Dallas Keuchel Houston AstrosWeek 11 does not provide a huge choice in the top tier, but we see a lot of options in the middle tier. The bottom tier does not lack for occupants, either, and you should take heed and avoid those pitchers at risk of hurting your overall performance in this scoring period.

To help you prepare your rotations, I present the Two Start Pitchers as scheduled for the next week in MLB action. One caveat is that these charts assume that your fantasy week begins on Monday. I made that decision because I have no leagues that do not provide for a Monday start, and it seems to be the standard scoring system. Of course, if you have questions about starting pitchers who are going on Sunday and thus will presumably have another start during the week being profiled, do not be hesitant to drop me an e-mail (see my address at the bottom of the article) and I will attempt to get back with you in a timely fashion. Of course, you could also look to my Streaming Pitcher articles for additional SP suggestions.

The pitchers below are tiered, the first being no-brainers (in my opinion), the second tier being those I would consider adding to my roster and the final tier comprised of pitchers I do not trust at all. Of course, opinions differ and you can let us know if you disagree in the comments.

Let us move on to see who can provide those helpful two starts in next week's fantasy contests.

Start 'em If You Own 'em

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Dallas Keuchel HOU

vs. COL Chad Bettis

@ SEA Taijuan Walker

 

Mon 6/15 8:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 10:10 PM ET

Jake Arrieta CHC

vs. CLE Trevor Bauer

@ MIN Trevor May

 

Mon 6/15 8:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 2:10 PM ET

Michael Wacha STL

vs. MIN Trevor May

@ PHI Aaron Harang

 

Mon 6/15 8:15 PM ET

Sat 6/20 3:05 PM ET

Masahiro Tanaka NYY

@ MIA Tom Koehler

vs. DET Anibal Sanchez

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Carlos Martinez STL

vs. MIN Kyle Gibson

@ PHI Jerome Williams

 

Tue 6/16 1:45 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:35 PM ET

Francisco Liriano PIT

vs. CHW Carlos Rodon

@ WAS Gio Gonzalez

 

Mon 6/15 7:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:05 PM ET

Trevor Bauer CLE

@ CHC Jake Arrieta

vs. TB Erasmo Ramirez

 

Mon 6/15 8:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 12:00 PM ET

Tyson Ross SD

vs. OAK Jesse Hahn

@ ARI Robbie Ray

 

Mon 6/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 10:10 PM ET

The top tier is rather sparse this week, and you may disagree with my choices. Tanaka has bounced back nicely following his R&R break, although I am still concerned that his arm is going to fail him atFrancisco Liriano Pittsburgh Pirates some point this season. Still, no reason not to use him in your lineup so long as he is pitching and doing so effectively. Liriano and Bauer have graduated to the top tier, and have decent match ups this week, so take advantage of their two-start opportunity.

Maybe yes, Maybe No

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Andrew Cashner SD

vs. OAK Scott Kazmir

@ ARI Jeremy Hellickson

 

Tue 6/16 3:40 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Anibal Sanchez DET

vs. CIN Jon Moscot

@ NYY Masahiro Tanaka

 

Mon 6/15 7:08 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Garrett Richards LAA

vs. ARI Jeremy Hellickson

@ OAK Scott Kazmir

 

Tue 6/16 10:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:05 PM ET

Charlie Morton PIT

vs. CHW Jose Quintana

@ WAS Tanner Roark

 

Tue 6/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:35 PM ET

Jesse Hahn OAK

@ SD Tyson Ross

vs. LAA Jered Weaver

 

Mon 6/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:05 PM ET

Trevor May MIN

@ STL Michael Wacha

vs. CHC Jake Arrieta

 

Mon 6/15 8:15 PM ET

Sat 6/20 2:10 PM ET

Chad Bettis COL

@ HOU Dallas Keuchel

vs. MIL Kyle Lohse

 

Mon 6/15 8:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:10 PM ET

Brett Anderson LAD

@ TEX Chi Chi Gonzalez

vs. SF Tim Lincecum

 

Tue 6/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 8:08 PM ET

Carlos Frias LAD

@ TEX Yovani Gallardo

vs. SF Tim Hudson

 

Mon 6/15 8:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Noah Syndergaard NYM

vs. TOR Mark Buehrle

@ ATL Julio Teheran

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 5:05 PM ET

Scott Kazmir OAK

@ SD Andrew Cashner

vs. LAA Garrett Richards

 

Tue 6/16 3:40 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:05 PM ET

J.A. Happ SEA

@ SF Tim Lincecum

vs. HOU Vincent Velasquez

 

Tue 6/16 3:45 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Carlos Rodon CHW

@ PIT Francisco Liriano

vs. TEX Yovani Gallardo

 

