Last Sunday, we wrote about the intrigue that is the possibility of adding Stephen Strasburg and stashing him on your roster for the fantasy postseason.

That option looks even better after Friday, when Strasburg threw three scoreless innings in his second minor-league rehab appearance. The big right-hander's fastball reached 99 mph, according to mlb.com, and his changeup was consistently clocked at 90.

He struck out five, and 26 of his 33 pitches were strikes.

All told, Strasburg has thrown strikes on 51 of 64 pitches in his first two games since Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He has nine Ks and has allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings.

"I know I'm going to be the pitcher I was (before surgery)," Strasburg told reporters Friday.

That pitcher struck out 92 in 68 innings as a rookie last season. That pitcher likely won't be seen until 2012, when his workload increases.

Regardless, even in five-inning increments in September, the thought of Strasburg pitching once or twice a week is at worst intriguing and at best much more exciting than playing the likes of Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, Randy Wolf or (enter the name of any fringe starter here).

As of Saturday, Strasburg was available in more than 75 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com.

If you have the roster space, it's time. He's not BACK, but he's in the vicinity, and these opportunities don't come around often.

He wowed us last year as a rookie, striking out a ridiculous 92 batters in 68 innings for the Nationals.

Sunday, Stephen Strasburg toed the mound for Class A Hagerstown (Md.). It was big news because he threw in a game for the first time since he blew out his right elbow on Aug. 21, 2010. Thirteen days after that, the top pick of the 2009 draft had the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

A little more than 11 months following surgery, Strasburg hit 98 mph on the radar gun in his first rehab start. According to reports, he regularly threw in the mid- to high 90s. Twenty-five of his 31 pitches in 1 2/3 innings were strikes, and he struck out four of the eight batters he faced.

"(The velocity was) not where it was," Strasburg told reporters.

But it's close enough, and the appearance has captured the attention of us, the fantasy nerds.

We realize the best-case scenario is Strasburg won't pitch for the Nationals until September, and even then, he'll be on a very limited pitch count.

Regardless, we can't help but be excited about the possibility of inserting him in our lineups during the fantasy postseason, which begins the week of Sept. 5 in many leagues.

If you make the postseason in your league, chances are you have some solid starting pitching. If you need help in Ks, though, Strasburg could provide a boost -- even if he only throws five innings.

If you need anything else from him in a particular week (say, wins), you should probably look elsewhere. Depending on his pitch count, he might not last five innings in some starts.

If nothing else, Strasburg has us looking forward to drafting him next year (or keeping him, if you're in a dynasty format).

Sunday, he said he expects to be "back to normal" by next spring.

He will provide one of the more intriguing draft-day subplots in 2012.

Until then, acquire him on the waiver wire if you believe you'll need some strikeouts in the postseason -- but do so quickly.

As of Sunday night, Strasburg already was owned in 8.3 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com.

By Monday morning, that figure likely will triple.

If you're a Stephen Strasburg owner, you already know time is running out.

With that in mind, two-start weeks -- as this seven-day stretch was supposed to be -- are as valuable as a schedule that has Albert Pujols playing every day.

By now, you're probably aware Strasburg was pulled from his start Tuesday night because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. An MRI exam and an X-ray showed no further damage, and the Nationals' rookie phenom needs "a couple days' rest and anti-inflammatories," according to GM Mike Rizzo.

And you need to start planning for pitching help in the fantasy playoffs.

Washington's original plan was for Strasburg to pitch no more than 160 innings this season between the major and minor leagues. He's already at 109 2/3, and Tuesday was a clear indication he might be lucky to reach 140.

The Nationals, as they should, will be extremely cautious with a pitcher who has struck out 75 in his first 54 1/3 big-league innings.

Stasburg's original timetable would have put him in line to be done by early September. Tuesday's development could push that back -- or could mean a significant drop in the original estimate of 160 innings.

If Strasburg makes his Aug. 2 start, he would be in line to pitch Aug. 7, 13, 19, 24 and 29. If he was allowed to get near his innings limit, he could also start Sept. 4, 10 and 15 -- which would mean he would be available once in both Weeks 23 and 24, which mark the first round of the postseason and the semifinals, respectively, in most leagues.

That's the glass-half-full analysis.

The pessimistic side of me says Strasburg won't get near 160 innings and might not pitch at all in September.

Next year, the kid gloves hopefully will be removed. This season, the Nationals have to protect their investment in a right-hander who might be the game's best in the next two years.

Stephen Strasburg is 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA and more than eight times as many strikeouts (41) as walks (five) in his first four major-league starts.

Counting 11 starts in the minor leagues, the 2009 overall No. 1 pick is 9-3 with a 1.45 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.

Naturally, it's time to trade him in fantasy.

Seriously.

It's seems ridiculous to even contemplate, until you read the comments from Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo.

Strasburg has thrown 94, 95, 85 and 95 pitches in his first four starts. He's pitched 7, 5 1/3, 7 and 6 innings. The Nationals, smartly, are being very careful with a 6-foot-4, 220-pound pitcher who is still a couple of weeks away from his 22nd birthday and has already accomplished what once seemed more improbable than Jhonny Peralta ranging 20 feet to his left to snag a hard-hit grounder -- he's made baseball matter in Washington again.

Rizzo told MLB.com recently the team has two options for Strasburg after the All-Star break.

Option A: Push back his starts one day, giving him extra rest between games.

Option B: Give him a couple weeks off in September, then have the rookie return to pitch the rest of the month.

Option A seems to be the most likely scenario, and this quote from Rizzo is encouraging for fantasy owners who are worried Strasburg won't pitch at all in the season's final month: "We want him to get through the month of September because he's never done that before," the GM said.

Which brings us to the possibility of trading a pitcher who could be the game's best as soon as next season.

Two quick points:

1. Strasburg's value isn't going to get any higher this season. He has been so dominant, even in his lone defeat, that owners might be willing to mortgage much more than they should to acquire a lights-out pitcher.

2. The Nationals have said Strasburg is expected to throw between 150 and 160 innings this season -- counting his time in the minors.

He's already at 80 2/3. If he pitches six innings per start, you might get 12 or 13 more starts out of him, and the extra-rest plan means you might not have many two-start weeks from Strasburg this season.

If you need help elsewhere and have enough pitching, you can trade a very good player who might only play once per week for an everyday stud -- and possibly one or two more pieces.

Week 22 of the regular season will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5. In most leagues, the playoffs will begin the week of Sept. 6-12. If Strasburg takes the first half of September off, you might not have him in the final week of the regular season and the first week of the playoffs.

If he pitches every six or seven days, you will -- for five to seven innings per week.

Don't give him away. Don't trade him if you're in contention and you really need pitching. And especially don't trade him if you're in a keeper league.

Strasburg might be the best pitching prospect in a long time. Until the Nationals take the kid gloves off, though, he is a part-time player who can bring huge value in a trade -- and now is as good of a time as any.

Stephen Strasburg's major-league debut, set for Tuesday against the Pirates, has been likened to LeBron James' first game with the Cavaliers.

Forget the hype for a second, however. As fantasy owners, we're concerned with results, which is why three names come to mind for comparisons to the Nationals' can't-miss rookie pitcher: David Price, Tim Lincecum and Mark Prior.

Price, who is 8-2 with a 2.29 ERA this season, was the top overall pick of the 2007 draft by Tampa Bay. He started 19 games in the minor leagues in 2008 before getting called up to the Rays. In Tampa, he made five appearances that year, and four of them were in relief. In 2009, Price's true rookie season, he was 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings.

A year later, he's destined to be an All-Star at age 24.

Lincecum, the No. 10 overall pick in 2006 (nine selections after the Royals took Luke Hochevar), was on a minor-league track that more closely resembles Strasburg's. The Giants' two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner made his big-league debut in May 2007 after all of eight games down on the farm. That season, he was 7-5 with a 4.00 ERA and an impressive 150 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings.

