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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Buys (Week 24): Hot Pitchers to Sustain Success?

Shane Baz - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Prospects, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Fantasy baseball managers continue to deal with starting pitching injuries down the stretch. Some of the more recent names to hit the injured list are Robbie Ray (hamstring) and Clayton Kershaw (toe).

For those who need starting pitching reinforcements, streaming the right players could be key. Are Shane Baz, Javier Assad, Albert Suarez, Matthew Boyd, and Joey Estes just viable streaming options, or could any of them be worth rostering for the remainder of the season?

Let’s dig into the stats for these five starters and discuss if they can sustain their current level of success. All roster percentages are via Yahoo.

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

 

Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays (43% rostered)

Baz has made just nine starts this season because of his recovery from Tommy John surgery and an oblique injury. He jumped right into a significant workload, throwing 92 pitches across six innings in his first start. Over his nine outings, he has logged at least five innings six times. The result has been a 3.49 ERA, 4.12 FIP, and a 1.29 WHIP.

A concern with Baz is that his strikeout rate is just 19.9%. Before this season, he had recorded 48 strikeouts over 40.1 career innings in the majors. Until he gets his strikeout production back on track, he’s not a must-roster player in 12-team leagues. However, the former first-round pick in the 2017 draft has enough upside to at least be a viable streaming option.

 

Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs (36% rostered)

Assad has given up three or fewer runs in each of his last nine starts. That’s certainly encouraging, but he logged fewer than five innings in five of those outings. After spending the majority of last season working out the bullpen, Assad has thrown at least 100 pitches in just two of his 25 starts this year.

Assad has produced a 3.21 ERA this year, but his 4.53 FIP indicates that he hasn’t pitched that well. His 1.36 WHIP isn’t helping fantasy managers, and his strikeout rate is only 19.6%. He’s worth streaming for favorable matchups, but expect him to continue to have limited upside.

 

Albert Suarez, Baltimore Orioles (36% rostered)

With injuries plaguing their starting rotation for much of the season, the Orioles have been forced to rely more on Suarez. He has both started and come out of the bullpen, logging a total of 109 innings. Over his last five outings, he has a 1.19 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP across 30.1 innings.

The downside with Suarez is that he doesn’t miss many bats. His strikeout rate is only 18.6%. However, he has given up just eight home runs and produced a respectable 1.27 WHIP.

With the hot streak that he’s on right now, he’s worth streaming when matchups work in his favor. However, be sure to avoid him if he’s facing a difficult foe because his lack of strikeouts doesn’t leave him with much margin for error.

 

Matthew Boyd, Cleveland Guardians (26% rostered)

Injuries have derailed Boyd’s career. Since the start of the 2021 season, he has pitched a total of just 185.2 innings. He finally made his debut with the Guardians in August after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has looked sharp, allowing six runs and producing a 0.84 WHIP over 22.2 innings.

Home runs have been an issue for Boyd during his career. In 2019, he was taken deep 39 times over 185.1 innings. Last year, he gave up 11 home runs over 71 innings for the Tigers. Despite how well he has looked in his initial return, his propensity for giving up the long ball makes him someone to only consider streaming against teams without a lot of power.

 

Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics (15% rostered)

Estes had an outing in early July in which he gave up eight runs over 1.2 innings against the Red Sox. Since then, he has a 2.88 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP across his last nine outings. He didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of them and walked a total of just nine batters.

Estes has a 1.11 WHIP for the season, but his 4.29 ERA and 4.41 FIP aren’t great. His strikeout rate is just 18.9%, and even though he has been pitching well lately, he has allowed at least one home run in eight of his last nine starts. Still, stream him for his next projected start at home Thursday against the Mariners. They have scored the fifth-fewest runs in baseball.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Caleb Williams15 mins ago

Bears Reiterate That Caleb Williams Will Start In Week 11
Mikko Rantanen1 hour ago

