Fantasy Baseball Week 17 Two-Start Pitchers/Streaming Starters: Spenser Strider On The Bump Twice

Time to get back into the swing of setting your fantasy baseball lineups on a daily or weekly basis. The MLB All-Star Game (ASG) is over and done with, and now we're in the midst of the MLB Trade Deadline. Be sure to stay up-to-date with our MLB Trade Deadline Tracker for the latest news and organizational shakeups. MLB Lineups are in flux, but the below tables are as up to date as possible as of publication date. It's time for teams to buckle down and make their big acquisitions to make a push for the postseason.

Please realize that these articles feature most recent rotation information available when the article is written, but that circumstances do change due to weather conditions, injuries and general craziness with managers. If a pitcher listed here as having two starts ends up with one (or perhaps none) in the upcoming week, apologies but this article is meant to provide analysis, it is up to the manager to set the lineups or rotations. Without further ado, here are this week’s two start pitchers.

This group of a dozen hurlers are the two-start options you are happy to have populating your fantasy pitching staff(s) heading into the dog days of August. Plug them in, let them have at it, and reap the benefits. Just a suggestion, mind you.

Blake Snell has been effective in four of his last five outings, including twirling a pair of quality starts (QS) over that stretch. He gets a home start against the Rockies, who are not a good road team, but then heads to LA to take on the powerful Dodger. He is a fine source of Ks, although his WHIP is hurt by his propensity to hand out free passes a bit too freely.

Braxton Garrett, the Miami southpaw, on the other hand demonstrates much better control while also racking up the swings and misses from opposing batters: 2.1 BB/9 and 9.5 K/9 over his limited 10 starts this season (52.1 IP). He has two good matchups lined up for Week 17.

Spencer Strider tossed a QS in Philly for his last effort on the hill, pushing his ERA below three, to go with his stellar 1.02 WHIP through 80.1 IP this season. He gets to face the Phillies again, this time at home, but the second start this coming scoring period sees a tougher matchup against the Mets and Max Scherzer, so temper expectations a bit.

Keegan Thompson collected a QS his last time toeing the rubber for the Cubs at home, and closes out the week back in Wrigley to take on the Marlins. Opening the week, however, he heads to St. Louis to face the division-rival Cards, a less enticing prospect for continued pitching success. He is a good source of Ks for his owners with a useful 8.4 K/9 rate over his 88.1 IP to date.

Adam Wainwright has a pair of home starts coming up this week, which plays into his strength this season. He provides average K production and attractive ratio stats for the fantasy owner who relies on his veteran skills. 

Brady Singer is riding a four consecutive QS streak, and comes off seven shutout innings against the Yankees on the road. The White Sox are a sub-.500 team at home this season, making both his matchups tasty for continued success atop the hill. His strikeouts rack up at better than one per frame (9.7 K/9) so that plays in his favor this week as well.

Cal Quantrill, the 27-year-old righty, has a pair of home starts on tap this week, and he has been far more successful pitching in his home park than on the road in 2022. Do not expect many Ks on his stat line, especially with the opponents on the schedule in Week 17.

Tarik Skubal has picked up a trio of QS among his last four starts, and continues to provide great K numbers over all, although the game-to-game production is variable at best. He is not tremendously better at home as opposed to pitching on the road, so his matchups are not terrible based on venue, but could have had better opponents if you want him in your rotation to take advantage of his strikeout potential.

Mike Clevinger has been pitching deeper into games, notching six or more innings in four of his last five outings, although he has not always been extremely effective as he allowed four earned tallies in two of those five starts (granted, the other three were QS).  He get Colorado at home, a plus, and he has been better on the road that at home this year, which makes the end of the week start against the Dodgers in LA more palatable. 

Kutter Crawford, a 26-year-old rookie right-hander, came one out short of collecting his third consecutive QS when he lasted 5.2 IP against the visiting Guardian team on July 28^th. He has been striking out better than a batter per frame in his recent time in the starting rotation. His home/road splits do not make two road starts a prohibitive situation this week.

José Ureña gets to ply his trade away from Coors Field for both his scheduled starts in Week 17, which makes him more of a useful two-start option. The low K rate is a negative, to be certain, but there is his road record to prop him up, at a minimum against the Diamondbacks.

Lucas Giolito is a viable two-start option based on the matchups in store for him. Beware if you decide to ride this pony, though, as he has been extra mercurial in his performance on the bump this season, tossing a gem and following that with a genuinely forgettable effort (or two or three). It is the matchup potential that elevates him to mid-tier status this week alone.

Prior to his last start, Spenser Watkins had allowed just one or zero earned runs in the prior four trips to the mound. He is not good at racking up the Ks, as evidenced by his sub-average 5.4 K/9 rate over 58.0 IP. He is another SP being lodged in the middle tier due to his matchups, facing a pair of unintimidating offenses this week. 

