Not that you'd sit just any pitcher, of course, but if you're looking to stream with a spot or two, 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. Most likely, they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of Sunday afternoon.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 27 (Sept. 23-29)
Cody Bradford bounced back nicely against the Blue Jays after an eight-run disaster in his previous start, reinforcing that as long as he's keeping the ball in the ballpark, there isn't much a lineup can do with him. That's demonstrably true for an Athletics lineup that tagged Bradford for only two runs in seven innings on Aug. 31 and ranks in the bottom five in runs scored.
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Tobias Myers has been hit-or-miss lately, but he's still a consistent strike-thrower with two quality secondaries (that he should probably throw more often). He also gets two starts this week, including one against a Pirates lineup that ranks in the bottom third in runs scored.
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Zack Littell, who's been a full-time starter for the first time this year, has said he was learning by trial and error at the start of the season and is putting those lessons into practice now. Those lessons have led to him giving up no runs on six hits with one walk and 16 strikeouts over his last 18 innings of work, which is reason enough to consider using him at the Tigers this week.
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After getting buried by home runs during a particularly rough stretch of starts midseason, Kutter Crawford has found more stability lately by emphasizing -- you guessed it -- his cutter. He's still vulnerable to a blowout given his susceptibility to the long ball, but against a lineup like the Rays, the more likely scenario is a quality start with about a strikeout per.
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JP Sears hasn't had as much success as Cody Bradford recently, but the overall profile is pretty similar in that he's a left-hander with fly-ball tendencies and good control. You could argue that his matchup against the Mariners is the better one, though as a word of warning, he did give up five runs over six innings to them on Sept. 4. (Hey, there's a reason these pitchers aren't widely rostered already.)
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Another pitcher who has emphasized his cutter lately, Eduardo Rodriguez has seen his fastball play up as a result, presumably because his cutter helps to disguise it. His past two starts have been his best two during this injury-shortened season, which makes for some good momentum heading into a two-start week.
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Mitch Spence has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his past 11 starts for a 3.66 ERA. The outings have tended toward the shorter side (and with uninspiring peripherals), but in a two-start week with favorable matchups, his ground-ball tendencies should limit the damage enough for him to matter in points leagues.
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Dean Kremer has fared well lately with a 3.12 ERA over his past seven starts and lines up for two this week, which makes him awfully tempting if you're looking to cram in as many starts as you can in a Head-to-Head points scenario. Those two starts come against tough lineups, though, and Kremer is well known for his volatility to begin with.
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The whiffs have improved for Tyler Anderson in the second half, but the actual results haven't, as he's struggled with control and inefficiency. If there's a lineup that serves as a cure-all for pitchers, though, it's the White Sox, who've scored 100 fewer runs than any other lineup.
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Am I honestly recommending a guy who's 4 percent rostered for the final week of the season? Through fear and trembling and with the understanding that it's only for those desperate to max out innings, most likely in a points league. Jack Kochanowicz might not even give you five strikeouts across those two starts, but he's been keeping the ball on the ground and churning out outs efficiently enough to deliver six quality starts in his past seven for a 3.05 ERA. Plus, the first of his two starts (i.e., the one you can be confident he'll actually make) is against the White Sox.
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