Grabs Four Points Against Kings
Aliaksei Protas1 hour ago

Enjoys Multi-Point Outing Versus Maple Leafs
Patrick Kane1 hour ago

Notches Two Points In Overtime Win
Blake Lizotte2 hours ago

Suffers Another Injury
Pyotr Kochetkov2 hours ago

Suffers Injury Versus Utah
Caleb Jones2 hours ago

Hurt On Wednesday
Darcy Kuemper2 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
LeBron James2 hours ago

Makes History With Third Consecutive Triple-Double
Jaxson Hayes2 hours ago

To Be Re-Evaluated In 1-2 Weeks
Walker Kessler2 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
P.J. Washington2 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Thursday
Luka Doncic3 hours ago

Expected To Remain In The Lineup Thursday
DeMar DeRozan3 hours ago

Exits Win With Back Problem
Aaron Rodgers3 hours ago

Leaning Toward Return In 2025
Grayson Allen15 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus Kings
D'Angelo Russell15 hours ago

Suiting Up On Wednesday
Bradley Beal15 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
DK Metcalf17 hours ago

Puts In Full Practice On Wednesday
Henrik Norlander17 hours ago

Needs Strong Showing At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Michael Kim17 hours ago

Playing Well Down The Stretch
Nick Taylor17 hours ago

Returns To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Jhonattan Vegas17 hours ago

Playing Well Heading To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Matthias Schmid17 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Patrick Rodgers17 hours ago

Heads To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Mackenzie Hughes17 hours ago

Debuts At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Maverick McNealy17 hours ago

Seeking Back-To-Back Top-10 Finishes In Bermuda
Lucas Glover17 hours ago

In A Groove Ahead Of Bermuda Championship
Andrew Putnam17 hours ago

A Player To Watch In Bermuda
PGA17 hours ago

Nico Echavarria In Top Form Heading To Bermuda
Jusuf Nurkic18 hours ago

Back On Wednesday Night
Anfernee Simons18 hours ago

Won't Suit Up Against The Timberwolves
Robert Williams III18 hours ago

Resting In Rematch With Minnesota
Deandre Ayton18 hours ago

Out Again On Wednesday
Andre Drummond18 hours ago

Out Sick On Wednesday
Paul George18 hours ago

Won't Play Versus Cleveland
Joel Embiid18 hours ago

Sitting On Wednesday
Tage Thompson18 hours ago

Labeled As Day-To-Day
Mattias Samuelsson18 hours ago

Out Indefinitely
Gabriel Landeskog19 hours ago

Remains Without A Timeline
Jonas Brodin19 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Thursday
Tank Bigsby19 hours ago

Listed As DNP On Wednesday
Andre Drummond19 hours ago

Listed As Questionable On Wednesday
Tyreek Hill19 hours ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Hampus Lindholm19 hours ago

Expected To Miss "Weeks"
Jani Hakanpaa19 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Tee Higgins19 hours ago

Officially Limited On Wednesday
Marcus Smart19 hours ago

Set To Play Wednesday
Seth Jarvis19 hours ago

Set To Miss A Second Consecutive Game
Michael Pittman Jr.19 hours ago

Practicing In Full
Brian Thomas Jr.19 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Josh Jacobs19 hours ago

Limited During Wednesday's Practice
Mike Conley19 hours ago

Resting Wednesday Versus Portland
Kirk Cousins20 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Najee Harris20 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Christian McCaffrey20 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
George Kittle20 hours ago

Not Practicing On Wednesday
Brian Robinson Jr.20 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
DK Metcalf21 hours ago

To Be Limited In Wednesday's Practice
Sam LaPorta21 hours ago

Misses Practice, Remains Day-To-Day
J.J. McCarthy22 hours ago

Undergoes Second Knee Surgery
Gardner Minshew II22 hours ago

Will Start In Week 11
Tee Higgins23 hours ago

Won't Practice But Bengals Encouraged With His Progress
Isiah Pacheco23 hours ago

Unlikely To Return In Week 11
Younghoe Koo24 hours ago

Falcons Sticking With Younghoe Koo As Their Kicker
Nick Hardy1 day ago

Looks To Find Consistency On The Greens In Bermuda
Carson Young1 day ago

Hopes To Carry Recent Form To Bermuda
Brandon Clarke1 day ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Action
Kevin Yu1 day ago

