Fantasy Baseball Week 21 Preview: Top 10 sleeper pitchers feature Cade Horton, Jacob Lopez
Jeffrey Springs is the best of the two-start possibilities
By
Scott White
•
1 min read
Not that you'd sit just any pitcher, of course, but if you have an opening or two and could use a streamer off the waiver wire, you've come to the right place. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
All information is up to date as of late Sunday.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 21 (Aug. 11-17)
Jeffrey Springs got off on the wrong foot this year, but he's been more reliable than he gets credit for since the start of May, putting together a 3.30 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 18 appearances, with most being six innings or longer. You're not going to find a better two-start option on the waiver wire this time of year, and that's before even accounting for the Rays' and Angels' struggles against lefties.
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Zebby Matthews' four starts back in the majors have been a mixed bag, but he's throwing harder overall and missing bats at a nice rate. The upside is enough for me to overlook the tough matchups against the Yankees and Tigers, particularly if I'm committed to getting an extra start.
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Jose Quintana is nothing fancy, often working just 5-6 innings, but he generally keeps runs off the board and seems all the more likely to do so against the league's worst offense Monday. He'll then get a second turn in Cincinnati.
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You're playing with fire with Jose Soriano, who just got walloped in his last start and has a tendency to do that out of nowhere, but the league's best ground ball pitcher was on a great run before then, putting together a 2.16 ERA in four starts. At least in points leagues, he feels like a must with a two-start slate.
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Cade Horton is riding a four-start scoreless streak in which he's allowed just 10 hits in 22 2/3 innings, but his overreliance on his fastball has undermined his strikeout ability, giving me pause. The Blue Jays have become a tough matchup for pitchers, but the Pirates are one of the best.
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After shutting down the Red Sox and Blue Jays, two of the league's best offenses, in his past two turns, Michael Wacha now boasts a 3.36 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the year, which makes me feel kind of guilty about calling him a sleeper. Factor in the way the Nationals have been playing lately, and he's a slam dunk.
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Just when it seemed like the league was catching up to Jacob Lopez and his funky left-handed delivery, the 27-year-old rookie registered a season-high 10 strikeouts in his latest start against the Nationals. It was his fourth start with nine or more strikeouts, and he'll be facing a Rays lineup that's particularly vulnerable to lefties. Of course, he was with the Rays just last year, and given the way they knocked him around on June 30, they may have a good read on him.
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On paper, these matchups look great for Chris Paddack, who has had some good starts lately. His last one wasn't so great, though, and it came against the same Twins lineup that he's facing this week -- a lineup that knows him well, seeing as the Tigers just acquired him from the Twins before the trade deadline. So no promises, but in theory, he's a nice sleeper.
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Will Warren has been OK lately, but his 2.87 ERA in his past five starts has come with a high WHIP and low strikeout rate. He made the wise decision to emphasize his fastball in his latest start, but I'm still not sure the reward justifies the risk with him even in a two-start week.
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Even with the misstep Sunday, Slade Cecconi has five quality starts in his past seven turns, and one of the ones that wasn't still saw him go 8 1/3 innings. The strikeouts have been trending down, which is worrisome, but he'll be facing a Braves lineup that's been lacking a spring in its step all year.
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