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 - Week 5

Starting pitcher waiver wire adds for Week 5 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season. Jon Anderson identifies SP pickups for shallow and deep leagues.

We are rolling downhill towards May already, and we are turning our attention to the upcoming fantasy week (April 26 - May 2) and beyond. In this post, we will look at some potential long-term adds at starting pitcher.

All in all, the waiver wire has not been kind to us when picking up pitchers. A few gems have been found (Carlos Rodon, Michael Pineda), but many free-agent pitchers that flashed some positive signs early on have fallen flat since.

Today we'll jump back in and look at some starting pitchers that are probably available on your waiver wire and give some reasons why they may be worth a short on your roster.

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

 

Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Danny Duffy, Kansas City Royals (52% rostered)

I'm not usually one to buy into 32-year-old pitchers just because they have a few impressive starts, but I understand the allure given how tough it can be to find reliable pitching. Duffy's velocity is up this year (he has topped out at 97 mph on his four-seamer), and his slider has been missing a ton of bats with a 17.9% SwStr%. His low ground-ball rate will probably eventually result in some homers being hit off of him, but his command has been strong so far and if that continues, he should be able to limit the damage most times out.

There are questions about whether Duffy can keep this added velocity all season long, but for now it's a worthwhile "ride the wave" acquisition.

Ryan Weathers, San Diego Padres (15% rostered)

This was not a name you saw in the lead-up to the season, because he was a long reliever all the way. Now with the losses of Adrian Morejon (elbow) and Dinelson Lamet (forearm), the Padres have decided to give the rookie a legitimate shot at being in this rotation.

We have not seen much of Weathers, as he did not appear in professional baseball in 2020 due to the minor league season cancelation. In 2019, he threw 96 innings in single-A ball with good but not great results (a 3.84 ERA and just 90 strikeouts in those 96 innings). He has been extremely effective in his 15.1 innings this year, however, allowing just one run and striking out 16 while walking five. That's doubly impressive given that 9.1 of his 15.1 innings have come against the Dodgers. His next two starts should be against the Diamondbacks and Pirates, much easier tests to pass.

He threw 89 pitches in his latest effort, firing 5.2 scoreless innings against those Dodgers on Thursday night, so he should be feeling pretty confident about a long, successful outing next week. He's worth an add to see what progresses.

Taijuan Walker, New York Mets (38% rostered)

Walker's most recent outing was ruined by six walks and one really long inning. Up until that fourth inning, the guy was cruising, and he nearly escaped that inning completely unscathed with a couple of pitches that could have easily been called strike three to send him back to the dugout. He did not get the calls, and he really unraveled, losing his command entirely. For the year, he has 19 strikeouts in 14 innings with a strong 31% CSW%. He has very strong swinging-strike rates on three pitches (curveball 17.6%, four-seam 14.1%, splitter 16.7%), and he has a sinker that has generated a 78% ground-ball rate.

The command issues must improve, of course, but his arm looks really good and I believe he's just been the victim of some bad luck here. Walker is going to turn in some really strong starts, he's a great pick-up in deep leagues if you can find him on the waiver wire.

 

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Yusei Kikuchi, Seattle Mariners (44% rostered)

Kikuchi has 19 strikeouts in 19 innings, with his two most recent starts coming against two of the toughest offenses he'll face all year in the Red Sox and Astros. Those outings did not go the way he wanted, but he should still be looked at as a high-upside pitcher who should be rostered in most leagues of significant size.

He has earned a strong 12% swinging-strike rate on his four-seamer that has routinely reached the upper-nineties in velocity. The rest of his arsenal has not had a ton of success yet with a really discouraging 7.1% swinging-strike rate on his slider and the cutter being barreled up 9.1% of the time. Those are reasons for concern, but again he's had a pretty tough schedule to start the year. I believe in the strikeouts with Kikuchi, and some easier matchups are ahead of him. I'm adding in deep leagues.

Huascar Ynoa, Atlanta Braves (43% rostered)

Ynoa looked spectacular in his first two outings in the Braves rotation before having a disastrous outing against the Cubs on April 17. He bounced back nicely on Friday night, throwing six innings of two-hit, two-run ball with five strikeouts. The exciting thing about Ynoa is the fastball velocity. He has averaged 97 miles per hour on his four-seamer. The limiting principle here is the fact that 90%+ of his pitches are either four-seamers or sliders. It's tough to have a lot of success as a starter only throwing a fastball and a slider, but it's good to see that he's achieved a super high whiff rate (41%) with the breaking ball. I don't think you'll often see him pitching six full innings, and he may not have a long term spot in the rotation once the Braves get healthy, but for now Ynoa is a nice source of strikeouts and wins with that big offense backing him.



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


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




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

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF