Thanks to a litany of injuries and pitcher struggles, it’s been a busy week for fantasy owners. That, however, brings forth opportunity. Here’s a look at our list of Week 5 pitchers to target on the waiver wire for the 2025 fantasy baseball season, which includes a returning arm and several save options.
Best Week 5 pitchers to target
- SP Brayan Bello (Red Sox)
- RP Camilo Doval (Giants)
- SP Tony Gonsolin (Dodgers)
- SP Jose Quintana (Brewers)
- RP Luke Weaver (Yankees)
First, an audit of our Week 4 picks.
Jameson Taillon pitched beautifully against the Phillies, limiting Philadelphia to one earned run over seven innings on April 27. Jack Leiter, meanwhile, returned from the IL and struck out three over 3.1 in his first start back. However, he walked four.
Aside from those picks, it was a tough week. Logan Allen and Grant Holmes, who are still decent streaming options in the near future, got beaten up by buzzsaws this past week. Logan Henderson was demoted as Tobias Myers returned from the injured list.
Anyway, on to Week 5.
I’ll start with the relievers, as these two are obvious grabs if they’re available. Camilo Doval picked up three saves and a win over the last week, as he’s emerged as a co-ninth-inning option with Ryan Walker. Walker’s metrics and numbers have been largely fine in 2025 but he had two awful, back-to-back outings on the 20th and 23rd.
Luke Weaver, meanwhile, was a savior for fantasy owners late last year. He may be once more in 2025 as Devin Williams, for now, has been removed from the Yankees’ closer role. We’ll see how long this lasts, especially since Aaron Boone praised Williams’ CV in recent days.
Tony Gonsolin is scheduled to return from the IL on April 30 and start for the Dodgers against the Marlins. It’s been a long time since Gonsolin pitched in the Majors, as he last threw a pitch in 2023 before needing to recover from Tommy John surgery, and also, back troubles.
Gonsolin is not a premium arm, despite the stellar 16-win season he had in 2022. The right-hander has a roughly fringe-average four-seamer that doesn’t have premium velocity nor movement (16.0” IVB in 2023). What Gonsolin does at his best is keep hitters off balance with his splitter and slider.
But with the Dodgers, Gonsolin is an attractive name in mixed leagues — for obvious reasons.
Next up is Jose Quintana, who keeps humming along. Quintana entered play on April 27 with the fifth-lowest ERA (.96) in the Majors (min. 15 IP) for April. The Brewers left-hander added another win to his ledger on the 27th, as he’s now 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA and 15 K over 23.2 IP.
Look, Quintana doesn’t miss many bats. However, as noted when Quintana signed with the Brewers, the lefty possesses a very good sinker and changeup, plus an effective curve. He’s using the sinker and changeup more with Milwaukee to induce ground balls, and thus far, it’s working.
Lastly, Brayan Bello won his second game of the year on the 27th against the Guardians. With Boston, Bello is a good bet to get 10+ wins; he did so in 2023 and 2024. Plus, he limits well-hit contact thanks to a premium sinker with velocity and movement.
He’ll give up his base hits. Nonetheless, he has mixed league value.
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