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

Points League Pitchers: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 6

Fantasy baseball H2H points league waiver wire pitchers to pickup and stream for Week 6 of the 2022 MLB season, identifying free agent SPs and RPs to add.

We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax.

Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best and worst fits. We know points league players get neglected and we're here to help with all of the best streams for the week.

These fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups are for the week of May 16 - May 22, looking at players below ~50% rostered for ESPN, Yahoo!, or Fantrax. Rankings are calculated using games through Saturday, May 13.

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

 

Know Your Scoring System

You know what I'm going to say, right?  You must account for, as precisely as possible, how a player performs under your particular scoring system. Don't be fooled into believing you can just make rough adjustments in your head, bumping up guys with high on-base percentages and low strikeout rates. Every point, in every category, counts.

For example, ESPN and Fantrax are virtually identical in their scoring for hitters and roster size. The only difference is that stolen bases are worth one more point on Fantrax and ESPN subtracts one point per strikeout. That's the difference between Trea Turner being a top-five hitter versus a top-25 hitter.

If your league uses standard settings, then great! Turn to page 94 and you can skip ahead to the leaderboards. If you play with custom settings, it'll still be fine. Go back to page 43 and look below at the scoring systems of the four major platforms. I bet there's a chance that you'll find that your league's scoring is very similar to one of the four (well, not Yahoo!'s), even if it's not the platform you actually play on.

If you look above, you'll likely find a suitable mirror to your own system. While every point counts, as long as they aren't seismic changes, you can get away with some "close enough" calls. IE. If everything is the same except for HBP (or something similar), you're probably fine.

 

Waiver Wire Leaderboards

In addition to our overall waiver wire leaderboards, once we're deep enough into the season, we'll also start doing a 21-day leaderboard as well, giving us a window into recent production. All charts are updated prior to Saturday's games, on stats and ownerships, and clicking on a chart will open a new page with a magnified version.

*APR = Average Platform Ranking - the average platform ranking between ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, and Fantrax (standard point settings)

 

Two-Start Pitcher Waiver Wire Options

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire - Best Choices

Jameson Taillon, NYY (@ BAL, vs CHW) - Taillon's starts this year have all looked very similar - five or six innings, one or two runs, a bit less than a strikeout per inning. He has a good chance to continue his metronomic tendencies, facing middling offenses at home against Baltimore and the White Sox. Don't expect a high ceiling but the double-tap gives him a really high floor for the week.

Yusei Kikuchi, TOR (vs SEA, vs CIN) - Kikuchi is coming off back-to-back excellent starts against a Yankees offense that has been running hot, allowing a total of 3 ER over 11.1 IP and striking out 14. His first start against his former team isn't a soft matchup, as the Mariners have the 12th-highest wOBA and 8th-lowest K% vs LHP but facing Cincinnati in the second is a different kettle of chili. The Reds have the worst wOBA in baseball vs LHP and are 27th in xwOBA, K%, and BB%.

Josh Winder, MIN (@ OAK) - Even after his worst start of the season, allowing 3 ER in 3.1 IP in a loss to the Astros, Winder still has a 2.45 ERA for the year and gets a much softer matchup in his next turn. The softest of turns, actually, as he'll face an Oakland offense that is last in baseball for both wOBA and xwOBA vs RHP, and have the 28th K% and 27th BB%. In his start prior to the loss versus Houston, Winder dominated the A's for six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just three hits.

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire - Next Choices

Jakob Junis, SF (vs SD) - Find someone who loves you like I love Jakob Junis, who lost in his most recent start on Saturday afternoon, allowing two earned runs over 5.2 IP against the Cardinals, bringing him up to a 1.74 ERA. He'll face a San Diego team next that has been average vs RHP, posting the 17th wOBA, 22nd xwOBA, and 15th K%.

Madison Bumgarner, ARI (@ LAD, @ CHC) - 1.78 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 4.86 xFIP. Surely this is a trick, right? But Bumgarner continues to cruise, limiting baserunners and only walking two batters in his past four starts.

