Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Preview: Top 10 sleeper pitchers feature Reid Detmers, Spencer Arrighetti
You'll find more strikeout sources than volume plays on the waiver wire this week
By
Scott White
•
1 min read
Streaming pitchers isn't for the faint of heart, but if you find yourself without enough reliable options in a given scoring period, it may be what you need to stay afloat. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Generally, only the top two or three are full-throated endorsements, while the rest are more about making the best of a bad situation.
All information is up to date as of Monday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 5 (April 20-26)
Reid Detmers had his weekend start pushed back, which, like Mick Abel, lines him up for two turns. The second of those turns remains the Royals, who rank dead last in runs scored, but the first is now the Blue Jays, who aren't much better thanks to several injuries to key hitters. Detmers has long been a Fantasy tease, but he's added a changeup this year that's quickly become his best pitch and is learning to lean on it more and more.
| ||
Spencer Arrighetti's return to the majors Wednesday came with an acknowledgment that his secondary offerings are the key to his success. Heavy curveball usage led to him striking out 10 against the Rockies, so even with the control concerns (he issued four walks and hit two batters in that contest), he's practically a must in a two-start week.
| ||
Some tweaks to his slider have made it a more effective pitch and positioned Bryce Elder as a competent bat-misser to go along with his existing ground-ball skills. He's sporting a 0.77 ERA going into a two-start week, which should be good enough for you to overlook the difficult(?) matchup against the Phillies.
| ||
Reynaldo Lopez's latest start against the Marlins was his worst one, but it only raised his ERA to 2.18. He's come back from an injury-marred season with less velocity and is allowing more contact than anyone would like to see, but so far, that contact has been weak enough to make him a success. Here's hoping it'll continue for another week.
| ||
It's been a while since Steven Matz was a pitcher of consequence in Fantasy, but the Rays have him throwing his best pitch (changeup) more. He's responded with three straight starts allowing two runs or fewer, and he's scheduled to face a Reds lineup that entered Sunday tied for last in runs scored.
| ||
After sporting a 0.50 ERA through three turns, Eduardo Rodriguez came back to earth in his latest one due to his changeup, an early standout, reverting to its earlier shape. It's worth holding out hope in him regaining that changeup, though, against a bottom-feeder White Sox lineup.
| ||
While lacking in strikeout ability, Rhett Lowder has the look of a competent innings-eater who generally throws strikes and limits damage. He's exactly the sort of pitcher worth streaming in points leagues whenever he's in line for two starts.
| ||
Max Meyer has yet to deliver a start of much significance in Fantasy, but his slider, which he's featuring more than any other pitch, has been a nightmare for opposing hitters, generating a 56 percent whiff rate. He'll get two chances to make good on it this week, and the matchups are pretty favorable.
| ||
Joey Cantillo had a rough outing last time out, but his previous three were good. He remains a quality bat-misser, and the injury-plagued Blue Jays lineup shouldn't mount much of a challenge.
| ||
It's not the most attractive choice given the iffy matchups and lack of strikeouts so far, but Chad Patrick has a 0.95 ERA so far and is in line for two starts. Fortune favors the bold!
|
