Each week for the rest of the season, I’ll be here to break down and tier-rank all the two-start pitching options for the upcoming week. Two-start pitchers are especially important in weekly head-to-head leagues and in season-long formats that only allow weekly lineup adjustments. I’ll break them down into four tiers:

• Auto-Starts

• Good Bets

• On the Fence

• Leave on the Bench

Auto Starts

• Zack Wheeler (vs. TOR, @PIT)

• Wheeler’s recent run-in with Atlanta wasn’t pretty, but let’s not overreact. He’s still sporting a 2.28 xERA, 2.72 FIP, and a K-BB% north of 23%. Before that Atlanta game, he had 3 straight scoreless outings. With Toronto’s swing-and-miss tendencies and Pittsburgh’s inability to punish righties, he’s still a Tier 1 workhorse you lock in.

• Joe Ryan (@OAK, vs. TOR)

• Ryan has graduated to the tier of playable versus any matchup. His BB rate has always been elite, but he has continued to progress in his K% and Whiff rate. He’s gone six-plus innings in six of his last seven, and both the Athletics and Blue Jays are in the bottom five in OPS vs. right-handers.

• Carlos Rodón (vs. CLE, vs. BOS)

• Rodón’s bounce-back has been one of the better stories of 2025. His 2.60 ERA, backed by a 2.85 xERA, shows his dominance isn’t a fluke. He’s in the 92nd percentile in K-rate and has held lefties to a .141 average. Fenway’s always tricky, but he’s pitching too well to bench.

• Logan Webb (vs. SD, vs. ATL)

• A classic Webb profile, elite groundball rate (62.3%), low walks, and lots of soft contact. The Atlanta start is no cakewalk, but he’s held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 8 of his 11 outings. Webb has been one of the most consistent pitchers of the last half-decade, and he’s continuing that this year. Fire him up.

• Chris Sale (vs. ARI, @SF)

• While Sale is not getting the same results as last year, his peripherals are not that far off. He’s up to a 30.1% strikeout rate and an excellent 16.1% swinging-strike rate, both among league leaders. He’s been pitching deep into games, and the strikeout-heavy Giants in Oracle are a good matchup to look forward to.

• Nathan Eovaldi (@TB, vs. WAS)

• While Eovaldi is not the flamethrower he used to be, it doesn’t matter. His splitter, which has his highest usage rate of any pitch, has an insane .181 BAA against it this year. The Rays and Nationals both rank in the bottom 10 in OBP and ISO against right-handed pitchers (RHP), making him a solid volume play for strikeouts and quality starts.

• Pablo López (@OAK, vs. TOR)

• If you liked Joe Ryan’s matchups, you’ll love Pablo’s as well. A 2.82 SIERA fully supports his 2.75 ERA, and his 13.0% swinging strike rate is the highest of his career. He’s also throwing his sweeper and curveball more, and it’s generating a 40+% whiff rate. Easy set-and-forget.

• Drew Rasmussen (@TEX, vs. MIA)

• This wasn’t the breakout we expected, mostly because nobody expected it. But Rasmussen’s 2.33 ERA is backed by a .257 xwOBA and a 50% groundball rate. Three straight scoreless outings show he's cruising, and while Texas is a challenge, the Marlins are a soft landing.

Good Bets

• Freddy Peralta (@CIN, vs. SD)

• Peralta is still an enigma, but one with a 2.77 ERA and a decent enough 24.3% strikeout rate. His matchups aren’t the greatest, as it’s never great to pitch in Cincinnati, but his track record keeps him as a safe start.

• Jack Flaherty (CHW, @CHC)

• Flaherty ranks in the 89th percentile in strikeout rate and is coming off a brilliant 8-K, two-hit, no-run performance. The Cubs' matchup is more challenging, but Chicago’s lineup isn’t as scary against righties as you might think.

• Jackson Jobe (CHW, @CHC)

• One ugly Coors Field outing aside, Jobe has a sub-3.50 ERA and a 28.5% K-rate in all other appearances. His cutter-slider combo is legit, and he’s inducing chases outside at a good clip. Ride the rookie while the matchups are tasty.

