There's no replacement for a high-end hurler, of course, but if you're looking to stream pitchers, then you've come to the right place. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Most likely, they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
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All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 6 (May 1-7)
MacKenzie Gore's 10-strikeout performance against the Mets last time out really put the start to his season into perspective. While the walks are a bit concerning, the stuff is playing up, and he'll get two bats at the apple this week, facing the Cubs and Diamondbacks.
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Drew Smyly's follow-up effort to his bid for perfection was nothing too crazy, but he's still given up a combined four earned runs in his past four starts. It means you can trust him with matchups as favorable as the Nationals and Marlins this week.
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Yusei Kikuchi has changed up his pitch mix so he's no longer as reliant on his fastball, and four of his first five starts have been excellent. He still tends to give up hard contact, but you'll roll the dice in a two-start week.
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By the ways we typically evaluate pitchers, Tyler Wells doesn't stand out, but he's been a strike-thrower of the highest order so far while also limiting hits with his high fly-ball rate. His two matchups this week (Royals, Braves) are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, but it's not a bad time to try him out.
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The Tigers got to Kyle Gibson in his second consecutive start against them Thursday, which might give you some pause even with another favorable matchup coming up at Kansas City. But it's his first time facing the Royals this year, and his chances of a quality start are still better than not.
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Apart from a disastrous first outing, Andrew Heaney has been solid in his first season with the Rangers and is coming off back-to-back quality starts. He's far from must-start in his upcoming matchup against the Diamondbacks, but that's not the exercise here, is it? More likely than not, he'll do fine.
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Mason Miller is 0 for 2 with regard to making it five innings, and his big fastball hasn't proven to be a big bat-misser so far. But his upside remains considerable, and he gets two cracks at it this week, both favorable matchups against the Mariners and Royals.
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Roansy Contreras seems to have settled in over his past three outings, all quality starts, but the strikeout rate has been less than advertised. If you're looking to maximize volume, you could justify using him in a two-start week, though the matchups against the Rays and Blue Jays are a bit scary.
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Domingo German's swinging-strike rate has been nothing short of incredible so far, and the upside it speaks to is what's earning him a place on this list in a two-start week. But it's worth noting that the results actually haven't been great so far, and the matchups this week (Guardians, Rays) could be better.
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Hayden Wesneski's last turn against the Padres Thursday was respectable enough to earn him some consideration with two favorable matchups (Nationals, Marlins) this week. But there isn't much reason for optimism in the underlying data, so it's a definite risk.
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