Fantasy Baseball 2013: Full List of This Week's 2-Start Pitchers

I am sure that some people play fantasy baseball differently, but if you are like me, you try to load up starting pitchers. Even though they might not get the steady points that a solid closer like Mariano Rivera can reel in week after week, a pitcher with two starts in one week can be a game-changer.

For this coming week, I’m going to break down the top-of-the-line options, the mid-level options, and guys who you might want to consider avoiding even though they had two starts.

Top-Of-The-Line Options

Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves

Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves

Travis Wood, Chicago Cubs

Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds

Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado Rockies

Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

James Shields, Kansas City Royals

Matt Harvey, New York Mets

Bartolo Colon, Oakland Athletics

Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners

Roberto Hernandez, Tampa Bay Rays

Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals

Explanation

I’m not going to explain every selection on here, but I think that some of them need a little bit of clarification.

Hisashi Iwakuma might not always be a top-of-the-rotation option, but he is projected to be starting against Allen Webster of the Boston Red Sox, who has been struggling mightily this year, and Jerome Williams of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a team which has actually had a difficult time at home (22-25).

Roberto Hernandez and Chris Archer are both on the list for the same reason. They each start against the Minnesota Twins at the beginning of the week and finish with the Houston Astros. You have to love a pair of matchups against two of the worst teams in baseball.

Finally, Ross Detwiler gets former teammate John Lannan and the struggling Philadelphia Phillies before taking on Tom Koehler of the Miami Marlins. He is not great, but substandard opposition will be helpful.

Mid-Level Options

Randall Delgado, Arizona Diamondbacks

Miguel Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles

Wei-Yin Chen, Baltimore Orioles

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs

Hector Santiago, Chicago White Sox

Tony Cingrani, Cincinnati Reds

Tyler Chatwood, Colorado Rockies

Jerome Williams, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers

C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants

Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals

Derek Holland, Texas Rangers

Josh Johnson, Toronto Blue Jays

Explanation

Jon Lester, Zack Greinke, C.C. Sabathia and Cole Hamels are players who you are obviously going to start if you have them and will definitely not be in the free-agent pool. However, I put them in this level because of their struggles so far this season.

Matt Garza could definitely move up to the higher level, but it is a little bit concerning that he has to start against a pair of quality opponents in Hector Santiago of the crosstown White Sox and Lance Lynn of the always dangerous St. Louis Cardinals.

Tony Cingrani is a strikeout machine, and he has definitely been doing very well so far. However, I wanted to see a little bit more of a track record before I moved him up. 

Better-Off-Avoiding Options

Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks

Allen Webster, Boston Red Sox

Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox

Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland Indians

Jeremy Guthrie, Kansas City Royals

Chris Capuano, Los Angeles Dodgers

Johnny Hellweg, Milwaukee Brewers

Donovan Hand, Milwaukee Brewers

P.J. Walters, Minnesota Twins

Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins

David Phelps, New York Yankees

John Lannan, Philadelphia Phillies

Wandy Rodriguez, Pittsburgh Pirates

Edinson Volquez, San Diego Padres

Eric Stults, San Diego Padres

Martin Perez, Texas Rangers

Taylor Jordan, Washington Nationals

Explanation

Ian Kennedy has never been the same since his breakout campaign in 2011, and even though he does have a big name, I would be careful starting him against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. Even though the opposition is not the best, he makes me nervous.

Jose Quintana and Jeremy Guthrie are two guys who I am normally very high on. However, Quintana will face Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels on consecutive nights, so it might be difficult to bring home the victories. Guthrie has been struggling a little bit, and his first start of the week is against CC Sabathia in Yankee Stadium. It gets easier later in the week with the Cleveland Indians, but I don’t like the first matchup.

Finally, David Phelps is a tough one to bet against because playing for the New York Yankees will almost always keep you in the ballgame. However, James Shields will be his first opponent, and it might be a tough game to win. He faces the Minnesota Twins later in the week, but that first game might not work out so well.

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