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In Week 5 of the Fantasy Baseball world, owners witnessed a handful of stud pitchers that stepped onto the mound for two starts during the week. Guys such as Justin Verlander, Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer just to name a few. However, Week 6 of the season is a whole different ball game.
No pun intended.
There are really only two universal studs with two starts this week, and that’s Madison Bumgarner and Cliff Lee, who oddly enough, square off against each other. Obviously, you are starting both guys no matter what, so I won’t even get into why you should play them. However, let’s take a look at some of the more under-the-radar pitchers who are two-start guys this week, shall we?
C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels (@HOU, @CWS): Wilson’s 3-0 record doesn’t tell the whole story of his play this season. He is sporting an ERA over four and an AL-leading 22 walks, which explains is 1.57 WHIP. However, he does have 32 strikeouts and if there is any week for him to turn it around, it would be this one. He gets the Astros, a rather inconsistent offense, but they do walk a lot, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts. Then he faces the White Sox, a team that is only ahead of the Marlins for runs scored this season. The Angels have to start looking like the World Series contender we thought they’d be sooner or later, and when they do, Wilson will reap the benefits.
Andrew Cashner, San Diego Padres (MIA, @TB): Cashner became fantasy relevant once he was plugged into the Padres’ rotation. Since then, he has been a bit up-and-down, lasting just four innings twice over his last three starts. He has been experiencing some issues with his control, tossing first-pitch balls far too often. Still, in a week where he faces the Giancarlo Stanton-less Marlins and the Rays, a team that has had their fare share of offensive issues this season, this may be the time to slot Cashner into your starting rotation. If anything, the start against the Marlins alone should get you enough production out of him, regardless of what happens in Tampa Bay.
Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox (MIN, TOR): Buchholz is off to an out of this world-like start to the season, posting a 6-0 record, an ERA of 1.01 and 47 strikeouts. It’s still rather early, but the Red Sox pitcher is looking like an elite option this year. Due to his rapid start, Buchholz is a must-start option in a two-start week. His cutter is moving much more than in season’s past, inducing groundballs and his HR/FB ratio (3.1%) is as low as ever. The Red Sox are actually looking like a serious contender and with a strong lineup around him, Buchholz may remain a top fantasy pitcher throughout the season. Consider him a top 10 fantasy pitcher for Week 6.
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants (PHI, ATL): Lincecum is starting to build some momentum here, lowering his walk rate and getting some wins. During his last start,he didn’t issue a walk for the first time all season and seemed to have much better control with his pitches. He still needs to improve his tendencies to surrender home runs this season, sporting a HR/9 of 1.04 and already allowing four long balls on the season. He also isn’t inducing nearly as many groundballs as the Lincecum of old, but we must remember, those Cy Young days appear to be over. Still, I think Lincecum is a relatively safe option with two starts this week.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
