Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report – 7/14/19
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report - 7/14/19 The first half and All-Star break are now behind us and the grind to the playoffs begins. The waiver wire is more important than ever down the stretch so let's take a look at some options that can help you get to the playoffs and beyond. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Starting Pitchers Andrew Cashner(SP-BOS) 46% owned Since getting beat up in back to back starts at Colorado and at home to the Giants(won both starts), Cashner has been very productive. The Orioles, as a team, have been better, helping him to three straight wins and while he doesn't get many strikeouts, he has allowed five or fewer hits with two or fewer earned runs in five straight starts since those bad outings moving his ERA down to 3.83 on the season. In shallow leagues, I would reserve him to a streaming option if you are dealing with IL issues or just need an extra arm. In larger leagues, he could make a nice addition for a second-half run. **Update - Cashner was traded to Boston this past weekend and gets a bump in value when look at win potential.** Alex Young(SP-ARI) 34% owned While the Diamondbacks are a whopping 13.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, they are just 1.5 games back in the Wildcard. Rookie Alex Young could play a huge part in the rotation as the team enters the second half putting him on the fantasy radar as well. I am not too worried about him being pulled after six no-hit innings(71 pitches) in his last start vs. Colorado as he has gone back and forth between the bullpen and rotation at both levels. The good news is that the leash should be extended moving forward and he is currently penciled in as the #4 guy in the rotation. Young lacks an overpowering fastball(89 mph average velocity) but throws four plus pitches including a slider(32% usage) that is generating a 16% swinging strike rate helping him to an overall swinging strike rate of 13%. This is one indicator that he should be able to sustain at least a league-average K rate moving forward. Until we know more about his status moving forward, he is best used a streamer in smaller leagues but can definitely be picked up in larger leagues as a speculative rotation guy for the D-Backs the rest of the season. And if he is available in your keeper league, run to...
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report – 6/24/19
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report - 6/24/19 Hello baseball fans and welcome to my new article series covering season-long baseball. To start, I will be looking at players who are widely available across fantasy leagues(60% or less owned). While the draft process is very important at the start of the season, being active on the waiver wire is the key to the six-month grind that is fantasy baseball. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Starting Pitchers Zac Gallen(SP-MIA)48% owned Let's start with an option who is a better fit in keeper leagues but can also be used as a streamer if you are in a redraft league. Since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2016, he made his way all the way up to AAA in 2017 and has posted a 2.88 ERA, 17-10 record with a 27% K rate in AAA since the start of last year. He was called up and impressed in his major league debut going five innings allowing just five hits and one earned run against the Cards and also flashed upside with six strikeouts. He isn't overpowering but comes with excellent command and very well could be a top of the rotation arm for the Marlins moving forward. Andrew Heaney(SP-LAA)48% owned Heaney is coming off an excellent 2018 season(4.15 ERA/3.68 xFIP, 24% K & 6% BB rate) following Tommy John surgery in 2017. Unfortunately, he was shut down this spring with inflammation and didn't make his debut until May 26. He has been very up and down over his first five starts giving up five earned runs twice and walking seven in his last two starts but he has also flashed big upside with 28 K's in his first three starts compared to just three walks. I like him as a long-term add and as a streamer this week as he gets two starts against the Reds and A's. If you need pitching help and willing to take a risk on re-injury, Heaney is back trending up and could provide a ton of value this week and in the second half. Relief Pitchers Emilio Pagan(RP-TB)27% owned With Alvarado still working his way back from missing extended time and Diego Castillo being placed on the IL, Pagan is the next man up for the Rays. He picked up the most recent save on Friday vs. the A's and has been excellent on the season posting a 1.23 ERA with elite 32.4% K rate and 17% swinging strike rate. He may only be...
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report – 6/17/19
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report - 6/17/19 Hello baseball fans and welcome to my new article series covering season-long baseball. To start, I will be looking at players who are widely available across fantasy leagues(60% or less owned). While the draft process is very important at the start of the season, being active on the waiver wire is the key to the six-month grind that is fantasy baseball. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Starting Pitchers Lance Lynn (SP-TEX) 54% owned Lynn has been solid in his first season with the Rangers and is on pace for a seventh straight season with double-digit win totals. The ERA(4.40) is nothing to write home about but is a bit skewed by three terrible starts where he allowed five or more earned runs. He goes into this week having held opponents to three or fewer earned runs in seven straight starts and recorded seven or more strikeouts in six of those. While he is not known for his strikeout upside, he still sits with a slightly above average 25.4% K rate and it is also very promising that his expected stats(xwOBA, xSLG) are .047and .023 lower than his wOBA and SLG given up. Lynn may not be a permanent option for the rest of the season unless you are in a deeper league, he is an excellent streamer this week as he gets two above average starts against the Indians and White Sox, both of which who rank in the bottom 10 in overall offense and strike out 23% and 25% of the time against right-handed pitching. Mike Fiers (SP-OAK) - 30% owned After a rough start to the season(5+ earned runs in four of his first six starts), Mike Fiers has found some consistency. He has held opponents to three or fewer earned runs in nine straight starts going 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA while averaging 6.3 innings per start. This includes his eye-popping second no-hitter of his career. If you are chasing strikeouts, Fiers is not the pitcher for you as he has low 16.7% K rate. What he can help you with is win upside going forward if you have lost some starters to injury or down seasons. What stands out the most to me is that he is also another two-start option that begins with a plus matchup against the Orioles bottom 10 offense(.30 wOBA, 86 wRC+, 34% K rate) and ends with a matchup against the Rays. Relief Pitchers Daniel Hudson/Joe Biagini(RP-TOR) - 4%/11% owned The...