• George Kirby (@HOU, vs. KC)

• This one’s tough. Kirby made just two starts this year, both of which were disasters. He’s currently lugging around an 11.42 ERA, yikes. However, his career ERA is under 3.60, and his control (with a career 3.2% BB rate) has always been elite. If there’s a time to reintroduce him cautiously, it’s this two-start week.

• Lance McCullers Jr. (@ARI, vs. LAA)

• Let’s talk upside. McCullers has racked up 20 strikeouts in just 10.1 innings over his last two starts, mostly thanks to a sharper curve and better command of his sinker. He’s high-risk, but with the strikeout heavy Angels as one of his opponents he has immense streaming upside.

• Tomoyuki Sugano (@SEA, vs. HOU)

• Sugano won’t win you the Statcast pageant, but he keeps finding outs. Seattle’s cavernous park plays to his pitch-to-contact style, and the Astros are underperforming against non-power arms. Just don’t expect strikeouts.

On the Fence

• Bowden Francis (@PHI, vs. MIN)

• Francis got tagged hard in April but looked much sharper recently, tossing five shutout innings with six strikeouts against Texas in his last start. The Phillies are probably a no-go, but the Twins matchup offers some streamability in deep leagues.

• Shane Smith (KC, @CLE)

• Smith has quietly been the most reliable of Chicago’s young arms. His 2.68 ERA and nearly 9 K/9 make him viable against Kansas City, especially since the Royals have fallen back to Earth offensively.

• Dustin May (@STL, vs. NYM)

• May is inching back toward relevance. He’s tallied at least eight strikeouts in three straight starts, and his sinker is generating more groundballs again. He’s still a risk, but St. Louis is beatable. Think twice before using him vs. the Mets, though.

• Michael Lorenzen (@CWS, vs. BAL)

• Lorenzen is the definition of serviceable. His 4.21 xERA and 19.1% K-rate aren’t exciting, but a matchup against the White Sox’s feeble offense makes him a potential streamer. Avoid Baltimore.

• Cade Horton (vs. WSH, vs. DET)

• He’s still adjusting to the bigs, but Horton’s control (4.7% BB rate) and poise are beyond his years. He’s not missing bats at an elite rate yet (18.6% K-rate), but he’s getting ahead in counts and limiting damage. Nationals and Tigers both don’t scare me. Sign me up.

• Luis Severino (@MIN, vs. SEA)

• Severino rediscovered his fastball shape, and it’s helped limit barrels (4.45). He’s no longer the ace of old at times with the Yankees, but he’s keeping teams off-balance and going deeper into games. Safe enough vs. the Twins and Mariners.

• Jacob Lopez (@MIN, vs. SEA)

• Jacob Lopez has an ERA over 6 this year, so it's hard to recommend him in a vacuum, but there’s more under the hood. Before getting rocked by Toronto last start, he pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball with 8 strikeouts vs the Phillies. Lopez doesn't throw hard, but he makes up for it with elite extension and limits hard contact very well. He's a sneaky upside play, especially vs. Seattle.

• Stephen Kolek (@SF, vs. MIL)

• Kolek looked like a waiver-wire steal after his complete-game shutout in Coors, but regression hit hard, with 14 earned runs in three starts. He gets the Giants in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, which could be a stabilizer. Milwaukee isn’t a terrible follow-up, either. Desperation stream only.

Keep on the Bench

This is the “you must be really desperate” group. Maybe you can justify one start here, but you’d have to squint hard, cross your fingers, and maybe say a prayer. Your best strategy? Just stay away.

• Justin Verlander (vs SDP, vs ATL)

• Brady Singer (vs MIL, vs ARI)

• Tylor Megill (@LAD, @COL)

• German Marquez (@MIA / vs NYM)

• Mike Burrows (vs Hou / vs PHI)

• Trevor Williams (vs CHC, vs TEX)

• Tyler Anderson (@BOS, vs SEA)

• Logan Allen (@NYY, vs HOU)

• Jonathan Cannon (vs DET, vs KCR)

• Richard Fitts (vs LAA, @NYY)