Steven Matz, STL (@ NYM, @ PIT) - Matz has been frustratingly inconsistent, allowing 3 ER in 6.2 IP in his last start after giving up 8 ER in 2 IP in his previous one. Neither of his road opponents is too scary, as the Mets might have more name value but have struggled vs LHP, posting the 22nd-highest wOBA and 29th xwOBA against them, while the PIraes are 20th in wOBA and and 26th in xwOBA.+

Kyle Bradish, BAL (vs NYY, vs TB) - Bradish has held his own over his first three starts in the big leagues but a matchup first against the Yankees (4th wOBA, 1st xwOBA, 9th-lowest K%) looks like trouble. However, his second matchup against the Rays looks a lot juicier considering the poor numbers that Tampa Bay has put up so far vs RHP (17th wOBA, 21st xwOBA, 30th K%).

Tyler Wells, BAL (vs TB) - Wells has started to settle into his new position in the rotation, posting a 2.25 ERA (2.57 FIP) over his last three starts. He'll face the Rays, who, as mentioned with Kyle Bradish, have been impotent versus RHP, rocking the league's worst strikeout rate against them.

Bruce Zimmermann, BAL (vs NYY) - Zimmermann keeps rolling but lost in a solid effort against the Tigers on Saturday, allowing 2 ER in 6 IP. He still has a shiny 2.72 ERA but has a dicey matchup with the Yankees coming up, who are top-five in wOBA and xwOBA vs LHP.

Michael Lorenzen, LAA (vs OAK) - Lorenzen has been up and down (4.13 ERA, 4.65 FIP) but you should try and find any excuse to stream against Oakland, who have the worst offense in baseball vs RHP.

Chris Archer, MIN (@ OAK) - In fact, Oakland is so bad vs RHP that I think even Chris Archer is a viable option.

Jake Odorizzi, HOU (vs TEX) - What is Odorizzi, may never die. Jake has a 3.38 ERA (3.70 FIP) through six starts and gets a Texas team that has a bottom-five offense vs RHP.

* Edit: Odorizzi's first start against the Red Sox on Tuesday didn't get pulled over, so it looks like old man Jake is up for a two-start week. Boston has a bottom-six wOBA vs RHP this season but be aware that they've been much better in May, posting a .334 wOBA that is the 8th-highest, with a 22.2% K% that is 17th.

Drew Smyly, CHC (vs PIT) - Stop me if you've heard this before; you should stream pitchers against the Pirates, who have a bottom-10 wOBA and fourth-worst xwOBA.

Tyler Anderson, LAD (vs ARI) - Anderson got lit up by the Phillies in his last start (6 IP, 7 ER, 6 K) but gets a soft matchup with the Diamondbacks, who've posted the second-worst wOBA vs LHP so far this season.

Reid Detmers, LAA (@ TEX) - I know he just threw a no-hitter but Texas has been really, really tough on lefties, posting a top-four wOBA and xwOBA against them.

Alex Faedo, DET (@ TBR, @ CLE) - Faedo hadn't yet been announced so he's missing from the charts but he now lines up for a two-start week, one soft and one tough. Tampa Bay has struggled against RHP but Cleveland has done rather the opposite; they have the top wOBA vs RHP, though they've fallen to 12th in the month of May.

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire - Desperate Choices

Don't be alarmed. You haven't fallen through a wormhole and this isn't 2017. These are simply the pitchers that were available. Compose yourself.

Wade Miley, CHC (vs PIT, vs ARI) - Almost anyone is viable when getting a two-start week vs Pittsburgh and Arizona. Even Wade Miley? We'll see!

Martin Perez, TEX (@ HOU) - Human wizard, Martin Perez, continues to dazzle with his soft-tossing ways, striking out six Royals over 6.1 IP in his last time out and only getting charged for one run of the four he allowed.

Jose Quintana, PIT (vs STL) - Quintana has been unexpectedly good in 2022 but faces a St. Louis team that has been lefty killers for the past couple of seasons and that currently has the second-highest wOBA and 6th-lowest K% vs LHP.

