If you're into streaming pitchers or simply have a hole to fill in your lineup, Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're no substitute for some of the universally rostered pitchers, of course, but these are the best you'll be able to do off the waiver wire.
- Week 21: Sleeper hitters | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 21 (Aug. 22-28)
Through six starts, the rookie has a swinging-strike rate as good as Gerrit Cole, a ground-ball rate better than Sandy Alcantara and four pitches with a whiff rate of 30 percent or better. Against the Athletics, Cabrera is a gimme, and a second start doesn't hurt even if it's against the Dodgers.
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Not only is Irvin at home, where he has a 2.12 ERA on the year, but he's facing a Marlins lineup that's arguably the worst in the league against lefties, ranking dead last in both OPS and strikeout rate.
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Luzardo has been hit or miss since returning from a forearm strain, but he's coming off a great start at the Dodgers and shouldn't have too much trouble in a revenge game against what's basically a Triple-A lineup for the Athletics.
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You like seeing the Nationals on the schedule for Lodolo. The Phillies not so much, but the rookie with the sinister curveball did handle them well enough in his very last start, striking out eight over seven shutout innings.
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Springs has dominated the ratio stats all year, but a lack of volume has held him back in Fantasy. A two-start week should help with that, and the first matchup against the Angels is particularly inviting.
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Kirby is never a bad play in Fantasy, but he tends to get yanked before he can deliver a quality start. The depleted Nationals lineup should help him achieve maximum efficiency this week.
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Gibson is exactly the kind of pitcher you wait for the right matchups to use, having seen him come through with three consecutive quality starts against the Reds, Marlins and Nationals before having that streak snapped against the Mets Sunday. Here's betting he gets back on track against the Pirates this week.
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Stripling took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his first start back from a hip strain Wednesday and boasts a 2.93 ERA on the year. Going deep into games has been a consistent problem for him, but it's mitigated by his two starts this week, including one against the Angels.
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Marquez has rebounded from a disastrous first three months with six quality starts in his past seven chances, good for a 3.30 ERA. If you're looking to maximize volume in a points league, he's certainly usable in a two-start week. but the matchups (Rangers at home and Mets on the road) are less than inviting.
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Here's your deep-league special for the week. Voth would be easier to recommend if his upcoming White Sox matchup wasn't followed by an Astros matchup later in the week. Still, he has a 2.27 ERA over his past five appearances, six of them starts, as well as respectable strikeout and walk numbers.
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