With the third week of the 2024 fantasy baseball season nearing, it’s time to take a look at pitchers who could boost teams over the coming seven days. So, here’s a look at five pitchers to target on the waiver wire for Week 3, starting with a veteran on a roll thus far.
Lance Lynn
We start our pitcher waiver wire target list with Cardinals starter Lance Lynn, who’s off to a strong start after a rough 2023 season. Lynn owns a strong 2.63 ERA as of April 13 and the veteran struck out 18 over his first 13.2 IP. And while the average fastball velocity for Lynn is down — it sits at 91.7 MPH, down from 92.4 from 2023 — the carry (14.3” of IVB) is up and his release point still makes it a very tough pitch to square up.
There is some understandable concern with Lynn, despite the strong strikeout numbers. The Cardinals righty walked six batters over his first three starts. However, a strong matchup against the A’s on April 16 makes Lynn at least a nice spot start option.
Seth Lugo
The start of the 2024 season has been strange for Seth Lugo. There are positives, namely the 1.43 ERA and the fact he’s given up no home runs to this point. However, Lugo’s Whiff% rate of 17.9% is well below his career average of 23.5%, which explains why he has just nine strikeouts over 18.2 IP. Lugo’s velocity is down this season, as his 92.0 MPH fastball average is down from the 93.4 he averaged in 2023.
He still, however, has the power curveball and a slider he’s leaned on more in 2024 to this point. Lugo is set to face the White Sox on April 15. The 34-year-old gave up just one run over 6.2 IP against Chicago on April 4.
Max Meyer
After season-ending injuries to Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez, it’s nice to see Max Meyer succeed in the rotation. Meyer, who missed all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery recovery, struck out seven Braves over six strong frames on April 13. Meyer is now 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 17 innings.
It’s fair to wonder how many win opportunities Meyer will receive in 2024. However, his plus-plus slider, his go-to pitch since his college days, along with a power four-seamer and changeup give him a good chance to provide value over the coming weeks.
David Robertson
The start of the 2024 season has been a nightmare for 2023 playoff hero Jose Leclerc. Leclerc, who opened up the year as the Rangers’ closer, yielded six walks and eight earned runs over his first five games of the year. That led manager Bruce Bochy to temporarily move Leclerc out of the role and into low-leverage situations.
The move opens up the door for David Robertson, who’s worked as a setup man this season, to get save opportunities for the time being — or even longer. Robertson has 175 career saves to his name.
Ranger Suarez
We finish our Week 3 pitching waiver wire target list with a name from our Week 1 list, Ranger Suarez. Suarez has been masterful to this point for the Phillies, as the lefty struck out 19 over 17 in the 2024 season to this point. The lefty’s been able to get hitters to chase and Suarez’s 82.4 MPH average exit velocity off batted balls is good for the 96th percentile.
Suarez gets a favorable matchup against the Rockies at home on April 16.