Zach Davies (SP, SD) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 25% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Zach Davies is off to a phenomenal start to his first year with the San Diego Padres. Through four starts, Davies has posted a 2.78 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. He's struck out 18 batters over 22 2/3 innings compared to just three walks.

Over his five-plus years in the majors, all spent with the Milwaukee Brewers before this year, Davies has been far from spectacular, but he's certainly held his own. Through 115 career starts, he has a 3.87 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Both of those numbers are notably superior to league average. Last year, the league average ERA was 4.51 while the league average WHIP was 1.33.

Yet it's not the ERA and WHIP that really concerns fantasy owners with Davies. He should contribute modestly there. It's his career 6.4 K/9 that scares us away, offering little upside for strikeout contributions.

Davies' strikeout rate is up to 21.2% this year, compared with just 15.2% last year. That might be unlikely to hold, but he's also made strides this year by reducing hard contact as his 29.7% hard-hit rate so far this year is a solid improvement on his 33.3% clip from last year.

Davies is scheduled for two starts next week against the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. He should be added in all leagues for at least this week. Whether you hold on to him after that could be determined by how he fares this week.