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

Week 22 Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire: Ross, Iglesias, Eovaldi, Happ

Welcome to Week 22. If you've been following along with this series all season, you know the drill. If not, this article is to help you uncover starting pitcher options that may have been overlooked in your league.

As always, included are options for both shallow and deeper leagues. I also add my list of pitchers discussed previously at the end of the article with ownership levels to boot. Make sure to check them out, and grab any that are still out there.

To read about even more waiver wire options for starting pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. And don’t forget to check out our Starting Pitcher Matchups & Streaming Tool for expert guidance during the week too, including what pitchers to start/sit for seasonal and DFS leagues.

 

Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Shallow Leagues

Joe Ross (WAS, SP)

OWNED IN: 31% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues

I'm officially baffled. Yes, the Nationals have indicated Joe Ross will be shut down in the next 2-3 weeks. But why in the world would you not use him until that point? Ross saw his ownership take a dip after a rough West Coast trip (8.2 IP, 9 ER) and perhaps from the looming shutdown. Still, there is no reason he should sitting on your waiver wire.

Ross now owns a 3.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to go along with a shiny 65/11 K/BB ratio. He has been excellent in his most recent appearances, firing 13 innings with only one earned run and an 11/2 K/BB split while collecting two wins.

Ross has been magnificent all year for Washington, limiting hitters to a .225 BAA. The team made the right call by inserting Ross over Doug Fister. The Nationals find themselves on the outside looking in despite Ross's run. This is a name to keep an eye on for 2016, as he has the potential to break the top 25 SP. The Nationals deserve kudos for acquiring him and Trea Turner in exchange for Steven Souza.

The downside here is you're only getting two or three more starts, and if you're in a league with a cap on additions I can empathize with letting him float. There's no excuse for the rest of you. He has a road test at St Louis followed by a tasty home outing versus Atlanta. Act accordingly.

 

Raisel Iglesias (CIN, SP)

OWNED IN: 41% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues

Raisel Iglesias has been covered plenty here at Rotoballer. How is his ownership still only 41%? Has everyone shifted their focus to football already? We have a month of baseball left people, don't give up now!

He's been on a roll since the All-Star Break, accruing a 2.81 ERA while limiting hitters to a .176 BAA and a .256 wOBA. Iglesias has been fantastic for the Reds recently, compiling six straight quality starts in the month of August. In that span he owns a 2.27 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 10.21 K/9 rate.

He is working on consecutive games with 10+ strikeouts. In the past month, his 45 K is behind only Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, and Clayton Kershaw. That's what I call some solid company.

He has a road outing on tap versus the Cubs, a team that he limited to two runs with eight strikeouts over 5.2 innings. The Cubs are a formidable opponent at home, but Iglesias is too hot to let him ride the pine. Throw him in your lineups and keep him there for the two-start week (vs PIT, vs STL) in week 23.

 

Nathan Eovaldi (NYY, SP)

OWNED IN: 49% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues

Again, another ownership level that makes absolutely no sense. Eovaldi has been of the few pieces keeping the Yankees in playoff contention and has provided New York with that steady #2 presence left by Michael Pineda. How he's available in more than 50% of leagues is beyond me.

While the 4.00 ERA and 1.42 WHIP are unpleasant on the eyes, it's necessary to look beyond the full season numbers here.  Check out his post-ASB numbers.

Nathan Eovaldi Pre and Post ASB Splits (Yahoo)

Nathan Eovaldi Pre and Post ASB Splits (Yahoo)

One of the key factors is hitters have struggled against his fastball. He's limited hitters to a .242 BAA versus the fastball in August, a noticeable improvement from earlier in the year (.450 in April). His upped the speed on his fastball to 96 mph and even though it seems small, it's been important to his success in the second half.

He gets an excellent matchup today versus Atlanta, a team that's lost nine of their last ten, and faces Tampa at home in week 22. Fire him up in all leagues.

 

Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Deeper Leagues

J.A. Happ (PIT, SP)

OWNED IN: 18% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14 + leagues / Stream Worthy

It's always interesting to see how players react after joining a playoff contender. In J.A. Happ's case, he's found a groove that's padding the Pirates lead as the top Wild Card.

Since joining the Pirates from Seattle, Happ has started four games and compiled a 2.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 22/6 K/BB ratio. If you remove a rough debut versus the Cubs, Happ has a 0.52 ERA over 17.1 innings.

This is a complete 180 from his disastrous campaign with the Mariners (4.64 ERA, 1.41 WHIP). Perhaps the added incentive of pitching in meaningful games in the dog days of summer has motivated Happ to step up his game. He's limited his walks significantly, and his .265 BAA during his recent run is in line with his season and career numbers.

Do I trust Happ for shallow leagues? Only for streaming purposes. But owners starved for pitching should check and see if Happ is hanging around the wire. Next week he has an outing at St. Louis, a team that finds itself in the latter half of NL clubs vs LHP. I'd stream Happ in shallow leagues and grab a share in 14-teamers or NL-Only.

 

Other Pitchers Previously Highlighted to Consider

Go grab Yordano Ventura and Aaron Nola. Seriously, stop reading and go get them.

In Order of Ownership %

Noah Syndergaard (NYM, SP / 85% ; up 1%)
Jaime Garcia (STL, SP / 77% ; up 3%)
Yordano Ventura KC, SP / 68%)
Taijuan Walker (SEA, SP / 60% ; down 2%)
Mike Leake (CIN, SP / 60% ; up 4%)
Wei-Yin Chen (BAL, SP / 59% ; no change)
Luis Severino (NYY, SP / 56% ; up 4%)
Taylor Jungmann (MIL, SP / 51% ; down 6%)
R.A. Dickey (TOR, SP / 47% ; down 7%)
Yovani Gallardo (TEX, SP / 47% ; up 1%)
Chris Tillman (BAL, SP / 44% ; down 6%)
Carlos Rodon (CHW, SP / 36% ; up 3%)
Erasmo Ramirez (TB, SP / 33% ; down 3%)
Kris Medlen (KC, SP / 32%)
Jonathan Niese (NYM, SP / 28% ; no change)
Aaron Nola (PHI, SP / 26% ; up 6%)
Eduardo Rodriguez (BOS, SP / 23% ; down 2%)
Kyle Hendricks (CHC, SP / 21% ; down 2%)

Brett Anderson (LAD, SP / 19% ; no change)
Jake Peavy (SF, SP / 10% ; down 2%)
Tom Koehler (MIA, SP / 10% ; no change)

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 




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

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
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
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
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months

RANKINGS

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