Fantasy Baseball 2024 Two-Start Pitchers & Streaming Starters For Week 19

Fantasy baseball managers will find a healthy batch of aces occupying the top tier of dual start pitchers in Week 19, and as per usual, a smaller handful of middle tier options which may or may not be useful for two trips to the hill this coming week. Not a lot of arms to avoid in the bottom group this week.

The steaming options are not as plentiful as we saw last week, with a couple of days bereft of useful options for a plug-in start. There are a nice selection of lower-percentage ownership arms to select from, if you are in need of that extra start or two to fill your rotation this coming week.

This baker’s dozen of starting pitchers should be plopped into your rotations and left to go for both their trips to toe the rubber in Week 19. It does not matter which set of opposing hitters are facing them, or the park where they are taking the ball to start the game, these pitchers are the best options to provide a pair of useful starts.

Lodolo still owns a sub-4.00 ERA despite getting beat up badly by the Cubs to the tune of eight earned runs in a home loss. He yielded 11 hits but did not hand out a single free pass, and also collected six strikeouts. Prior to the July 31^st disaster, he had tossed 17.2 innings where he collected 17 Ks. His two starts this coming week are on the road, and he has been much more effective away from Cincy this season, and a matchup against the Marlins holds promise, although heading to Milwaukee is not an ideal end of the week opportunity. Perhaps this is not the week to trust him for his dual start occasion in Week 19.

Rea draws the start at the end of the scoring period against the pitcher profiled just above, and he provides the better probability of providing good fantasy results at the end of the week. He faces the Braves to open the scoring period, and is coming off a recent contest against Atlanta where he tossed 5.1 IP in a no-decision outing, so the matchups are positive for the veteran righthander heading into Week 19. Expect average strikeout production from the 34-year-old (7.0 K/9).

Scherzer has been citing some arm fatigue in his recent starts, although nothing serious enough to force him to miss his turn in the rotation. His strikeout rate is still good, just not superior but his control is superb thus far since he has returned to action in June. The two matchups are not ideal, to be certain, but his peripheral metrics do not indicate any drastic cause for concern that the 40-year-old is not capable of providing his owners with useful production while he toes the rubber for the Rangers.

Pallante’s potential shift to the bullpen has been postponed due to Lance Lynn hitting the IL due to a knee issue. The youngster has pitched effectively for the most part since joining the rotation, with the occasional misstep, and his ERA sits at 4.04, but over his 10 starts he has compiled a useful 3.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with a 43:18 K/BB ratio, not great but not terrible, either. His matchups could be better, but he has been efficient while on the road, so the end of the week tilt against the Royals is not necessarily a game to sit him on the bench of your fantasy squad.

Freeland has two home starts in Week 19, where he has been exceptionally trustworthy this season. Six of his last times atop the bump have resulted in quality starts, and he has won three of his last four outings. The southpaw has been incredibly effective since returning to the rotation in late June, posting a 2.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 39:7 K/BB ratio over those 43.1 innings of work. 

Meyer, coming off Tommy John surgery back in August, 2022, has had his workload restrictions lifted, allowing him to seek to return to his early season effectiveness. He has two home starts on tap, and while he did not shine while on the hill at Triple-A Jacksonville, a return to a more regular rotation role may be advantageous for the rookie righty going into the last months of the 2024 season.

Only seven hurlers that are relegated to the bottom tier, and none of these SPs have a venue or opponent that suggests they would be valuable as a streaming option in Week 19. If you value your ratio stats, you would be best served leaving these pitchers on the waiver wire or your bench for the upcoming scoring period. There could be some counting stat value in using one or the other of these arms, but the risk is generally too great to make that decision.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 19

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:

Jonathan Cannon, Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland Athletics

The White Sox rookie is not much of a strikeout producer, racking up just 46 Ks over his 70.0 IP to date. He demonstrates excellent control, though, with a 2.3 BB/9 on the season, and he is pitching deep into most starts. He has accumulated five QS among his 11 starts in 2024 thus far, although pitching for the White Sox means victories are difficult to come by. 

Ryan Feltner, Colorado Rockies vs. New York Mets

The third-year right-hander has been on a roll lately, collecting three QS among his last four starts. He has pushed his inflated ERA below 5.00 with that stretch of effective first-rate pitching, and over those last four starts has a 2.66 ERA and 1.23 WHIP to go with a superior 9.5 K/9. His last two home starts have been strong efforts on the bump, so this matchup given his recent success while toeing the rubber makes him a streaming option here.

Carson Fulmer, Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees

The Angels are looking for the long-time reliever to continue to stretch his arm out and stick in the Halos’ rotation going forward. He came within an out of twirling a QS against the A’s in his last appearance and has an attractive 3.77 ERA and 1.20 WHIP after his last time on the hill. His 8.6 K/9 rate is also alluring for a streaming option.

Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays

The Oriole righty is beginning to pitch deeper into games also, having tossed a 6.0 IP QS against the visiting Padre squad in his most recent time atop the hill. The K rate has been better than any previous campaign, sitting at 8.8 K/9 currently. He has been better away from Camden Yards this season, so a trip north of border is another plus for this streaming start.

Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Diego Padres

The Diamondbacks tagged the Pirate righty for more than a single run for the first time in six consecutive appearances in what turned out to be a 5.0 IP no decision. He has been equally effective at home or away from PNC Park, so taking on the Padres at home is not a huge positive. His stellar ratios: 2.75 ERA, 1.14 WHIP; those are pluses for his owners. 

David Peterson, New York Mets vs. Colorado Rockies

The 28-year-old southpaw had not allowed more than two earned runs in the previous six outings, so it was an aberration for the visiting Brave offense to plate four against him. His ability to generate plenty of ground balls from the opposing hitters should play well for him at Coors Field.

Jose Quintana, New York Mets vs. Seattle Mariners

The veteran southpaw heads into August after a stellar July, where he posted a superb 2.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over five starts totaling 30.2 IP. The 25:11 K/BB ratio is not eye-popping, just average. While his best work has been at home, heading to Seattle to take on the light-hitting Mariner offense is not a terrible matchup by any stretch.

Aaron Civale, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Carson Spiers, Cincinnati Reds

The Brewer right-hander cannot buy a victory, with his last win coming in early April. On the other side of the field, Spiers has been victorious in four of his last five games, going 4-1 over that span. Civale is the better source for Ks with his 8.8 K/9 rate over 108.0 IP this season, but Spiers offers average strikeout potential with superior control (1.8 BB/9 over 52.0 IP). This is the only matchup this week where both SPs are useful, and at some point Civale has to pick up a victory, it stands to reason if he keeps pitching effectively.

Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Arizona youngster sports a rather unattractive set of ratio stats over the course of the season: 4.53 ERA, 1.36 WHIP. His results since the beginning of July are a different story: 2.41 ERA and 0.96 WHIP through 37.1 IP. The 33:8 K/BB ratio over that stretch is attractive, too. The only downside to this matchup is that Nelson struggles at home, but the Phillies have been having their own troubles of late, too.

River Ryan, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

It is a small sample size, but the rookie right-hander has been exceptional in his two starts as this is being written. He has allowed just one earned run over his 11.0 IP, with 10 strikeouts. The six walks are an issue and will need to be adjusted if his early success is to continue.

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox

The Astro rookie right-hander is being recommended as a streaming option for the second week in a row, and he is set to go in the game he was recommended as a Week 18 streamer this coming Sunday. He is coming off an eight-strikeout, quality start against the Dodgers in his most recent trip to the bump. The 10.2 K/9 rate makes him useful as a streaming SP option, even if he has struggled on the road and has to head to Boston for this contest.