Kyle Gibson (SP, MIN) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 26% of leagues

ANALYSIS: "Is Kyle Gibson good now?" It's the question gripping the nation...and by "nation" I of course mean "a small portion of the already niche population that is fantasy baseball owners." With another quality start on Sunday in Chicago, Gibson now has a 3.49 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 44 strikeouts in 38.2 innings this year. This continues the trend from the second half of 2017. Dating back to July 22 of last season, Gibson is 8-3 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 in his last 19 starts. A look under the hood doesn't immediately bring up any major changes in pitch mix or velocity, but Gibson is inducing more whiffs anyway despite hitters offering at fewer pitches out of the zone. He seems to be doing a better job of locating his fastball up in the zone, but beyond that it's hard to point to anything definitive.

If Gibson can keep missing bats like this, his groundball-heavy profile and weak divisional opponents should keep him worthy of mixed-league consideration.