The Double Dip: Fantasy baseball 2-start pitchers for the week

We’re back again for this week’s fantasy baseball Double Dip — highlighting pitchers making two starts in a week. Some of the plays may be obvious — you don’t need a 1,000-word soliloquy highlighting why it’s a good idea to start Jacob deGrom twice. You just do it. 

But volume is key, especially two-start-pitcher volume. This column aims to identify all the two-start hurlers, the ones that are no-brainers, the ones that are avoids, and most importantly, focus on the tough-to-call decisions. 

Each week, I’ll do my best to highlight some of those tricky arms and what could come your way.

All of the two-steppers (41)

1. Riley Smith, AZ (vs COL, at LAD)
2. Max Fried, ATL (at PIT, at MIA)
3. Matt Harvey, BAL (vs TOR, vs CWS)
4. Martín Pérez, BOS (at LAA, vs PHI)
5. Zach Davies, CHC (vs PHI, vs STL)
6. Jake Arrieta, CHC (vs PHI, vs STL)
7. Vladimir Gutierrez, CIN (at KC, at MIL)
8. Luis Castillo, CIN (at KC, at MIL)
9. Logan Allen, CLE (at TB, vs KC)
10. J.C. Mejía, CLE (at TB, vs KC)
11. Jon Gray, COL (at AZ, at SD)
12. Dylan Cease, CHW (at MIN, at BAL)
13. Wily Peralta, DET (at TEX, at MIN)
14. José Ureña, DET (at TEX, at MIN)
15. Luis García, HOU (vs OAK, vs NYY)
16. Mike Minor, KC (vs CIN, at CLE)
17. Kris Bubic, KC (vs CIN, at CLE)
18. José Suarez, LAA (vs BOS, at SEA)
19. Walker Buehler, LAD (at MIA, vs AZ)
20. Tony Gonsolin, LAD (at MIA, vs AZ)
21. Trevor Rogers, MIA (vs LAD, vs ATL)
22. David Hess, MIA (vs LAD, vs ATL)
23. Brandon Woodruff, MIL (at NYM, vs CIN)
24. Bailey Ober, MIN (vs CWS, vs DET)
25. José Berríos, MIN (vs CWS, vs DET)
26. Tylor Megill, NYM (vs MIL, vs PIT)
27. Jacob deGrom, NYM (vs MIL, vs PIT)
28. Jameson Taillon, NYY (at SEA, at HOU)
29. Chris Bassitt, OAK (at HOU, at TEX)
30. Matt Moore, PHI (at CHC, at BOS)
31. Aaron Nola, PHI (at CHC, at BOS)
32. Chase De Jong, PIT (vs ATL, at NYM)
33. Joe Musgrove, SD (vs WAS, vs COL)
34. Justus Sheffield, SEA (vs NYY, vs LAA)
35. Kevin Gausman, SF (vs STL, vs WAS)
36. Kwang Hyun Kim, STL (at SF, at CHC)
37. Rich Hill, TB (vs CLE, vs TOR)
38. Kolby Allard, TEX (vs DET, vs OAK)
39. Steven Matz, TOR (at BAL, at TB)
40. Jon Lester, WAS (at SD, at SF)
41. Patrick Corbin, WAS (at SD, at SF)

The no-brainers (23)

This group should definitely be in your starting lineup — whether it’s due to matchup or just sheer brilliance, don’t overthink this one. This is a larger group than regular, mostly due to excellent matchups.

• Max Fried, ATL (at PIT, at MIA)
• Zach Davies, CHC (vs PHI, vs STL)
• Vladimir Gutierrez, CIN (at KC, at MIL)
• Luis Castillo, CIN (at KC, at MIL)
• Jon Gray, COL (at AZ, at SD)
• Dylan Cease, CHW (at MIN, at BAL)
• Luis García, HOU (vs OAK, vs NYY)
• Mike Minor, KC (vs CIN, at CLE)
• Kris Bubic, KC (vs CIN, at CLE)
• Walker Buehler, LAD (at MIA, vs AZ)
• Tony Gonsolin, LAD (at MIA, vs AZ)
• Trevor Rogers, MIA (vs LAD, vs ATL)
• Brandon Woodruff, MIL (at NYM, vs CIN)
• José Berríos, MIN (vs CWS, vs DET)
• Tylor Megill, NYM (vs MIL, vs PIT)
• Jacob deGrom, NYM (vs MIL, vs PIT)
• Jameson Taillon, NYY (at SEA, at HOU)
• Chris Bassitt, OAK (at HOU, at TEX)
• Aaron Nola, PHI (at CHC, at BOS)
• Joe Musgrove, SD (vs WAS, vs COL)
• Kevin Gausman, SF (vs STL, vs WAS)
• Kwang Hyun Kim, STL (at SF, at CHC)
• Rich Hill, TB (vs CLE, vs TOR)