Rich Hill, BOS (vs SEA)
Dallas Keuchel, CHW (@ KC)
Brad Keller, KC (vs CHW, vs MIN)
Chris Flexen, SEA (@ BOS, @ TOR)
Ryan Yarbrough, TB (@ BAL)
Aaron Civale, CLE (vs DET)
Zach Thompson, PIT (vs STL)

 

Relief Pitchers Waiver Wire

Unless you're in a very deep league and/or have a lot of dedicated RP-only slots, most of the relievers you're going to want are the ones who are closers, have a chance to close, or elite setup guys. But I do mean elite because most scoring structures are weighted in a way that relievers almost necessarily have to get saves in order to be valuable. Although, long relievers whose usage you can reliably predict, can be useful in leagues with daily moves. But for a majority of leagues, sticking to closers is the way to go.

With that in mind, here are the best relievers on the wire for Week 6, ordered by Yahoo roster%:

Closers (and co-Closers) on the Wire

Tanner Rainey, WSH - Are you really a closer if you don't actually get any saves? Rainey has three saves on the season but his last was on April 19 and he blew his last opportunity on May 8.

Rowan Wick, CHC - David Robertson went on the Covid-IL on May 9, giving Wick the closer job until he returns.

Emilio Pagan, MIN - Pagan got the most recent opportunity for the Twins, converting his last Save on May 8. But Jhoan Duran and his triple-digit splitty lurk off stage.

Ryan Helsley, STL - The fireballer has allowed just one hit in 2022, with zero walks and zero runs, while striking out 20 batters. It'll be hard to predict when he'll get save chances but Helsley is off to a remarkable start in 2022.

Committees on the Wire

Boston Red Sox - Hansel Robles, Jake Diekman, and Matt Barnes make up the committee but John Schreiber picked up Boston's last Save. Avoid.

Cincinnati Reds - Lucas Sims and his 9.45 ERA went back on the IL with a bulging disc in his back, throwing the Reds bullpen back up in the air. Art Warren, Alexis Díaz, and Jeff Hoffman are all in the mix. Avoid.

Miami Marlins - Anthony Bender, Anthony Bass, and Tanner Scott are at the backend but Miami's last two Save opportunities were blown by Steven Okert and Cole Sulser. Avoid.

Seattle Mariners - He's not the traditional closer but Paul Sewald is up first for the game's most important spots. He came in for the Save on Tuesday and picked up the Win on Friday, relieving starter Marco Gonzales in the seventh, with the score tied 1-1 and with men on second and third. Sewald struck out Starling Marte and then put the Mets down in order in the eight before Drew Steckenrider came in for the Save.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire 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

Jurickson Profar

to Return on Wednesday
Jordan Clarkson

Jazz Finalize Contract Buyout for Jordan Clarkson
Aldrich Potgieter

Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic
Thorbjorn Olesen

Finishes Tied for 41st at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Denny McCarthy

Finishes Tied For 12th at Travelers Championship
Chris Kirk

Finishes Tied For Second at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Michael Kim

Finishes Tied for 26th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa

Misses Cut at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lucas Glover

Finishes Tied For Ninth at Travelers Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied For Sixth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Staying with Nets
Colby Thomas

Called Up From Triple-A
Shea Langeliers

A's Reinstate Shea Langeliers From Injured List
Pittsburgh Steelers

Rumors Still Swirling Around Potential T.J. Watt Trade
Jalen Williams

will Undergo Surgery on Right Wrist
Bryce Harper

Activated and Starting on Monday
Deandre Ayton

Finalizing Contract Buyout With Portland
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Lands on Injured List With Fractured Ribs
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Tyler Boyd

Interested in Playing for Steelers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Now Looking to Acquire a Tight End
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
L'Jarius Sneed

Says he's Healthy
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Kerry Carpenter

Leaves Game with Apparent Hamstring Injury
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Heads to Free Agency
Santi Aldama

Receives Qualifying Offer
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner has Team Option Declined
Jabari Smith Jr.

