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Week 11 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Nick Mariano's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire targets and adds. Free agent pickups and starting pitcher sleepers for Week 11 of the 2018 MLB season.

With roughly two-fifths of the baseball season in the past, we’ve got plenty of data to play with and some serious questions to answer about our fantasy teams. Some of you are likely rolling reliever-heavy lineups and I respect that, but you probably won’t find much help here! Whatever your strategy may be, these arms should be able to help you!

If you want to chat more about additional arms/bats/whatever, you can find me on Twitter @NMariano53 and ask any follow-up questions.

We're using Yahoo ownership levels and cutting things off around 30% this week. Here are my starting pitcher waiver wire targets for Week 11.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Seth Lugo (NYM - SP/RP): 30% owned

I always hate when a guy truly breaks out on primetime television, you just know there’s going to be a waiver rush like no other. Lugo dismantled the Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball, as he allowed a mere two singles and struck out eight with zero walks over six scoreless frames to end the Mets’ losing streak at eight. The key is not only his velocity jump found in the bullpen, much like what we saw from Danny Duffy, but also masterful control of his breaking pitches. The Mets are tepidly speaking about giving Lugo a real rotation slot but come on, Noah Syndergaard may not come back for a while pending this second opinion on his finger and Jason Vargas shouldn’t be stopping anyone showing signs of success from pitching. The worst-case scenario is he becomes another strong middle-relief option for you.

Mike Soroka (ATL - SP): 30% owned

Hopefully, this is the final time during Soroka’s career that I can write about him as a pickup. Soroka’s second rehab start wasn’t perfect like his first one, but he still punched out seven and gave up just one run on three hits and a walk at Triple-A. This guy has a 2.76 FIP/2.87 xFIP/3.60 SIERA underneath the 3.68 ERA in 14 ⅔ Major League innings and he had a 1.71 FIP/2.21 xFIP behind the 2.00 ERA in 27 Triple-A innings. His only surface blemish is the 1.70 WHIP in the bigs that’s solely due to a .408 BABIP that is going to fall. He can be a 3.50 ERA/1.25 WHIP guy with a 23% strikeout rate on a team that should top 90 wins and faces the Mets and Marlins offenses. Buy!!!

Clayton Richard (SD - SP): 27% owned

Remember when Richard ended his 2017 season by posting a 3.52 ERA (3.69 SIERA) and being rather useful over his final 10 starts? Well after a rocky April, Richard is back to mowing down opposing hitters with his groundball ways and now has a 3.04 ERA (3.15 SIERA) over his last seven starts. Batters are only managing to lift the ball in the air a measly 17.4% of the time in that seven-start sample and while I don’t buy a groundball guy holding onto a .230 BABIP, he’s still going to be useful with this profile even when some regression hits.

Lance Lynn (MIN - SP): 29% owned

Lynn has turned things around with four consecutive quality starts after forgetting that he was supposed to get batters out to open 2018, but I’m still not buying that his command woes are truly gone. He’s still totaled 11 walks alongside the 21 strikeouts over 24 ⅔ innings during this “resurgent” stretch and has issued four or more free passes in half of his 12 outings this season. I will say that his fastball looks livelier and he leans on his heater (and its cousin, the sinker) over 70% of the time, so that's important. His other saving grace has been avoiding homers -- he’s kept the ball in the yard over his last five starts -- but his iffy 4.23 xFIP over this four-start QS span shows what can happen if that reverses. Tread carefully!

Mike Leake (SEA - SP): 25% owned

Leake only made one mistake on Tuesday night, which was spotting a great pitch on the outer corner at the knees of Mike Trout. Outside of Trout’s solo homer, Leake was effective against the Halos and has now held opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. The three walks were uncharacteristic given how he’d walked just two batters over his last six starts (41 innings) but that seems to be how he attacks LAA -- he walked four in his only other start against them on May 4. He had a 5.04 SIERA through that May 4 start, but he entered Tuesday with a 3.76 SIERA since then. This looks to be rooted in a nearly 10-percentage-point jump in soft contact and a 15-percentage-point spike in grounders. With Seattle surging around him and his command locked in, mixed leaguers would do well to patch their rotation with Leake.

Mike Montgomery (CHC - SP/RP): 16% owned

Montgomery’s 25 strikeouts in 43 innings thus far may leave you looking elsewhere for SP options, but I know you’re enticed by the 3.56 ERA and the 1.16 WHIP. The southpaw has always been good at inducing low-quality contact and has a career .268 BABIP for this reason, but his 28.5% soft-contact rate is on another level right now. Not only that, but his 10% swinging-strike rate implies more whiff potential than his shaky 14.2% strikeout rate. He may be out of the rotation once Yu Darvish returns (if he returns, let’s be real) but I don’t see how the Cubbies can boot Monty from the rotation with Tyler Chatwood looking to break walk records.

Dylan Covey (CWS - SP/RP): 10% owned

If you remember anything about Covey from 2017 then you probably want nothing to do with him. I can’t blame you, the man had a 7.71 ERA and 5.64 SIERA with a poor 13.3% strikeout rate in 70 innings. That makes for one terrible cup o’ coffee.

But Covey looks very different this season to those watching carefully because now he’s throwing 95 mph and suddenly has command. The 26-year-old is carrying a 2.22 ERA with a 3.62 SIERA at the moment and his strikeout rate has climbed 10 percentage points to 23.3% overall. And no, he hasn’t been beating up on the Royals or anything -- he’s gone against the Indians, Brewers and Red Sox in his last three trips to the hill. Strong mechanics can take a middling option and help him evolve into a viable one. No parlor tricks or new pitch here, just good ol’ refining the raw product.

Paul Blackburn (OAK - SP): 3% owned

Blackburn allowed just one run on three hits over six strong innings in his 2018 debut, but he has his fantasy fleas. Namely, the three strikeouts in those six frames gives him a higher strikeout rate (15%) than his awful 9.2% K rate through 10 starts (58 ⅔ IP) last season. He’s barely broken the 6.0 K/9 mark even in the low Minors, but he sports solid command and suppresses the long ball with a beastly groundball rate that can sniff 60%. Oakland’s spacious home park and strong defense play well for his game and he could be a cheap source of ratio relief if you can take the K hit.

Jonathan Loaisiga (NYY - SP): N/A

Yeah, I still don’t feel like I spelled that correctly. The Yankees are in need of a starter with Masahiro Tanaka on the DL for the foreseeable future and it was confirmed on Tuesday night that Loaisiga, who is still not in Yahoo's player pool last I checked, would be getting at least one turn in a spot start on Thursday. He’s had a solid campaign thus far at Double-A, but you’ll need to put on your sabermetric glasses to see it. The 23-year-old has ridden his fastball-curveball-changeup combo to an xFIP below 2.00 in 10 starts between High- and Double-A, but his 4.32 ERA from Double-A has people sneering. Don’t be those people. Be the people who see 58 strikeouts to just four walks across 45 innings for a youngster who will have the Yankees’ offense and bullpen supporting him. That’s worth a lot.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Seiya Suzuki

Puts On Power Display In Win Over Pirates
Mike Trout

Out Of Thursday's Lineup
Walker Buehler

Getting Testing On His Shoulder, Won't Start Friday
Kristian Campbell

Scratched With Rib Discomfort
Juan Soto

Busts Out With Two Homers In Thursday's Loss
Isaiah Stewart

Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Moving To Second Line Thursday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Have Knee Surgery
Frederik Andersen

Expected To Return To Practice Friday
Mark Scheifele

Won't Play In Game 6
Pavel Dorofeyev

Out On Thursday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Giants Place Tyler Fitzgerald On 10-Day Injured List With Rib Fracture
Jason Robertson

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Miro Heiskanen

Ruled Out For Game 6
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Add Collin Johnson To Wide Receiver Room
Chicago Bears

