Welcome to the 25th 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
- Reid Detmers has broken out this season after returning to the rotation. His WHIP (1.04), xERA (2.83), FIP (3.03), IP (168), and K% (28.4%) are all in the top 10 among SPs this season.
- Cristopher Sánchez is coming off his worst start in a long time, allowing 6 ER on 10 H with just 3 K over 6.0 IP. He left too many pitches in the middle of the plate, but he’s been incredible this season despite a 5th percentile BABIP (.337, league average .287). He’ll be a Cy Young finalist, and his fantasy production is elite.
- Jacob Misiorowski has more than lived up to the hype and tops the List. He’s on track to finish with a sub-2 ERA (1.95) and sub-1 WHIP (0.80). He’s been incredible.
- Will Warren has had a roller coaster year, and if the Yankees rotation was ever fully healthy, there’s a stronger-than-likely chance he would’ve been relegated to the bullpen. His lefty struggles have improved, and he has had a CSW greater than 30% against LHH in his last two outings. The Twins and Diamondbacks are solid matchups.
- Griffin Jax (STOW) hasn’t hit 70 pitches in either of his two starts since returning from the IL, but facing the A’s and Red Sox at home put him in a prime position for a strong week.
- Troy Melton’s velocity is fine, but the whiffs have disappeared. The PLV has hovered around his year average (4.98) over his last 10 starts (4.99). He’s a tough pitcher to evaluate, but Toronto’s offense isn’t scary this season, and the White Sox strike out 24.8% of the time vs. LHP, the 5th highest in the sport.
- Michael Wacha is an innings eater, averaging over 6.0 IP/start (182.2 IP over 29 starts) and has posted a strong 3.25 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. The K% is below average, lowering his ceiling, but he has a high floor thanks to his ability to pitch deep into games and provide quality innings.
- Hunter Brown still strikes out a ton of batters (80th percentile K%), totaling 24 over his last 3 starts (17.2 IP). The Astros are letting him empty the tank as he’s thrown 90, 101, 102, 101, and 90 pitches in his last 5 starts. The walks have been better in his last three outings, but the concern (11.9% BB rate) that this is an exception still exists.
- Sandy Alcantara had no idea where his changeup was going in his last start (22.6% Zone%, 45.2% Str% on 31 pitches), leading to his 4 walks. Unlike Brown, Sandy excels at limiting free passes (6.6%) but doesn’t strike out many hitters (career-low 17.2% K rate), giving him a higher floor but lower ceiling.
- Connor Prielipp has upped his slider usage (>38%, season average 31%) in his last two starts and has a 16% SwStr% on the offering. While this could be a recipe for success, he faces a Yankee lineup that has Aaron Judge back, and his pitch count has decreased from 96 to 78 to 73 to 68 over his last four outings.
- Ryan Johnson has a 2.11 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over his last 7 starts, completing 38.1 innings over that span. His 12.5% walk rate over that stretch is a lot easier to look at when considering that over half of his walks (10 of 19) came in two starts.
- Kade Anderson had the best start of his young career in his last outing, completing a quality start (6.0 IP, 1 ER) on just 81 pitches. I’m not convinced his stuff is good enough to be confident that he’ll succeed in Coors, though.
- Jonah Tong generated 16 whiffs on 87 pitches against the Marlins in his return to the show. He finished with 7 strikeouts, but it’s hard to forget the struggles he had earlier this season and at the end of last season. He’s a higher-ceiling option with a low floor.
- Quinn Mathews has been consistent (outside of one outing against the Phillies) since being called up. He’s good for 4 or 5+ IP, about a strikeout per inning, and a few runs. Against the Giants is the more intriguing option as a streamer.
- Roki Sasaki should be returning to the Dodgers rotation. His first start coming off the IL is against the Reds, which I’d avoid, but against the Giants could have its upside. Streaming Mathews early in the week and replacing him with Roki is something I would heavily consider.
- Casey Mize at Coors is a pass, but against the Marlins is worth consideration in daily leagues. The strikeouts have started to come back in his last two outings as his fastball velocity returned to 93/94 instead of 91/92.
- Landen Roupp has a 2.2% K-BB over his last 10 outings. Despite that, he has pitched to a 3.52 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, relying on his sinker and batted-ball luck to navigate trouble. I’d be scared of trusting him in weekly leagues, but he’s another option to stream early in the week and potentially replace with Mize/Sasaki. He probably has the lowest ceiling of this tier this week.
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!
