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A shortened Week 1 meant no two-start pitchers — not unless your league counted the Mariners-Athletics series in Japan — and so we were robbed of the weekly practice of rounding up our favorites on the waiver wire.
Time to reintroduce ourselves to the habit.
Week 2 (April 1-7) is here, and the likelihood of skipped starts makes for a full slate of two-start possibilities, many of whom are widely available in CBS Sports leagues. That's not to say two starts are always better than one, particularly in categories leagues where a two-start pitcher can negatively impact ERA and WHIP, but pitchers you'd have half a mind to use in a one-start week become full-minded plays with two.
The top 10nine here are obvious, high-ownership, no-questions-asked starters across all formats with two starts, which makes Domingo German, with two favorable matchups and big strikeout potential, the highest-rated sleeper. I'd feel comfortable playing any of the top 14 in a standard 5x5 categories league and would expand the list of usable options through No. 17, Zach Eflin, in points leagues.
Rank | Pitcher | Start 1 | Start 2 |
1 | Max Scherzer, WAS | vs. PHI | at NYM |
2 | Mike Clevinger, CLE | at CHW | vs. TOR |
3 | Chris Sale, BOS | at OAK | at ARI |
4 | David Price, BOS | at OAK | at ARI |
5 | Chris Archer, PIT | vs. STL | vs. CIN |
6 | Marcus Stroman, TOR | vs. BAL | at CLE |
7 | Kyle Hendricks, CHC | at ATL | at MIL |
8 | Brad Peacock, HOU* | at TEX | vs. OAK |
9 | Matt Strahm, SD* | vs. ARI | at STL |
10 | Brad Keller, KC* | vs. MIN | at DET |
11 | Domingo German, NYY | vs. DET | at BAL |
12 | Kyle Gibson, MIN | at KC | at PHI |
13 | Steven Matz, NYM | at MIA | vs. WAS |
14 | Caleb Smith, MIA | vs. NYM | at ATL |
15 | Julio Urias, LAD* | vs. SF | at COL |
16 | Sean Newcomb, ATL | vs. CHC | vs. MIA |
17 | Zach Eflin, PHI | at WAS | vs. MIN |
18 | Ryan Yarbrough, TB*^ | vs. COL | at SF |
19 | Sean Reid-Foley, TOR | vs. BAL | at CLE |
20 | Tyson Ross, DET | at NYY | vs. KC |
21 | Merrill Kelly, ARI | at SD | vs. BOS |
22 | Mike Fiers, OAK | vs. BOS | at HOU |
23 | Drew Pomeranz, SF* | at LAD | vs. TB |
24 | Anthony DeSclafani, CIN | vs. MIL | at PIT |
25 | Tyler Mahle, CIN | vs. MIL | at PIT |
26 | Drew Smyly, TEX | vs. HOU | at LAA |
27 | Shelby Miller, TEX | vs. HOU | at LAA |
28 | Zach Davies, MIL | at CIN | vs. CHC |
29 | Ivan Nova, CHW | at CLE | vs. SEA |
30 | Chris Stratton, LAA | at SEA | vs. TEX |
31 | Aaron Brooks, OAK* | vs. BOS | at HOU |
32 | Chad Bettis, COL | at TB | vs. LAD |
33 | David Hess, BAL | at TOR | vs. NYY |
*RP-eligible | ^may follow an "opener" |
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