Fantasy Baseball Week 27: Identifying Top Sleeper Pitchers, Including Jones and Urena

Streaming pitchers isn't for the faint of heart, but if you find yourself without enough reliable options in a given scoring period, it may be what you need to stay afloat. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all  rostered in no more than 80 percent  of CBS Sports leagues. Generally, only the top two or three are full-throated endorsements, while the rest are more about making the best of a bad situation.

Be sure to check back Sunday for the latest updates.

Sleeper pitchers for Week 27 (Sept. 21-27)

Jared Jones

SP

PIT Pittsburgh

• #17 • Age: 25

Matchups

vs. STL, at DET

Rostered

74%

Jared Jones has been brilliant of late, registering 26 strikeouts versus four walks in his past three starts with a 1.50 ERA, so how fortuitous that he lines up for two turns against not-so-formidable opponents in the final week. And because the Pirates won't be resetting their rotation for the playoffs, he stands a really good chance of actually making the second start.

Tyler Mahle

SP

ATL Atlanta

• #54 • Age: 31

Matchup

vs. CIN

Rostered

74%

Tyler Mahle has yet to miss as a Braves starter, and some of those gems have come against tough opponents. He won't be facing such an opponent this week but instead the Reds' 26th-ranked offense.

Walbert Urena

SP

LAA L.A. Angels

• #57 • Age: 22

Matchup

at ATH

Rostered

73%

Most of the times I've featured Walbert Urena in this space, it's been as a high-floor play, with his elite ground-ball rate making up for some of his inefficiencies. But lately, he's flashed more of a ceiling, going seven innings or more in three of his past four for a 1.93 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. Those ground-ball skills should make Sacramento less daunting for him than it is for some pitchers.

Ryan Johnson

SP

LAA L.A. Angels

• #32 • Age: 24

Matchup

at SEA

Rostered

25%

Ryan Johnson just threw a six-inning gem against the Mariners' bottom-feeder lineup and is in line to face it again this week. He has a 2.04 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over his past seven starts -- a stretch that began on the day pitching coach Mike Maddux was fired -- and a new pitch selection and pregame routine have helped to fuel it.

Peter Lambert

SP

HOU Houston

• #38 • Age: 29

Matchup

at ATH

Rostered

73%

The Athletics' home ballpark might be a little more dangerous for Peter Lambert than for Walbert Urena, but Lambert has been a reliable enough pitcher that I'd feel OK about using him against a lineup that ranks in the bottom third in runs scored. It's not a must, though, which should give you an indication of how lukewarm I am on the rest of this list.

Cristian Javier

SP

HOU Houston

• #53 • Age: 29

Matchups

at SEA, at ATH

Rostered

29%

Cristian Javier has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his past three starts and has some other noteworthy data points, such as a career-high swinging-strike rate and his highest average fastball velocity since his terrific 2022 season. If he can merely survive his start at Sacramento this week, then his other start at Seattle should be good enough to make him a worthwhile play.

Bailey Ober

SP

MIN Minnesota

• #17 • Age: 31

Matchups

at SF, vs. TEX

Rostered

52%

Bailey Ober always seems like he's on the verge of disaster, but he's been playable in his past four turns for a 2.75 ERA and is well-suited for a big venue like San Francisco with his high fly ball rate. He's also a reasonable bet against a Rangers lineup that has the fifth-worst OPS against righties.

Andrew Alvarez

SP

WAS Washington

• #54 • Age: 27

Matchup

vs. NYM

Rostered

22%

Andrew Alvarez is emerging as the same sort of high-floor play that I used to regard Walbert Urena as, boasting a 2.44 ERA in his past eight starts and a 50 percent ground ball rate overall. The Mets offense has been better lately but still has the sixth-worst OPS against lefties.

Zebby Matthews

SP

MIN Minnesota

• #52 • Age: 26

Matchup

at SF

Rostered

47%

Zebby Matthews has a dangerous range of outcomes but leaned heavily on his slider in his last outing and wound up two-hitting the Yankees over six innings, striking out eight. The Giants should help prevent his downside scenario, both with their cavernous ballpark and with the fact that they've been running out a Triple-A lineup most days.

Yusei Kikuchi

SP

LAA L.A. Angels

• #16 • Age: 35

Matchups

at ATH, at SEA

Rostered

22%

I knew better than to recommend Yusei Kikuchi in Week 26, even against a lineup like the Mariners', but here I am doing it again because... quotas. To be fair, it was mostly walks that did him in last time, and he still has a 2.95 ERA over his past four starts.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-week-27-preview-top-10-sleeper-pitchers/)._