Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 31% of Yahoo! leagues

ANALYSIS: A quick glance at Woodruff's numbers through his first three starts isn't going to make you run to the waiver wire. He boasts a 6.00 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP after giving up four earned runs in each of his last two outings.

However - that doesn't tell the whole story. Woodruff has a magical 20/4 K/BB ratio through just 15 innings, good for a 30.3% k rate and a 6.1% walk rate. He also boasts a much more palatable 2.49 FIP and 3.26 SIERA, indicating that his inflated 6.00 ERA is primarily a product of one bad inning against the Angels.

Woodruff has long shown excellent strikeout numbers, posting a 26.7% k rate last year in 19 appearances, although only four of them were starts. A lot of folks questioned if he would be able to bring his high strikeout stuff with him into the rotation, which he has proven emphatically that yes, he can.

Of course, he's only made it through six innings once in three starts this year, a trend that could cost him in leagues that count quality starts.

For now I'd be rostering Woodruff in anything deeper than 12-teams, regardless of format. If you play in 12-teamers that count K/9 or wins, he's worth a roster spot as well, although QS leagues may want to see him get deeper into games before they pick him up.