Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11

Before we dive into this week's recommendation, kudos to my colleague David Emerick for filling in admirably in this space the last two weeks while I was catching up with family and friends back east.

As we move deeper into the first half of the season, the waiver wire usually thins out a good bit. Most teams are still angling to win and actively participating, and between injuries and finally cutting the cord on early-season disappointments, it can be difficult to find reinforcements. Difficult - but not impossible.

A reminder before we begin: This column focuses on players who are below 50% owned in Yahoo leagues, and standard 5x5 scoring. Your mileage may vary, in terms of availability or league settings. Using that cutoff point for ownership rate, however, these are your starting pitcher waiver wire targets and adds for Week 10 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Nick Pivetta (SP, PHI) — 47% Owned

Odds are if you didn't put in a claim on Pivetta before waivers ran last night, he'll already be gone in your league. That tends to happen when a guy everyone was excited about in the spring comes back from a minor league demotion with two dominant outings. Yesterday he went the distance against the Reds, allowing only one run. That came on the heels of six shutout innings against the Dodgers. In those two starts, Pivetta struck out 15 batters and (perhaps most encouraging) didn't walk any.

Griffin Canning (SP, LAA) — 45% Owned

It's a surprise to see Canning still checking in below the 50% ownership threshold given how effective he's been so far. In his first seven starts, the rookie has produced a 3.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts in 38 innings. The 23-year-old will likely have an innings limit this year, but that won't be an issue for a couple of months. In the meantime, he's running a 15.5% swinging strike rate that would rank among the league leaders if he had enough innings to qualify. What are you waiting for, folks?

Spencer Turnbull (SP, DET) — 36% Owned

Turnbull continues to fly under the radar. Perhaps it's because he plays for a bad team, or he's overshadowed by the dazzling breakout of fellow Tigers starter Matt Boyd. Whatever the case, Turnbull has tossed 72 innings over 13 starts and has a shiny 3.01 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning to show for it. His 1.28 WHIP is admittedly less impressive, but to this point his ability to keep the ball on the ground and out of the bleachers has allowed him to succeed despite occasional wildness and shoddy defensive work from his teammates.

Framber Valdez (SP, HOU) — 30% Owned

Valdez's ownership rate has skyrocketed over the weekend after news broke that he would be inserted in the Astros rotation, but he's still widely available. His first assignment came against the lowly Orioles, and he did exactly what one would hope for against that level of competition. The rookie put up seven innings of one-run ball, striking out seven batters and allowing only five to reach base. It wasn't enough for the win as Houston could muster only one run and the bullpen couldn't get the job done either, but Valdez showed he's worthy of mixed-league consideration.

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Jerad Eickhoff (SP, PHI) — 19% Owned

Eickhoff's last five appearances have been less effective than his first five of the season, but he still has solid overall numbers (4.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 8.0 K/9) that are pretty much in line with his work from 2015-17. That inspires plenty of optimism that the injury problems which derailed him last season are behind him. Eickhoff's vulnerability to the long ball will keep him from being a set it and forget it option, but the good should outweigh the bad.

Pablo Lopez (SP, MIA) — 15% Owned

As I said three weeks ago, you can expect Lopez to continue featuring in this column regularly. Since his meltdown against the Mets a month ago, he's turned in three quality starts in four attempts, sullied only by a tough outing against the surging Nationals. He'll likely remain prone to the occasional blow-up, but the 23-year-old offers plenty of upside with nearly a strikeout per inning and a 1.15 WHIP.

Tyler Mahle (SP, CIN) — 14% Owned

Mahle has just two wins on the year, but he's pitched well enough to have a few more - and to earn a spot on more fantasy  rosters than his current rate of ownership would suggest. Improved command is at the heart of his emergence this season, as he's chopped his walk rate in half while maintaining his strikeout gains from 2018. Mahle will need to get the homers under control to take a further step, but even if he doesn't, he'll be an excellent streamer at worst.

For Your Radar

Felix Pena (SP, LAA) — 10% Owned

No doubt many of you got burned by Pena's disastrous performance in his last appearance against Oakland (seven runs, eight hits, two walks, five outs). I feel you there, but it's important not to let one horrific outing color your perception of a player too much. Wednesday's dumpster fire aside, Pena has been extremely effective as a follower for the Angels this year. He's struck out over a batter per inning and still sports a tidy 1.14 WHIP even in the aftermath of his last turn.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers