MLB Fantasy Waiver Wire Pitcher Pickups Week 11

Week 10 is coming to a close, and with it there are new pitchers to eye and pitchers from last week’s Pitcher Waiver Wire to revisit. Whether you’re in a points or category league, we’ve got you covered.

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Revisiting

Jose Urena (SP) – 6.7% Owned
I’ll be the first to admit I believe I made a mistake recommending Jose Urena last week. He seemed like a low-profile guy, maybe the equivalent of your favorite indie-artist who no one knows, someone you can take a guilty pleasure in being in the know about. However, his performance in his last start on 6/7 against the Braves tells a different story. He went just 3 innings giving up 11 hits, 6 earned runs and two home runs, for an ERA of 18.00 on the day and a WHIP of 4.00. I went into a bit of a spiel about how the only things that matter at this point of the season is a pitcher being available and his ability to have a positive (no matter how small) impact for your team. At this point, it may be better to leave the spot vacant than to occupy it with Urena.

Ryan Pressly (RP) – 20.4% Owned
On the positive side, Astro’s reliever/closer Ryan Pressly continues to dazzle. It’s honestly perplexing to me how Pressly isn’t rostered by more teams. On the year, he has 32 Ks and a WHIP of 0.724. His ERA is a cool 0.93 and he’s only allowed 4 walks in 29 innings pitched, for a SO/W ratio of 8.00. He’s the ‘Stros high-leverage situation guy, so he doesn’t always pitch in the 9th which leads to his relatively low number of saves (3) on the year. He can really help in the ERA category, though, and if you’re in a points league, he consistently puts up positive numbers nearly every time he gets an appearance. He’s only given up 17 hits on the year.

Pitchers To Pick Up

Zach Plesac (SP) – 42.3% Owned
The 24 year-old rookie has now pitched 3 games on the season for an ERA of 1.86 through 19.1 innings. He’s 1-1 through those 3 starts, and he’s gone 7.0 innings in his last two. A rookie giving up just 4 runs through his first 3 starts is certainly enough to get on anyone’s radar. I was able to pick Plesac up last week and he’s proved to be an immense asset to my squad. Unfortunately, more people are catching on and his % rostered has climbed in the past few weeks, but if you’re in a smaller league you’ll likely be able to grab him. His strikeout numbers are nothing crazy, but 14 through 3 starts certainly doesn’t hurt. He’s not going to come into your team and turn things around, but if you need more consistent production and are willing to take a bit of a gamble on a rookie without much of a track record, he’s your guy.

Lance Lynn (SP) – 26.6% Owned

A few rough starts early on in the season makes for Lynn’s inflated ERA of 4.39 on the year. However, in his last two starts, he’s given up just 2 runs in 6.0 and 6.1 innings pitched. He’s struck out an impressive 36 in his last four starts, which will certainly be a nice bonus to the SO category. His season stats can be deceiving, as he hasn’t given up any more than 3 runs in each of his last 6 gos. His next start comes against Boston on 6/12, which will certainly be a challenge. If you’re willing to take a gamble based on his success in recent starts, I’d say grab him while he’s available. If not, you can hope he’s still available next week where he won’t be facing Boston and its big bats. That being said, he’s had some success against the Sox over his career, giving up just 12 runs in 6 starts with an ERA of 1.91. He’s fanned 20 Red Sox in his career.

Check out our 2019 MLB closer depth chart for a look at each team.