Here are The Game Day’s Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 2-Start Pitchers, Spot Starters, & Hitter Picks. Use Josh Shepardson’s Week 19 MLB Sleepers to fill out your fantasy baseball lineups with upside plays.
Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Week 19 Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers To Add From Waiver Wire
Tylor Megill, New York Mets (43% rostered in Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues)
- Start 1: at Miami Marlins
- Start 2: at Philadelphia Phillies
Tylor Megill is enjoying a delightful rookie season. According to FanGraphs, in seven starts lasting 35 and 1/3 innings, he’s dazzled with a 2.04 ERA, 3.77 SIERA, 1.10 WHIP, 7.6 BB%, 27.1 K% and 25.7 CSW%. Unfortunately, the righty’s gap between his ERA and SIERA suggests regression on the horizon. Nonetheless, his SIERA is respectable.
Further, he has a pair of favorable matchups for fending off regression for another week. The Miami Marlins rank tied for 19th in wRC+ (90) against righties and traded some of their top hitters before the MLB trade deadline. Also, the Phillies rank tied for 21st in wRC+ (88) against righties.
- Tylor Megill fantasy baseball tip: Megill’s a viable option universally this week.
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Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals (19%)
- Start 1: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
- Start 2: at Atlanta Braves
Josiah Gray is one of the integral pieces of the blockbuster deal in which the Washington Nationals sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The rookie right-hander makes his debut for his new team on Monday against the previously-discussed Phillies. It’s a plus matchup.
As for Gray, he’s a high-upside hurler who’s gotten his feet wet across two appearances (one start) lasting eight innings. Gray’s 37.1 K% and 35.8 CSW% in the admittedly small sample of eight innings are elite marks.
- Josiah Gray fantasy baseball tip: There’s always a risk to using a rookie pitcher with limited big-league experience. Regardless, Gray’s elite swing-and-miss stuff makes him a two-start pitcher gamble worth taking this week in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
Andrew Heaney, New York Yankees (53%)
- Start 1: vs. Baltimore Orioles
- Start 2: vs. Seattle Mariners
The two-start pitcher options are limited this week. So, I’m loosening the restrictions and featuring Andrew Heaney, despite his presence on more than 50% of Yahoo! rosters. The 30-year-old southpaw is making his first start with the New York Yankees.
Despite promising ERA estimators and other underlying stats, Heaney enters this week with a 5.27 ERA. While the ERA obviously leaves a lot to be desired, perhaps a change of scenery will allow him to pitch closer to his 3.72 SIERA.
- Andrew Heaney fantasy baseball tip: Heaney’s on the highest percentage of rosters out of the featured pitchers. Yet, he’s my least favorite two-start pitcher included, and I suggest only gamers in 14-team mixers or larger formats use him this week.
Jul 28, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (28) throws against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Spot Starters To Add From Waiver Wire
Touki Toussaint, RHP, Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals (45%)
Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater after Touki Toussaint’s dreadful most recent start. He has a plum draw to turn things back around this week, facing the St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Birds rank No. 24 in wRC+ (87) against right-handed pitchers in 2021.
Before Toussaint’s stinker against the Milwaukee Brewers, he dominated the San Diego Padres and Phillies in two starts. Overall, he’s been a strikeout machine, retiring 28.2% of the hitters he’s faced by strikeout. Toussaint’s curve and splitter give him two filthy putaway pitches.
- Touki Toussaint fantasy baseball tip: Toussaint’s a viable streamer in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers, with potential staying power if he reverts to his dominant form.
See our full 2021 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list for Week 19.
Week 19 MLB Sleeper Hitters To Add From Waiver Wire
Brendan Rodgers, 2B/SS, Colorado Rockies (16%)
Sam Hilliard, OF, Colorado Rockies (1%)
- 3 Games vs. Chicago Cubs
- 3 Games vs. Miami Marlins
The Colorado Rockies host a pair of three-game series. Coors Field is MLB’s top-hitting venue, and Brendan Rodgers and Sam Hilliard offer gamers two widely available streaming options.
Rodgers has settled into the second spot in the order, and he’s riding a nine-game hitting streak. Meanwhile, Hilliard’s amassed a .279/350/.586 slash with eight homers and three stolen bases in 123 plate appearances at home in his young career.
