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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 25 (September 9- September 15). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. As we head into September, it's crunch time. What stats are you casing at this time?
This is an interesting piece each week because you never know what you will find in your research. What are we looking at this week on the waiver wire? This week offers many different choices and ideas based on your team context. Looking for strikeouts? Consider veteran lefty Andrew Heaney. Do you need wins? Why not try David Peterson? Do you want ratio help? Take a look at Cody Bradford. Want upside with young talent? Consider David Festa and Rhett Lowder. We have something for everyone here.
Your team context matters here. What do you need? Take a look at these deeper plays and see if you can find what you are looking for. Let's get into it.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
David Peterson, New York Mets (50% rostered)
Peterson seems to be overlooked often, and yet he has become a reliable resource for many fantasy players this year. Very quietly he has nine wins, with a terrific 2.75 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Not known as a big strikeout pitcher, the lefty nonetheless has 81 in 98 innings, with 11 of those coming in his last start. He should be rostered far more often than he is. Change that this weekend for yourself.
Cody Bradford, Texas Rangers (50% rostered)
There's nothing sexy here with Bradford, but he has been effective this year for Texas, with five wins in 10 starts and a tidy 3.05 ERA and 0.87 WHIP to go with 56 strikeouts in 62 innings. My best bet is that many fantasy players seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop, which is why the lefty is rostered in only 50% of Yahoo leagues. He's given players five straight quality starts, which is the most you can ask from a guy at the back end of your fantasy rotation.
Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers (36% rostered)
Due to season-ending injuries to starters Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle, and the uncertain statuses of stalwarts Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, Heaney appears to have some runway down the stretch with the Rangers. In his last start, the lefty went five innings and gave up no runs while striking out eight batters. He has also struck out eight hitters in three of his last four outings, which speaks to me. He's got four wins, but the 3.81 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 141 strikeouts in 139 innings are very usable statistics. Take a look at the veteran hurler.
Matthew Boyd, Cleveland Guardians (31% rostered)
Boyd has gone six innings in three consecutive starts, nabbing two wins in the process. He's allowed one run per game in those starts, with strikeout totals of four, eight, and six. Boyd has been on the radar here for a couple of weeks now, and he's providing the type of consistency many fantasy players crave down the stretch. Add in that he gets the decimated and moribund Chicago White Sox this coming week, and he's almost a must-add at this point.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics (23% rostered)
Estes had a tough outing against Seattle his last time out, coughing up four runs in four innings. But he's been good in his last three starts before that, pitching into the sixth inning each time and garnering at least five strikeouts in those games. He's got six wins on the season to go with a 4.46 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. One word of warning is that he lines up against the surging Houston Astros this week, so buyer beware, but there are worse options out there.
Alex Cobb, Cleveland Guardians (18% rostered)
It's the same old situation with Cobb: when he is healthy, he is worth rostering in most formats. However, he is currently dealing with a nail blister and missed his start this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cobb went six shutout innings and struck out six. If healthy this week, he could get a start against the embarrassing Chicago White Sox, which makes him worthy of roster consideration for your squad.
David Festa, Minnesota Twins (16% rostered)
Festa continues a nice story for Minnesota, going another strong five innings last time out, striking out seven. While he only has two wins to show for his efforts, Festa has 58 strikeouts in 47 innings. The best part of it: he gets the Los Angeles Angels next, and that's a great opportunity for you to roster a good pitcher against a weak team.
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels (12% rostered)
This is a shoutout to my friend Chris Torres, who has been biding his time waiting for Detmers to get recalled by the Angels. He pitched extremely well in his first outing, going six innings against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, surrendering two runs to go with an outstanding 10 strikeouts on the day. His next start is Monday against the Minnesota Twins. Detmers is worth having on your radar at this point in the season, despite the poor overall numbers. We only care about right now.
Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds (11% rostered)
The young rookie was recalled in late August and he's been intriguing to watch. He pitched last against the Houston Astros and held his own, going into the seventh inning while scattering four hits and four walks against three strikeouts, but surrendering no runs. It's unknown how much Cincinnati will use him with a few weeks left in the season, but he's a high-risk, potentially high-reward fantasy option for you depending on your team context.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals (20% rostered)
- Brant Hurter, Oakland Athletic (12% rostered)
- Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers (9% rostered)
- Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies (6% rostered)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be FUN above everything. Enjoy it!
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