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Welcome, RotoBallers, to Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers for H2H Points Leagues for Week 20 -- August 5 through August 11. These pitchers have what it takes to deliver a ton of points in your head-to-head leagues. Each is rostered in around half of ESPN and/or Yahoo leagues.
We have a weekly points-league roundup here at RotoBaller. In head-t0-head format, player values often vary depending on the platform, so we highlight players who are fit to succeed regardless of the format.
Most of these pitchers are expected to make two starts in Week 20. Check out more waiver-wire-pickup articles, if you're looking for hitters. Now, let's get into this week's top options.
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Best Waiver Wire Choices
Sean Manaea, New York Mets
Yahoo: 44%; ESPN: 26%
Manaea has been fantastic for the Mets lately. Over his last nine starts (52 1/3 IP), the veteran lefty has posted a 2.58 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 52:21 K/BB. In his most recent start, he threw 7 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk, all while striking out 11 Twins.
In Week 20, Manaea will face the Cardinals and Mariners on the road. The Cardinals currently have the second-worst OPS against lefties in all of baseball (.642), and the Mariners aren't much better at 24th overall (.670). Manaea has been excellent on the road, posting a 3.17 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 42:24 K/BB in 54 IP so far. Overall, he projects to perform quite well next week.
A season-high 11 strikeouts tonight for Sean Manaea 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8LyUSP2dOa
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 31, 2024
JP Sears, Oakland Athletics
Yahoo: 12%; ESPN: 6%
Sears has had a decent year in Oakland, posting a 4.53 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 92:22 K/BB through 119 1/3 IP. He's also coming off perhaps his best start of the season: three hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts across seven shutout innings in San Francisco.
Next week, Sears will look to stay hot against the White Sox and Blue Jays. It's no secret that the Sox aren't playing the best baseball right now (they're approaching a 20-game losing streak at the time of publication). It's hard to find a more favorable matchup right now. On top of that, the Jays have struggled against southpaws this season, posting the fifth-worst OPS against them (.659). With all of this in mind, Sears is a pretty nice option in Week 20.
JP Sears had a season-high nine strikeouts tonight in what was one of his most dominant outings of his career thus far. 🔥 #Athletics pic.twitter.com/K4QXgBligB
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) July 31, 2024
Next-Best Waiver Wire Choice
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins
Yahoo: 33%; ESPN: 11%
Meyer has the potential to be a "Best Choice," but he hasn't looked great in his first two starts since rejoining the Marlins' rotation. In nine innings, he's allowed seven runs and struck out ten. However, he's an incredible talented rookie with tons of upside. In the trio of starts he made at the beginning of the season (before his demotion to Triple-A), he allowed just four runs in 17 IP, walking only three and striking out 14.
Meyer's matchups in Week 20 aren't great for him, either. He'll take on the Reds and Padres at home. The Padres are top-10 in both home OPS and OPS against righties, so it's hard to feel overly confident in Meyer's chances against them. The Reds, however, are in the bottom half of the league in both of those categories. Regardless of the hitters he'll face, Meyer has tons of upside and is capable of putting up a big week, even if it's a bit more risky than we'd like.
Max Meyer over his last 5 starts:
24 IP
1.88 ERA
13.9 K-BB%Wasting ammo in AAA…🤦🏻♂️
pic.twitter.com/ai2f2FzmdZ— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) July 17, 2024
Deeper Waiver Wire Choice
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
Yahoo: 39%; ESPN: 15%
Gore has shown flashes of greatness, but he's got a 7.25 ERA in his last 36 IP. His matchups are decent: the Giants and the Angels. However, until Gore can prove that he's capable of making consistent starts, he should be limited to those in need of a Hail Mary. There's a chance he'll do well in Week 20, but I wouldn't count on him.
MacKenzie Gore's 8th K pic.twitter.com/c2UOsX3Ff9
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 2, 2024
More Waiver Wire Options
- Jordan Hicks, SFG
- James Paxton, BOS
- Andre Pallante, STL
- Colin Rea, MIL
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