🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE NEW
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

Fantasy Baseball Week Two Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Nick Mariano's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire adds. Pickups and starting pitcher sleepers for Week 2 of the 2017 MLB season.

It’s been quite the wild ride through what we'll call roughly the first 10 games of the 2017 season.

While we don’t want to be overreacting here, it’s never a bad time to check up on the waiver wire and see which under-owned arms might be available to help your squad.

For our purposes, we’re going to use Yahoo ownership levels and try to cut things off around 35%. Data accurate as of April 13.

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

Editor's Note: Our friends at Fantrax have even more fantasy baseball advice columns and videos to help improve your teams. Be sure to also check them out!

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Mike Leake – (STL, SP): 30% owned

Leake has had a snappy start to 2017 with a 0.60 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in 15 frames. His 1.45 FIP, 2.70 xFIP and 2.73 SIERA are fans as well -- just don’t go thinking you’ve found the next Dallas Keuchel breakout. His 13-to-1 K:BB ratio is incredible and the age-29 Cardinal does indeed possess superb control (career 2.16 BB/9) but those strikeouts will stumble. His current 6.1 percent swinging-strike rate would be a career-low mark, so it doesn’t really jive with what would be a career-best 7.8 K/9. A 3.70 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and maybe a 7.5 K/9 is doable, though, if you’re into that.

Chris Tillman - (BAL, SP): 24% owned

Just a friendly reminder that he’s likely going to pitch in a rehab start at Double-A on April 17. Perhaps those of you in deeper leagues will want to scoop him before that on the off chance he dazzles and the buzz drives up the speculative price.

Zack Wheeler - (NYM, SP): 20% owned

Wheeler was done dirty by his bullpen in his latest start, as Hansel Robles came in with two outs and the bases loaded only to serve up a grand slam and drive up Wheeler’s earned-run count from zero to three. We won’t just let Wheeler off the hook for putting ducks on the pond in the first place, but that line could’ve looked much cleaner. He has 9.00 K/9 stuff and is showing healthy control thus far, so he could at least be a solid mixed-league asset for as long as he remains healthy.

Brandon McCarthy - (LAD, SP): 17% owned

Speaking of health, McCarthy hasn’t been able to get over the 40-inning hump since 2014. He also just hasn’t been all that good since then either, as it really hurts when a pitcher can’t truly hit their stride and consistently get work on the mound due to injury. Now, the six-foot-seven righty has a tidy 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP to go with two wins in his first two starts of 2017. While his .226 BABIP will undoubtedly rise, this is an arm capable of supreme command and that gets to pitch for a strong NL team -- making him an intriguing fantasy option by default.

Andrew Triggs - (OAK, SP/RP): 14% owned

This is a bit more cautionary. I know Triggs has gotten off to a scoreless start with a 2-0 record, but he only has four strikeouts and is rocking an untenable .205 BABIP and 91.7 percent strand rate underneath the surface. Now his Ks will rise, though his K/9 did go from 9.68 to 7.71 when he transitioned from the ‘pen to the rotation last season. Triggs may make for a fine stream in his supremely friendly home park, but it'll likely be unwise to look to him for much more than that.

Eduardo Rodriguez - (BOS, SP): 14% owned

Rodriguez displayed his usual inconsistency on April 13 against the Pirates, dancing around four hits and four walks to only allow two earned runs. The beautiful part -- the part we’ve really been chasing -- is the eight strikeouts in his 5 1/3 innings. He has the tools to touch a 10.00 K/9, but he may never be able to tie it all together. That’d be a shame, but it’s still early in 2017 after his fantastic second half in 2016 so we’ll see how he fares in his next start at Toronto on April 18.

Charlie Morton - (HOU, SP): 12% owned

The preseason Morton hype yacht has taken on water after two uninspiring starts to open the season (4.09 ERA, 1.45 WHIP with 10 Ks in 11 IP). We’re seeing the healthy putaway stuff that we wanted so badly, though his usual ~60% grounder rate hasn’t stabilized yet (44.1 percent) so this writer has hope. If nothing else, his next start comes in pitcher-friendly Oakland against the A’s on April 16 -- making him a prime streaming candidate.

