With the summer temperature soaring as we enter the first full week of August, the heat is on, as fantasy managers fight to find valuable contributors from the waiver wire. Though at times it may seem like there is no value to be had, if you look wide enough and deep enough, winning pieces can be found. Sticking to the summer heat, I found some valuable players in the Arizona desert and the high humidity of South Beach.

Ryne Nelson – SP – ARI – 30%, Yahoo

If you haven’t been paying much attention, you may not have noticed how well Nelson has pitched over his last six starts – 37.1 innings pitched, 37 strikeouts, 13 earned runs, 9 walks, 1 home run. That’s a 8.92 K/9, 2.17 BB/9 and a 0.24 HR/9. He had as many strikeouts in July as he did in May and June combined. All without any real batted ball luck (0.281 BABIP, nearly league average; 69.1% strand rate, right around league average) and almost completely due to a pitch mix change. Starting with his July 7th start against the Padres, Nelson has featured his fastball at least 56.7% of the time (64.6% on average), compared to 49.6% of the time through his first 13 starts. He’s attacking hitters and the zone, with a 71% first-pitch strike and 55.7% zone rate, with a 29.9% chase rate, 1% barrel rate and a 34% hard-hit rate. He allowed nine home runs in his first 13 starts, but only the one in his last six. His xFIP and SIERA over these six starts are both within a half run of his ERA. Much like Hunter Brown earlier in the season, it seems that Nelson has righted the ship by featuring his fastball far more than he ever has and limiting the exposure to his four other offerings. He should be rostered in far more leagues than just 30% and can be a valuable contributor in all league sizes. A hot second-half pitcher can be a league altering acquisition, especially if he is acquired off of the waiver wire. What are you waiting for? Go grab him.

League Size Recommendation: 12 team and deeper leagues

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