Fantasy Baseball 2024 Two-Start Pitchers & Streaming Starters For Week 5

Another week where the top tier is jam packed with useful aces giving their fantasy owners a pair of starts to parlay in fantasy baseball success. There are not so many in the second group, yet again, and some of them are not truly trustworthy for both their trips to the hill due to venue or opponent. As with most weeks, the bottom tier pitchers have perhaps one or three streaming options at best. Speaking of streaming options, take a peek at the many suggestions in the second portion of this week’s article if you need to bolster your pitching stats in this scoring period.

These 15 pitchers are the aces you should feel fortunate if you were wise enough to draft them back in March or were lucky enough to snag them off waivers or as free agents. These arms should be plugged into your rotations and left to work their magic for you. Congratulations if one or more of these hurlers grace your pitching staff(s).

Taillon, despite getting a delayed start to the 2024 season as he recovered from back surgery, already has a pair of victories to his credit. He has been stingy with the earned runs, allowing only one in each of his times atop the bump, and he is showing off great control with a 1.7 BB/9 rate over his limited 10.2 IP. His strikeout rate is sub-average, but should improve as he settles into his rotation slot.

Kremer dominated the Angels in his most recent outing, racking up 10 Ks and pitching deep enough into the contest to collect his first victory of the season. He did continue his concerning trend of allowing at least one dinger each time he climbs the hill, this time to Mike Trout, not an out-of-the-ordinary event but not ideal for SP to find continued success pursuing his trade. Garnering nearly a strikeout per frame while exhibiting above-average control are positive aspects to his game, even with two so-so matchups in store for Week 5.

Maeda has tossed two excellent games, struggled through two awful starts and had one mediocre appearance this season. His latest trip to toe the rubber was encouraging, however, holding the host Rays scoreless while amassing five Ks over five innings without allowing a free pass. The first game in the coming week at home against the Cards portends to be his best chance to continue his success on the mound, with a road game in Yankee Stadium to wind up things looking chancier.

Irvin offers good, not great. strikeout potential with his 7.5 K/9 rate through his five starts to date, and also offers above-average control (just seven walks over 27.2 IP for a tidy 2.0 BB/9 rate). He gets to take on the Marlins in their pitcher-friendly park to open Week 5, then Toronto comes to visit, a team playing sub-.500 ball in 2024.

Waldron has had a couple of shaky starts this season, but also has pitched well in the other three efforts as a SP. He does not have terrible matchups in store this scoring period, especially facing the Reds at home to open the action on Monday. He will work to keep his ERA at a sub-.4.00 level continuing his efforts to keep pushing his WHIP down.

Rodriguez, the rookie right-hander, stepped in with Alek Manoah on the IL with a shoulder issue and has acquitted himself quite well. He has a 3:1 K/BB ratio (15 Ks over his 11.2 IP) with a serviceable 3.86 ERA. He is due to be reassigned to the bullpen when Manoah returns to the rotation, but this week he gets to face the Royals at home which may allow him to rebound from the loss he suffered in Kansas City in his last trip to the mound, and then faces the Nationals on the road, not an imposing task. 

Rogers, if he was not facing the Nationals and A’s at home and then on the road, would not be a middle tier dual-start consideration. He is effective at generating ground balls from opposing hitters (51.8% GB rate), and has the ability to miss bats enough to rack up a fair share of Ks for his fantasy owners. His peripheral metrics indicate a potential to become more valuable if his luck shifts (2.82 FIP vs 4.10 ERA, .353 BABIP, 64.8 LOB%). 

What have we preached the last four weeks? Avoid using these SPs in your quest to dominate your fantasy baseball league. Sure, there may be an opportunity to stream one or two of these pitchers this scoring period-Matz against the White Sox, perhaps-but for the most part, the limited counting stats you may gather are likely offset by the ratio stat damage your team will suffer. 

Potential Streaming Options for Week 5

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…

Tyler Alexander, Tampa Bay Rays @ Milwaukee Brewers

The 29-year-old southpaw has been in five games, but only started two this season. Here he is scheduled to open the action for Tampa Bay on the road, not an ideal matchup, but in a statistical oddity, he has collected exactly four Ks in each of his five times toeing the rubber in 2024. He is an acceptable strikeout producer, and offers above-average control (2.6 BB/9 over his 24.2 IP). He has yielded just four runs over his last 15.1 IP, and is working on improving his ratio stats which if he is successful will likely remove him from streaming status as his ownership grows.

Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels vs Philadelphia Phillies

The veteran Angel lefty has gone seven innings in three of his five starts this season, and still showcases a 1.78 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He is a decided steal as a streamer in the early part of the season. He is able to miss bats effectively, having allowed only 19 safeties over his 30.1 IP, although that stat belies his sometimes erratic control, and the walks if they continue to mount will undoubtedly impact his ratios. A home start makes this a better matchup, streaming-wise.

Jose Butto, New York Mets vs Chicago Cubs

Another SP offering superb ratio stats to open the season (1.65 ERA and 1.04 WHIP through 16.1 IP), he stumbled a bit in his third trip atop the bump, allowing five free passes in his third no-decision outing. He has collected two quality starts (QS) in his three starts this season, and is striking out an exceptional number of hitters as evidenced by his 11.6 K/9 rate in 2024. A home start is a fine opportunity to recover from a less-than-ideal time on the bump in LA.

Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals

The second-year righthander is winless so far this season, going 0-3 despite pitching better than that record would indicate. His ratios are inflated due to one poor outing, and he will work on continuing to improve his pitching efforts at home against a sub-.500 Cardinals squad. His groundball inducing offerings offset his below-average strikeout rate.

Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers vs Tampa Bay Rays

The veteran righty has been saddled with no-decisions in his last two times on the mound, but continues to offer superb ratios for his fantasy owners, with a 2.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP (OK, the WHIP is not superb, merely acceptable), to offset his below-average K rate (5.8 K/9 over his 21.2 IP). 

Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals @ Texas Rangers

Continuing a trend this week, Williams has accumulated attractive ratios with a 2.91 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over his four starts this year (21.2 IP). An 18:6 K/BB rate is also appealing, and somewhat surprising given his sub-90 mph fastball. Employing his ability to generate groundballs should be a positive here on the road in Arlington.

Mitchell Parker, Washington Nationals @ Texas Rangers

Continuing another trend, here is another National SP who has been effective, albeit in a small sample size of just two starts on the season. He has yet to issue a walk over his pair of victories, while accumulating an impressive K per frame over his 12.0 IP. He was the recipient of a QS against the visiting Astros in his most recent time on the hill, and will seek to continue his early success on the road.

Cole Irvin, Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees

The Oriole southpaw picked up a victory while tossing a QS against the impressive Kansas City offense on the road in his last time toeing the rubber. He generates above-average groundballs from opposing hitters, which will assist in his continuing effort to reduce his ratios to more attractive levels. He is not a source for Ks, with a sub-average 5.5 K/9 rate on the season.

Cal Quantrill, Colorado Rockies @ Miami Marlins

The veteran righthander has put together a trio of QS, and is laboring to depress his ERA and WHIP from the inflated numbers he produced after his first two starts in 2024. Normally a road game for a Rockie SP is the preferred matchup, but Quantrill has been more effective at home thus far in 2024. The good news is this road game is against a struggling Miami offense in a pitcher-friendly park.

Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins @ JP Sears, Oakland Athletics

One of those rare games where both hurlers offer potential for streaming goodness, as neither of the offenses are intimidating. If you seek Ks, the Marlin SP is the better shot here, and Weathers has been more of a road warrior in his career. Sears has produced a pair of QS among his last three outings, albeit both on the road. 

Michael Lorenzen, Texas Rangers @ Kansas City Royals

Despite exhibiting less than stellar control (eight free passes over 11.0 IP), he has collected a pair of victories for the Rangers while racking up a K per inning. His early success as part of the Texas rotation has occurred on the road, so this matchup while not idyllic, has potential for continued success away from his home park.

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels @ Cleveland Guardians

Another SP with troublesome control (4.7 BB/9 due to 11 walks over 21.0 IP), he still has been a successful starter since moving from the Angel bullpen to join the rotation. He has been striking out better than a batter per inning over his five appearances (three starts). His ability to induce grounders from opposing hitters is a major asset in his repertoire.

Albert Saurez, Baltimore Orioles @ Cincinnati Reds

It would be an understatement to say that the 34-year-old has burst onto the pitching scene, given his 0.00 ERA and 0.79 WHIP through his 11.1 IP over his two starts. Small sample size, granted, and this contest is in a notorious hitter-friendly park, so expectations should be kept in check, but his early success is encouraging, and with the injuries that the Orioles have had to overcome early in 2024 to their pitching staff, he figures to be starting for the team in the immediate future.

Austin Gomber, Colorado Rockies @ Pittsburgh Pirates

The Colorado southpaw will look to turn around his road struggles when the Rockies head to Pittsburgh for his last week start. He is a decent K source, but his control is troublesome. Thankfully, he is adept at enticing opposing batters to drive the ball into the dirt (45.6 GB%), which is a strength he continues to exploit effectively as he works to bring his ratios into more appealing ranges.

Keaton Winn, San Francisco Giants @ Philadelphia Phillies

As the youngster settles in as a member of the Giant rotation, he is demonstrating valuable statistical benefits for his owners: 3.54 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 23:9 K/BB over his five starts comprising 28.0 IP. He is working on a pair of consecutive QS, and has shown strong skills while pitching on the road. He is one of the best arms in the majors at inducing grounders, which will also help in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals

It has not been an easy task to find positives to speak about the Pale Hose 2024 efforts, but the 31-year-old has proven to be a dependable arm for the Southsiders. He exhibits a useful 2.73 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through 26.1 IP, with a valuable 30:9 K/BB ratio over his five trips to the mound. He is coming off a road QS against division-rival Minnesota and heads to St. Louis for a nice matchup against another last place team.

Ben Lively, Cleveland Guardians vs Los Angeles Angels

Lively has tossed a pair of nice efforts against the Red Sox, allowing just three earned tallies while racking up 14 Ks against just a single walk. His spot in the rotation is not secure with Gavin Williams soon due to return to action, so take advantage of his starts while the righty gets to take the ball atop the bump.

Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs

The Brewers’ liberal use of the IR for their wounded pitchers has afforded the rookie righty a chance to show his stuff, and the display has been appealing for fantasy owners in an admittedly tiny sample size of one start to date: 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4:1 K/BB ratio over 5.0 IP. Taking on the division-rival Cubs in Chicago will ideally allow him to continue to showcase his skillset as a starter.