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Quality over quantity. Every fantasy owner knows this. But when looking at the starting pitcher free agent waiver wire for the coming week, ideally you’d like to have a guy that is going to be on the mound more than once.
Most teams are going to have a couple of starters pitching twice in a week. This in turn raises their value as streaming options and weekly sleepers. In this weekly column, I’ll be looking at my top five two-start pitchers that you should consider streaming for your fantasy teams for the approaching Week 12.
These pitchers are projected to pitch twice in the coming week and are owned in less than 50% of Fleaflicker and Yahoo leagues.
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Jesse Chavez, SP, OAK
6/23 @TEX, 6/28 vs KC
Sneaking just under the required 50% ownership, Jesse Chavez is my number one streamer for this week. Chavez is coming off a great start against the Padres where he threw seven innings of one run ball on only three hits while striking out 11. On the year, his 2.52 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 8 quality starts are the much more telling signs of his season, while his 3-6 record is merely thanks to the Athletics’ lack of run support when Chavez toes the mound.
In the month of June, the Rangers' 87 wCR+ is the 24th best in the league, and fourth worst in the AL. This is far from their May wRC+ of 117, which was the fourth best in MLB. As Fielder's bat goes, so goes the Rangers offense apparently. During the weekend, Chavez starts at home against the Royals. Oddly enough, Chavez has faced Kansas City this season, closing out the final 3 2/3 innings of a game on April 18th, getting a save in what was his last relief appearance before being moved to the rotation. In that game, Chavez did not give up a run while striking out 6, and he should show similar dominance now that he is facing the Royals to start the game, not end it.
Mike Fiers, SP, MIL
6/23 vs NYM, 6/28 vs MIN
Mike Fiers was a popular sleeper candidate this season after a 2014 where he went 5-6 with a 2.13 ERA, 0.88 ERA and a 76/17 K/BB rate. However, he has not had the same dominance this year, to the tune of a 3-7 record, 4.50 ERA, 1.55 WHIP. His K/BB rate of 82/28 has been solid, but he has been hit with a high BABIP of .370, which has been the cause of a lot of his problems. Before his last start, Fiers had a streak of seven starts where he gave up three runs or less. Meanwhile, he has only gotten more than three runs of run support once since May 1st as the Brewers offense is just terrible.
Starting the week against the Mets, this is a good matchup for Fiers. The Mets have an ISO of .131, 23rd in the league while their .122 against right-handed pitching is even worse at 26th in baseball. While the Twins, who face Fiers on Sunday, have been a surprisingly solid team this season, they have not been the most offensively productive. They have a 84 wRC+ and .677 OPS against righties, both numbers among the worst in the league.
Chase Anderson, SP, ARI
6/23 @COL, 6/28 @SD
Chase Anderson has been a nice sleeper this season. Despite being owned in only 20% of Yahoo leagues, he has a 3-1 record with a very nice 2.84 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 51/17 K/BB rate with eight quality starts. Anderson has won back-to-back starts, and given up only three runs in as many starts. Another victim of poor run support, the Dbacks have averaged less than three runs a game when Anderson starts.
Starting the week against the Rockies is as tough as matchups come but sometimes with a two-start pitcher you take the bad with the good. The Rockies have a low BB/K rate of 0.36, and with Anderson only giving up five free passes in his last six starts, expect Anderson to rack up the strikeouts and limit free passes. Anderson has faced the Padres twice this season. In two no decisions, he has given up just three runs on 13 hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over 13 IP. San Diego’s offense has been a major disappointment this season. Their .668 OPS is the 27th best in the league, and is tied for 26th in wRC+ at 89. They also have the third highest K% at 22.5%, making Anderson a nice streaming option for those looking to pad their stats at the end of the week.
Joe Kelly, SP, BOS
6/23 vs BAL, 6/28 vs TB
Yes, Joe Kelly has been noticeably bad this season. I am only recommending streaming him this week in deeper leagues, and he could have a good couple of starts in him this week. In four of last six starts, Kelly has given up less than four runs. He also has a 3.71 ERA in his last three starts, much more serviceable than his 5.32 ERA on the year. His 95.7 average fastball velocity is the fifth highest in the league among qualified starters.
Kelly could increase his strikeouts this week, first by facing the Orioles at home. The O’s K% of 22.1% is the fifth highest in the league, and is mildly higher against righties at 22.6%. Meanwhile this season they have walked at a much lower rate of 6.9%, the 22nd best in the league. The Rays, despite being first in the AL East, have not been as productive this month. Their 92 wRC+ in June is 18th in the league, showing a dip from their 103 in April and 102 in May. Their .683 OPS against right-handed pitching on the year is also fourth worst in the AL and 23rd in baseball.
Kyle Ryan, SP, DET
6/22 @CLE, 6/27 vs CHW
Assuming he does get his two starts, Kyle Ryan is another two-start sleeper in deep leagues. Ryan is taking Shane Greene’s place in the Tigers’ rotation, and thanks to a postponed game on Friday, Ryan has been pushed back to start on Monday and Saturday this week. Even though he has just 19 1/3 innings under his belt, Ryan has a 1-1 record while giving up only seven earned runs, striking out 10 and walking six. His walks might be something to look out for, but other than that could be a very serviceable deep league option until Greene is back.
Most of Ryan’s appeal for the week comes from his matchups. Ryan has given up four home runs on the year, which makes up five of the seven earned runs he has given up. Meanwhile, the Indians are one of only four teams in the month of June with an ISO under 1.00 at 0.97. This leaves Cleveland at a disadvantage in the one area that they could have exploited. The Sox offense has been horrible. That’s about it. Their .579 OPS this month is the worst in the league by over .20. Their wRC+ on the year of 74 is tied with the Phillies for worst in baseball, with their 58 in June being the far and away worst, with the 29th place Mariners at 72. Even if you don’t add Ryan for the start in Cleveland, Ryan is a must add against the lowly White Sox.
You can follow me on Twitter @JustBerglund with all questions on who to add and start for the week. Have a Happy Father's Day!
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