Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Time to put Zebby Matthews over 50%

The list of exciting fantasy baseball waiver wire options continues to be led by the hurlers, as at least a couple of starters seem to burst onto the radar each week. On the hitting side, an underrated slugger from Texas tops the list.

Pitchers to add

Zebby Matthews, SP, Twins, 38%: It’s time for Matthews to push past the 50% threshold. After all, there may not be another starter on the waiver wire who can match his 17:2 K:BB ratio. Matthews is known for racking up whiffs and limiting walks, and he has thrown at least six innings in each of his three starts. With most of the recent exciting waiver wire starters now rostered in the majority of leagues, Matthews deserves to be the next one to graduate.

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Cade Cavalli, SP, Nationals, 33%: Although we’ve been teased by Cavalli in the past, there are reasons to hope that his recent streak of success could be sustainable. The right-hander had been prone to walks throughout his career before flipping a switch on April 18 and logging an impressive 1.8 BB/9 rate across his past eight starts. The improved control hasn’t impacted his swing-and-miss abilities, as he has produced an 11.3 K/9 rate across those eight outings. Cavalli did not allow more than three runs in any of those eight starts, and given the effectiveness of a Nats lineup that ranks first in runs scored, he could earn plenty of wins by remaining consistent.

Jared Jones, SP, Pirates, 46%: Jones will make his first start since 2024 when he returns from Tommy John surgery to tangle with the Twins on Friday. The right-hander with elite heat showed terrific swing-and-miss skills (9.8 K/9 rate) and solid control (2.9 BB/9 rate) during his rookie season. He returns to a much-improved Pirates team that ranks fifth in runs scored, which offers hope that Jones could win his share of games by repeating his freshman ratios (4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP).

Admittedly, fantasy managers could be initially cautious about using someone in their starting lineup who is returning from such a long absence.

Spencer Miles, SP/RP, Blue Jays, 3%: A Rule 5 draft pick last December, Miles has become the savior of an injury-impacted Blue Jays pitching staff. The 25-year-old is arguably the team’s No. 3 starter while Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber remain on the injured list, and in his past four outings, Miles has produced a 0.59 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB ratio. He has yet to reach 70 pitches in an appearance, but with the Blue Jays’ desire to use an opener ahead of him, Miles can earn a win by throwing four innings.

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Hitters to add

Jake Burger, 1B, Rangers, 29%: Managers who are searching for a slugger should have Burger atop their list. Among players who remain available in more than half of Yahoo leagues, the veteran ranks first in RBI and second in home runs. The career .246 hitter is unlikely to ever be a batting average asset, but he also won’t significantly hurt a fantasy team in that category, and his power skills are undeniable. On a Rangers team that is searching for impactful hitters, Burger is surely going to receive a heavy workload.

Spencer Steer, 1B/OF, Reds, 43%: Steer makes an appearance in this article for a second straight week, as he continues to show notable improvements with his average exit velocity (89.8 mph) and barrel rate (13.6%). His strikeout rate has also trended in the right direction this season, which has contributed to attention-grabbing marks in xBA (.278) and xSLG (.511). From 2023-25, Steer was a 20-homer player despite logging mediocre batted-ball data, which raises hope that he can hit 25-30 homers with his improved skill set.

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Jacob Young, OF, Nationals, 3%: Although Young has produced ordinary statistics (7 HR, 3 SB, .233 BA), there are reasons to add him in 12-team, five-outfielder leagues. The outfielder has improved his quality of contact, logging career-best marks in average exit velocity (89.0 mph) and barrel rate (6.0%). His xBA is a solid .269, and although he has a low steals total, Young stole 33 bases just two seasons ago and still possesses 95th percentile sprint speed. An outstanding fielder, Young has earned regular playing time and could be a five-category contributor.

Hitters with favorable weekend matchups

Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Brewers, 40%: Bauers has generated little fantasy buzz despite enjoying a solid season that includes eight homers, 30 RBI, 4 steals and a .287 average. In fact, even in a talented Brewers lineup, his .851 OPS ranks second among players who have logged at least 55 at-bats. The lefty slugger will be perfectly positioned for success this weekend, when he faces three right-handed starters from an Astros staff that ranks 29th in baseball with a 5.12 ERA.

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Cedric Mullins, OF, Rays, 5%: Wise fantasy managers will look past Mullins’ overall .190 average and instead focus on the .279 mark he has posted in May. The speedy outfielder (10 steals) has cut his strikeout rate this month, which makes him a good candidate to reach base often and score some runs against an Angels staff that ranks among the bottom 5 in baseball in both ERA (4.74) and WHIP (1.43).

Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference):

Zebby Matthews @ PIT (Sunday, 38%)

Ben Brown @ STL (Saturday, 43%)

Jansen Junk @ NYM (Sunday, 7%)

Jared Jones vs. MIN (Friday, 46%)

Spencer Miles @ BAL (Sunday, 3%)