In 2008, the year he turned 24, the player they call Franchise was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA, striking out a ridiculous 265 batters in 227 innings. The following year, he was 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA and 261 Ks in 225 1/3 innings in repeating as the National League's top pitcher.

Prior, the No. 2 overall choice in 2001, threw nine games in the minors (two fewer than Strasburg) before getting promoted to the Cubs in May 2002. He was 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings. In 2003, he was an All-Star, compiling an 18-6 record with a 2.43 ERA and 245 Ks in 211 1/3 innings.

Injuries ruined his career before it ever got on its Hall of Fame path, but Lincecum and Price are doing just fine.

The same should be said about Strasburg, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound righty who "needed" 11 starts in Double- and Triple-A. Many felt he was ready coming out of spring training, but the Nationals waited until he was 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings in the minors before making the call -- thus delaying Strasburg's arbitration clock and allowing him to make his debut this week against a pair of offensive jugger-nots.

Tuesday, Strasburg has a home start against the Pirates, who entered Sunday ranked 29th in the majors in batting average (.238) and last in runs scored (181 in 55 games, an average of 3.3). Pittsburgh's OPS of .670 ranks 27th among MLB's 30 teams.

Start No. 2 for Strasburg will come Sunday, June 13 at Progressive Field against David Huff and the Indians. The Tribe entered Sunday ranked 25th in batting average (.245), 26th in runs scored (215 in 54 games, 4.0 per contest) and 26th in OPS (.687).

If you drafted Strasburg and were savvy enough to keep him, you're starting him this week. If Lincecum and Prior are accurate indicators, you can keep him in your lineup and expect a record in the .500 range and plenty of strikeouts -- think Fausto Carmona, times two.

All of which brings us to our breakdown of the remainder of the two-start pitchers for Week 10. These are the less-obvious choices among the group. You already know to start Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez and Barry Zito, and if you want to play Kyle Davies or Huff, I'm not going to stop you.

For a complete list of pitching matchups for the week, check out ESPN's Fantasy Forecaster.

TWO-START PITCHERS TO PLAY

Johnny Cueto, Reds (Monday, Giants; Saturday, Royals); Armando Galarraga, Tigers (Tuesday, at White Sox; Sunday, Pirates); Edwin Jackson, Diamondbacks (Tuesday, Braves; Sunday, Cardinals); Kevin Slowey, Twins (Tuesday, Royals; Sunday, Braves); Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (Tuesday, Pirates; Sunday, at Indians)

MIDDLE MEN

Two-start pitchers with one favorable and one difficult matchup (the more risky plays):

Brett Anderson, Athletics (Tuesday, Angels; Sunday, at Giants); Fausto Carmona, Indians (Monday, Red Sox; Saturday, Nationals); Jeff Francis, Rockies (Tuesday, Astros; Sunday, Blue Jays); Kyle Kendrick, Phillies (Tuesday, Marlins; Sunday, at Red Sox); Ted Lilly, Cubs (Tuesday, at Pirates; Sunday, White Sox); Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox (Monday, at Indians; Saturday, Phillies); Kris Medlen, Braves (Tuesday, at Diamondbacks; Sunday, at Twins); Randy Wells, Cubs (Monday, at Pirates; Saturday, White Sox)

TWO-START PITCHERS TO AVOID

Scott Feldman, Rangers (Monday, Mariners; Saturday, at Brewers); Gavin Floyd, White Sox (Tuesday, Tigers; Sunday, at Cubs); Scott Kazmir, Angels (Monday, at Athletics; Saturday, at Dodgers); Wade LeBlanc, Padres (Monday, at Phillies; Saturday, Mariners); Colby Lewis, Rangers (Tuesday, Mariners; Sunday, at Brewers); Clayton Richard, Padres (Tuesday, at Mets; Sunday, Mariners); Wandy Rodriguez, Astros (Monday, at Indians; Saturday, at Yankees); Ben Sheets, Athletics (Monday, Angels; Saturday, at Giants)

For more fantasy updates, follow Kevin Kleps on Twitter.