Week 27 Two-Start Pitchers: Second Start May Not Happen — SkimNews
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- The Week 27 two-start pitcher rankings carry a caveat that the second scheduled start falls on the final day of the regular season, when teams may opt for bullpen games or spot starters rather than use top arms.
- Zack Wheeler, Max Fried, Michael King, and Kevin Gausman are flagged as the most likely to lose their second start, since their teams have already clinched or are close to clinching playoff spots and want to rest starters.
- Payton Tolle was left out of the rankings entirely despite appearing to have two starts scheduled, because the author is confident he will not actually pitch a second time.
- Nick Martinez and Cristian Javier are also named as pitchers who could lose their second start alongside the four highest-profile arms on the at-risk list.
- Fantasy players are told the litmus test is whether they'd be comfortable starting these pitchers with only one outing — if not, they shouldn't use them at all.
- Week 27 covers September 21-27, with rankings current as of Monday afternoon, and this is the final edition of the two-start pitcher rankings for the 2025 season.
Why it matters: Week 27 is the last week of the fantasy baseball regular season, and rotation decisions by playoff-bound teams on the final day could leave fantasy managers with half their expected starts. Pitchers like Wheeler, Fried, King, and Gausman carry the biggest mismatch between scheduled starts and likely actual starts, meaning managers must weigh one-start value against benching a top arm.
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