Signs Massive Extension
Jusuf Nurkić

Hornets Trading Jusuf Nurkic to Utah
Collin Sexton

Heading to Charlotte
Cam Thomas

Set for Restricted Free Agency
Milwaukee Bucks

Bobby Portis Staying in Milwaukee
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Los Angeles Clippers

James Harden, Clippers Agree on a New Contract
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Joel Hofer

Commits to Blues for Two More Years
Kevin Bahl

Signs Long-Term Extension with Flames
Oneil Cruz

Smacks Two Homers
Jordan Spence

Traded to Ottawa
Petr Mrazek

Heads to Anaheim
John Gibson

Red Wings Acquire John Gibson
Matthew Knies

Inks Six-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Aaron Judge

Blasts Two Homers, Dealing With Back Issue
Claude Giroux

Signs One-Year Deal with Senators
Yordan Alvarez

has Chance to Return Next Weekend
Minnesota Timberwolves

Julius Randle Signs Three-Year Extension
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Opts into Player Option
Luis Robert Jr.

Heads to Injured List
Gabriel Arias

Carted Off on Sunday
Bryce Harper

Faces Live Pitching
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Remains Out on Sunday
Utah Jazz

Bojan Bogdanovic Retiring From Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers

Dorian Finney-Smith Declines Player Option
Jaylin Williams

Signing Three-Year Extension
LeBron James

Accepts Player Option
Anfernee Simons

"a Possible Re-Trade Candidate"
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Damon Arnette

Getting Second Chance With Texans
Deommodore Lenoir

Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
Yordan Alvarez

Eyeing Return Before All-Star Break
Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Porter Jr. Declining Player Option
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Quinn Priester

Fans 11 in One-Hit Gem
Spencer Schwellenbach

Dominant in Victory
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Make Second-Year Jump
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Out of Lineup Saturday
Jalin Hyatt

Looking to Flip the Script in 2025
Garrett Mitchell

to Undergo Shoulder Surgery
José Ramírez

Jose Ramirez in Guardians Lineup on Saturday
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Ty Dillon

Could Benefit from Kaulig Speed
Chase Burns

Slated to Make Next Start on Monday
Dylan Sampson

Being Used as a Receiver
Carson Schwesinger

Figures to be in Full-Time Role in 2025
Cedric Tillman

Should Have Full-Time Role
Bryce Young

Looking More Comfortable, Showing More Intensity
Charlie Coyle

Blue Jackets Acquire Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood From Colorado
Jack Quinn

Signs Up for Two More Years with Sabres
Brandon Saad

Stays in Vegas on One-Year Deal
Trent Frederic

Inks Eight-Year Extension
Josh Naylor

Exits Friday's Contest Early with Neck Stiffness
Emil Heineman

Shipped to the Islanders
Noah Dobson

Traded to Montreal
John Tavares

Agrees to Four-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Sam Bennett

Signs Eight-Year Extension with Panthers
NYI

Islanders Select Matthew Schaefer With No. 1 Pick in NHL Draft
Aaron Rodgers

Roman Wilson Could Fit Nicely With Aaron Rodgers
Josh Simmons

on Schedule to Open the Year as a Starter
Micah Parsons

Contract Length an Issue for Cowboys, Micah Parsons
Denver Broncos

Broncos Unsure How Their Running Back Room Will Look
Russell Wilson

Not the Only Leader in Giants Clubhouse
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
Daniil Tarasov

Panthers Bring in Daniil Tarasov
Frederick Gaudreau

Kraken Pick Up Frederick Gaudreau From Wild
Michael Thorbjornsen

Returns in Detroit at Rocket Classic
Adam Hadwin

Could Struggle Over the Weekend in Detroit
Cam Davis

Hopes Detroit Magic Can Spark Turnaround
Matt Wallace

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Rocket Classic
Joel Dahmen

Not Cutting it Lately
Michael Kim

Searching for Spark at Rocket Classic
Rasmus Hojgaard

a High-Ceiling Play in Rocket Classic
Matt McCarty

a Wild Card Heading into Detroit
Emiliano Grillo

Rolling into the Summer Season
Rickie Fowler

Looking for More Magic at Rocket Classic
Wyndham Clark

Brings High Upside to Detroit Golf Club
Max Greyserman

Could Make Noise at Rocket Classic
Akshay Bhatia

a Strong Value Play at Rocket Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF