Fantasy Waiver Wire Pitchers: Dixon’s Picks for Week of June 23
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome back to Dixon’s Picks. This is going to be another week of gambling when it comes to the fantasy waiver wire pitchers. But, that’s what streaming is all about, right?
Before we look at this week’s guys, let’s look at my season-long tally after the weeks of Chris Young, Tanner Roark, and Wei-Yin Chen.
[table id=877 /]
Now, let’s look at this week’s fantasy waiver wire pitchers.
- Edinson Volquez, Pittsburgh Pirates — Probable Starts: Monday at Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday vs. New York Mets
His last outing was not a good one but before that, Edinson Volquez had been on a nice roll. So, when you consider that both of these are plus match-ups, I’m willing to overlook the bad game against the Reds.
The key for Volquez will be avoiding walks. If he can do that and let the Rays and Mets hitters beat him, this will be a great week for him. Granted, that is a big if and remember, I said this week was a gamble.
Still, I like what Volquez has been doing this year and if you’re looking to do some streaming, he’s a good play this week.
[table id=878 /]
- Nathan Eovaldi, Miami Marlins — Probable Starts: Monday at Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday vs. Oakland Athletics
Again, the theme of the week is gambling. While Nathan Eovaldi hasn’t been on a great role recently, that doesn’t concern me a heck of a lot this week. No, what scares me is that second game against a very good A’s offense. Still, a few things work in Eovaldi’s favor.
- The A’s are an American League team playing in a National League park. That’s something of a fish out of water scenario for them.
- The A’s score a lot of runs, but they’re team batting average is one of the worst in the league. They score runs because they draw a lot of walks. Pitchers that throw strikes have a tendency to give the A’s trouble. So far, Eovaldi’s BB/9 this season is 1.5, which is exceptional.
But even if you don’t buy that, remember if you’re looking at two-start pitchers for a week, it’s always better to go with a guy whose second start is the tougher one, and that’s what makes Nathan Eovaldi a good play this week.
If you’re in a spot where you can’t afford a possible WHIP/ERA hit, Eovaldi should sit against the A’s. If you need some counted stat help, then start him.
[table id=879 /]
- Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins — Probable Starts: Tuesday at Los Angeles Angels, Sunday at Texas Rangers
Yes, these are two road starts, but Kyle Gibson has been on a tear over his last five outings.
[table id=881 /]
Really, it’s hard to tell a better story than that. That’s four quality starts (including one against Texas) and the one outlier was a 6 IP, 4 ER game, so he didn’t exactly get shelled.
Even with the road games, I’d say that Gibson is your best bet of the fantasy waiver wire pitchers this week. The one caveat is that your team shouldn’t need too many strikeouts from him.
[table id=880 /]