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

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball Week 3

Cristian Javier Shane McClanahan - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News, Starting Pitchers

Jon's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers and Week 3 of the 2022 MLB season. Consider adding and streaming these free-agent pitchers.

Week three of fantasy baseball is upon us, and we have seen a lot of exciting developments on the starting pitcher scene. Plenty of guys are popping up here, especially guys we really weren't tracking much in the pre-season.

Finding breakout starting pitchers is one of the most fun parts of the game, and it's actually a pretty easy thing to do if you know what stats to look for. The results so far, as usual, have some good names and bad, but mostly we've been pretty successful overall. We identified Kyle Wright, Carlos Carrasco, Alex Cobb, and Andrew Heaney just before they went on to post great outings, so I hope we can continue to churn out some good recommendations.

There are still plenty of great potential starters on the waiver wire, so let's go to it. Here are your starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups recommendations for week three of the fantasy season (April 24th - May 1st).

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

 

Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Jordan Montgomery, New York Yankees (52% Rostered)

It seems as though some people have abandoned Montgomery after a bit of a slow start to the year. However, since his first bad outing of the year that had a lot to do with getting struck by a comebacker, he has bounced back very nicely. He currently sits with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 14.1 innings. The downside is that the strikeouts have not been there as he has posted just an 18% strikeout rate through these three outings.

Given Montgomery's career 23% strikeout rate, I would be very confident the strikeouts will bounce back up as we get closer to a real data sample. The biggest positive so far has been the quality of contact numbers. He has allowed just a 2.5% barrel rate, not a single homer, and has earned a 46.5% GB%. That's a very important thing for him to do in Yankees Stadium against some of these all-star hitters he has to face in that division, but Montgomery has proven to be a solid fantasy option over the years and he should absolutely be more than 52% rostered.

Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins (45% Rostered)

Ober was drafted in most leagues this year, and viewed as more of a "solid floor" option for the Twins this year. He didn't have a great strikeout rate last year and did not flash much ceiling for fantasy purposes, but he was solid and ate innings. So far this year, it's been about that. He has just a 20% strikeout rate, but a really strong 5% walk rate. He has given up two homers early on to Andrew Vaughn and Mitch Haniger, which was something he struggled with as a rookie, giving up 1.9 HR/9 in 2021. Interestingly, he gave up almost no homers in the minors, giving up way fewer than one homer per nine innings in his career below the Majors.

If you are in a league that rewards strikeout rates over raw strikeout totals, Ober might fit more into the "deep league" category here, but any young pitcher that is throwing a good amount of pitches and innings that is this good at limiting walks is on my radar, and I think Ober should be rostered more than he is currently.

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros (39% Rostered)

Astros manager Dusty Baker suggested that Javier will join a six-man rotation here as the Astros go through a stretch of weeks with a bunch of games on the schedule. He also certainly has the leg-up on Jake Odorizzi moving forward given age and recent performance.

So far this year, out of the bullpen, Javier has dominated to the tune of a 38.7% K% and a 3.2% BB%. He has also not allowed a single homer, which is something he struggled mightily with in his first seasons as a Major Leaguer. Javier has always, always posted really high strikeout rates, and he is nearly impossible to hit as a right-handed batter. He's filthy, and he's even already pretty close to stretched out as he's thrown 50+ pitches in his last two relief outings. He's probably a must-roster if he's in the Astros rotation and throwing 75+ pitches per outing. That will probably take a start or two to get there, so it might be in your best interest to wait a week and then try to add him - but you just might miss out on him if you do so. Keep in mind how aggressive your league-mates are, and add Javier accordingly.

Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics (29% Rostered)

Blackburn had a very short outing this week against the Orioles, as he reached just 4.2 innings and was pulled after 62 pitches. However, he was pitching just fine in that outing (four strikeouts, no walks, no barrels, no homers), so I wouldn't fret over that.

For the year, the previously unknown Blackburn has a sparkling 35.4% CSW%, a strong 25.5% K, and an elite 1.8% BB%. He's also kept the ball on the ground with a 52.5% GB%. It's not fun to roster an Athletics pitcher with this putrid of an offense behind him, but Blackburn has looked legitimate on the mound and should be rostered for now.

 

Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals (42% Rostered)

The Gray hype is growing, as he's put up a beautiful 31% K% in his 13 innings so far. He's won two of his starts and put up a solid 3.13 ERA.

