The fantasy baseball playoffs have begun for most, and the waiver wire is not as important in terms of volume, but in terms of who is added, it is the most important week of the season to date. It’s the playoffs, so one bad start, or one stretch of 0-10, or one blown save can end your season. Be sure to add wisely. Streaming starting pitchers becomes more common in the playoffs, so be sure to keep an eye on the waiver wire for those with good matchups.
Be sure to remember one thing, in the playoffs, owners will get desperate. If someone needs a win or a few strikeouts on the last day, that owner will drop almost anyone to keep he or she moving to the next round. Be sure to scavenge the waiver wire for players who are dropped in acts of desperation. You never know…maybe someone drops David Price after his start this week!
Whether it is a free agent pool, a budget-based system, or weekly waivers, playing the wire is a key element to winning your fantasy baseball leagues.
Without further ado, let’s play the waiver wire:
This week’s waiver piece will be in two sections. Today will include two pitchers to add or stream for this week. Wednesday’s piece will have hitters to look at for the last four days of your fantasy matchup.
Pitchers
Wei-Yin Chen, Baltimore Orioles
This week, Chen takes on the Rays and the Twins, making him a viable candidate for one of the top two-start pitchers of the week. So far this season, Chen is 13-4 with an ERA of 3.76 and a WHIP of 1.23. He has struck out over 100 batters, and is one of two pitchers on the waiver wire with 13 wins or more. (Jorge De La Rosa is the other) Of course, pitching wins and losses do not indicate the performance of a pitcher at times, but in fantasy baseball you need wins in most formats. Chen has an opportunity to win two games with a low ERA this week, as the Rays have the second-worst offense in the American League in terms of runs scored, and the Twins have a low .315 on-base percentage against righties. Not to mention, the Orioles are one of the hottest teams in baseball at the moment, and can get Chen those two wins to help your fantasy team.
Drew Smyly, Tampa Bay Rays
First, Smyly is eligible at both starting pitcher and relief pitcher. This gives you flexibility based on your league’s settings. Second, Smyly has been one of the better pitchers in the American League of late. He is coming off a complete game shutout of a very good offense in Toronto, and has allowed just 23.2 innings of work. Smyly takes on the Orioles and Red Sox this week, and the latter is a must-start considering the struggles of Boston’s offense. The first matchup may give Smyly issues, as the Orioles are one of the best offensive teams in baseball, but considering the Blue Jays were only able to muster two hits, Smyly could succeed yet again. If you have room for him on your roster, consider adding him for at least his second start against the Red Sox. But as a two-start pitcher he has plenty of value, despite the matchup.
Take a look at XN Sports fantasy baseball coverage as a whole here.
