Fantasy Baseball Weekly Preview: Double check your waiver wire for Michael Wacha!
The list of two-start pitchers on the fantasy baseball waiver wire is a short one this week, as few teams play seven games and many of the scheduled two-start men are widely rostered. Also, with the MLB trade deadline set to take place tomorrow, there could be mid-week alterations to the rotation schedule for some teams.
Still, there are four men atop this list who warrant strong consideration in most leagues. On the hitting side, the Orioles are the top team to target for streamers, while the Royals can help in deep formats.
Two-Start Pitchers (in order of preference)
Michael Wacha, 52% (@CWS, @DET)
Although Wacha is rostered in more leagues than the others on this list, he deserves to be mentioned as the top option for those in shallow leagues. The right-hander has been consistent en route to his 3.65 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, allowing two or fewer earned runs in nine of his past 11 starts. With matchups against an average Tigers lineup and a major-league-worst White Sox offense, Wacha offers a great combination of a high floor and high ceiling.
Colin Rea, 42% (vs. ATL, @WSH)
Rea is coming off arguably his best start to the season when he struck out eight batters across five shutout innings on July 23. The 34-year-old generally struggles to rack up whiffs (6.9 K/9 rate), but he pitches for a winning team and has logged solid ratios (3.60 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), which makes him a safe option for a week in which he will face two teams who rank in the bottom half of the league in runs scored.
Simeon Woods Richardson, 27% (@NYM, vs. CWS)
Woods Richardson is building a solid resume in his rookie season, lowering his ERA to 3.27 and WHIP to 1.11 after throwing six shutout innings last time out. The righty is keeping the ball in the yard (0.8 HR/9 rate) and owns a solid 76:25 K:BB ratio. His matchup against the Mets is a challenging one, but it is offset by a favorable outing against the last-place White Sox. Overall, Woods Richardson belongs in the lineup in most leagues.
Alec Marsh, 18% (@CWS, @DET)
Marsh is a poor man’s version of Wacha for the coming week. The right-hander has been slightly better than is indicated by his 4.75 ERA, as he has produced a solid 90:31 K:BB ratio and 4.22 FIP. But overall, he is an average pitcher who finds his name high on this list by virtue of having favorable matchups. All told, he can be started in most leagues.
Andre Pallante, 11% (vs. TEX, @CHC)
Pallante has been all over the map as a starter, allowing one earned run or fewer in six of his nine starts but four runs or more on the other three occasions. His strikeout rate is below average, and he has walked batters at a higher rate as a starter than he did when working out of the bullpen. With two upcoming matchups against offenses that rank slightly below league average, Pallante can be used in head-to-head leagues and deep roto formats.
José Quintana, 28% (vs. MIN, @LAA)
Quintana is the definition of a low-upside innings eater, having logged a 4.02 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and a 7.1 K/9 rate. And his matchups next week are average, with one start against a top-10 offense (Twins) and one against a bottom-10 group (Angels). It all adds up to someone who can be streamed in points leagues but is a desperation play in roto formats.
Carson Spiers, 10% (vs. CHC, vs. SF)
In the long run, I like Spiers more than most of the hurlers who precede him on this list. The 26-year-old was showing some potential as a rotation member before enduring a brief IL stint, and he will return for a two-start week with reasonable matchups, albeit at his hitter-friendly home park. However, pitchers returning from the IL carry a slightly higher element of risk, both in terms of volume and results. For that reason, I would shy away from Spiers in leagues that use categories.
Lance Lynn, 22% (vs. TEX, @CHC)
While Lynn deserves full credit for becoming the sixth active starter to reach 2,000 whiffs when he struck out two batters last week, he doesn’t belong in most fantasy lineups during a season in which he has posted unimpressive ratios (4.17 ERA, 1.39 WHIP). The veteran can be considered by those in points leagues for a pair of reasonable matchups but should be avoided in formats that use categories.
Yariel Rodríguez, 19% (@BAL, @NYY)
Rodríguez has pitched very well in July, striking out 25 batters over 22.1 innings while logging a 2.01 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. Unfortunately, he is heading into an incredibly difficult week that includes starts against a pair of top-five offenses. Although Rodríguez has plenty of long-term potential, he can’t be recommended for these matchups.
One-Start Streamers
In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo! roster rate in brackets.
Tyler Phillips @SEA (Friday, 28)
Spencer Schwellenbach vs. MIA (Thursday, 38)
Max Meyer @ATL (Friday, 39)
Jeffrey Springs vs. MIA (Tuesday, 45)
José Soriano vs. NYM (Saturday, 31)
David Peterson @LAA (Saturday, 20)
Andrew Heaney @STL (Wednesday, 26)
Luis L. Ortiz vs. ARI (Friday, 35)
Kyle Gibson @CHC (Thursday, 35)
Sean Manaea vs. MIN (Tuesday, 38)
Aaron Civale @WSH (Friday, 34)
James Paxton vs. SEA (Tuesday, 18)
Miles Mikolas @CHC (Friday, 26)
Favorable Monday-Thursday hitting matchups
Orioles vs. Blue Jays, @ Guardians
The Orioles are the kings of volume, as they play five games over the next four days as part of an eight-game week. Ryan O’Hearn (45%) and Colton Cowser (47%) are the top men to add, while Heston Kjerstad (25%) is also a solid option. Finally, Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle should be started in shallow leagues where they sometimes sit on the lineup bubble.
Royals @ White Sox, @ Tigers
Kansas City hitters should enjoy playing four games against subpar right-handers over the next four days. There may not be a Royals hitter who makes sense off the waiver wire in 10-team leagues, but Adam Frazier (1%) has been hitting leadoff against righties and Michael Massey (3%) normally bats fifth. Those two men, along with MJ Melendez (21%) and Hunter Renfroe (6%) can be considered in 12-team roto leagues.
