Here are The Game Day’s Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 2-Start Pitchers, Spot Starters, & Hitter Picks. Use Josh Shepardson’s Week 12 MLB Sleepers to fill out your fantasy baseball lineups with upside plays.
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Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Week 12 Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers To Add From Waiver Wire
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals (41% rostered on Yahoo!)
- Start 1: vs. Miami Marlins
- Start 2: at Atlanta Braves
Adam Wainwright is defying Father Time. After a four-year run of mediocrity or worse from 2016-2019, he’s working on his second stellar season in a row. According to FanGraphs, in 12 starts spanning 73.2 innings, he’s responsible for a 4.03 ERA, 3.97 SIERA, 1.14 WHIP, 6.2 BB%, 21.8 K%, and 30.5 CSW%.
Waino’s been a called-strikes whiz this year, as a 22.6 called-strikes percentage drives his rock-solid 30.5 CSW%. His curve has generated a 13.7 SwStr%, giving him a putaway pitch that can miss bats at a useful rate. His matchups are more middle of the road than plusses, as the Miami Marlins rank 17th in wRC+ and the Atlanta Braves rank 12th in wRC+ against righties this year with a 95 wRC+ and 102 wRC+, respectively.
- Adam Wainwright fantasy baseball tip: Wainwright’s the top two-start pitcher of a bland group next week, and he’s a viable option in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
Tyler Anderson, Pittsburgh Pirates (10%)
- Start 1: at Washington Nationals
- Start 2: vs. Cleveland Indians
Tyler Anderson has been a model of consistency this year. He’s pitched five or more innings in all 12 of his turns, and he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 starts. Unfortunately, one messy start against the Atlanta Braves in which he coughed up nine runs in five innings skews his overall numbers.
If you remove his disaster against the Braves, he sports a 3.59 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 6.7 BB%, and 21.2 K%. Not too shabby. The Washington Nationals represent a challenging matchup, ranking tied for sixth with a 111 wRC+ against southpaws. The Cleveland Indians are a plus matchup, though, ranking tied for 25th with a 86 wRC+.
- Tyler Anderson fantasy baseball tip: Anderson’s nearly neck and neck with Waino for top two-start pitcher next week, and he too is worth a look in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
Jean Carlos (J.C.) Mejia, Cleveland Indians (2%)
- Start 1: vs. Baltimore Orioles
- Start 2: at Pittsburgh Pirates
Jean Carlos Mejia (listed as J.C. Mejia in Yahoo!’s player pool) is your deep-league and AL-only special this week. The rookie’s transition to starter hasn’t been seamless. After getting up to a season-high 50 pitches in his first start of the year on June 4, he was chased before finishing an inning in his last start, throwing only 38 pitches.
A pitch restriction is the biggest knock on Mejia. Nevertheless, the righty’s 3.55 SIERA is notably better than his 4.15 ERA. Further, his 1.04 WHIP, 55.0 GB%, and 29.4 K% are all intriguing. His matchups are favorable, too. The Baltimore Orioles rank 25th with an 84 wRC+ against righties, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are worse, ranking tied for 28th with an 82 wRC+.
- Jean Carlos Mejia fantasy baseball tip: Gamers in 14-team mixers or larger and AL-only formats should consider Mejia for his two fantasy-friendly matchups next week.
Detroit Tigers SP Tarik Skubal has a soft matchup for fantasy baseball Week 12. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Spot Starters To Add From Waiver Wire
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (45%)
I recently sang Tarik Skubal’s praises, touting him as a priority waiver claim. He stumbled in a tough matchup with the Chicago White Sox, but it wasn’t a completely disastrous start. Further, in his last seven starts spanning 38.0 innings, he’s dazzled with a 3.32 ERA, 3.13 SIERA, 1.34 WHIP, 9.3 BB%, 34.8 K%, and 29.8 CSW%. He’s locked in and a major asset for strikeouts.
Skubal has a bounce-back matchup on tap against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals rank tied for 22nd with a 92 wRC+ against southpaws this year.
- Tarik Skubal fantasy baseball tip: Skubal’s skills and matchup warrant streaming in leagues as shallow as 10-team mixers. However, he’s good enough to scoop up as a roster mainstay in 12-team mixers or deeper.
Week 12 MLB Sleeper Hitters To Add From Waiver Wire
C.J. Cron, 1B, Colorado Rockies (35%)
- 3 Games vs. San Diego Padres
- 4 Games vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The Colorado Rockies are home for a full complement of seven games next week. According to the park factors at FantasyPros, Coors Field has the second-highest park factors for homers (1.257) and doubles (1.345), and it leads the way for runs (1.362), singles (1.230), and triples (2.177).
Cron’s enjoyed home cooking in his first year with the Rockies. He’s slashing .265/.365/.506 with four homers, 14 runs, and 14 RBIs in 96 plate appearances at home this season.
Willy Adames, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (21%)
Luis Urias, 2B/3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers (8%)
- 3 Games vs. Cincinnati Reds
- 4 Games at Colorado Rockies
I was torn between which infielder from the Milwaukee Brewers to include. Ultimately, I decided to feature both Willy Adames and Luis Urias. Their values are increased next week by the four-game series at Coors Field.
The duo has been hot over the last 30 days. Urias has hit .270/.368/.486 with four homers, 14 runs, 10 RBIs, and one stolen base while frequently hitting leadoff over the last 30 days. Adames has been even hotter during that time frame, hitting .301/.402/.518 with four homers, 13 runs, and 17 RBIs. He’s thrived in a change of scenery with the Brewers.
I’d prioritize snagging Adames over Urias by the slimmest of margins.
