Mat Latos (SP, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickup

BALLER MOVE: 12+ Team Leagues and NL-Only Leagues

OWNED IN: 40% of Flea Flicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Mat Latos had about as terrible a year as a ball player could in 2015. It started with him being traded away from a team he didn't want to leave to suffering through a knee injury all season long. He eventually bottomed out as a reliever for the Angels (his third team of the year) to close out the season. Understandably, the fantasy and real baseball world collectively turned their back on Latos in the following off-season, with him going undrafted in nearly all fantasy leagues after he signed a single year pact worth $3 million with the White Sox.

Now, Latos' ownership rate is surging with each start as his blistering beginning to 2016 continues to turn heads. After three starts, he is 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 18.1 innings, making him Flea Flicker's 11th-best starter so far. While Latos isn't going to be in the top 10 come the end of the season, his career marks in ERA (3.46), K/9 (8.03) and WHIP (1.17) give reason to believe this isn't an illusion.

With continued health, there appears to be nothing holding Latos back from returning to his mid-rotation form. In his last full healthy season, 2013, he went 14-7 with a 3.16 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 210.1 innings despite a less than favorable home park. After settling for a one-year contract to reestablish his market value, Latos is doing all that he can to get some of that Mike Leake money. Fantasy owners might not get a cent of his future paychecks, but they will reap the benefits of how he earns it.