Framber Valdez (HOU, RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez is slated to start again on Friday against the Angels after scoring good marks on his first test in Houston’s rotation. His first major-league start yielded five innings of one-run ball against said Halos, and this came just five […]

David Hess (BAL, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher David Hess being on a waiver wire list shows how deep you need to dive this late in the season. Would you believe that Hess has delivered three straight quality starts and gets to face the Royals in pitcher-friendly Kauffman […]

Erasmo Ramirez (SEA, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners pitcher Erasmo Ramirez has been in and out of the Mariners rotation over the last few years, but he is back starting for the Mariners and thriving. Since rejoining Seattle’s rotation on Aug. 12, Ramirez has allowed two earned runs over 16 […]

Austin Gomber (SP/RP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Austin Gomber has overcome every obstacle put in front of him this season. Everyone thought that Coors Field would undoubtedly turn Gomber back into a pumpkin, but then the guy goes and allows one measly run over six […]

Lucas Giolito (CWS, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito is not a waiver wire pickup just yet, as the former top prospect is slated to face the Red Sox next, but then the schedule loosens up. He is set for games against the Tigers and […]

Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has been up and down this season, but we still are suggesting him for the stretch run. We say you should hold onto Tony Disco despite two non-quality starts in a row, as the man still has […]

Alex Cobb (SP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Alex Cobb should not be as good as he has been, yet he has been a solid pitcher. This is not quite Edwin Jackson levels of voodoo, as Cobb has ripped off six straight quality starts against stout American League […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow has been a solid fantasy option since coming over from Pittsburgh, but is coming off of a poor start. Maybe Glasnow had a bit of birthday hangover for his start against the Royals, because who […]

Derek Holland (SP, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Derek Holland has been a strong option of late and we suggest that you set sail on the Dutch East India Company and head back to Holland. He has rebounded from two “poor” starts to post two strong starts […]

Week 22 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

I'm going to level with you all. It's very late and I want to go to bed, so no snappy intros for you this week. Let's close the book on August strong! If you want to chat more about additional arms/bats/whatever, you can find me on Twitter @NMariano53 and ask any follow-up questions. We're using […]

King's Classic - Industry Expert Drafts Analysis

This weekend saw the fantasy football world converge on the football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, for the inaugural King’s Classic. Thanks to Bob Lung and Brad Evans (among many others), we had 24 sites represented between two divisions -- Brown and Blanda, named for the first two players taken in the first ever […]

Week 21 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

I hope you're all ready to do whatever it takes in these last six weeks of the season to win. It might mean dropping a big name for a streamer or, if you still have trades, "losing the trade" to win the league. Don't be shy about your needs and don't be ignorant of how […]

Touki Toussaint (ATL, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint will get another chance against the Marlins on Thursday, as the rookie swiftly sees another opportunity to start in the bigs. He cruised through six innings in his debut against the fish and should not be […]

Adam Plutko (CLE, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: Months ago we had Cleveland Indians starting pitchers Adam Plutko and Shane Bieber battling for one rotation spot, but Trevor Bauer’s injury, combined with Cleveland’s cushy lead in the AL Central, means both should finish out the regular season in the rotation. Plutko bought some […]

Jordan Zimmermann (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of leagues ANALYSIS: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann looked healthy in Tuesday’s start as he limited the Cubs to just one run, an Anthony Rizzo homer, over six innings of work. We have been fooled into thinking he is healthy and “back” before in ‘18, only […]

Brett Anderson (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: After twirling 7 ⅔ scoreless innings against the Mariners in his previous start, Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brett Anderson needed just 93 pitches to blank the Rangers over seven innings of work. He allowed just one hit and one walk, which brings […]

Austin Gomber (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Austin Gomber had not allowed an earned run in either of his last two starts and nearly pulled off his magic again on Monday. He had fired off four scoreless frames against the Dodgers before they finally […]

Alex Cobb (SP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: After a brief flash of hope, once he started throwing his splitter again, Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Alex Cobb had once again faded from fantasy relevance. However, he is definitely back in the conversation after tossing a complete game against the AL […]

Derek Holland (SP, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: It is possible that some of you simply streamed San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Derek Holland against the Mets because they are the Mets. Although, the Mets have actually been one of the best offenses this month...but that is another story. So, for those […]

Anthony Desclafani (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Hopefully, most of you sharps are part of the 20 percentage points of growth in ownership for Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani over this past week. It turns out that yielding two earned over a span of three starts that last at least […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow squared off with the Red Sox and impressed more than the box score shows. Though he allowed five runs (four earned) over 6 ⅔ innings, he fought through poor control with three straight walks in the […]

Joe Musgrove (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Piitsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove finally found some strikeouts alongside his low ratios, as he has fanned 13 batters across 13 frames in his last two starts. Of course, he had struck out just two in each of his previous three […]

Derek Holland (SP, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Derek Holland continues to turn back the clock to his All-Star days with the Rangers. The end result did not look good, but Holland had notched a quality start before his bullpen shattered it into itty-bitty pieces during his […]

Jalen Beeks (TB - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Do not let the seasonal line fool you (12.79 ERA in 6 1/3 innings), Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jalen Beeks is another name that  has been quite effective in Rays threads thus far. Tampa Bay scooped the southpaw from Boston after […]

John Gant (STL - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Gant helped himself with a homer off of Gio Gonzalez on Tuesday night to fuel his second straight victory, as the Cardinals continued to kick the Nationals while they are down. The righty is not more than a […]

Zach Davies (MIL - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: We do not know whether Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zach Davies will be returning to a slot in the starting rotation, but those in deep waters may want to jump ahead of that potential news given Milwaukee’s strong team environment (namely, the […]

Edwin Jackson (OAK - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Edwin Jackson has proudly won three straight games without allowing an earned run, most recently going 7 ⅓ innings against the Angels. Absolutely no one is buying the 2.48 ERA and 1.03 WHIP at face value, but his […]

Matt Boyd (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Boyd is a top-50 overall player per Yahoo’s 5x5 system over the last month, which has come by way of a 2.37 ERA/0.89 WHIP and three wins. He has managed to increase his fastball velocity from an early […]

German Marquez (COL - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Colorado Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez entered Tuesday night’s start against Houston with a 2.95 SIERA over the last 30 days -- good for eighth-best out of 83 qualified SPs. His 2.49 xFIP over that span makes him one of just six […]

Touki Toussaint (ATL - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint had a great major-league debut against the Miami Marlins earlier this week. The rookie coasted through six innings and could have gone longer had his spot in the order not come up with runners in scoring […]