Mon 6/15 7:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 2:10 PM ET

Vincent Velasquez HOU

vs. COL Chris Rusin

@ SEA J.A. Happ

 

Tue 6/16 2:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Gio Gonzalez WAS

@ TB Erasmo Ramirez

vs. PIT Francisco Liriano

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:05 PM ET

Wei-Yin Chen BAL

vs. PHI Aaron Harang

@ TOR Mark Buehrle

 

Mon 6/15 7:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 1:07 PM ET

Tsuyoshi Wada CHC

vs. CLE Shaun Marcum

@ MIN Kyle Gibson

 

Tue 6/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Julio Teheran ATL

@ BOS Wade Miley

vs. NYM Noah Syndergaard

 

Tue 6/16 4:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 5:05 PM ET

Mark Buehrle TOR

@ NYM Noah Syndergaard

vs. BAL Wei-Yin Chen

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 1:07 PM ET

Nathan Eovaldi NYY

@ MIA David Phelps

vs. DET TBA

 

Tue 6/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:05 PM ET

Aaron Sanchez TOR

@ NYM Matt Harvey

vs. BAL Chris Tillman

 

Tue 6/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:07 PM ET

Jose Quintana CHW

@ PIT Charlie Morton

vs. TEX Chi Chi Gonzalez

 

Tue 6/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Yovani Gallardo TEX

vs. LAD Carlos Frias

@ CHW Carlos Rodon

 

Mon 6/15 8:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 2:10 PM ET

Chi Chi Gonzalez TEX

vs. LAD Brett Anderson

@ CHW Jose Quintana

 

Tue 6/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Tanner Roark WAS

@ TB Alex Colome

vs. PIT Charlie Morton

 

Tue 6/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:35 PM ET

Chris Young KC

@ MIL Kyle Lohse

vs. BOS Rick Porcello

 

Mon 6/15 8:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Aaron Harang PHI

@ BAL Wei-Yin Chen

vs. STL Michael Wacha

 

Mon 6/15 7:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 3:05 PM ET

Taijuan Walker SEA

@ SF Tim Hudson

vs. HOU Dallas Keuchel

 

Mon 6/15 10:15 PM ET

Sat 6/20 10:10 PM ET

Edinson Volquez KC

@ MIL Matt Garza

vs. BOS Wade Miley

 

Tue 6/16 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Shaun Marcum CLE

@ CHC Tsuyoshi Wada

vs. TB Alex Colome

 

Tue 6/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:10 PM ET

Erasmo Ramirez TB

vs. WAS Gio Gonzalez

@ CLE Trevor Bauer

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 12:00 PM ET

Robbie Ray ARI

@ LAA Jered Weaver

vs. SD Tyson Ross

 

Mon 6/15 10:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 10:10 PM ET

Tim Hudson SF

vs. SEA Taijuan Walker

@ LAD Carlos Frias

 

Mon 6/15 10:15 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Jeremy Hellickson ARI

@ LAA Garrett Richards

vs. SD Andrew Cashner

 

Tue 6/16 10:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Anibal Sanchez Detroit TigersThe middle tier has three sub-tiers this week. The first opens with Cashner and runs through Gonzalez. Cashner has all the makings of a top tier SP. He has been going through a rough patch over his last three outings, but has good match ups this week, despite having to pitch at Chase Field to wind up the period. His ground ball tendencies will hopefully balance out his increased home run tendency this season. I would use him, but if you feel squeamish, then move down the list and target one or more in this sub-tier for your rotation. Sanchez has shown he can toss a gem as well as get beat up and take a loss. The game against Cincy at home is a good match up and he has looked better on the road, so the second start against the Yankees is not a terrible option. Richards was able to recover from his worst start of the season, holding the Rays to two earned runs over seven innings in a victory on the road. Both Arizona and Oakland are decent opponents to take on, and the venues set up nicely for his stuff. Morton is rolling up the wins, racking up four over his four starts in 2015. I especially like him to continue the trend against the struggling White Sox in his first start this week. Hahn got roughed up in his last start against the Rangers, but that could happen to anyone. His starts at Petco and home bode well for a recovery, despite his less than stellar offense backing him. May is on a streak of four QS in his last five starts, and while facing the best team in the MLB this season gives me pause, once he deals with the Cardinals he gets to face the strikeout prone Cubs at home. His command and control are excellent so far this season, and he helps himself by keeping the ball in the park. Bettis has shown good command and control, and has not yielded a home run this season, which will be tested against the Astros. The chance to rack up some Ks is tempting, though, and his second start against the Brewers at home is favorable. Anderson's control has been a key to his success, although it has not shown up in the win column. The strikeouts are under league average at 6.22 K/9, but so long as he can continue to generate a ton of ground balls (his GB/FB ratio is a superb 3.64), he is worth using. Anderson's teammate Frias is also an extreme ground ball inducer (3.77 GB/FB ratio this season), and that has played out well for him. with five QS over his last six starts. Syndergaard is going through his rookie initiation, but has pitched well overall, striking out nearly a batter per inning (8.83 K/9) and limiting free passes (1.59 BB/9). Getting Toronto at home is a bonus, and he should be good against the middle of the pack but surprising Braves in his second start. Kazmir has momentum, coming off a one hit, eight inning stellar performance against the Rangers. His control is still not sharp, but he will provide a nice K potential for his owners. Happ, on the other hand, is coming off a severe beating, where he only lasted 2.1 innings against the Indians. He is a better home option, so if you wanted to skip his first start, that would be wise. Rodon has tossed four consecutive QS, and has been showing better control of late. Not great match ups this week, but he is pitching well and generating nice K numbers, too. Velasquez looked superb in his first start, although he did face the White Sox, so let's not get too excited. He avoids pitching at Coors in his first start this week, and then gets to face the Mariners at pitcher friendly Safeco. Houston is developing a nice rotation, and Velasquez is making an early bid to be a part of that. Gonzalez's inflated BABIP of .355 is the likely culprit behind his 4.42 ERA, as he carries a 3.17 FIP on the season. He is still providing top notch strikeout numbers and avoiding home runs, and he has a couple of good venues to ply his trade in this week.

