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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20 of 2026 (August 10 - August 16). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20 of the 2026 season (August 10- August 16). In this piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues. For deeper leagues, we find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues.
The calendar has turned over to August, and the trade deadline has passed; two of those listed here changed teams last week. Those guys could help their real teams, but they can also help your fantasy teams march to the championship flags.
The guys mentioned here are not aces, but that does not mean that they cannot help your team. Take a look at these pitchers if you need help. At the end of the article, you will see players rostered in less than 15% of leagues who could help your squad.
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Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-40% on Yahoo
Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (41% rostered)
I have held on to Cameron through thick and thin in my Tout Wars mixed auction league, as pitching is very difficult to come by there off the waiver wire. I am hoping my decision to hold on to him pays dividends here in August. I need the help.
In three of his last four starts, he has been terrific; Cameron went seven, eight, and eight innings in those, striking out eight, seven, and nine. That intrigues me. He uses a five-pitch mix (see below) equally and is relying more on his change-up and less on the fastball if we compare by month.
There is no reason why Kansas City would not allow him to stay in their rotation for the duration of the season. I feel fantasy players are sleeping on a very useful pitcher here...and I am rooting for him to help my moribund Tout Wars team!
Clay Holmes, Chicago Cubs (39% rostered)
Holmes is ready to return from his broken fibula, but he traded his Mets jersey for a Chicago Cubs uniform this week. I am unsure what to expect from Holmes after a lengthy hiatus, but he had four wins, a 2.39 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts in 52 innings before the injury.
Likely, it will include one of the game's highest groundball percentages. See below. This season, Holmes has a whopping 55.3% groundball percentage; pitching in wind-blown Wrigley Field may be just what the doctor ordered for his stuff. Add him this weekend.
Kyle Leahy, St. Louis Cardinals (37% rostered)
Leahy has flown under the fantasy radar all season. He has eight wins, a 3.45 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 112 innings. On Friday night, Leahy threw five strong innings, surrendering two runs and notching eight strikeouts. That is nine straight starts of three runs or less.
Dustin May, Milwaukee Brewers (36% rostered)
Same as his former teammate above, many fantasy players do not seem to feel that May is a rosterable asset. I disagree in deep leagues. May threw six good innings against Pittsburgh on Thursday, giving up only two runs and registering five strikeouts.
His value may be somewhat diminished by pitching in a six-man rotation in Milwaukee, but the team context could allow him to string together some wins. May can be a good fill-in at the back end of your rotation.
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks (32% rostered)
Pfaadt is dwelling on the waiver wire, but I anticipate that will change soon in many leagues. He's been excellent since his return from the minor leagues, going 5-0 in his last seven starts. That includes seven innings against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
Pfaadt only gained two strikeouts for his ledger, but he only gave up two hits and two walks across those seven effective innings. If he can keep this going, he won't be on the waiver wire much longer.
Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo
Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers (20% rostered) check Saturday line
Jobe made his first start of the season on Saturday night. Jobe takes a rotation spot at the right time for Detroit, who just traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize last week. Jobe looked great: five innings, four strikeouts, and only one hit and one walk.
In a weak AL Central, the Tigers will need a healthy and productive Jobe to be able to stay in the race. Look for him to hold a rotation spot the rest of the season unless he is terrible. A healthy Jobe would be a great thing to see the rest of the year.
Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers (19% rostered)
Gasser has gone at least five innings in nine of his 12 starts this season, and won his last start against the Los Angeles Angels, throwing five strong innings and notching six strikeouts. It looks like Milwaukee is going to a six-man rotation to keep these guys fresher.
Gasser benefits from that. Gasser has three wins and a somewhat bloated 4.48 ERA, but a good WHIP at 1.17 and 58 strikeouts in 62 innings. But his ratios are 2.35 and 1.00 over the last two weeks. Despite there being no two-start weeks due to the current rotation setup, Gasser is rosterable.
Anthony Kay, Chicago White Sox (17% rostered)
Kay is vastly underrated because he does not have the big strikeout numbers, but he has been a serviceable back-end starter all season. The lefty has eight wins, a 4.01 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and 90 strikeouts in 110 innings this season.
Kay has gone at least five innings in four of his last five starts, and pitched into the seventh inning in his last start against Tampa Bay. Looking at the splits below, you can see that Kay has provided the White Sox with quality work since early July. A great back-end help to your fantasy team.
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals (17% rostered)
I remain high on Liberatore, maybe irrationally so. Why? In his last start, he went six shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ok, that is one outing. But Liberatore has found his swing-and-miss stuff again, generating a huge 13% swinging strike rate.
Moreover, that marked the fourth consecutive start in which he has been getting that high a swing-and-miss rate. While the lefty only has five wins and a sickly 4.97 ERA and 1.49 WHIP, he has 107 strikeouts in 108 innings, which is helpful to your fantasy roster.
Over the last month of four starts, Liberatore has a win, a tidy 3.43 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 21 innings. Interested yet? I am, and your leaguemates will be too. He is a sneaky grab in deep leagues this weekend.
George Klassen, Los Angeles Angels (2% rostered)
Klassen made the start on Friday night, going four innings, allowing a run on four hits while giving up four walks and notching three strikeouts. Inefficiency was a big part of his night, throwing 83 pitches over those four innings.
Klassen should have some runway here, which makes him an intriguing option in deeper leagues, but he will need to be more efficient and limit his pitch count to be more effective.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
Every week, we will give you four or five (in this case, seven) other lower-rostered pitchers you could also consider adding from the waiver wire in your league. League context matters, obviously.
- Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (7% rostered)
- Connor Prielipp, Minnesota Twins (7% rostered)
- Tyler Mahle, Atlanta Braves (6% rostered)
- Tyler Phillips, Miami Marlins (6% rostered)
- Jacob Lopez, Athletics (4% rostered)
- Jack Perkins, Athletics (3% rostered)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be fun above everything. Enjoy it, and never give up on your teams.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
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