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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 5 of 2026 (April 27 - May 3). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 5 of the 2026 season (April 27 - May 3). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
It's time to start churning the bottom of your roster and adding some players who can help your squads. Maybe it's time to cut bait with the fifth or sixth starter in your rotation. If so, maybe you can find some help in this weekly article here at RotoBaller.
There is always help on the waiver wire. This week, it is another mix of young guys getting runway and boring veterans who could help you. 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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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (46% rostered)
I recognize that I am a champion of Cantillo, but he has been pitching well, mostly. He only has one win in six starts, but has 34 strikeouts in 30 innings with a 3.56 ERA. I am surprised that Cantillo is available this often in Yahoo leagues.
You can see in the chart below that Cantillo is getting his strikeouts from his changeup and curveball, which is a great sign that his pitch mix is working well and has adapted from his former two-pitch mix. I am a big fan of Cantillo in 2026.
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates (46% rostered)
Keller is deeply underappreciated in fantasy baseball circles. He is a great pitcher to have at the back end of your rotation. He is on the waiver wire mostly because he does not strike out hitters much anymore. Keller has 19 strikeouts in 29 innings.
But what Keller does well is limit baserunners and thus the damage against him. He has two wins, a tidy 2.79 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. He is limiting barrels (2.3%) and average exit velocity (86 MPH). You could do much worse (and I have) than having Keller on your roster.
Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox (41% rostered)
Schultz is likely to have some ups and downs. Checking out his box score from Saturday's game, he pitched six innings, striking out eight hitters but also walking four. If he continues to pitch well, he will pressure the White Sox to keep him in the rotation.
As you can see below, Schultz has yet to give up a barrel in three starts, and his strikeout rate is above league average. This might be your last chance to get him relatively cheaply; he figures to be rostered more deeply next weekend.
Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers (39% rostered)
Wrobleski is one of the embarrassments of riches the Los Angeles Dodgers have at their disposal. He figures to be part of the rotation for at least another month as Blake Snell recovers from injury. The lefty has three wins in three starts, with a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
The downside with Wrobleski is a paucity of strikeouts, with only nine in 24 innings. If you can live with that or get your strikeouts elsewhere, Wrobleski could be a great fit on your roster.
Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros (33% rostered)
Arrighetti was kind of a forgotten man as the season began, but now he seems firmly entrenched in the Houston rotation. Hard times gobbled up his season last year, but Arrighetti started 28 games for the Astros in 2o24.
You can see below that Arrighetti has changed his mix up a bit, throwing his four-seamer far less, while throwing the curveball more. The result has been a 58.6% whiff rate on the curveball. We will see if he can keep his progress up, as he should have the opportunity.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (29% rostered)
Look, I know Cameron is not a guy who is going to bring you the championship flag this year. But he is a usable pitcher on the right roster. His ratios are a bit bloated right now at 5.13 (ERA) and 1.52 (WHIP). However, his last start was more like him, with six innings, six strikeouts, and three runs.
At the very least, Cameron can be used as a streamer when he has favorable matchups. I would have interest in him in deeper leagues if I wanted some (mostly) worry-free innings.
Chase Dollander, Colorado Rockies (20% rostered)
Dollander is looking like an ace thus far in Colorado, and fantasy players are missing it so far. He has two wins, a 2.88 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 25 innings. He has been pitching behind an opener and has two consecutive games of nine strikeouts each.
This is the type of Statcast page I love looking at when I take my deeper dives. See below. Dollander looks like he is for real and is the type of pitcher who could be a league winner this year for our fantasy teams. Grab him now while you still can.
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins (19% rostered)
I continue to be intrigued by Meyer and am surprised he is not rostered in more leagues. He only has one win in five starts, but his 3.96 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 25 innings play well for many teams. It looks like he has plenty of runway as well.
Look for Meyer to continue to pitch well in spurts and be rostered in more leagues as fantasy players realize he is back and has been a serviceable starter for the Marlins.
Mike Burrows, Houston Astros (19% rostered)
You might be scratching your head. You might ask, "Mike, Burrows? Really?" He has one win and an excessive 6.75 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. Maybe you will stop reading here and think I have lost my marbles for good this time.
But listen to my testimony: his xERA is 3.92. Burrows is not being hit hard, as evidenced by his hard-hit percentage and barrel percentages. The home run ball has been a problem, but Burrows should regress to his mean. His results have not been great thus far, but this is a usable pitcher.
Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals (8% rostered)
I still like Cavalli, and I think he is going to get many opportunities to prove his worth now that he is healthy. He has yet to win in 2026, but has a 4.01 ERA, a bloated 1.66 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 24 innings. He has his velocity back (96.1) and is limiting hard contact. Consider Cavalli.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
Every week, we will give you four or five other lower-rostered pitchers you could also consider adding from the waiver wire in your league.
- Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels (14% rostered)
- Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals (14% rostered)
- Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles (7% rostered)
- Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals (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!
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
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