The second sub-tier starts off with Chen and goes down through Harang. Chen is not an exciting option, but tends to get the job done, buddy. He does his work relying on decent control and dominanceJulio Teheran Atlanta Braves (2.22 BB/9, 7.64 K/9) and pitches well on the road, although I like his chances at home against Philly in his first start this week, too. Wada has had a couple of poor outings now in a row, but he does provide nice strikeout potential. Cleveland's offense is hit and miss, so his home start could yield decent results, and I do look for him to be a worthwhile start in Minnesota. Teheran has been pitching better his past two starts, and did manage to strike out seven against the Padres in his last start. He is not pitching well on the road, but facing the Red Sox is not a terrible match up. At home against the Mets looks favorable in his second start this week. Buehrle has been pitching deep into games, tossing a couple of nine inning efforts prior to his last start where he was limited to 100 pitches. Despite having some road woes, pitching in Citi Field should help him with his homer allowing tendencies. If you use him, look for a QS with limited Ks. Eovaldi has been incredibly inconsistent this season, at least in terms of allowing earned runs. He has been fortunate in terms of victories, boasting a 5-1 record despite a 4.13 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in his 12 starts. I would prefer to use him on the road against Miami if I had to pick between his two starts. Sanchez was skipped in his last scheduled start to try to manage his innings, but gets to go twice in Week 11. He is looking to continue his four game streak of QS, but has not fared well away from home this season. Exercise caution if you are thinking about starting him against the Mets in his first outing. Quintana does not get enough respect as a starter, and part of that is the lack of offensive support he has received this season. He has given up more than two earned runs in only one of his last nine starts, but has collected just two wins in those games. Since chasing wins is a futile effort, instead rely on the White Sox southpaw for his other stats. Gallardo is coming off a 10 K effort against the A's, but do not expect that trend to continue, as his K/9 rate sits at just 7.02 on the season. Focus instead on his two starts against bottom half offenses this week. The Rangers' Gonzalez is due for a regression, with his K/BB ratio sitting at 8:10, so expect his 0.42 ERA to take an upward turn soon. Maybe not this week, however, as he does get to face those same bottom half offenses that I advised may make Gallardo a useful pitcher this scoring period. Roark is not doing much to justify staying in the National rotation, yielding more runs every outing since becoming a starting pitcher in May. His inability to miss bats is hurting him, although he is showing his usual good control.  Young recovered from a pair of bad outings, no-hitting the Twins until the seventh inning in his most recent start. He has been effective overall this season, although you will want to look elsewhere for strikeouts. I like both his match ups this week. Harang had a bad day facing the Reds at Great American Ballpark, giving up seven earned runs and four homers. The four long blasts doubled his total on the season, but heading to Baltimore could be an issue for him. He has been good this season while pitching for the mediocre Phillies, but the bloom may finally be coming off the rose for him. It is hard to argue with his results until recently, but I would only plug him in to my pitching staff if I was in a deep NL-only league at this point.

