Fantasy Baseball: Pitching preview, best waiver wire adds for Week 16
This week’s group of two-start pitchers lacks an obvious headliner and has just four members who can be started in most fantasy baseball leagues. On the hitting side, the Red Sox and Rangers are poised to score runs in bunches between now and Thursday.
Two-Start Pitchers (in order of preference)
Tobias Myers, 52% (@CHC, vs. MIA)
Myers has been fortunate thus far (.264 BABIP, 84.1% strand rate) and isn’t as good as his 3.13 ERA and 1.13 WHIP indicate. Still, the right-hander is good enough to be projected for a respectable start against a midlevel Cubs offense and a terrific outing against the lowly Marlins. He should be active in most leagues.
José Soriano, 16% (@SEA, vs. OAK)
The hard-throwing Soriano has been consistent in his first season as a major league starter, allowing four or fewer runs in every start en route to a 3.71 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He should have plenty of success during a two-start week that includes matchups against a Mariners squad that ranks 29th in runs scored and an A’s team that has been hot of late but still ranks just 21st in runs.
Michael Lorenzen, 28% (vs. CWS, @TOR)
Lorenzen owns a poor 65:44 K:BB ratio and started showing signs of regression before the All-Star break when he allowed five runs in two of his final three starts. Still, the veteran should be effective enough to log quality starts when he faces two lineups this week that rank among the bottom six in runs scored. Just be sure to look past his solid ratios (3.52 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) and send him back to waivers when the week ends.
Yilber Díaz, 16% (@KC, vs. PIT)
Despite struggling at times to put batters away (5.3 K/9 rate), Díaz has enjoyed a pair of six-inning, one-run starts since joining the D-backs. His extensive track record in the minors is likely a better indicator of his talent, and across two levels this year he showed terrific swing-and-miss skills (105 strikeouts) and mediocre control (38 walks) across 76 innings. Díaz warrants consideration in deep roto leagues and all head-to-head formats for matchups against a midlevel Royals offense and a Pirates lineup that ranks 27th in OPS.
David Peterson, 23% (@MIA, vs. ATL)
Peterson is coming off his best of eight starts this season when he shut out the Nats across six innings on July 11. Overall, his 3.09 ERA lures in fantasy managers, but his 1.42 WHIP and 32:19 K:BB ratio offer a strong suggestion that Peterson is not a long-term option. Still, he can be added in head-to-head leagues by having an appealing matchup against the Marlins, who rank 29th in runs scored. The matchup against the Braves is not as scary as it was a few months ago, which means that Peterson can be active in deep roto leagues.
Jon Gray, 27% (vs. CWS, @TOR)
Gray has struggled to put batters away since returning from the IL on June 8, recording just 17 strikeouts over 29.1 innings. The lack of whiffs has hindered his ability to limit baserunners and scoring over that stretch (7.36 ERA, 1.57 WHIP), but the hope at this point is that the All-Star break gave him a chance to rejuvenate for the second half. With two matchups against weak lineups, Gray can at least be considered in points leagues.
Javier Assad, 33% (vs. MIL, @KC)
One month ago, Assad owned a 2.75 ERA and was a must-start pitcher. However, he endured disappointing starts on June 23 and July 13, with an IL stint sandwiched in between them. Now set for his first start of the second half, Assad is the ultimate boom-or-bust option among this week’s group. I’m mostly staying away from the right-hander until he strings together a couple of quality outings.
Spencer Arrighetti, 12% (@OAK, vs. LAD)
Arrighetti went into the All-Star break on a high note, allowing three runs across 11 innings while striking out 13 in his final two starts. His 5.63 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 93:44 K:BB ratio will justifiably scare away managers in roto leagues, but his ability to accumulate whiffs (10.5 K/9 rate) will attract some points league managers.
Zack Littell, 21% (@NYY, vs. CIN)
Littell owns a terrific 94:19 K:BB ratio but has struggled to limit hits during a disappointing season (4.26 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). His 3.78 FIP suggests that he has deserved a slightly better fate, but he remains a risky option for a road start against a Yankees offense that leads the majors in runs scored. That outing alone is enough to keep Littell out of the lineups in virtually all leagues.
One-Start Streamers
In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in parentheses.
Aaron Civale vs. MIA (Saturday, 36)
Michael Wacha vs. ARI (Wednesday, 50)
Luis L. Ortiz @ARI (Saturday, 28)
Mitchell Parker @SD (Wednesday, 27)
Landon Knack vs. SF (Tuesday, 13)
Alec Marsh vs. ARI (Tuesday, 13)
Kyle Gibson vs. WSH (Saturday, 36)
Yariel Rodríguez vs. TB (Wednesday, 16)
Andre Pallante @PIT (Monday, 10)
Miles Mikolas vs. WSH (Sunday, 24)
Spencer Schwellenbach @NYM (Friday, 33)
Jonathan Cannon @TEX (Thursday, 4)
Lance Lynn @PIT (Tuesday, 23)
Dean Kremer vs. SD (Friday, 28)
Frankie Montas @ATL (Wednesday, 16)
More Fantasy Baseball analysis
Favorable Monday-Thursday hitting matchups
Red Sox at Rockies
Boston could score plenty of runs when it brings an offense that ranks sixth in baseball in OPS into a series at hitter-friendly Coors Field against a Rockies staff that ranks last in baseball by a wide margin in ERA. Masataka Yoshida (43%) is the best player to grab from waivers, while David Hamilton (36%), Wilyer Abreu (19%) and Connor Wong (44%) are other fine options.
Rangers vs. White Sox
Texas is a great combination of a volume play with a favorable matchup, as it will play four games against a White Sox staff that has plenty of holes aside from staff ace Garrett Crochet. Leody Taveras (9%) is the top waiver-wire option from the Rangers lineup, while Josh Smith, Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim should be started on rosters where they sometimes sit on the bench.