This week has been awful in terms of fantasy baseball.
My hitters are batting below .200 and my pitchers are doing their best to shut me out in all categories. So I need some pitching help to get me through the week.
Here’s two pitchers I’m targeting for back-end starts to hopefully turn around my fortunes.
Derek Holland, Chicago White Sox, SP
Holland is due to toe the rubber Thursday in the series finale against Kansas City. He’s owned in less than 20 percent of leagues, so pick him up on the waiver wire before Thursday.
Holland has been one of the many surprising parts of the Chicago rotation and I don’t see that stopping, as long as injuries don’t derail him again.
In five starts this season, Holland has posted quality starts in four of them, issuing only five earned runs during those starts. He’s not going to give you much else, since he only has 23 strikeouts in five outings this season, but he’s worth an add based on his ability to limit earned runs.
And while most believe Holland will go through a rough patch, I’m not as sold on that idea. Most of his issues during his career haven’t been due to bad pitching; he’s just been injured. If he can stay away from the injury bug, he should stay in your fantasy lineup.
Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves, SP
Pay no attention to Foltynewicz’s record.
That’s the best way to grab him off this week’s waiver wire for a back-end start. He’s been filthy during the first part of the season, despite his 0-3 record.
He has 15 strikeouts in his last two games and is coming off three consecutive quality starts. He’s issuing a few too many free passes, but his strikeout numbers shouldn’t be overlooked, especially for a pitcher on the waiver wire.
He squares off against St. Louis on Friday at home. He’s owned in less than 15 percent of leagues on ESPN.com, so he’s worth an add to build up your fantasy numbers.
