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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 27 (September 23- September 29). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. In this last week of the season, let's close out some championships. What stats are you chasing 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? Are you in need of wins? What if I told you that Jose Quintana has won his last four and is available in most leagues? Do you need strikeouts? What if I told you that Eduardo Rodriguez had 18 in his last two starts? How about ratio help? Let me talk about Nick Martinez and Zack Littell. Something for everyone here in this one-stop shop.
I would like to thank the team at RotoBaller this year for letting me write for a quality team all season. Moreover, I would like to thank any of you who read this article during the season. I hope it proved helpful at some points, and if not, at least slightly entertaining. I enjoyed conversing with many of you over Twitter. Please stay in touch over the long winter months that are coming.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals (49% rostered)
Yes, I know. He hurt you earlier in the season, and you dropped him after an impressive run in early spring. But Gore has been splendid in four of his last five starts, nabbing three wins while pitching at least six innings in four of five starts. He also has tallied at least five strikeouts in each, with nine being his highwater mark over the stretch, doing that twice.
Fantasy baseball is all about what you have done for me lately, and Gore has been too good to be on the waiver wire in so many places. Consider him this week for your roster.
Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds (45% rostered)
Martinez earned his tenth win this past week with a gem over the Pittsburgh Pirates, spinning six innings and earning nine strikeouts. The veteran has been a boon for Cincinnati this year, going 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 113 strikeouts in 134 innings covering 15 starts.
He lines up to get the eliminated Chicago Cubs this coming Friday, and adding him could help you win a championship this week. Look at his impressive Statcast page below.
Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians (43% rostered)
Williams is becoming a hot addition this week after a nice showing against Minnesota last week in which he struck out seven over five solid innings. Williams gets St. Louis today before ending his regular season next week against the Houston Astros. What intrigues me here is that Williams has recently switched to using a cutter as opposed to his slider, and it is yielding results. Can that continue?
We will know at this time next week. Williams is an interesting option to add, as is the consummate roll of the dice for fantasy players trying to wrap up championships this week.
Jose Quintana, New York Mets (35% rostered)
It seems like everybody loves to hate on Quintana, yet year after year, he quietly posts decent results. The veteran lefty has 10 wins this season to go along with a serviceable 3.74 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 126 strikeouts in 166 innings. I get it; we would like to see more whiffs.
However, Quintana is going to give you at least five worry-free innings in most starts, and he has wins in four consecutive starts going into his regular-season finale against Atlanta this week. You could do worse than Quintana in many leagues. Consider him this week if you are pursuing wins.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks (34% rostered)
The veteran lefty appears to be rounding into shape just as Arizona really needs him for their late playoff run. Rodriguez has gone at least five innings in consecutive starts, earning a win and nabbing 18 strikeouts over those 11 innings. He gets San Francisco on Monday night, which should be another opportunity for strikeouts and a win. If you are looking for rotation help this week, take a look at Rodriguez.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds (29% rostered)
Lowder has been impressive in a late-season call-up for Cincinnati. He should make one more start against the Chicago Cubs this week. In five starts, Lowder has two wins, a 1.40 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings.
The strikeouts have not been there yet, but the rookie has shown that he can keep opposing offenses at bay, keeping teams off the board in three of his five starts. He's an intriguing matchup play this week. Note the reduction in walks over these starts.
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays (25% rostered)
Littell earned his eighth win this past week with a seven-inning gem over Boston, giving up no runs while striking out seven batters. He hasn't given up a run in three straight starts. Littell will make his final start of the season against Detroit this week, but he should be good for five innings, a handful of strikeouts, and perhaps a win.
The veteran is 8-9 on the season with a today 3.56 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 134 strikeouts in 151 innings. It's a nice season for a guy who was an afterthought in most leagues in 2024.
Cade Povich, Baltimore Orioles (14% rostered)
If you look at the season stat line, then you miss the point of the exercise here. Povich has shown a strong September; in three of four starts, he has gone at least five innings with at least five strikeouts. In three of those games, he has registered 10, eight, and seven strikeouts. One drawback is he has only one win.
Povich will finish the regular season with a tilt against Minnesota this week, and if he continues his recent good stretch, he could help you this last week. See the September results below.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals (17% rostered)
- Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (11% rostered)
- Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (10% rostered)
- Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants (7% rostered)
- Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox (3% 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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