The run-and-hides (10)

This group should only be started out of pure desperation — the volume is nice, and it definitely could end up working out for you, but starting these hurlers is a real gamble. 

• Riley Smith, AZ (vs COL, at LAD)
• Matt Harvey, BAL (vs TOR, vs CWS)
• Jake Arrieta, CHC (vs PHI, vs STL)
• Wily Peralta, DET (at TEX, at MIN)
• José Ureña, DET (at TEX, at MIN)
• David Hess, MIA (vs LAD, vs ATL)
• Matt Moore, PHI (at CHC, at BOS)
• Chase De Jong, PIT (vs ATL, at NYM)
• Jon Lester, WAS (at SD, at SF)
• Patrick Corbin, WAS (at SD, at SF)

The meat-and-potatoes (8)

This group is one that takes a bit more thinking — the volume is nice, but the matchup could be tricky. Is it worth taking the risk on a questionable start for what could be some juicy fantasy goodness? Let’s dig in and find out.

And since they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I am going to use a similar rating scale that Clay Link and Todd Zola do over at Rotowire — if I was playing in five fantasy baseball leagues, how many would I feel comfortable starting this hurler? Using that as our barometer, we should be able to appropriately deem the risk and reward that’s available if you choose to start this arm. Keep in mind — your league and team context are always key. I’m using a 12-team NFBC Online Championship format as my primary backdrop.

• Martín Pérez, BOS (at LAA, vs. PHI, 32%) — TWO LEAGUES OUT OF FIVE: Perez has turned back into the old veteran lefty that we know — and that’s not a great thing. The whiffs have vanished, and he’s been hit pretty hard as of late. Shohei Ohtani is absolutely on fire at the dish, and the Phillies aren’t a great offense but have some big bats.
• Logan Allen/J.C. Mejía, CLE (at TB, vs. KC, 4%) — TWO: Neither one of these matchups is particularly appealing, but the fact of the matter is that the Rays stink against lefties and strike out a ton with whomever is on the mound. If you can stomach the risk, this could get you somewhere, here.
• José Suarez, LAA (vs. BOS, vs. HOU, 4%) — TWO: I am still going to be surprised if this two-step occurs. Mainly, that’s because I think the Angels have every intention in limiting Ohtani’s innings, and for Suarez to two-step, that means a five-man rotation. Primarily used as a reliever, Suarez has a 1.98 ERA and has shined in that role.
• Bailey Ober, MIN (vs. CWS, vs. DET, 61%) — TWO: Ober has come back down to earth after a scintillating beginning. The first matchup will be tricky, and despite their ugly record, Detroit is now 28-22 in their last 50 games.
• Justus Sheffield, SEA (vs. NYY, vs. LAA, 57%) — TWO: I was really hoping 2021 was going to be the Sheffield breakout year, but alas, I think I will still be waiting. Blessed with a gorgeous slider, he generates plenty of whiffs but gives out way too many free passes (9.6% walk rate). Hence, the 5.88 ERA. You may be flirting with danger with these matchups.
• Kolby Allard, TEX (vs. DET, vs. OAK, 9%) — TWO: At this point, you get the theme here — the Tigers are a bad offense, and we like picking on them. The flip side of this two-step is that the Oakland Athletics are a very good offense, clocking inside the top-five in many team-based categories.
• Steven Matz, TOR (at BAL, at TB, 81%) — THREE: Making his first start back from injury, Matz stunk up the joint with a bomb of an outing. Can he rebound here? All signs point to yes with two solid matchups, but I’d be lying if the rising 4.60 ERA wasn’t a concern.