Garrett Crochet (BOS) @ MIN; vs. DET<\/strong> \u2014 Against LHP the Twins have a 24.3% strikeout rate, while the Tigers have just a .243 wOBA. Two solid matchups for the Red Sox ace.<\/p>\n Cristopher Sanchez (PHI) vs. CHC; vs. ATL<\/strong> \u2014 The southpaw has been dominant thus far and should continue to rack up strikeouts against the Cubs with their 28.4% K%. Atlanta has a 111 RC+ against LHP, but don\u2019t let that deter you.<\/p>\n Kevin Gausman (TOR) @ MIL; @ ARI<\/strong> \u2014 Gausman have been utterly dominant with an overall strikeout rate of 40.6%. That\u2019s opponent-proof.<\/p>\n Bryan Woo (SEA) @ SDP; v TEX<\/strong> \u2014 Woo has been so good that you just can\u2019t worry about starting him against either opponent.<\/p>\n Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) vs. NYM; @ COL<\/strong> \u2014 Against RHP the Mets have a .875 OPS, tied for the league lead, while the Rockies have an 82 RC+.<\/p>\n Max Fried<\/a> (NYY) vs. LAA; vs. KCR<\/strong> \u2014 Two solid matchups for Fried. The Angels (34.5%) and Royals (26.5%) are both in the bottom 10 of MLB<\/a> in strikeout rate vs. LHP.<\/p>\n Paul Skenes (PIT) vs. WSH; vs. TBR<\/strong> \u2014 The Nationals have actually been one of the best teams in MLB against righties with a .347 wOBA and 119 RC+, and the Rays have been nearly as good at .341 and 120. You\u2019re still not sitting Skenes.<\/p>\n Framber Valdez (DET) vs. KCR; @ BOS<\/strong> \u2014 The Red Sox 105 RC+ vs. lefties and the Royals strikeout tendencies shouldn\u2019t scare you into benching Valdez.<\/p>\n Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) vs. TOR; @ MIA<\/strong> \u2014 The righty seemed to right the ship against the Red Sox, so I\u2019m not worried about either start here.<\/p>\n George Kirby (SEA) vs. HOU; vs. TEX<\/strong> \u2014 Kirby has been solid over three starts with a .350 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. The Astros at a 156 RC+ and Rangers at a 103 RC+ may pose a challenge.<\/p>\n Michael King (SDP) vs. SEA; @ LAA<\/strong> \u2014 I\u2019d start King against the Mariners 28.3% strikeout rate, but sit him against the Dodgers.<\/p>\n Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) @ ATH; @ SEA<\/strong> \u2014 Against RHP the A\u2019s strikeout 30% of the time and the Mariners are at 28.3%, two terrific matchups.<\/p>\n Trevor Rogers (BAL) vs. ARI; @ CLE<\/strong> \u2014 The strikeouts haven\u2019t been there, but neither have the Diamondbacks (73 RC+) and Guardians (88 RC+) bats.<\/p>\n Robbie Ray (SFG) @ CIN; @ WSH<\/strong> \u2014 The Reds shouldn\u2019t be a problem if Ray keeps it in the park on the road. The Nats have been tough on southpaws with 146 RC+!<\/p>\n Drew Rasmussen (TBR) @ CWS; @ PIT<\/strong> \u2014 Rasmussen should feast on the White Sox 28.2% strikeout rate. Don\u2019t worry about the Pirates either.<\/p>\n Matthew Boyd (CHC) @ PHI; vs. NYM<\/strong> \u2014 The Phillies (52 RC+) and Mets (62 RC+) have both been soft on LHP. Oh, Boyd!!<\/p>\n Eury Perez (MIA) @ ATL; vs. MIL<\/strong> \u2014 Perez is struggling with command issues with a 14.9% walk rate. Both teams have hit righties well, so I\u2019m recommending caution here.<\/p>\n Kyle Bradish (BAL) vs. ARI; @ CLE<\/strong> \u2014 I\u2019m concerned about Bradish\u2019s lack of command. His walk rate is 15.8% through his first two starts.<\/p>\n Gavin Williams (CLE) @ STL; vs. BAL<\/strong> \u2014 Williams has walked one in five batters thus far through three starts but is striking out 37.3% of them. Neither offense should pose a big threat.<\/p>\n Ryne Nelson (ARI) @ BAL; vs. TOR<\/strong> \u2014 Nelson has been walking almost as many batters as he strikes out. Still, take a chance if you need two starts to stream against the O\u2019s 27.1% strikeout rate and the Blue Jays 94 RC+.<\/p>\n Mike Burrows (HOU) @ SEA; vs. STL<\/strong> \u2014 Burrows is an OK streamer against the Mariners 28.3% strikeout rate and the Cardinals 67 RC+ against righties.<\/p>\n Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) @ NYY; v SDP<\/strong> \u2014 The Yankees 62 RC+ and Padres 72 RC+ against southpaws makes Kikuchi a decent play.<\/p>\n Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs. LAA; vs. KCR<\/strong> \u2014 The Angels strike out at a 34.5% rate and the Royals aren\u2019t much better at 26.5% against LHP.