A Name To Watch At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Marcus Smart1 day ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag Ahead Of Wednesday
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Four-Point Effort
Neal Pionk1 day ago

Records Three Assists In Historic Win
Linus Ullmark1 day ago

Records First Shutout As Senator
Hampus Lindholm1 day ago

Taken Out By A Lower-Body Injury
Sam Bennett1 day ago

Battling An Upper-Body Injury
Lars Eller1 day ago

Returns To Washington
Shohei Ohtani2 days ago

Among NL Silver Slugger Winners
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Winners
Dante Fabbro2 days ago

Makes Blue Jackets Debut Tuesday
Wander Franco2 days ago

Now Facing Weapons Charges
Travis d'Arnaud2 days ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Angels
Brendon Todd2 days ago

A Hard Sell At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Greyson Sigg2 days ago

May Surprise In Bermuda
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

In For Adventure At Port Royal Golf Course
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Plays Solid In Bermuda
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Tries To Build Off ZOZO Championship
Daniel Berger2 days ago

Looks To Continue His Consistent Run At Port Royal Golf Course
Justin Lower2 days ago

Looks To Continue His Hot Play At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
2 days ago

Blue Jays, Red Sox To Meet With Juan Soto
Jasson Domínguez3 days ago

Yankees Expect Jasson Dominguez To Have A Big Role In 2025
Carlos Correa3 days ago

Progressing
Carlos Prates3 days ago

Gets Higlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 100
Neil Magny3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 100
Cortavious Romious3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 100
Gaston Bolaños3 days ago

Gaston Bolanos Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Joey Logano3 days ago

Holds On At Phoenix To Win His Third Cup Series Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers3 days ago

Dodgers Considered Favorites For Roki Sasaki
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Falls Short Of The 2024 Cup Series Title At Phoenix
Dusko Todorovic3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 100
Wander Franco3 days ago

Arrested On Monday After Altercation
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Lacks Speed Of Other Championship 4 Contenders But Drives Well
William Byron3 days ago

Finishes Third In Phoenix Race And Championship
Miami Marlins4 days ago

Marlins Hire Clayton McCullough As New Skipper
Mansur Abdul-Malik4 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Vegas 100
Luana Pinheiro4 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Vegas 100
Gillian Robertson4 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 100
Gerald Meerschaert4 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC Vegas 100
MMA4 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win In UFC Debut
4 days ago

Rays Have Interest In Juan Soto
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Is A Top DFS Recommendation With Upside For Phoenix
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Is Expected To Compete For The Title At Phoenix
Joey Logano4 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Phoenix
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Could Be A Favorable DFS Option For Phoenix Lineups
Corey Lajoie4 days ago

Corey LaJoie Will Start 20th At Phoenix
Brad Keselowski4 days ago

Is A Solid Recommendation For Phoenix DFS Lineups
Erik Jones4 days ago

Will Start 19th At Phoenix This Week
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Will Compete For A Top-10 Finish At Phoenix
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Should DFS Players Fade Ty Gibbs At Phoenix?
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Is Chase Elliott A Solid DFS Pick For Phoenix Lineups?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

The Championship Favorite Despite Qualifying Blunder
William Byron4 days ago

Will Be Strong In Fight For Championship
Austin Cindric4 days ago

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Phoenix DFS Lineups?
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Is Great At Phoenix
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Looking To Go Back-To-Back At Phoenix After Championship Snub
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Can Be Worth Rostering In Tournaments At Phoenix
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Could Contend At Phoenix
5 days ago

Nick Martinez Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer
MLB5 days ago

Roki Sasaki Will Be Posted, Opens Door For 2025 MLB Debut
Nolan Arenado6 days ago

Could Be On The Trade Block
Zach Neto6 days ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Could Miss Start Of 2025
Mason Miller6 days ago

To Stay In The Bullpen

RANKINGS

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