Adam Conley - (MIA, SP): 11% owned

Conley has his flashes of brilliance, though his penchant for iffy control can really hamstring what can be rather unhittable stuff. The 26-year-old southpaw had 12 starts with only one walk last season, but also 11 of three or more -- including a lovely seven-BB affair on May 22. While Conley did just come into the 16th inning of a long Mets-Marlins affair and serve up the game-winning homer to Travis d'Arnaud, he still should be an intriguing arm when, you know, he's actually pitching as he's accustomed to as a starter.

Wily Peralta - (MIL, SP): 8% owned

Peralta’s early 2.45 ERA (2.17 FIP, 3.45 xFIP, 3.57 SIERA) and 1.18 WHIP might surprise those who are accustomed to the mid-to-high fours ERA of the past couple of seasons. It was performances like that which led to his midseason demotion in 2016, but what he did after being recalled on Aug. 9 is worth noting. He turned in a 2.92 ERA (3.75 FIP, 3.59 xFIP) in 61 2/3 innings with a useful 51-to-16 K:BB ratio. This makes the current run more viable, and means you might want to pay attention.

Jimmy Nelson - (MIL, SP): 8% owned

Nelson, another Milwaukee pitcher checking in at 8% owned, has now spun two quality starts to open 2017, with his latest being a seven-inning gem in which he scattered five hits and walked none against five strikeouts with only one run crossing the plate. Now, I was firmly against Nelson over the last two seasons considering his step back in the sabermetrics (4.92 SIERA in 2016) but right now his 2.68 FIP and 3.48 xFIP are behind him. While his .235 BABIP and 94.3 percent strand rate will likely settle around .290 and 72 percent, respectively, he may very well have figured something out here. If nothing else, perhaps his walk rate will come down to a manageable sub-3.00 mark throughout the season and make him a trustworthy streamer.

Matthew Boyd - (DET, SP): 4% owned

Boyd has had two starts this season -- one way too bad for his talent and one way too good. His first outing was tanked by a .400 BABIP and four walks in only 2 1/3 innings, while his second outing got everyone’s no-hitter alerts buzzing as he took a no-no into the sixth inning. That creates quite the range, but his abilities are closer to no-hitter Boyd than bombed-on Boyd. From his recall on July 9 on, Boyd allowed three or fewer earned runs in 10 consecutive starts. The potential for a blowup will loom, but this is a nice arm to be bouncing around in the bargain bin.

Jordan Montgomery - (NYY, SP): 0% owned

Montgomery should get another start after striking out 7 Rays in 4 2/3 innings of work in his first career MLB start. This came after his first Minor League start of 2017 saw him rack up eight whiffs in five scoreless innings. The young lefty posted a robust 2.13 ERA between Double- and Triple-A in 2016, with 134 Ks in 139 1/3 innings. Don’t look to him for more than one turn, but it’s set to come on April 17 at home against the White Sox.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




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

Darius Garland

to Play on Thursday
Anthony Edwards

Active Thursday
Coby White

to Play with Minutes Limit on Thursday
Ace Bailey

Sidelined on Thursday
Kevin Huerter

Won't Play on Thursday
Andrew Nembhard

Won't Play on Thursday
Brandon Miller

is Cleared for Thursday's Game
LaMelo Ball

Upgraded to Available on Thursday
Kevin Love

Available For Thursday
Kawhi Leonard

Suffers Ankle Injury, Considered Questionable for Friday
Jamie Drysdale

Unavailable Against Maple Leafs
Bobby Brink

Sits Out Thursday
Simon Nemec

Back for Devils Thursday
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Questionable For Thursday Against Mavs
Troy Terry

Misses Thursday's Game
Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafreniere Good to Go Against Sabres
Brad Marchand

