Here are The Game Day’s Week 16 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Two-Start Pitchers & Hitter Picks. Use Josh Shepardson’s Week 16 MLB Sleepers to fill out your fantasy baseball lineups with upside plays.
Week 16 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Week 16 Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers To Add From Waiver Wire
Adbert Alzolay, Chicago Cubs (27% rostered in Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues)
- Start 1: at Arizona Diamondbacks
- Start 2: at St. Louis Cardinals
Adbert Alzolay has struggled in four starts since returning from an injured list stint for a blister. However, his 6.41 ERA overstates his struggles. According to FanGraphs, he owns a 4.15 SIERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.2 BB%, 22.9 K% and 27.5 CSW%, all of which are all far less alarming marks for his rest-of-season outlook.
During this scoring period, he has a pair of favorable matchups. The Arizona Diamondbacks rank 29th in wRC+ (79), and the St. Louis Cardinals rank 26th in wRC+ (86) against righties.
- Adbert Alzolay fantasy baseball tip: Alzolay’s post-blister struggles enhance his risk. Still, he’s a viable option in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
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Alex Cobb, Los Angeles Angels (21%)
- Start 1: vs. Seattle Mariners
- Start 2: at Minnesota Twins
The gap between Alex Cobb‘s 4.23 ERA and 3.43 SIERA is stark. The righty’s biggest problem has been a 58.9 LOB% that’s considerably lower than his career 72.4 LOB%. However, the rest of his profile — which includes a 56.5 GB%, 1.23 WHIP, 7.6 BB%, 26.7 K% and 30.6 CSW% — is enticing.
Cobb closed the first half by holding the Seattle Mariners to two runs (both unearned) on four hits, three walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. He’ll face them again in his next turn. The Mariners land at No. 20 in wRC+ (89) and have an exploitable 26.0 K% against righties this year. The Minnesota Twins represent a more challenging matchup, coming in at No. 11 in wRC+ (102) against right-handed pitchers.
- Alex Cobb fantasy baseball tip: Despite Cobb’s tricky second matchup, he’s a stellar option in 12-team mixers.
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels (26%)
- Start 1: vs. Seattle Mariners
- Start 2: at Minnesota Twins
Patrick Sandoval started the year with three relief appearances. He’s made an excellent transition to a starter since then, totaling 48.2 innings in nine starts. The lefty has a 3.33 ERA, 3.93 SIERA, 1.21 WHIP, 9.5 BB%, 25.6 K% and 31.4 CSW%.
Like Cobb, Sandoval’s final start of the first half was a gem against the Mariners. In fact, Sandoval was even sharper than Cobb, holding the Mariners to two runs on six hits, two walks and six strikeouts in seven innings.
The Mariners are bad against lefties, sitting at No. 26 in wRC+ (88) while punching out at a 26.9% clip. Unfortunately, the Twins are an even more challenging second matchup for him since they rank sixth against lefties, boasting a 109 wRC+.
- Patrick Sandoval fantasy baseball tip: Sandoval’s second start of the week nudges him a pinch below Alzolay and Cobb. Regardless, he’s also a fantastic option in 12-team mixers.
Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants (27%)
- Start 1: at St. Louis Cardinals
- Start 2: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Following the All-Star break, the extended scoring period opens the door for a fourth two-start pitcher rather than featuring a spot starter. Johnny Cueto rounds out the selections with a pair of friendly draws in a somewhat resurgent age-35 season.
Cueto’s 4.15 ERA and 4.25 SIERA are ho-hum. Ditto for his 1.32 WHIP and 19.6 K%. However, Cueto’s done an exquisite job of avoiding free passes, walking only 4.5% of the batters he’s faced. The veteran righty is largely a matchup-driven streaming option this week, though.
The Red Birds’ struggles with righties were noted in Alzolay’s write-up. The Pittsburgh Pirates are even worse than their National League Central foes, ranking one spot behind them at No. 27 in wRC+ (85) against right-handed pitchers.
- Johnny Cueto fantasy baseball tip: Cueto’s a fringe 12-team mixer option, yet he’s an appealing streamer in 14-team mixers or deeper formats.
See our full 2021 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list for Week 16.
Week 16 MLB Sleeper Hitters To Add From Waiver Wire
A.J. Pollock, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (49%)
Gavin Lux, 2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers (49%)
- 3 Games at Colorado Rockies
- 4 Games at San Francisco Giants
- 3 Games vs. Colorado Rockies
The Los Angeles Dodgers play 10 games in 10 days, starting their second half on Friday. Three of those games will be at Major League Baseball’s hitting paradise, Coors Field. The volume of games and three on the docket at Coors Field provide A.J. Pollock and Gavin Lux a value bump for this scoring period.
Brandon Nimmo, OF, New York Mets (33%)
J.D. Davis, 3B/OF, New York Mets (38%)
- 3 Games at Pittsburgh Pirates
- 3 Games at Cincinnati Reds
- 3 Games vs. Toronto Blue Jays
The New York Mets play one less game than the Dodgers. Still, they have a couple of teammates, Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis, who are worth a look in fantasy leagues for this scoring period. In addition, they’ll get a value boost from three games at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park and facing the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates have the sixth-highest team ERA (4.88), while the Reds come in at 4.39.
