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 Week 1

Kyle Bishop's fantasy baseball starting pitchers who are potential waiver wire pickups for Week 1. Consider adding and streaming these free agent pitchers.

After an offseason that somehow felt even more interminable than usual, the 2019 season is underway. Teams have only played two or three games at this point (Athletics and Mariners notwithstanding), so you certainly shouldn't be looking to do anything drastic yet. No matter how scared you might be about Chris Sale's velocity, pushing the panic button after one start is a great way to torpedo your season before it even gets going.

That said, it's perfectly fine to already be tinkering around the edges and considering what's available on the waiver wire versus what you've currently got at the back end of your roster. This mindset is good because in case the headline didn't give it away, we're about to discuss some of the best starting pitcher options on the waiver wire.

As a reminder, this column focuses on players who are below 50% owned in Yahoo leagues, and standard 5x5 scoring. Your mileage may vary, in terms of availability or league settings. Using that cutoff point for ownership rate, however, these are your starting pitcher waiver wire targets and adds for Week 1 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

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

 

Starting Pitcher (SP) Waiver Wire Options

Joe Musgrove (SP, PIT) — 47% Owned

Musgrove won't take the hill for the first time in 2019 until Monday when he'll face the Cardinals at home. A tough matchup with which to start one's season, but maybe not much worse than the Reds on the road (which he would have drawn if not for Saturday's rainout). His command is stellar, he just needs to get a few more whiffs. The good news is that the tools are there to do so - both his slider and changeup induce swinging strikes at impressive rates. Musgrove will need to rely more heavily on those offerings to take the next step.

Matt Boyd (SP, DET) — 39% Owned

Allowing three runs in five innings while taking a loss? Not terribly exciting. Striking out 10 batters in those five innings while maintaining the increased velocity he showed late last season and in the spring? Significantly more exciting. Boyd got a career-best 20 swinging strikes in the game. While the Vladito-less Blue Jays aren't the most intimidating opponent, that's still an impressive figure. He'll face a much stiffer test against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday; if the whiffs carry over, this could be the beginning of a breakout.

Domingo German (SP, NYY) — 19% Owned

German has been my most common waiver wire pickup in the early going. He'll make his season debut on Monday against the hapless Orioles. The 25-year-old has electric stuff, as evidenced by the fact that he had above-average swinging strike rates on all four of his offerings last year. Even his worst pitch by results (his changeup) induced a whiff 20 percent of the time. If he can do just a bit better job of limiting the long ball, German has a good chance of reaching his considerable ceiling. There may not be a spot for him when every Yankees starter is healthy, but pretty much every one of those guys is arguably above the median for injury risk.

Michael Pineda (SP, MIN) — 17% Owned

Remember him? Judging by his ownership rate, the answer might be no for some fantasy owners. Tommy John surgery ended Pineda's 2017 season early, and then he ripped up his knee while on a rehab assignment in the minors last season. He's finally healthy and locked into a spot in the Twins' rotation this season, though, and looked good this spring. The 30-year-old's blend of high strikeout and low walk totals has long made him a potential monster, but a checkered health history and vulnerability to home runs have kept him from reaching the mountaintop. Getting out of Yankee Stadium, where he allowed 1.6 HR/9 versus 0.9 everywhere else, should at least help with the latter.

Pablo Lopez (SP, MIA) — 8% Owned

Lopez can miss bats with his curve or change, but he relies most heavily on a sinker that he can spot effectively near the edge of the zone. Under optimal conditions, this results in a high chase rate on the pitch, which in turn yields a large number of harmless ground balls. In his first start of the year against the Rockies on Saturday, Lopez generated 19 whiffs and 12 called strikes on his 88 pitches. He couldn't get out of the sixth inning, but the 23-year-old has a lot to recommend him and most fantasy owners don't seem to have caught on yet.

 

Three More For Your Radar

Zach Eflin (SP, PHI) — 23% Owned

I've already covered why you should consider Eflin for the back end of your fantasy rotation. Hot take: He outperforms teammate and fantasy darling Nick Pivetta this season.

Jakob Junis (SP, KC) — 17% Owned

Cruised through his first five innings on Saturday before getting touched up for a three-run bomb by Jose Abreu. Happens to the best of us.

Matt Shoemaker (SP, TOR) — 10% Owned

Dominated the Tigers in his Blue Jays debut on Friday and draws the Orioles next. Never too early to stream, friends.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers




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

Shohei Ohtani

Will Pitch "Sometime This Weekend"
Jackson Chourio

Absent on Wednesday With Hamstring Cramp
Roman Anthony

Officially Goes on Injured List
Jauan Jennings

Limited on Wednesday, Expected to Play in Week 1
Malik Nabers

Not on Initial Injury Report
Roman Anthony

"High Probability" Roman Anthony Lands on Injured List
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Jason Adam

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Roman Anthony

Will Undergo MRI on Wednesday
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Saturday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain

RANKINGS

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