<\/p>\n Mitch Keller (PIT) vs. WSH; vs. TBR<\/strong> \u2014 There hasn\u2019t been much K in Keller, and these are not good matchups for him based on the Nats 119 RC+ and Rays 120 RC+.<\/p>\n Reid Detmers (LAA) @ NYY; vs. SDP<\/strong> \u2014 Another Angels lefty worth a gamble.<\/p>\n Brady Singer (CIN) vs. SFG; @ MIN<\/strong> \u2014 Luck hasn\u2019t been on Singer\u2019s side, but these matchups might change that.<\/p>\n Luis Severino (ATH) vs. TEX; vs. CWS<\/strong> \u2014 Nothing to fear here. Start Severino.<\/p>\n Jeffrey Springs (ATH) vs. TEX; vs. CWS<\/strong> \u2014 Against southpaws the Rangers (31.9%) and White Sox (31.1%) are two of the worst in MLB. Hope Springs eternal.<\/p>\n Kumar Rocker (TEX) @ ATH; @ SEA<\/strong> \u2014 Could the A\u2019s (30% K%) and the Mariners (28.3%) put the K in Kumar? It\u2019s worth a shot if you like to roll the dice.<\/p>\n Cade Cavalli (WSH) @ PIT; vs. SFG<\/strong> \u2014 The strikeouts haven\u2019t been there for Cavalli (17.7% K rate) but he\u2019s been effective.<\/p>\n Bailey Ober (MIN) vs. BOS; vs. CIN<\/strong> \u2014 The offense here weak with the Red Sox 86 RC+ and the Reds 67 RC+. Ober hasn\u2019t been good but could turn it around with two home starts.<\/p>\n © David Dermer-Imagn Images

<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Michael Wacha (KCR) @ DET; @ NYY<\/strong> \u2014 The Tigers 110 RC+ and Yankees 124 RC+ against righties are a red flag for Wacha, who is league average at his best and subject to terrible outings.<\/p>\n David Peterson (NYM) @ LAD; @ CHC<\/strong> \u2014 Peterson has been getting hit hard. No thanks, against these two teams.<\/p>\n Joey Cantillo (CLE) @ STL; vs. BAL<\/strong> \u2014 Both teams have a 122 RC+ against lefties.<\/p>\n Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs. CLE; @ HOU<\/strong> \u2014 The Guardians have struggled against righties with 88 RC+, while Astros have crushed them with 156 RC+. Libertore has not been striking batters out. Big gamble here.<\/p>\n Cristian Javier (HOU) vs. COL; vs. STL<\/strong> \u2014 The matchups are good, but Javier has not been good at all. Pass.<\/p>\n Sean Burke (CWS) vs. TBR; @ ATH<\/strong> \u2014 OK against the A\u2019s, but not so much against the Rays.<\/p>\n Miles Mikolas (WSH) @ PIT; vs. SFG<\/strong> \u2014 No!!<\/p>\n Michael Lorenzen (COL) @ HOU; vs. LAD<\/strong> \u2014 Double no!!<\/p>\n Teams with six games<\/p>\n<\/td>\n ATL, ARI, BOS, CHC, CIN, COL, CWS, DET, KCR, LAD, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYM, PHI, SDP, SFG, STL, TBR, TOR<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Teams with seven games<\/p>\n<\/td>\n ATH, BAL, CLE, HOU, LAA, NYY, PIT, SEA, TEX, WSH<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n If your league has waivers available before Sunday, you should grab your 2-start streamers in advance. If you have to place an FAAB bid in for any of the available streamers, don\u2019t overspend. It\u2019s early in the season, so there is no need to gamble on pitchers with tougher matchups or unproven arms.<\/p>\n This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Apr 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fantasy<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\nTop 2-Start Options and Matchup Plays: Week 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Best 2-Start Pitchers for April 13-18<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_fit%2Ch_800%2Cw_1200\/MjY6MDAwMDAwMDAxMTQ3NDY4\/mlb-arizona-diamondbacks-at-los-angeles-dodgers.jpg\")
Must-Stream Arms with High-Upside Weeks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Risky 2-Start Pitchers to Avoid<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_fit%2Ch_800%2Cw_1200\/MjY6MDAwMDAwMDAxMTQ3NDcy\/mlb-kansas-city-royals-at-cleveland-guardians.jpg\")
Arms with Tough Schedules or Poor Form<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Scheduling Game Counts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Category<\/th>\n Teams<\/th>\n<\/thead>\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n How to Use These 2026 Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Redraft, Points, and Dynasty Streaming Strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n