Fantasy Baseball 2024 Two-Start Pitchers & Streaming Starters For Week 17

Rotations are a tad topsy-turvy following the MLB All-Star Game, and this is reflected in the limited number of two-start choices available to populate your fantasy baseball rosters this coming week. Week 17 presents a scant eight SPs in the top tier, and a mere three arms for middle tier consideration. The good news is that the bottom group is also less populated, so fewer hurlers that could potentially lure you into an inopportune decision to go for the dual starts and damage your fantasy stat line.

There are sufficient one-start streaming options to consider, and those are profiled below for your deliberation. Most of the action for streaming purposes is found mid-week, however, due to the two-start SPs being the prime considerations to open the scoring period and then wrap it up, as well.

As noted above, not a plethora of arms to consider for their two trips to toe the rubber. If you are fortunate enough to have one or more of these pitchers on your roster, thank your lucky stars and take full advantage in the current scoring period.

Carrasco has allowed three or fewer earned runs over his last five outings, and pitched a pair of quality starts during that run as well. He is working diligently to reduce his ugly 5.02 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, but the earlier damage is slow to be repaired. He does not have easy matchups on tap, in either of the games where he is scheduled to climb the hill in Week 17, but the recent success makes him worthy of plugging into your rotation.

Feltner is another two-start pitcher whose ratio stats are, at best, unattractive: 5.36 ERA, 1.45 WHIP. His last three outings before getting roughed up by the Mets on the road, saw him hold opposing hitter to just four earned tallies over 18.0 IP. He is a good strikeout producer, with an 8.0 K/9 rate on the season. Given his home/road splits, it would be prudent to use him at the end of the week when he toes the rubber in San Francisco, foregoing his dual start potential.

Littell held the visiting Guardians to one earned run over six innings, nabbing a quality start. This was a welcome return to form after the seven runs he allowed in the previous outing to the Rangers in Arlington. The 28-year-old righty offers good strikeout production (8.3 K/9 over his 101.1 innings this season) and great control (1.7 BB/9). The end of the scoring period trip to the hill at home against the Reds is where he can potentially do you the most good, given his struggles on the road this season, so the start in Yankee Stadium is not necessarily where he should be employed for fantasy purposes.

Not a whole lot of arms to avoid this week, a blessing of the shortened Week 16 schedule due to the All-Star break in action. Although you may be desperate for innings this week, it is suggested you look elsewhere and avoid this collection of uninspiring pitchers. Look below to the streaming options if your league settings lead you to search for IP to satisfy the requirements for this week’s action.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 17

There is no promise that each game day will provide a streaming option. First of all, the pitcher must be available in at least 50% of leagues to be a viable candidate to snag off the wire. Then, the pitchers discussed above are not included as they have a different sort of value, even though some might be available as free agents in your league. Plus, some days the matchups and/or venues just do not figure as positive enough factors to favor plugging the arm into your rotation, even for one start. That all being said, here are this week’s best streaming candidates:

JP Sears, Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros

The Oakland southpaw came an out shy of picking up his seventh quality start this season, but continued to pitch impressively heading into the ASG break, racking up an excellent 2.16 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over the 16.2 IP he tossed, while also collecting 20 strikeouts against just four free passes during that run. The Astros have rebounded from a rough start, but the 28-year-old third-year player has pitched better at home this season, and has that on the plus side of the ledger in this matchup.

Chris Flexen, Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers

Despite taking the loss at home against the Pirates, he tossed his third consecutive quality starts, all without a victory showing up on his stat sheet. Probably not wise to expect a victory to arrive when he toes the rubber in Arlington, alas, but his ability to limit the earned tallies scored against him has value.

Yariel Rodriguez, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The rookie right-hander racked up an impressive seven strikeouts over just 4.0 IP in his last start pre-ASG break, and over his last three times atop the bump, he fanned 19 opposing hitters. He also walked seven batters during that stretch, so his control will be a limiting factor in his success on the hill. He has seen great success at home, and his ability to keep the ball in the park is a plus factor.

Drew Thorpe, Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle Mariners

Another Pale Hose pitcher, another pitcher racking up quality starts. The rookie righty has tossed four straight quality starts over his last 24.1 IP, with a stellar 1.85 ERA and 0.74 WHIP to his credit. He only struck out 15 hitters, while walking eight, so that is not a sign of dominance by the youngster. His peripheral metrics hint that he may be pitching a tad over his head currently, but he has been effective at home, so this matchup is not one to shy away from at this juncture.

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Despite sporting a useful 3.79 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, the veteran lefty has been charged with 10 losses on the season. His team has failed to provide offensive support in his appearances and the bullpen has also been a culprit in his accruing double digit losses. He is striking out better than a hitter per frame (9.2 K/9 over his 95.0 IP) and is better than average with his control (2.5 BB/9). One would think his luck has to change with regard to picking up a deserved win or two, but that is not necessarily so, so just accept the ratio stat benefits along with the Ks.

Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The second-year pitcher for the Pirates has looked strong over his limited run as a starter, and should be trusted so long as he sticks in the rotation in Pittsburgh. He has a 2.84 ERA on the season in both relief and now a starter’s role, with a useful 1.16 WHIP and an average 7.7 K/9 rate on the year. He has been effective in keeping the long ball off the table for opposing hitters, allowing just three dingers over his 66.2 IP to date. He has been a road warrior this season, so this matchup plays to his strength.

Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers

The 26-year-old southpaw has settled into a nice groove, notching an attractive 3.29 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over his most recent 38.1 IP (covering seven outings). The strikeout rate is just average, but he has been slightly more effective when climbing the bump away from Miami this season, so that mitigates a less-than-ideal matchup in this contest.

Aaron Civale, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Miami Marlins

The righty’s second start for his new team saw him pitch much better, although he still ended up charged with a loss despite only allowing one earned run over 6.1 innings. So he did garner the quality start, striking out six Pittsburgh hitters while walking two. He gets a home contest against the Marlins, certainly not an intimidating contest given their struggles on the road this year (and at home, for that matter).

Marco Gonzales, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The veteran righty returned to action and held the host White Sox to just a single earned run over five innings. He struck out four Pale Hose batters, and did not allow a free pass during his time atop the hill. Not the greatest matchup, but his team does play well away from PNC Park, and he should be well rested after the break.