Out Thursday
Ace Bailey

Considered Questionable Versus Dallas
Evgeni Malkin

Set to Return Thursday
Anthony Edwards

Questionable for Thursday
Davante Adams

Off the Injury Report, Will Play Against Carolina
Bo Bichette

Phillies to Meet With Bo Bichette
Rome Odunze

Will Return for Wild-Card Game on Saturday
CFB

DJ Lagway Commits to Baylor
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Fire Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Matvei Michkov

Expected to Play Thursday
Alex Lyon

to Miss at Least One More Week
Mason Marchment

Placed on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafreniere Battling Illness, Iffy for Thursday
J.T. Miller

Likely to Return Thursday
Adam Henrique

Out Through Olympic Break
Dean Wade

Ruled Out Thursday
Brandon Williams

Questionable for Thursday
P.J. Washington

Doubtful Thursday
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Questionable Thursday
Donovan Mitchell

Available Thursday
Corey Kispert

Hawks Land Corey Kispert
CJ McCollum

Moves to Atlanta
Trae Young

Traded to Washington
Sam LaPorta

Plans to be Back for Training Camp
Owen Caissie

Shipped to Miami as Centerpiece of Trade
Edward Cabrera

Cubs Officially Acquire Edward Cabrera From Marlins
Nathan Walker

Ready to End 16-Game Absence
Rutger McGroarty

Out Indefinitely With Concussion
Kevin Stenlund

a Game-Time Call Wednesday
Ty Dellandrea

Ruled Out Wednesday
Adam Erne

Misses Wednesday's Action
Tom Wilson

Aliaksei Protas Won't Play Wednesday
Anze Kopitar

Out Wednesday
Rome Odunze

Plans to Play on Saturday
Edward Cabrera

Cubs Finalizing Deal to Acquire Edward Cabrera From Marlins
New York Giants

Giants "All-In" on Hiring John Harbaugh
CFB

Jackson Arnold Signs with UNLV
CFB

Sam Leavitt Scheduled to Visit Tennessee
Devon Toews

to Miss at Least Two Weeks
New York Giants

John Harbaugh Expected to be Favorite to Become New Giants Head Coach
Baltimore Ravens

John Harbaugh Won't Return as Ravens Head Coach
Bo Bichette

Unlikely to Return to Toronto?
Jordan Love

Ready to Start in Wild-Card Game Against Bears
CFB

Jadan Baugh Staying with Florida for Junior Season
Washington Commanders

Commanders "Mutually" Parting Ways With OC Kliff Kingsbury
CFB

Byrum Brown Officially Commits to Auburn
CFB

Austin Simmons Signing with Missouri
CFB

Ty Simpson Undecided on 2026 Plans
CFB

Quarterback AJ Hill Following Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Have Requested an Interview With Klint Kubiak
Deshaun Watson

Browns Expect Deshaun Watson to be on the Team Next Year
Wan'Dale Robinson

Dealing With Fractured Ribs
Cam Skattebo

Hopes to be Back by Training Camp
Cameron Ward

Won't Need Surgery on his Shoulder
Davante Adams

Rams Expect Davante Adams to Return in Wild-Card Round
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Fire Head Coach Jonathan Gannon
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Fire Head Coach Pete Carroll
Malik Nabers

Unsure if He Will Be Ready for Week 1 of 2026 Season
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Will Return to Ole Miss If Granted Sixth Year of Eligibility
Cincinnati Bengals

Zac Taylor Will Return as Bengals Head Coach in 2026
New York Giants

Giants Expected to Show Interest in Former Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski
Bo Bichette

Phillies Have Interest in Bo Bichette
Kansas City Royals

Matt Quatraro Signs Three-Year Extension With Royals
CFB

Transfer QB Billy Edwards Commits to North Carolina
CFB

Sam Leavitt Visiting Texas Tech on Saturday
CFB

DJ Lagway Expected To Visit Florida State
Kyle Tucker

Blue Jays "Remain the Favorite" to Sign Kyle Tucker

RANKINGS

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