Tiajuan Walker Seattle MarinersThe final sub-tier begins with Walker who has been looking much better over his past three starts, allowing just four earned runs in 22 innings. He has been brutal away from Safeco this season, so I would hesitate to use him in his first start at San Franciso, but would use him against Houston later in the week. Volquez had a nice outing against the Twins in his latest start, going seven innings and allowing just one earned run. He gets a good chance to build on that start, facing the beatable Brewers and Red Sox this upcoming scoring period. Marcum has had a series of three decent starts, pushing his ERA down to a more palatable 4.09 on the season (it was at 6.28 on May 25th). He is a decent source of Ks, although his control has been an issue on and off this year. Neither of his opponents are scary offenses this upcoming week, but the Cleveland offense has been hard to predict this season, so keep that in mind if you decide to roll him out there in Week 11. Ramirez has been much better in June than May, steadily driving down his peripheral stats while improving his control. He is a better home option, although facing the Indians is not necessarily a bad match up, depending on whether the Cleveland batters have their hitting shoes on or not. Ray has filled in nicely for Archie Bradley, but had some control problems in his last start. He started off good for the Tigers in 2014, then stumbled, so you may want to get more of a track record for him before relying on him in your rotation. Hudson is posting an ugly 4.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over his 12 starts in 2015, and as a SP approaching 40 in July, he may be running out of gas. His pitch-to-contact approach is yielding ugly peripherals, and he has never been one to provide good K numbers. He is a match up pitcher these days, although both his starts this week are in good venues for a ground ball inducing, good control SP. Hellickson wraps up the middle tier, and he has a pair of decent match ups, although he has struggled more at home than on the road, so his first start is the most tempting. The strikeout numbers are weak, as is his control, so you start him at your own risk this week.

Not On My Roster

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Matt Garza MIL

vs. KC Edinson Volquez

@ COL Chris Rusin

 

Tue 6/16 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Kyle Lohse MIL

vs. KC Chris Young

@ COL Chad Bettis

 

Mon 6/15 8:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:10 PM ET

Tim Lincecum SF

vs. SEA J.A. Happ

@ LAD Brett Anderson

 

Tue 6/16 3:45 PM ET

Sun 6/21 8:08 PM ET

David Phelps MIA

vs. NYY Nathan Eovaldi

@ CIN Michael Lorenzen

 

Tue 6/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:10 PM ET

Tom Koehler MIA

vs. NYY Masahiro Tanaka

@ CIN Jon Moscot

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:10 PM ET

Chris Rusin COL

@ HOU Vincent Velasquez

vs. MIL Matt Garza

 

Tue 6/16 2:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 4:10 PM ET

Jon Moscot CIN

@ DET Anibal Sanchez

vs. MIA Tom Koehler

 

Mon 6/15 7:08 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:10 PM ET

Williams Perez ATL

@ BOS Rick Porcello

vs. NYM Dillon Gee

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:10 PM ET

Jerome Williams PHI

@ BAL Chris Tillman

vs. STL Carlos Martinez

 

Tue 6/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:35 PM ET

Chris Tillman BAL

vs. PHI Jerome Williams

@ TOR Aaron Sanchez 

 

Tue 6/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:07 PM ET

Wade Miley BOS

vs. ATL Julio Teheran

@ KC Edinson Volquez

 

Tue 6/16 4:05 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Michael Lorenzen CIN

@ DET TBA

vs. MIA David Phelps

 

Tue 6/16 7:08 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:10 PM ET

Alex Colome TB

vs. WAS Tanner Roark

@ CLE Shaun Marcum

 

Tue 6/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/21 1:10 PM ET

Kyle Gibson MIN

@ STL Carlos Martinez

vs. CHC Tsuyoshi Wada

 

Tue 6/16 1:45 PM ET

Sun 6/21 2:10 PM ET

Rick Porcello BOS

vs. ATL Williams Perez

@ KC Chris Young

 

Mon 6/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/20 7:15 PM ET

Jered Weaver LAA

vs. ARI Robbie Ray

@ OAK Jesse Hahn

 

Mon 6/15 10:05 PM ET

Sat 6/20 4:05 PM ET

The bottom tier is full of pitchers you should be avoiding this week. The two Brewers are hampered by an impotent offense as well as their own mediocre performances this season. Lincecum has hisTim Lincecum San Francisco Giants moments, but I simply do not trust him to be consistent. The Marlins' duo of Phelps and Koehler have bad match ups, although I like both at home better than on the road. Just do not like either as two start options. Tillman, Miley, Porcello and Weaver have been disappointing lately, and thus do not deserve any attention unless and until they turn their seasons around. Gibson has been beaten up in his last two starts, and I certainly cannot suggest using him against the Cards, although he could do well at home against the Cubs at the end of the week. There are better options available this week, just look at the middle tier above. In fact, just ignore these pitchers in Week 11, and take advantage of the bounty available in the middle tier.

Should you have questions regarding fantasy baseball, especially starting pitching, you can reach me at ia@fantasyalarm.com to continue the discussion.