The reason to doubt, and the reason we're in the deep leagues section for Gray, is the lack of command. His season WHIP sits at an ugly 1.33, which is due to a gross 12% walk rate. That was his issue last year as well (11%), and it's really hard to trust a pitcher who walks this many hitters. He also has continued to give up some hard contact. After allowing a ridiculous 2.4 homers per last season, he's already given up two in his 13 innings (Daulton Varsho and Jeff McNeil).

I'm not adding Gray in shallow leagues, but for deep leagues, he's worth an add because the ceiling is massive if he can just throw more strikes.

Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins (26% Rostered)

It's going to take much more than two good starts to get me on Paddack, but he's someone we should talk about. Through nine innings this year, he's yet to walk a batter or give up a homer. His four-seam fastball is also performing much better (this is the key to the whole thing with Paddack), as it's posted a really high 18% SwStr%. That makes his low 18% strikeout rate pretty surprising.

I'm still not adding Paddack personally, but we remember what he did in his rookie year back in 2019, so it's possible he's gotten some of that elite command back and his fastball will indeed be good enough to setup his great changeup for success this year. It can happen with Paddack, but again, I'm going to watch at least two more starts from him before I dive in.

Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds (23% Rostered)

The Reds other rookie pitcher has come out of the gate pretty well, with a nice 25.5% K% and a 57% GB%. The bad side is the 10.6% BB%, which needs watched closely.

His second start of the year really caught my eye, as he generated eight strikeouts and eight ground-balls over five innings against the Padres while racking up 16 whiffs, a large number. We really, really need to see Lodolo manage the walks better, but it does help to have that high of a ground-ball rate if you're going to allow a few extra base-runners. I firmly believe in the ground-ball rate with Lodolo, as his main pitch is a heavy sinker (averaging 94.2 mph) that has performed well so far (33.3% CSW%, 9.1% SwStr%, 54.5% GB%). If he cuts that walk rate below 9%, it could be a really good rookie season for Lodolo.

Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers (42% Rostered)

His fastball isn't good, and it's a short arsenal (mainly a thee-pitch guy), but he does have a nice slider. So far, that slider has posted a great 23.3% SwStr% and 27.4% CSW%, both strong numbers for a breaking ball.

Tony G caught some eyes this week taking a perfect game pretty deep into his start against the mighty Braves. He did strike out just three batters in that start and ended up walking three as well, so not an overly convincing strong start there behind the box score. I'm not adding Gonsolin unless it's a very deep league, but he's got a spot locked in the rotation for the Dodgers with Heaney on the shelf, and you could probably do much worse on your waiver wire.

Keegan Thompson, Chicago Cubs (14% Rostered)

This recommendation might just make me lose my entire reputation, but hey - Thompson has looked good so far this year. He's gone 13.1 innings, with a 36.2% CSW%, a 12.6% SwStr%, a 29.8% K%, a 6.4% BB%, and a 62% GB%. If these were numbers a high-profile rookie were putting up, I'd be adding him in every single league. Maybe we should be a little bit more gracious to Thompson because of this.

We'll keep an eye on Thompson for now without adding him, but if the numbers I just mentioned stay anywhere near where they are now over his next couple of starts, he's going to be someone I'm urging people to add.

 

Bonus: Long Relievers to Add (If They Enter The Rotation)

Michael King, New York Yankees (43.3% CSW%, 45% K%, 2.5% BB%)

Roansy Contreras, Pittsburgh Pirates (36.4% CSW%, 32.3% K%, 9.7% BB%)



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

NBA

Tosan Evbuomwan Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
NBA

Bismack Biyombo Returns to Spurs
NBA

Bones Hyland Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Davante Adams

Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
Wan'Dale Robinson

Explodes for 142 Yards, Touchdown in Overtime Thriller
Joe Flacco

Browns Not Considering Benching Joe Flacco After Week 2
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
Tarik Skubal

Avoids Serious Injury, Expected to Make Next Start
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
Tanner Bibee

Fans 10 in Two-Hit Shutout
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Questionable to Make Debut Against Georgia
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury
Cameron Champ

the Ultimate Wild Card at Procore
Cameron Young

Looks to Extend Momentum in Napa
Davis Thompson

Searching for a Spark at Procore
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Reignite Form at Procore
Mackenzie Hughes

Aims for Another Strong Showing at Procore
Luke Clanton

Brings Ball-Striking Upside to Napa
Seamus Power

Looking to Overcome Poor Course History at Procore
Joe Highsmith

Hoping to Find Form in Napa

RANKINGS

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