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Fantasy Baseball: Two-Start Pitchers for Week 11

Alex Kantecki ranks the two-start pitchers for Week 11 and recommends a few worth using, including John Lackey, Bartolo Colon and Tony Cingrani.

Greg Fiume

Through the first 10 weeks of the season, I've suggested four (4) two-start pitchers each week to stream for both starts. This week, I am only going to suggest just three (3) because the options of two-start pitchers owned in less than 50% of leagues are limited, and there's also a lot of confusion as to who's pitching when and where because of rainy weather on the east coast.

I am sure there will be a change or two by the time this is posted, as I am attending a college buddy's wedding this weekend and the probable pitchers are only updated as of Saturday morning, but I will do my best to update the post when I first get the chance.

Start!
Clayton Kershaw: Mon-ARI (Miley), Sun-@PIT (Cole)
Hisashi Iwakuma: Mon-HOU (Keuchel), Sun-@OAK (Colon)
Alex Cobb: Mon-BOS (Lackey), Sat-KC (Guthrie)
Homer Bailey: Mon-@CHC (Feldman), Sat-MIL (Lohse)
Doug Fister: Mon-@KC (Guthrie), Sun-@MIN (Walters)
CC Sabathia: Tue-@OAK (Colon), Sun-@LAA (Blanton)
Jon Lester: Tue-@TB (Hernandez), Sun- @BAL (Gonzalez)
Cole Hamels: Tue-@MIN (Walters), Sun-@COL (Garland)
Julio Teheran: Mon-@SD (Marquis), Sun-SF (Lincecum)
Derek Holland: Tue-CLE (McAllister), Sun-TOR (Wang)
Jered Weaver: Mon-@BAL (Garcia), Sun-NYY (Sabathia)
Pretty, pretty good
John Lackey: Mon-@TB (Cobb), Sun-@BAL (Gonzalez)
Bartolo Colon: Tue-NYY (Sabathia), Sun-SEA (Iwakuma)
Michael Wacha: Tue-@NYM (Niese), Sun-@MIA (Koehler)
Matt Garza: Tue-CIN (Cingrani), Sun-@NYM (Marcum)
Tony Cingrani: Tue-@CHC (Garza), Sun-MIL (Gallardo)
R.A. Dickey: Mon-@CWS (Axelrod), Sat-@TEX (Ogando)
Yovani Gallardo: Mon-@MIA (Koehler), Sun-@CIN (Cingrani)
Scott Feldman: Mon-CIN (Bailey), Sat-@NYM (Wheeler)
Tim Lincecum: Tue-@PIT (Cole), Sun-@ATL (Teheran)
Wade Miley: Mon-@LAD (Kershaw), Sun-@SD (Marquis)
Gerrit Cole: Tue-SF (Lincecum), Sun-LAD (Kershaw)
Alexi Ogando: Mon-CLE (Kluber), Sat-TOR (Dickey)
Play the matchups
Miguel Gonzalez: *Tue-LAA (Vargas), Sun-BOS (Lackey)
Roberto Hernandez: Tue-BOS (Lester), *Sun-KC (Davis)
Dylan Axelrod: Mon-TOR (Dickey), *Sun-@HOU (Keuchel)
Jeremy Guthrie: Mon-DET (Fister), *Sat-@TB (Cobb)
Tom Koehler: *Mon-MIL (Gallardo), Sun-STL (Wacha)
Jason Marquis: *Mon-ATL (Teheran), Sun-ARI (Miley)
Not this week
Wade Davis: Tue-DET (Scherzer), Sun-@TB (Hernandez)
Freddy Garcia: Mon-LAA (Weaver), Sat-BOS (Dempster)
Jon Garland: Tue-WSH (Haren), Sun-PHI (Hamels)
Dan Haren: Tue-@COL (Garland), Sun-@CLE (Kluber)
Dallas Keuchel: Mon-@SEA (Iwakuma), Sun-CWS (Axelrod)
Corey Kluber: Mon-@TEX (Ogando), Sun-WSH (Haren)
P.J. Walters: Tue-PHI (Hamels), Sun-DET (Fister)
Chien-Ming Wang: Tue-@CWS (Quintana), Sun-@TEX (Holland)
My picks

John Lackey (42.7% ESPN; 40% Yahoo!)
3-5, 51.2 IP, 8.71 K/9, 2.44 BB/9, 2.79 ERA, 1.14 WHIP

I was actually very surprised to see John Lackey available in roughly 60% of leagues and had originally planned to suggest rookie Michael Wacha here instead. It turns out that the hype of Wacha, Wacha, Wacha! has already pushed his ownership past 60% in ESPN leagues, so I'll happily suggest Lackey, who I love, love, love this week in favor of the Cardinals' rookie. Lackey, after that early-season scare in Toronto, has really pitched nicely for the Red Sox even if his record suggests otherwise. The slim and trim Lackey is striking out a career-best 23.3% of hitters and he's bordering on an extreme ground-ball pitcher with a 54.7% GB%, which also happens to represent a career best. His 3.82 FIP and 3.28 xFIP indicate he's been pretty legit, with his only bugaboo being a higher than expected 15.9% HR/FB rate. With two legit offenses -- the Rays and Orioles -- on tap for Week 11, the Boston vet will be tested to prove his early season dominance is no fluke. He brings a four-game quality start streak to Tampa on Monday.

Bartolo Colon (45.8% ESPN; 47% Yahoo!)
7-2, 77.1 IP, 5.35 K/9, 0.70 BB/9, 3.14 ERA, 1.09 WHIP

What does the fat guy have to do to get some respect? Bartolo Colon is among the league leaders in wins (7) and trails only the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright for the title of most efficient pitcher with a 0.70 BB/9 rate. I know I make a lot of fat jokes about Colon, because, come on, but the 265-pounder is having his best season in eight years and should be allowed to overindulge at breakfast, lunch and dinner if he wants to. In his last four starts, Colon has rattled off four wins against the Rangers, Astros, White Sox and Brewers, allowing just three runs to go along with 19 strikeouts -- including nine against free-swinging Houston -- and four walks in 30 innings. The A's ace (yes, I said ace!) faces the Yankees and Mariners at home in Week 10, where Colon has gone 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA and held opponents to a .238-batting average. Colon, who is still available in more than 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, is a no-brainer this week. Ride the fat man and enjoy a milkshake or two.

Tony Cingrani (16.5% ESPN; 34% Yahoo!)
2-0, 33 IP, 11.18 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, 3.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP

There were undoubtedly a lot of sad faces when Cincinnati was forced to send down Tony Cingrani for the return of Johnny Cueto, but fear not, Cingrani owners, Cueto is back on the DL, which means Cingrani is unofficially back on the Reds' roster. Cingrani was awesome in his 2013 debut, even if he was a bit lucky (91.6% strand rate), but the kid can throw, and throw it hard. One problem that could turn into a bigger problem for Cingrani is a 20% HR/FB rate (seven home runs in 33 innings), but that's something you'll have to live with from a 23-year old that's striking out 32.5% of hitters in his big league cup of coffee. The rook gets two struggling NL Central offenses in Week 11 -- the Cubs (away) and Brewers (home) -- and you should expect lots of K's and at least one win.

Alex Kantecki is a fantasy baseball writer for Fake Teams. He also writes the "Closer Chronicle" for Vigilante Baseball every Thursday, ranking and tiering all 30 MLB closers. You can follow Alex on Twitter at @rotodealer.