Drew Rasmussen has limited SP appeal due to his propensity to not pitch deep enough to qualify for a victory frequently, and the consequence of not racking up counting stats for his owners as a result. Even so, his ratios are useful for fantasy purposes. He gets Toronto at home, which is a positive aspect to his Week 17 schedule, and then faces Detroit, who even in their home park, are not overly worrisome on a regular basis.

Josiah Gray is another fine source for strikeouts, having accumulated a 10.4 K/9 rate in 2022. His ability to limit runs from being scored against him is not attractive, however, having handed out 16 earned tallies over his 22.1 IP in July. Although on the road, the game against the Phillies at the end of the week projects as his most favorable start of the two scheduled in Week 17.

Balancing out the 12 top tier arms here we have another dozen, this time those dual starters that you might want to avoid employing if you value your ratio stats. Most of these hurlers do not offer the counting stats to offset the potential damage they may wreak on your fantasy stats, and heading into the final months of the 2022 season is no time to play the high risk/low reward game. A spot start against an appropriate matchup, such as Kopech at home facing the Royals or Eovaldi on the road in Kansas City, or even Gibson on the road vs the Nats do have some appeal, but there should be better options on your waiver wire overall.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 

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:

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Justin Steele CHC @ STL Miles Mikolas

Steele’s defense let him down, as he saw four unearned runs scored by the Giants due to a couple of errors in his last outing. Prior to that he had been solid, going 2-1 with a couple of QS. He provided good K production generally, although pitching on the road is a downside in this matchup against a division foe.

Kris Bubic KC @ CHW Lance Lynn

The Royal third year southpaw has strung together three consecutive QS, and has shown better skills away from his home park this season, so the trip to the Windy City is not any reason to avoid employing his services. He will seek to continue to deflate his overly high ERA when taking on the Pale Hose who have struggled to win at home in 2022.

Thursday, August 4, 2022

José Quintana PIT vs MIL Eric Lauer

The veteran lefty is working on a stretch of 12.2 IP without allowing a run, earned or otherwise. He also collected eight Ks while allowing just two free passes over those contests. He has been highly effective at PNC Park this year, and will look to continue that trend against the division leading Brew Crew.

Janson Junk LAA vs OAK James Kaprielian

Junk accumulated eight Ks against the Royals in his first start for the Angels, and on the positive side, his opponent here is more of a free-swinging bunch, so the whiffs could continue to materialize. His minor league numbers do not suggest that he is more than an average K producer, though, but streaming owners can hope.

Friday, August 5, 2022

Zack Greinke KC vs BOS Josh Winckowski

The 4.35 ERA does not exactly scream “Use me,” but he has held opponents to one or zero runs in four of his last six starts. There is the concern that he allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in the other two contests. He is continuing to demonstrate good control, handing out less that a pair of walks per nine innings. The below average K rate is an issue, if you are seeking counting stats from your streamers (5.1 K/9 over 82.2 IP). He has been stellar at home  this season, and that is where this game takes place.

Germán Márquez COL @ ARI Corbin Martin

Marquez is heading to the hill away from Coors Field, and that bodes well for the veteran righthander. He is an average K producer and the Diamondbacks are average strikeout producers on offense, so there is some counting stat potential here. 

Mitch Keller PIT @ BAL Austin Voth

The first of back-to-back Pirate arms being suggested as streaming options, Keller has strung together three straight QS and has amassed 25 Ks over his last 25.0 IP, with just a trio of free passes yielded during that stretch. The downside to this matchup is that the opponent is playing well at home this season.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

J.T. Brubaker PIT @ BAL Austin Voth

Another day, another Pirate streaming option. The 28-year-old righthander has been a better option for Pittsburgh away from PNC Park, and he offers a K per inning rate when dealing from the bump. As the opponent here is ranked 7^th in the number of strikeouts produced in all of baseball, he should provide good counting stats for those willing to take him off the wire for a spot start.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Reid Detmers LAA @ SEA Logan Gilbert

In his three July starts, he has held opponents to just two earned runs over his 17.0 IP during the seventh month. The 19:6 K/BB ratio accumulated during those three starts is useful for fantasy purposes as well, and this opponent is not exactly shy about swinging (and missing) at an opposing hurler’s offering.  An added plus is his availability on a day when most desirable low-percentage owned options are dual starters this week, and thus not fodder for this section of the report.

Feel free also to send any starting pitching or other fantasy baseball questions to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a private response to your specific issue. The more detail you can provide about your team and league, including settings (H2H vs roto, points or categories, weekly or daily moves, roster size, league size, etc.) the better the response will be suited to your individual situation. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in all your fantasy endeavors.

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!

Related MLB Links:

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets
• 2022 MLB Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report
• MLB Lineups
• MLB Weather Report
• Fantasy Baseball MLB Injury Reports