Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Preview: Top 10 sleeper pitchers feature Reese Olson, Clarke Schmidt (2024)

The only reason Reese Olson is so available is that he happens to be 0-4, but it's hardly his fault, looking at the rest of his numbers. Something tells me his luck is about to turn with the Royals and Blue Jays on the schedule, the latter of which ranks 29th in runs scored.

Though reports of Erick Fedde's improvement as a bat-misser and ground-ball generator in Korea were greatly exaggerated, he's nonetheless pitched to a 2.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. That sort of stability makes him well worth using in a two-start week, especially when one of the matchups is as favorable as the Blue Jays.

Now recovered from a strained pectoral, Taj Bradley seems poised to take a step forward in his sophom*ore season, having delivered two strong efforts already. A two-start week seems like a good time to put his upside to the test, especially since neither of the matchups is an albatross.

Dean Kremer's vulnerability to the long ball can make him boom-or-bust, but he's held it together for the most part this season. He also has two of the best matchups you could ask for in the Cardinals and White Sox, who both rank in the bottom five in runs scored.

Bryan Woo was able to extend himself to 5 1/3 innings last time out after his first start back from the IL was cut short by forearm tightness. Through it all, the pitching has been top notch, as usual, and having a second start this week should alleviate concerns about his longevity.

After a rocky start to the season, Michael Wacha appears to have gotten back on track with back-to-back quality starts. He's a solid bet for two more with the Tigers and Rays on the schedule this week, two offenses that rank in the bottom half in runs scored.

Clarke Schmidt was harder to take seriously when he was throwing five innings at a time, but his last two starts have seen him extend to 6 2/3 innings and eight innings, respectively. While his 2.49 ERA is too good to be true, the ERA estimators are favorable enough, in large part because of his improved bat-missing ability.

Reid Detmers' past five starts have seen his ERA climb from 1.19 to 5.19, but he's still getting whiffs at a rate normally reserved for aces. The upside he presents in a two-start week remains intriguing enough for Head-to-Head points leagues, where the downside risk is more tolerable.

Gavin Stone has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five straight starts, and though it may seem kind of fluky given his low strikeout rate, he also has the Dodgers offense backing him up. That should be enough to buy in for a two-start week in points leagues, at least, even if one is against a tough Diamondbacks lineup.

Casey Mize hasn't been nearly as dominant as Reese Olson so far, with only one of his pitches (the splitter) looking in any way like a bat-misser, but he's been steady enough that I'm hopeful he can take advantage of those same favorable matchups against the Royals and Blue Jays.