Two-Start Starters: Week 20

Welcome to the 20th 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 Noah Cameron, 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

• Sean Burke has been phenomenal for the White Sox this season, pitching to a 3.08 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 128.2 IP.  Burke has an elite 30.1% CSW% on the season and will face the Reds (away from Cinci) and a Tigers team that traded away Skubal and Mize
• Speaking of Tarik Skubal, he will make two starts this week for his new team, the Dodgers.  He only threw 85 pitches in his Dodgers debut but still completed 6 innings with 6 strikeouts.
• Logan Henderson has a pitch-count concern (surpassing 90 pitches only once), but the quality and efficiency have been there.  He’s thrown at least 5 innings in each start since returning to the rotation in July; he’s pitched to a 2.67 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 32 K’s in 27 IP (5 appearances).
• Paul Skenes hasn’t been the dominant force he was in his first two seasons, but he’s still a good pitcher.  He’s had an uncharacteristic 4 walks in each of his last two outings. He’s still striking out over 30% of the batters he faces, and his 3.96 ERA is notably higher than his 2.92 xERA, 2.92 FIP, and 3.11 xFIP.
• Dylan Cease is in the midst of arguably his best season. He has a 2.61 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and career-best marks in FIP (2.37), K% (35.9%), SwStr% (16.6%), and CSW% (32.6%).

• Jacob Lopez has elite extension and is locating his pitches effectively, attacking hitters with his four-seamer, slider, and cutter. Over his past two starts, he has 17 K’s over 10.1 IP with just 3 ER allowed.  Even at home, his command right now is on point.
• Trevor Rogers has quietly been on a strong stretch. Over his last 10 starts, he’s pitched 61.1 innings with a 2.35 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.  He’s averaging just under a strikeout an in inning (57 Ks) with an elite 5.4% BB rate.
• Sonny Gray might have taken a step back in the strikeout department, but he has 14 QS in 20 outings and a 14-1 record. The declining strikeout rate is mitigated by the length of his outings (6+ IP in each of his last 10 starts).
• Ranger Suarez hasn’t thrown more that 65 pitches in either of his previous two outings. One of those was against the Blue Jays where he struck out 6 over 4 shutout innings.  He’s still an effective pitcher and should be finishing over 5 IP in each of the next two starts.
• Noah Cameron (STOW) is sitting 93/94 mph and has been dominant over his last three outings. Over that stretch: 23 IP, 0.39 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 30.8% K-rate.
• Reid Detmers is averaging over a strikeout per inning and has the second best strikeout rate (28.3%) of his career coupled with the best walk rate of his career (7.4%).  His ERA (41.2) is notably lower than his xERA (3.23) and FIP (3.48), and hyis WHIP is 1.10.
• Eury Pérez generated 18 whiffs in just 91 pitches in his last outing, with his four-seamer being responsible for 6 of them. Perez has provided over a strikeout per inning in 6 of his last 8 starts
• Ryan Weathers has a 1.22 WHIP this season and a 3.79 ERA (second best of his career). His K% is the best of his career and despite being at a career high in innings, he’s still throwing 90+ pitches and pitching into the 6th inning.
• Bryan Woo pitched well in his last outing vs the Tigers (7 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K) reverting to a fastball heavy approach at the top of the zone.  Against the Yankees and Astros, this approach should have success.

• Nick Lodolo against the Marlins is an intriguing option, but the White Sox dangerous lineup scares me away from trusting him in weekly leagues.
• Tanner Bibee had a phenomenal changeup in his last outing and has a 3.13 ERA in his last 5 starts (31.2 IP).  The strikeouts are still down on the season, but he’s pitching deep into games.
• Hayden Wesneski is slated to make his third and fourth starts of the season thsi week.  He was efficient in his last outing (6.0 IP in 78 pitches), but after throwing 79 pitches in his first outing I’m curious to see if thats a limit the Astros are placing on him. That being said, he’s a streaming option against the Giants.
• Christian Scott still has his elite strikeout rate this season, but the concern remains length. He completed 6 full innings in his last outing against the Braves who he’ll face again this week before facing a dangerous Nationals offense.
• Andrew Painter in his first start back in the MLB relied primarily on his sweeper and returned a quality start with 6 K’s. In his second outing, his fastball and new changeup (which he heavily struggled to locate), were the primary weapons.  His best approach is to use lay off his fastball and rely on his breaking pitches…if he does that he’ll have more success, but it’s difficult to trust him right now.
• Casey Mize has an elite 1.09 WHIP driven by a 6.1% BB rate. His ERA (3.40) is notably higher than his FIP (2.82) thanks to that elite BB rate and career best 0.60 HR/9.  He struggled in his first start with the Padres and there are some pitch count concerns that I’d like to see resolved before putting him in the Most Likely tier.
• Blade Tidwell is transitioning to a starter role.  The velocity was down (understandably) and generated 5 whfifs on his Sweeper and 4 on his Slider.  However, the fastballs did not return a whiff. Against the Rockies in San Fran could be intriguing.
• Hunter Dobbins is back in the rotation following the trade deadline and returned a quality start in his first outing.  In Chicago might be a pass, but against the Phillies could be worth a stream.
• MacKenzie Gore only struck out 4 in his last outing against the Giants despite generating 15 whiffs and 13 called strikes. Even without Adell, the Angels have had success against LHP this season and he’ll have have to pitch in Sacramento in his second outing.
• Cody Bradford made his season debut, throwing 70 pitches over 4.1 IP.  The high iVB and extension make up for the lack of velo, in deeper leagues he’s an intriguing 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!