Valdez has settled in as the ace of Houston's staff over the past few years, and that trend continued in 2024 as he posted a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB across 176.1 innings. A 3.36 xERA and 3.08 xFIP indicate he may have been a bit fortunate with the results, but those numbers are still strong and aren't anything to be concerned about. The left-hander's 16.2 percent K-BB% is solid if not a bit underwhelming for a pitcher of his caliber, as he continues to rely on inducing grounders (60.6 percent groundball rate). Valdez's recent track record of availability and effectiveness give him a strong floor, but his ceiling is more limited than the top-tier fantasy pitchers due to the lower strikeout totals. Read Past Outlooks