Top fantasy baseball starting pitcher waiver pickups for Week 6

With ERAs up around the league and pitchers hitting the IL seemingly every day, the position has been a mess for fantasy managers so far this year. But there’s still plenty of opportunity to patch holes on the waiver wire — here are four targets to consider.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 6 starting pitcher targets

Tanner Bibee, SP, Cleveland Guardians

Roster percentage: 8.7%

Regular readers likely saw our previous item on Bibee and snatched him up before he shoved in his MLB debut, with eight strikeouts over 5.2 innings against the Colorado Rockies. For those who weren’t so lucky, though, there’s still time if you act now. Bibee, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and the latest in a long line of homegrown Guardians starters, saw his fastball velocity pop into the mid-to-upper 90s to go with already solid secondaries and command, which allowed him to tear up the Minors and could earn him a permanent rotation spot.

Josiah Gray, SP, Washington Nationals

Roster percentage: 5.1%

One of the centerpieces of the trade that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gray has started to finally make good on his prospect pedigree. His fastball is still an issue, but if he can avoid giving up long balls off his heater — and early signs are encouraging — that will allow him to work off of his plus slider and curveball. The schedule eases up for a bit after the righty dominated the Mets over six innings of shutout ball, and he could get on a real roll.

Griffin Canning, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Roster percentage: 2.5%

Canning’s last 18 months were lost to injury, but he’s back in the Angels rotation now and showing some signs of life. He’s not quite locked in yet, but he’s deemphasized his mediocre fastball in favor of his slider, changeup and curve, and batters have yet to figure out the offspeed stuff. He’s a bit risky against an elite offense, but with the Angels’ lineup backing him up he’s a solid bet for wins.

Bailey Ober, SP, Minnesota Twins

Roster percentage: 2.1%

Ober was very solid in his first MLB audition last year, with a 3.21 ERA in 11 starts. He just needed opportunity amid a crowded Minnesota rotation. Recent injuries to Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle are a shame, but the silver lining is that Ober is more than ready to fill that void. The Twins boast a pitcher-friendly home park and a solid offense, and the 6’9 righty has the command and fastball/slider combination to put up solid ratios.