Zach Wheeler (SP, NYM) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 19% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Zach Wheeler owners have a bit of regret if they added him last week and watched him struggle against the Rockies on Friday. Up to this start, Wheeler has been reasonably useful for a player who did not make the team out of Spring Training. In the previous four starts, Wheeler has gone 2-1 with 21 strikeouts in 22 innings, all while posting an ERA of 4.09. Not great numbers, but worth a play with the right match-up and for the risk of wins due to the potent offense behind him.

Why then should owners hope that Wheeler defaults back to the middling SP4 as opposed to the auto-drop from this past week? Wheeler tends to pitch well based on the match-ups, which makes sense for all pitchers but shines concerning Wheeler. Pitching away against the Padres and Marlins: two wins, 12 innings, three earned runs, and 16 strikeouts. Clearly, the stuff is there for Wheeler to match-up well with bad offenses, which again should not be unique, but offers a compelling streaming option. With his track record, there is a good bet that Wheeler can recover a bit and serve as a useful bench stash for terms of streaming since he is “good enough” to not lose. Even better Wheeler’s next match-ups? Cincinnati, Toronto, and Miami. Add and stash to start in the first and the latter.