Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19 (August 3 - August 9)

August 2, 2026

Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19 of 2026 (August 3 - August 9). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.

Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19 of the 2026 season (August 3- August 9). 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 is imminent; some of the pitchers listed here could be on the move in the next day or two. Those guys could help 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.

Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-40% on Yahoo

Shane Drohan, Milwaukee Brewers (41% rostered)

Drohan continues to be quite the find for the Milwaukee Brewers. The lefty has six wins, a 3.48 ERA, a 1.17 ERA, and a 24.5% K%. A guy without a job in the spring, Drohan has become indispensable to the Brewers' rotation this season.

Below you can see that he has a six-pitch mix he is using to keep hitters off balance, but he seems to be leaning a little more toward the fastball over the last month; note the uptick in cutter usage here too. He is adapting as he goes and looks to keep his job into August.

Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks (40% rostered)

Kelly continues to find ways to get the job done in Arizona. Kelly won three of five starts in July, posting a 1.95 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 27 innings. If you look at the record for the year, you are missing the point of the exercise right now.

In his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are fighting for their playoff lives, Kelly pitched into the sixth inning and gave up no runs, adding five strikeouts. He has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in four consecutive starts. Kelly can help a deep roster.

Zac Thornton, New York Mets (38% rostered)

Thornton has been impressive in his brief run thus far with the New York Mets. In his last start against the Atlanta Braves, Thornton pitched into the seventh inning, surrendering three runs and notching five strikeouts. He limits walks and keeps the baseball in the park.

The rookie should get an extended run with the Mets being sellers at the trade deadline. In five games, he has two wins, a 2.43 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 29 innings. Those stats help you everywhere and in every league, even without high strikeout numbers.

Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals (33% rostered)

At this point, if you know my article here, you have seen Pallante in it several times. Yes, we know what he is not; big strikeout totals are not his thing. What is his thing: winning, and he has 11 wins with a nice 3.72 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.  A whopping 55.9% groundball percentage helps him.

There is no reason why he cannot continue to perform in the way he has been this season. It's great proof that you do not need to have a blazing fastball to find success in the major leagues.

Brady Singer, Cincinnati Reds (30% rostered)

Singer looks like he could be on the move this weekend. He put together good months in June and July, and his stock has risen.  Only three wins, but a 2.60 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 49 innings. See his box below and see for yourself. Singer is a good candidate for the back end of your fantasy rotation.

Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates (27% rostered)

Keller has three straight starts in which he has given up three earned runs or less, and he has five of six starts in which he has gone at least five innings. He has lowered his ERA half a run in the process. In two post-All-Star break starts, Keller has a 1.74 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Usable right now.

Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (27% rostered)

Cameron had a great start on Thursday, holding Minnesota to one hit over eight inning sbefiore the bullpen blew the loss for him. It has been a season of inconsistency for Cameron, who only has five wins and bloated ratios at 4.59 and 1.34.

But the lefty has pitched at least seven innings in three of his last four starts, including the gem against the Twins this week. He's posted a better 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 32 July innings. That is more in line with expectations.

Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals (25% rostered)

May's name has been attached to several trade rumors, and you could see how a contending team would want to add his veteran presence to the back end of their rotation. May has been very good in his last two starts, covering 11 innings, nabbing 11 strikeouts, and giving up one run in total.

May is a great lesson in learning that major league average starts at this time of the season help you maintain your precious ratios, and there is value in that for fantasy players. We often forget that.

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks (23% rostered)

Pfaadt was 4-0 in July with a 1.88 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in five starts. He is not going to help you much with strikeouts, with only 16 in 28 innings over that span.  What I have seen that I like here is how Pfaadt finally seems to have a plan to get left-handed hitters out consistently.

See the small graphic below. Note that he is using the curveball and change against left-handed hitters with better success. If Pfaadt can keep that going, he could reclaim a permanent spot in the Arizona rotation moving forward. Here's hoping he has it figured out.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta Braves (21% rostered)

He is back and should get a clear opportunity with the Braves. Interestingly, Atlanta returned him to the minor leagues after his first start, in which he pitched into the fifth inning, giving up two earned runs while striking out four in his season debut.

It sounds like the organization wanted to get him another start in the minor leagues, as the team will not need him until next week. Make no mistake, he will be a part of this rotation the rest of the way if he continues to show he can get people out; his velocity was 97 MPH Wednesday. He's back.

Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers (15% rostered)

Admittedly, I have been on and off the Rocker train for more than a season now. Currently, I am back on it. Post-All-Star break, Rocker has made two really good starts, covering almost 13 innings, striking out 13, with a 1.42 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. He also won both of those starts.

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.

• Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals (13% rostered)
• Walker Buehler, San Diego Padres (13% rostered)
• Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (11% rostered)
• Connor Prielipp, Minnesota Twins (10% rostered)
• Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros (8% rostered)
• Tyler Mahle, San Francisco Giants (6% rostered)
• Tyler Phillips, Miami Marlins (4% 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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