitchers in the sport. 2.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, elite strikeout and walk rates, and just under 6 IP a start.
- Joe Ryan has taken a step back in his last two starts, but he didn’t walk a batter in either outing. His name’s on the trade block, so there’s a chance he only makes one start next week, but he’s still one of the best fantasy options in the game.
- Cam Schlittler is dominating. I’m envious if you have him on your team.
- Jesús Luzardo was hurt by a 3-run home run and then struggled in the 7th inning, which makes his line look worse than his performance probably deserved. He’s still having arguably the best season of his career.
- Davis Martin hasn’t been great recently, but he faces a Red Sox team with an 87 wRC+ vs RHP and a Guardians team that was below average by wRC+ in July, with the 8th-worst K%.
- Peter Lambert is on a strong stretch, pitching to a 1.88 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP over 28.2 innings in 5 starts. Over that span, he’s striking out over a batter per inning (32 K) and has a 20.2% K-BB.
- Reid Detmers‘ 4.03 ERA is notably worse than his 3.18 xERA and 3.36 FIP. Like Ryan, he’s on the trade block, but he boasts an elite K% (91st percentile) and strong BB% (7.4%).
- Logan Henderson has a 2.66 ERA and minuscule 0.92 WHIP, and a 26.6% K-BB rate. The issue with Henderson is that he’s probably not pitching more than 5 innings in an outing, and has thrown more than 85 pitches just once.
- Christian Scott had a dominant fastball in his last outing (10 whiffs, 35.8% CSW%) and, arguably more importantly, the Mets let him pitch through trouble in the 6th inning. He’ll finish July with a 2.59 ERA and 1.07 WHIP for the month, albeit averaging under 5.0 IP per start.
- Jared Jones in his last 4 starts: 23.0 IP, 1.96 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 32.9 K%, 4.9 BB%. I highlighted him in the All-Star week edition, and he’s on his way to Set-and-Forget territory.
- Logan Webb and his lack of strikeouts (19.1% strikeout rate) limit his upside, and he’s had some blow-up outings, but for the most part he’s providing a quality start.
- Ian Seymour (STOW) had two poor starts in a row against the Mariners and Red Sox in mid-July, but his fastball, sweeper, and changeup are legitimate weapons. With McClanahan headed to the IL, Seymour should be relied on for longer outings.
- Trey Yesavage can be hit or miss and hasn’t replicated his postseason success, but his stuff matches up well against Yordan Alvarez and the Phillies lineup, which has been very top-heavy this season.
- Brandon Pfaadt has pitched well since returning to the rotation, including one against the Pirates and one against the Dodgers. Over that 6-start stretch, 34 IP, 1.85 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, but only 18 strikeouts, relying on BABIP for success. Against the Dodgers (even the recent success) is a scary proposition, but could be worth a flier against the Padres.
- Eduardo Rodriguez’s ERA is notably better than his xERA and FIP, but it’s been that way pretty much the entire season. Between him and Pfaadt, E-Rod’s a safer stream to me.
- Dean Kremer has allowed 14 ER in his last two starts. In a deeper league, he could be worth a stream as both the Angels (23rd) and Rangers (17th) are below average vs RHP by wRC+ this season.
- Matthew Boyd, over his last 5 starts, has allowed 6 ER in 32.1 IP. The strikeouts have taken a step back during that time, limiting his upside, but against the Royals is an intriguing option.
- Javier Assad could very well see his only start this week come against the Dodgers. However, if he does remain in the rotation for the weekend series, he could be worth a stream against the Royals. Between him and Boyd, I’d take Boyd.
- Brady Singer was on a stretch of three straight quality starts before his defense (and command as he walked 4) abandoned him in his last outing. Both the Sinker and Slider were all over the place (31.8% and 36.8% Zone rates, respectively), but this was an anomaly in that regard.
- Slade Cecconi hasn’t been very effective — 4.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP — but could be worth a stream in deeper leagues against the Mets.
- Casey Mize is scheduled to be a two-start starter after being scratched on Friday. Nick provided some insight from his Pitcher Dashboard that’s coming to PL Pro in August, but I’m hesitant to trust Mize until we see the velocity come back.
- Brandon Sproat completed the 5th inning for the first time in 3 starts, finishing with 3 ER over 6 IP with 5 strikeouts. His velocity was down a tick, and the Pirates offense is good, but he could be worth a stream against the Twins, especially if the velocity bounces back to the high 90s.
- Aaron Nola has been a roller coaster with more bad than good this season. In his last outing, he limited the Marlins to 1 ER over 5.2 IP, but allowed 8 baserunners. In deeper daily leagues, he could be worth some consideration against the Blue Jays. He’s towards the bottom of this tier this week for me, though.
- Bubba Chandler is someone I’d consider streaming against the Mets, but is towards the bottom of this tier similar to Nola. Between him and Nola, Bubba provides more upside.
- Matthew Liberatore at home vs the Rockies is another deep, daily league potential stream. Even with the Yankees struggles vs LHP recently, it’s hard to justify starting Liberatore in Yankee Stadium. Like Bubba and Nola, I’m looking for better options. I’d take Liberatore over Nola, but not over Bubba.
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!
