If you're into streaming pitchers or simply have a hole to fill in your lineup, Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in no more than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're no substitute for some of the universally rostered pitchers, of course, but these are the best you'll be able to do off the waiver wire.
- Week 14: Sleeper hitters | Two-start pitchers
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Sleeper pitchers for Week 14 (July 4-10)
The popular breakout pick seemingly put it all together in June, to the point it no longer matters so much what the matchup is. With a 2.70 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 in his past seven starts, Gray is perfectly advisable against the Twins.
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After missing his last turn due to a family medical emergency, Springs returns Tuesday. It's a tough Red Sox lineup he'll be facing, but his changeup still features plenty of swing-and-miss. Suffice it to say this week's crop of sleeper pitchers is on the weaker side.
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Ashby's return from a mild forearm injury this weekend doesn't go as hoped -- and against the same Pirates lineup he's scheduled to face this week. We'll chalk it up to rust, though, given his penchant for both strikeouts and ground balls.
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Greene's past three starts have been terrible, and my confidence in him has worn thin. The fact I'm including him here should indicate how uninspiring this week's crop of sleeper pitchers is, but he's still capable of contributing 15-plus strikeouts in a two-start week.
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Wood has been a head-scratcher all year, with the underlying numbers (in particular his 3.36 xFIP) suggesting he should be far more successful than he's been. It's the justification for using him in a two-start week, especially since one of them is against the 21st-ranked Diamondbacks offense.
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Plesac is riding a stretch of six straight quality starts, and his whiff rate has actually been respectable in the past two, possibly because of increased slider usage. You're still playing with fire by using him, but having two starts against bottom-five offenses (Royals and Tigers) makes him potentially just as rewarding.
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Urquidy seems to be settling in as a league-average pitcher after being hyped as more early in career, but he's currently enjoying his best stretch of the season with three straight quality starts. The Royals always make for a decent matchup.
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Greinke's fastball velocity was up nearly 2 mph in each of his first two starts back from a flexor strain, and they were arguably his best starts of the season. He still makes for a big roll of the dice in a two-start week, but his lengthy track record of success earns him some benefit of the doubt.
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Three of Hendricks' past four starts have been strong and one has been a disaster, which kind of sums his past two seasons. When things go wrong for him, they go really wrong, and seeing as one of his two matchups this week is the Dodgers, the chance for disaster is heightened. Still, if you're a sucker for volume, you might be tempted to try it.
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My original choice to round out my sleeper pitchers for Week 14 was Michael Lorenzen, but after his latest disastrous outing this weekend, I knew I needed to find someone, anyone, to replace him. So, uh ... Drew Rasmussen came back from the IL over the weekend and looked decent over 4 2/3 innings. He still has a 3.30 ERA on the year, and his matchup against the Reds is favorable. Good enough?
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