Fantasy Baseball Week 11 Two-Start Pitchers & Streaming Starters: Spencer Strider Bounces Back With Two Starts

When setting your fantasy baseball lineups this scoring period, take note of the wealth of streaming options profiled in the lower portion of this article. There may be a useful suggestion in those scribblings that could aid in your quest for a fantasy baseball championship down the road. There are also a significant number of top-notch aces to consider for two-start action this week, as well as a useful group of middle tier two-start starting pitchers. There are, as ever, also those pitchers you are best advised to sit on the sidelines in your fantasy management tactical maneuvers Once you have figured out your rotation needs for Week 11, make sure to take a peek at our other fabulous pearls of wisdom on the Fantasy Alarm site such as the Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column, or the MLB Streaks & Trends, both published early Saturday morning featuring a pair of Cincinnati Reds prospects that were recently called up in Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott.

Week 11 presents the fantasy world with ten arms that should be accorded must start status. Wind them up, let them go and reap the benefits. It matters not where these starting pitchers are plying their trade, or against whom, they are as close as it comes to a no-brainer with regard to their spot in your rotation. None should be available on waiver wire or as a free agent, but if they are, act quickly and secure them for your future fantasy success.

Paxton has looked great in four of his five starts since coming off the IL in May. He has collected a couple of quality starts during those five appearances, and he is racking up boatloads of Ks over his limited 26.0 IP: 36 to be precise, giving him a superior 12.5 K/9 ratio as he heads to toe the rubber for a couple of home starts in Week 11. The first game against the visiting Rockies looks like the best of his two scheduled starts.

Henry is slotted this high in the tier due to having two home starts on his schedule this coming scoring period. He has struggled mightily when pitching away from Chase Field, but even at home, he is no prize if you are seeking strikeout numbers (5.4 K/9 over 45.1 IP), and he needs to work on his control no matter when he climbs the bump (3.8 BB/9). He has two good matchups, especially with the games being played in the desert.

The veteran Greinke, as with the youngster above, is at home for both his times atop the hill this coming week, which bodes well for his owners as he is enjoying pitching while enjoying home cooking in 2023. He continues to demonstrate great control, allowing just 1.2 BB per nine innings. He is not a top K producer, but a 6.8 K/9 rate is acceptable to be sure, especially with his home dominance in place for his dual start week. 

Civale is another SP with below average K production in store for his owners. He only has a couple of starts under his belt since returning from the IL, but has been useful in both those times atop the hill, allowing just two earned runs over those 10.2 IP. Seems odd that the matchup in San Diego looks to be the most favorable of his two upcoming appearances, but that is how things are shaking out currently.

Olson has looked far superior as a major league arm as opposed to what his Triple-A production hinted at, having allowed just three earned tallies over his 10.0 IP as a Tiger. A 9:2 K/BB ratio over his limited action is attractive for the counting stats, and his ratios are nice, too: 2.70 ERA, 0.70 WHIP. He has a couple of tough matchups on the slate, so this is a good test for the youngster.

Kremer stumbled a bit in his last outing, allowing six earned runs over 5.0 IP in Milwaukee, though he was able to pick up a K per inning and did not hand out a free pass in the loss. His prior six starts saw him post an admirable 2.55 ERA, going 4-1. Neither matchup is terrible, especially getting the Blue Jays at home.

Davies is the sort of SP that is a streaming consideration depending on the matchup, and this week sees him facing off against a couple of beatable opponents while plying his trade on the Chase Field mound. He offers an average K potential (7.9 K/9 through 25.0 IP) and has been effective in keeping the ball in the park (0.7 HR/9, no dingers over his last three games). Based on the upcoming opponents, he is worthy of considering for both his trips to toe the rubber in Week 11.

Once again, a chock-full bottom tier, loaded with pitchers you are advised to avoid, unless extremely desperate for innings. The damage to your ratios is generally not worth plugging these arms into your fantasy lineup. If you are desperate, though, look for an SP facing a bottom-dwelling team, such as Kansas City or Oakland in the AL, and perhaps Washington or Colorado in the senior circuit.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 11

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:

Jaime Barria, Los Angeles Angels @Texas Rangers

The 26-year-old righthander has only started three games, but has been effective over his 14 total appearances, posting a superb 1.85 ERA and 0.97 WHIP this year to date. He has racked up 37 Ks over his 39.0 IP, against 12 BB, a nice ratio for fantasy purposes. Realize that this contest is not a preferred matchup, on the road against the offensively powerful Ranger lineup. 

Michael Lorenzen, Detroit Tigers vs Atlanta Braves

The Detroit righty continues to compile QS, with five over his last six starts, including his last no-decision against the White Sox where he allowed one earned run on just two hits and no walks (a pair of wild pitches, one of which resulted in the run against him). He has a home start here, albeit against a tough opponent in the form of the NL leading Braves.

Ben Lively, Cincinnati Reds @ Kansas City Royals

The numbers look good overall for the 31-year-old right-hander, with a nice set of ratio stats to his credit: 3.03 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. His counting numbers are favorable, too, as he carries a 29:8 K/BB ratio into his game against a favorable road opponent. His downside is that he pitches for the Reds, who are not exactly tearing up the league.

Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox vs Colorado Rockies

Whitlock is coming off a dominant performance against the Yankees, and will be a fixture in the Red Sox rotation, so long as he stays healthy. He has acceptable K production numbers (7.3 K/9 through 32.0 IP) and still shows excellent control, walking less than two batters per nine innings (1.7 over his six starts in 2023). Going against the Rockies offense at home makes for an appealing streaming start.

Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays

The second-year righty collected a season-high 10 K in Milwaukee, although he did not figure in the decision, a frequent occurrence for him: he is 2-2 over 11 starts. His ratios are not exactly appealing, and his WHIP is inflated due to parceling out better than a hit per inning this season, although the free pass rate is acceptable if not exactly enticing at 2.7 BB/9 over 53.0 IP. He has been more effective at Camden Yards this season and the opponent here is just over .500 on the road.

Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Another SP coming off a season-high K performance, the 27-year-old southpaw takes his act on the road for this start, where he has been significantly more successful in 2023 than when pitching in Philly. He has good strikeout potential although the Diamondback hitters are far from a free-swinging bunch. He also manages to keep the ball on the right side of the fence (for a hurler, that is) with a stellar 0.6 HR/9 rate.

Mike Clevinger, Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers

The veteran right-hander has been working to drive down his ERA, holding opponents to three or less earned runs over his past four times climbing the hill. He possesses a modest 2:1 K/BB ratio, having handed out 24 free passes over his 58.0 IP, which is reflected in his unattractive 1.38 WHIP. His opponent in LA is not preferable, nor is the road venue, but the relative effectiveness in pitching deeper into games makes him a potentially useful streaming option. There are better options on this particular day, discussed above.

Jared Shuster, Atlanta Braves vs Colorado Rockies

The Braves look to rely upon the rookie southpaw as one of their starters, due to injuries, and he has been acquitting himself quite well. He picked up his second win in his last start in Oakland, and now owns an ERA below the 5.00 level-just below at 4.99 actually. He is not dominant on the bump, to be honest, sporting a mediocre 6.2 K/9, but the walks are gonna be his downfall if he cannot locate the plate more readily (5.6 BB/9 over 30.2 IP). Fortunately, this is not a bunch that is discerning at the plate coming to visit.

Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins

Boyd has demonstrated considerably more command and dominance when pitching away from Comerica Park this season, so the trip to Minnesota is not a scary proposition for the veteran lefty. He also is coming off a season-high in Ks, having fanned 9 of the Pale Hose batters in his most recent start. His peripheral metrics suggest he has better production in store going forward.

Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals vs Los Angeles Angels

Singer has picked up his whiff production over his past two outings, and faces a top-10 team in total Ks at home. He is the best streaming option available this day, and it is the recent uptick in swings and misses and the home venue that recommend him. He should be available to pick up for a spot start, given his ugly ratio stats: 6.45 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, both of which have been trending downward, albeit slowly.

Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox

The Yankee right-hander has pitched well over his last four outings, putting up an attractive 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over those 21.1 IP, racking up 18 Ks against five walks. A road game in Boston is not an ideal matchup, given his home/road splits, but the recent success provides hope for continued success on the hill.

Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels @ Kansas City Royals

Canning now has a string of three consecutive QS, coming off a no-decision in Houston where he held the Astros to just a single run over 6.0 IP. He has a road matchup against a team that is top-10 in Ks, which will give him a chance to build on his 8.0 K/9 rate on the season.

Julio Teheran, Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates

The veteran righty now has two QS out of his three times toeing the rubber for the Brewers this season, and while the sample size is small, his production has been stellar: 1.56 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 10:2 K/BB ratio over his 17.1 IP. He is worth consideration if he can continue the strong performances he demonstrated in his first three games back in the MLB.

Brandon Bielak, Houston Astros vs Cincinnati Reds

The Astro righthander has now amassed three victories over his last four outings. He has an acceptable strikeout rate of 7.2 K/9 but his walks allowed are hurting his WHIP, having allowed 13 hitters a free trip to first through his 37.2 IP. Those walks have ballooned his WHIP to nasty levels (1.51) although he has managed to keep his ERA at a useful 3.35 currently. Facing the Reds while they are traveling is a good matchup.

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