Fantasy Sports

Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Chase Burns, Emmet Sheehan Headline Pitchers

For fantasy teams looking for a second-half ace, Chase Burns brings that skill set and ceiling. His innings should be capped late in the year, but his arm looks major-league ready.

Shawn Childs

Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitcher Chase Burns
Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitcher Chase Burns / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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The runner up starting pitching option this week should be Emmit Sheehan if he slipped through the waiver wire cracks last week. His price point should be relatively cheap due to him still being the minors.

Starting Pitching

Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers

After the Dodgers shipped Sheehan back to AAA last weekend, the 12-team fantasy market didn’t gravitate toward him as a buy-and-hold candidate, leaving him in the free agent pool in about two-thirds of shallow leagues. He proceeded to pitch six no-hit shutout innings in his next game in the minors with no walks and 13 strikeouts, suggesting Sheehan will be back with Los Angeles over the next week. Over his 23.1 innings pitched this year, he issued only one walk with 40 strikeouts.

Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds

The next big pitching arm has arrived, and fantasy game managers will fight for him this week on the waiver wire. In his major league debut against the Yankees on Tuesday night, he allowed three runs, six hits, and a home run over five innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.

His right arm was sensational over his previous 10 starts at AA and AAA (7-1 with 1.49 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 69 strikeouts over 54.1 innings). Burns brings a triple-digit fastball and an elite swing-and-miss slider. His changeup has been more relevant over this season. Giddy up!

Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks

The double start storm chasers should have an eye on Nelson this week after an uptick strikeout game (one run and four baserunners over five innings with seven strikeouts) and two matchups at home (SF and KC). Over his last three matchups, he went 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts over 15.2 innings. Nelson should be a free agent in about one-third of 12-team leagues.

Jacob Lopez, Athletics

About 50% of the 12-team market has bought into Lopez’s recent uptick in fantasy value. His two starts next week come at Tampa and at home vs. the Giants. He has been a winning edge over his last four starts (one run, 21 baserunners, and 29 strikeouts over 23.0 innings).

Lopez opened up 2025 with success over 27.0 innings at AAA (3-0 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts). His correction games with the A’s have moved ERA (3.56) and WHIP (1.30) for the year to a more favorable area. He now has 55 strikeouts over 43.0 innings with the Athletics.

Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers

Rocker stabilized over his last two starts with the Rangers (two runs, 13 baserunners, and 10 strikeouts over 10.1 innings), leading to a pair of wins. He pitched well over his three short-inning starts at AAA (one run, six runs, and 12 strikeouts over 11.0 innings). His ERA (6.68) and WHIP (1.66) for the year require significant improvements. Rocker pitches in a pitcher-friendly park (San Diego) next week. He should be in the free-agent pool in most 12-team leagues.

Other Fantasy Baseball News

Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Pavin Smith, Dominic Canzone Lead Outfielders

Week 14 MLB Prospect Watch: Chase DeLauter, Esteury Ruiz Lead Minor League Outfielders

MLB Prospect Watch: Logan Henderson, Andrew Painter, Bubba Chandler Headline Pitchers

MLB Prospect Watch: Blaze Alexander, Trey Mancini Headline Minor League Infielders

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Shawn Childs
SHAWN CHILDS

With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.

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