Colston Loveland A "Natural Fit" In Ben Johnson's Offense
Salvador Perez

Leaves Early On Thursday With Hip Soreness
Cincinnati Bengals

Samaje Perine Expected To Have A Passing-Down Role
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Expected To Move On From Jalen Ramsey Soon
Shota Imanaga

Expected To Make His Next Start
Tennessee Titans

Chimere Dike Has "Flexibility" To Play All Wide Receiver Positions
Justin Martinez

Diamondbacks Place Justin Martinez On 15-Day Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation
Kyle Higashioka

Placed On 10-Day Injured List
Corey Seager

Targeting Saturday Return
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Exercise Charles Cross' Fifth-Year Option
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Decline Kenyon Green's Fifth-Year Option
Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars Not Picking Up Devin Lloyd's Fifth-Year Option
New York Giants

Jaxson Dart Expected To Sit And Learn In 2025
Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Gannon Excited For Marvin Harrison Jr.'s Second Season
Alexis Díaz

Alexis Diaz Optioned To Triple-A
Amen Thompson

Fills Stat Sheet In Game 5 Victory
Stephen Curry

Held To 13 Points Wednesday Night
Anthony Edwards

Struggles To Score In Series-Clincher
Rudy Gobert

Comes Up Big In Game 5 Victory
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Battles Back Issue In Game 5 Loss
LeBron James

Undecided On Future
Derrick Jones Jr.

Fine For Thursday
Filip Gustavsson

On Track To Play Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Caps Off First Round With Multi-Point Effort
Eetu Luostarinen

Explodes For Four Points In Series-Clincher
Dylan Strome

Extends Point Streak With Two Assists
Alex Ovechkin

Pots 30th Playoff Power-Play Goal
Kyle Connor

Ties Jets Record With Fourth Three-Point Playoff Game
Mark Scheifele

Injured In Game 5
New York Giants

Evan Neal Moving To Offensive Guard
Chris Sale

Strikes Out 10
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Waive Malik Davis
Houston Texans

John Metchie III Could Be Odd-Man Out
Masyn Winn

Homers Twice In Game 1 Of Doubleheader
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Release Anthony Firkser
New England Patriots

Patriots Not Picking Up Cole Strange's Fifth-Year Option
Justin Martinez

Could Land On Injured List
Tommy Edman

Dealing With Ankle Injury
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez To Make Season Debut On Sunday
Kyle Stowers

Blasts Two Homers
Maxi Kleber

Available For Lakers Debut Wednesday
Buffalo Bills

Elijah Moore Signs With Bills On One-Year Deal
Mike Trout

Pulled As Precaution Due To Knee Soreness
Dylan Moore

Expected To Return From Injured List After Minimum Stay
Jonathan Kuminga

Out With An Illness
Max Scherzer

Completes Another Successful Bullpen Session
Jimmy Butler III

Ready To Play Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

In Danger Of Missing Another Game Thursday
Alex Iafallo

Drops To Second Line Wednesday
Pavel Dorofeyev

To Be A Game-Time Call Thursday
Tyler Tucker

Ruled Out For Game 5
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Build Off Last Week's Runner-Up Finish
Sam Montembeault

Remains Out For Game 5
Aliaksei Protas

Likely To Return Wednesday
Gary Woodland

Could See Success At CJ CUP
Alexandre Carrier

A Game-Time Call Wednesday
Patrik Laine

Out On Wednesday
Cam Davis

Making First Appearance At TPC Craig Ranch
Green Bay Packers

Devonte Wyatt's Fifth-Year Option Exercised By Packers
New York Jets

Quarterback Jordan Travis Retires From Football
Pittsburgh Steelers

Montravius Adams Released By Steelers
Sam Burns

Could Be Due For A Great Week At TPC Craig Ranch
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Jordan Davis
Minnesota Vikings

Myles Price Lands With Vikings As UDFA
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
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