The list of available two-start pitchers is especially short this week, as most teams have one of their best hurlers lined up for a pair of outings. All the players listed below carry significant risk, and Leiter is by far the best option in the group. On the hitting side, players on the Rockies, Dodgers and Mets are sensible streamers for fantasy baseball.
Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Jack Leiter, Rangers, 36% (@ KC, vs. CLE): Leiter continues to walk too many batters, but he deserves credit for allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his past eight starts. He has also had several recent games in which he tallied strong strikeout totals. Leiter has favorable matchups this week, as the Royals rank 27th in runs scored and the Guardians place 26th. He needs to go deeper into games to get fantasy managers a win, but he should at least be a source of 10-12 strikeouts.
Nestor Cortes, Padres, 21% (vs. SF, vs. LAD): Cortes has been decent in two starts since returning from a long injured list stint. On a positive note, he has allowed just three runs. However, he didn’t finish the fifth inning in either game and logged a mediocre 9:4 K:BB ratio. Cortes could benefit from working at his pitcher-friendly home park this week, and the Giants matchup is a favorable one. But the Dodgers matchup is enough to scare me away, especially when I worry that Cortes isn’t in his top form.
Dustin May, Red Sox, 37% (vs. BAL, @ NYY): May is coming off his best start of the season, when he struck out eight Astros across six scoreless innings. The righty has been inconsistent throughout 2025, which makes it unlikely that he will follow up a dominant outing with an effective two-start week. He would need to have favorable matchups to be considered in mixed leagues, and that’s not the case.
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Spencer Arrighetti, Astros, 29% (@ DET, @ BAL): Arrighetti has not looked his best since returning from four months on the IL, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and six walks over 8.2 innings in two starts. His matchups are tough this week, as the Tigers have had a productive offense this season and the Orioles have been one of the highest-scoring groups since the All-Star break. He should stay on waivers in mixed leagues.
Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals, 22% (@ MIA, @ TB): Liberatore may be wearing down in his first full MLB season. His last quality start came on June 29, and he hasn’t thrown five innings in any of his past five starts. He has also watched his strikeout rate drop, as he has tallied just eight strikeouts in his past five outings. Despite having respectable season-long numbers, Liberatore belongs on waivers in all mixed leagues.
Jake Irvin, Nationals, 11% (vs. NYM, @ PHI): Managers would have to be desperate to stream Irvin this week. After all, he has poor ratios this season (5.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) and has logged a 7.88 ERA since the All-Star break. Irvin hasn’t even contributed in the strikeouts category, as he has just 11 punchouts in his past five starts.
One-Start Streamers
In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in brackets.
Emmet Sheehan @ COL (Tuesday, 20%)
Nolan McLean @ ATL (Friday, 26%)
Joe Boyle vs. STL (Thursday, 9%)
Joey Quintana vs. SF (Friday, 46%)
Joey Wentz vs. NYM (Friday, 7%)
J.T. Ginn @ MIN (Wednesday, 4%)
Mike Burrows vs. COL (Friday, 6%)
Zebby Matthews @ CWS (Friday, 20%)
Patrick Corbin @ KC (Thursday, 14%)
Landen Roupp @ SD (Wednesday, 23%)
Michael Lorenzen vs. TEX (Thursday, 9%)
Justin Verlander @ SD (Thursday, 22%)
Cam Schlittler @ TB (Wednesday, 14%)
Jack Perkins @ MIN (Thursday, 8%)
Hitters with favorable matchups this week
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 14%: I continue to regularly recommend Moniak, as he is in the midst of a favorable schedule. The Rockies play seven games this week, with four of the contests coming at Coors Field. There are also five right-handed starters on the schedule, which puts the lefty hitting Moniak in a favorable position. My ideal usage for Moniak is to start him until Friday and then send him to waivers before the Rockies face lefty Andrew Heaney and ace Paul Skenes.
Michael Conforto, OF, Dodgers, 4%: I know what you’re thinking — Conforto is no longer a good hitter. I agree with you, but I also want as many shares of the Dodgers offense as possible for their upcoming four-game series at Coors Field. Conforto is one of the few available Dodgers, and he should start three consecutive games against righties from Tuesday to Thursday. I’m fine with dropping him on Friday.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, White Sox, 39%: Montgomery has been a premium power producer since joining the White Sox by hitting 10 homers in 35 games. The slugger is in great position this week, as he will face two teams (Braves, Twins) who rank among the worst clubs in second half ERA. The Braves have run out of effective starting pitchers in an injury-plagued season, while the Twins depleted their staff at the deadline. Additionally, the White Sox have fared much better at the plate since the All-Star break.
Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets, 18%: Alvarez could be a good option for those who need to stream a catcher, as he has hit .293 with a .992 OPS since being recalled on July 21. Overall, the Mets are well-positioned to score plenty of runs this week when they face the Nats (29th in second half ERA) and Braves (28th in second half ERA). Jeff McNeil (6%) is another widely available regular from their lineup.
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