Chase Burns is the Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitcher Pickup to Start Week

After checking out some fantasy baseball waiver wire targets, let's now go over some pitchers.

Also be sure to check out the streaming article for Monday, the weekly projection/waiver wire story and the FantasySP expert tips article.

Check out the top fantasy baseball waiver wire options everyday on FantasySP. 

Should You Add Chase Burns?

There's going to be some shorter writeups today, and that's so we can spend some extra time on Burns.

The Reds' pitching prospect will be called up to start against the Yankees on Tuesday. Burns is already rostered in 60.35% of leagues after a 13.98% increase today, and both those numbers will go up before the end of the day. Burns might be owned in most leagues by the time he actually takes the mound on Tuesday.

Burns is the No. 11 prospect in baseball and was drafted second overall in last summer's draft. He is 22 years old, throws right-handed, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds.

He has a 60 overall grade, with a 70-grade slider. He also has above-average marks on his fastball (65), curveball (60) and changeup (55). Burns' control is a 50.

Burns did not pitch in the minor leagues last season. He's already been at three different minor league levels this year, starting at High-A, then moving to Double-A and Triple-A. He's covered 66 innings overall and sits with a 7-3 record and 1.77 earned run average. Burns has 89 strikeouts, just 13 walks and a .167 average against him.

He's worked at least five innings in nine straight starts, but has upped things a bit of late. Burns has gone at least six innings in three of his past four starts, collecting 24 punchouts over that span.

He hasn't allowed over four hits in a start dating back to May 2, which also spans eight starts. Burns walked four guys in his first AAA start, but didn't allow a walk over seven innings in his last appearance.

Burns was expected to debut at some point in 2025, and the Reds decided that now was the time to give him a taste of the big leagues. I'm a bit surprised that Cincy chose to start him against a top-end offense like the Yankees, but there's no need to keep him in the minor leagues anymore.

That matchup against the Yankees might mean a lot of fantasy owners stay away from him, but a lot of highly-regarded pitchers can shut down the top offenses right from the start of their MLB careers, especially because there isn't a ton of film or things to go off of.

I'd personally feel best starting him in deeper leagues for his Tuesday start, but I also wouldn't be completely opposed to streaming him in standard leagues.

Streaming might not even be the right word, because as you can see by his surge in own percentage and mark overall already, he's expected to star right away as a fantasy asset.

I'd be inclined to add Burns in all redraft leagues immediately. He's highly regarded for a reason, and there's a chance he turns into a fantasy stud right from his opening MLB start. I'm willing to take that gamble, because the reward could be super sweet.

Some fantasy owners are going to add and stash Burns, especially in standard leagues. That makes sense given the matchup he has on Tuesday. I'd rather stash Burns than risk someone else picking him up between now and his first start, or right after his first start.

Take the gamble on Burns before it's too late.

Should You Add Stephen Kolek?

Kolek is a streaming option on Monday against the Nationals. He's up 8.68% and sits at 25.95% overall.

Kolek has made nine starts so far this season, with the Padres going 4-5 in those contests. Kolek is 3-2 with a 3.59 ERA over 52 2/3 innings. He's allowed 23 runs (21 earned) on 49 hits and 19 walks, while striking out 37 batters.

He's not faced the Nationals yet this season. The pretty favorable matchup is what is appealing most to fantasy owners.

Kolek has been hit around a bit of late, but those starts were against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers - the Nationals are not nearly the offensive team that either of those two teams are.

I'm fine starting Kolek in any league type on Monday. I prefer him in deeper leagues, but also see enough there to try him in some standard leagues. He's not a must-start pitcher in any leagues, but Kolek could deliver a pretty good fantasy total tonight. 

See who else is available and assess Kolek as you see fit.

Should You Add Allan Winans?

Winans is rostered in 9.04% of leagues after a 8.2% increase today.

Winans will be making a start on Monday against the Reds, which is one of the more favorable matchups out there. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues this season, so he obviously hasn't faced Cincy.

Winans appeared in just two big league games last season, allowing 14 runs (13 earned) over 7 2/3 innings. He made six starts in 2023, sporting a 5.29 ERA over 32 1/3 innings.

He was selected off waivers by the Yankees back in January after spending several years with the Braves. Winans has been lights out in Triple-A this season, sporting a 0.90 ERA over 50 innings. He's 7-0 and has allowed just seven runs (five earned) on 39 hits and 13 walks - Winans has struck out 59 batters.

Winans' strong results in Triple-A and his favorable matchup have fantasy owners eager to stream him today. I like the idea of streaming Winans in deeper redraft leagues, and I think I could even talk myself into streaming him in some standard leagues too.

He's a name to keep an eye on in case he continues his minor league success at the big league level. I'm not super high on Winans after looking at his past big league experience, but a change of scenery might have unlocked his true potential.

Should You Add Ben Brown?

We'll end by discussing Brown, who will make a start against the Cardinals on Monday. He's at 28% owned right now.

He's made 13 starts over 15 appearances so far in 2025. Brown has a 4-5 record, and the Cubs are 8-7 in his appearances. He's got a 5.57 ERA over 74 1/3 innings, allowing 47 runs (46) earned on 85 hits and 25 walks. Those numbers are not that appealing, but his 88 punchouts definitely appeal to fantasy owners.

Brown has had inconsistent showings all season. Over his past six starts, Brown has a start where he allowed no runs and then two outings where he gave up just two runs. Brown allowed six runs twice and eight runs once in the other appearances in that stretch. He has at least four punchouts in all those games, and three games with seven or more Ks.

Brown still hasn't faced the Cardinals this season, but it's a good enough matchup to try with a lot of pitchers. Brown hasn't been very consistent this season, so I'm only willing to give him streaming starts in deeper redraft leagues today, while staying away from him in standard leagues.

He's got a high upside with his strikeout potential, but the downside of a blowup start is too big a risk to take I think. There's got to be some better options out there for you.