2024 Fantasy Baseball: Pitchers to Target on the Waiver Wire (Week 23)

It’s crunch time across Major League Baseball and fantasy leagues. There are just three weeks left in the 2024 fantasy baseball season and a lot can go right, or very wrong. So, which pitchers are trending upwards right now? Here’s a look at five pitchers readily available on the waiver wire for Week 23 of the fantasy baseball season that we like the most.

Best pitchers to target for Week 23 of 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Here’s a look at the best waiver wire targets for Week 23 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season, based on availability (>= 50% availability in Yahoo! leagues):

We’ll start with Matthew Boyd, who’s turned the clock back to 2019 in a sense. Boyd has been excellent since signing and joining the Guardians, as he’s 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 0.77 WHIP through his first five starts. The 33-year-old lefty struck out 26 over 28.2 IP to this point.

During Boyd’s career season in 2019, one that saw him strike 238 batters, the lefty relied heavily on his fastball and slider. That’s no longer the case, as Boyd’s leaned more on his changeup. It’s a pitch with good fading action and sink, one that goes along well with his sinker that he’s also used more. Sure, he’s still using the slider (20.6%). But, Boyd is a different pitcher now.

The other big name on this list with serious helium is Rhett Lowder. Lowder was one of the best pitchers available last July in the 2023 MLB Draft and, to little shock, he moved up quickly. The former Wake Forest ace debuted in the Majors 13 months after his selection and thus far, Lowder’s been very good. While Lowder has a 1.35 WHIP, the 22-year-old struck out nine over 10.1 IP and a 0.75 ERA.

As we noted last month when Lowder was promoted, it’s still hard to gauge how impactful of a pitcher he’ll be long-term (from a fantasy perspective). Thus far, Lowder’s made a strong case he can change speeds and get hitters to top out on pitchers. Over his first two MLB starts, Lowder recorded a roughly average 44.4% GB% and a fantastic 3.7% Barrel%. However, one question is how many strikeouts he’ll net throughout his career, given his heavy sinker usage.

Nonetheless, his stuff plays. Lowder might not be an elite option right now but certainly one worth watching over the last three weeks. He’ll face the Cardinals on September 10.

Two other starting pitchers worth a look this week are Aaron Civale and DJ Herz. Civale will face the Giants on September 10, the same team he dominated for seven innings on August 29. The Brewers pitcher can be off his game at times but he can net strikeouts. And, he’ll face the Giants in the pitcher-friendly confines of San Francisco this week.

Herz will get the Marlins on September 12. Much like with Civale, Herz will face a team he dominated recently. On June 15, Herz struck out 13 Marlins over six shutout innings in what was his third MLB start.

Granted, he’ll face a vastly different Marlins team, one without Josh Bell and Bryan De La Cruz, among others. But, it’s a friendly matchup against a team that will strike out often. Since August 1, the Marlins are 13th in the league in K% (24.1%) as a team.

Lastly, Luke Weaver is a good option for saves. Weaver netted a save this past weekend for the Yankees after Clay Holmes was removed from the closer’s role. Given how well Weaver’s pitched this season, he stands a good chance of benefiting from a fantasy perspective.

Be sure to check out which hitter waiver wire targets we recommend for Week 23.