X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Motor City Madness - Can Detroit's Starters Keep Up Their Hot Start?

The Detroit Tigers have gotten stellar pitching from their entire starting rotation so far this season. Andy Patton evaluates each of them to see if this production will stick, and how to value them in fantasy ROS.

While the Mariners have gotten most of the attention as the "tanking team that is actually good", the Detroit Tigers have shown glimpses of being better than advertised this season as well.

Most of that has been in their pitching. Expected to be their weakest link heading into the season, the Tigers looked even more destined for disaster when star right-hander Michael Fulmer opted for Tommy John surgery, ending his 2019 campaign before it began.

However, instead of struggling, Detroit's ragtag group of past their prime veterans and unheralded rookies has surprised just about everyone. But is it sustainable? Or is it the product of facing primarily bad teams so far this season? And more importantly, should you be scrambling to pick any of these guys up off the waiver wire? Let's take a look:

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

 

Matthew Boyd

(1-1, 2.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 40.3(!) K%)

At this point, you don't need me to tell you to go pick up Matt Boyd. He's been absolutely killing it this entire season, and our own Riley Mrack did a fantastic piece on him last week. Boyd is a must-start in all formats at this point, and while the magic may wear off eventually, for now he's a guy that needs to be owned across the board. Let's move on.

 

Jordan Zimmermann

(0-2, 4.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 17.9 K%)

Zimmermann is having his best statistical season as a Tiger, even though his numbers are still the worst among any of the pitchers in the rotation. Zimmermann's "hot" start is the product of an outstanding Opening Day start, where he threw nearly seven innings of no-hit ball against the Blue Jays.

He followed that up with a quality start against the Yankees in New York, but his last two starts have been both been clunkers, where he's combined for just 7 1/3 innings, surrendering nine earned runs and only striking out five. That's more like the Zimmermann Tigers fans are used to, and unfortunately more like the pitcher fantasy owners can expect going forward.

Zimmermann hasn't had a full season ERA below 4.50 since 2015, and he hasn't ever been a strikeout pitcher. I don't expect any of that to magically change this season, and wouldn't be rostering him outside of very deep formats. His WHIP is nice, and he'll have the occasional gem, but he's almost guaranteed to not be worth the headache.

 

Spencer Turnbull

(0-2, 4.80 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 28.4 K%)

Turnbull has the highest ERA and WHIP of any of the Tigers starters, but he might have the most fantasy relevance on this entire staff, outside of Boyd. That's thanks to his electric stuff, which has resulted in a near 30% strikeout rate on the season.

Turnbull flashed his real potential in an absolute gem against Kansas City, tossing six innings of two-run ball with two walks and 10 strikeouts. He was attacking up with fastballs and down an away with sliders, running his sinker up to 97 and flashing electric offspeed stuff - the makings of a future fantasy stud.

Outside of that one outing, however, Turnbull has surrendered six earned runs in nine innings, albeit with nine strikeouts and only three walks. His 4.80 ERA is not great, but he does boast a much more palatable 3.54 FIP and 3.69 SIERA.

I'm definitely keeping my eye on Turnbull, and have no problem rostering him in deeper formats. He's worth a look as a streamer in 12-teamers as well, particularly when he has bad offenses like Pittsburgh, his Wednesday opponent, on the docket.

 

Tyson Ross

(1-2, 3.50 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 20.6 K%)

Ross' strong numbers to kick off the 2019 campaign are held up by one gem, a 4/7 start against Kansas City where he tossed seven innings of one-run ball, giving up just five hits and one walk while striking out eight. While that start was fantastic, it was against a glorified AAA team in Kansas City.

His first start was a five-inning, two-run affair that included four walks and two round-trippers surrendered, and his latest was a six-inning stinker where he surrendered four runs and gave up more walks (4) than strikeouts (3).

Ross is a long ways away from being the fantasy darling he was from 2013-2015 with San Diego, although I do think there's some left in the tank here. However, his 4.42 FIP, 12.3 BB% and 24.5% LD rate don't paint an exceptionally pretty picture, even when his 20% HR/FB rate stabilizes.

I'm willing to look at Ross as a streamer in deeper formats, particularly after seeing him dismantle Kansas City earlier this year. But unless I'm playing AL-only or a similarly deep format, I'm leaving Ross on my watch list for now.

 

Daniel Norris and Matt Moore

(0-0, 4.32 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 10.5 K%)  / (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 27.3 K%)

I'll lump these two guys together, as Norris ended up taking Moore's spot after he went on the injured list with a meniscus tear in his right knee. Moore is hoping to only miss four-to-six weeks, but a full reconstruction surgery could keep him out for much longer. As such, his fantasy value is non-existent at this point.

If/when he returns, however, he could hold some value in deeper leagues after throwing 10 shutout innings with three hits, one walk and nine strikeouts to start the season. They were against Toronto and Kansas City though, and Moore hasn't exactly been good since about 2015. I wouldn't clamor to pick him off the wire when he returns from injury, even in the deepest of leagues, but he's at least worth keeping an eye on.

Norris is the beneficiary of Moore's absence, having taken back a rotation spot after losing out on the final spot to Turnbull in the preseason. He has yet to start a game, but has made three appearances out of the bullpen, tallying a 4.32 ERA, a 1.68 WHIP and an ugly 10.5 K%. Norris also sports a 7.94 FIP and a 7.9 BB%, which tells you just about all you need to know about his chances of succeeding as a starter.

The 25-year-old has failed to live up to expectations in the major leagues, and while there is still hope he finds his way, there's absolutely no reason he should be on your fantasy radar until he does.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
NFL

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Nick Kurtz

Leaves Game With Oblique Soreness
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
De'Von Achane

Should be Ready for Week 1
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Green Bay Packers

Packers Acquire Micah Parsons, Sign him to Four-Year Extension
Jauan Jennings

Remains Sidelined at Practice
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP