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

Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Buys (Week 26): Hot Pitchers to Sustain Success?

Cody Bradford - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Mike looks at five sneaky fantasy baseball waiver-wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 26 (2024) who are on hot streaks and sees if they can sustain their success.

We have less than two weeks remaining in the regular season. With that in mind, we’ll need to handle this column a little differently than we have throughout the season.

Streaming the correct pitchers down the stretch can be the difference between bringing home a fantasy championship and coming in second place. It’s all about playing the matchups from here on out.

Let’s highlight five starters who are pitching well and could provide sneaky value for fantasy managers. All roster percentages are via Yahoo.

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

 

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs (48% rostered)

Taillon has logged at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last three outings. What makes that even more impressive is that one of those starts came against the Rockies at Coors Field. He certainly doesn’t have gaudy numbers this season, but he has been valuable with his 3.54 ERA and 3.97 FIP.

The reason why Taillon is still available in more than half of Yahoo leagues is probably because he only has a 19.0% strikeout rate. However, his next start is lined up to be Thursday against a Nationals team that ranks inside the bottom 10 in baseball in runs scored. He is worth streaming for that matchup.

 

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers (39% rostered)

Heaney has 14 losses this season, but he has a 3.89 ERA and a 3.88 FIP. His WHIP is respectable at 1.21 and even though he isn’t missing a ton of bats, his 23.6% strikeout rate isn’t a significant detriment to his value. After back-to-back seasons in which he allowed a barrel rate of at least 10.2%, he has allowed a 7.9% barrel rate this year.

The Rangers have gone to a six-man rotation, which isn’t ideal for fantasy. However, Heaney’s next start is projected to come Saturday against the Mariners. They have scored the seventh-fewest runs and struck out the most times in baseball. Add Heaney for that outing.

 

Cody Bradford, Texas Rangers (39% rostered)

Bradford was torched in his last start, allowing eight runs over 3.2 innings to the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have scored the most runs in baseball, so they were a difficult matchup, to say the least. Before that, Bradford had allowed three or fewer runs in each of his previous seven outings. In five of those starts, he logged at least six innings.

Bradford is projected to face the Blue Jays on Wednesday, then the Athletics the following week. The Blue Jays have the third-lowest OPS in baseball versus left-handed pitchers. The Athletics have struck out the fourth-most times in baseball. Bradford has the potential to provide two valuable outings down the stretch.

 

Jose Quintana, New York Mets (27% rostered)

Quintana has a 0.36 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over his last four starts. The downside was that he only posted 16 strikeouts over 25 innings. His 4.76 FIP for the season is more of a concern than his 3.91 ERA, but he has been firmly in the streamer category for fantasy purposes.

The next outing for Quintana is scheduled to be Wednesday versus the aforementioned underwhelming Nationals lineup. Quintana has already faced them two times this season, logging a total of 14 scoreless innings. While fantasy managers still shouldn’t expect many strikeouts from him Wednesday, he can help out in terms of ERA and WHIP.

 

Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers (26% rostered)

Rocker made his debut last week against the Mariners, allowing one run over four innings. The big headline was his seven strikeouts. He is known for his ability to miss bats. He had 18 strikeouts over 10 innings at Triple-A this year and 29 strikeouts across 19.2 innings at Double-A.

Rocker only threw 74 pitches against the Mariners, so he could remain limited down the stretch. Like Bradford, he has the potential for two favorable matchups versus the Blue Jays and Athletics. For fantasy managers hunting for strikeouts, look no further than Rocker. Even with his potential pitch limits, he can provide a boost in the category.



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 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

Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
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
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
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
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
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
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
NBA

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
Alec Burleson

Lands on Injured List With Wrist Inflammation
Emmanuel Clase

Luis L. Ortiz to Remain On Leave for Rest of Season
Tyreek Hill

on Track to Play in Week 1
Jayden Reed

Dealing with Jones Fracture in Left Foot
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
NBA

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Malik Nabers

Expected to be Full-Go for Week 1

RANKINGS

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