Jason Heyward (OF, CHC) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 29% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward was seen as a free agent bust after a few rough offensive seasons, but has shown some good signs of late. He has a .294 batting average since the beginning of June, posting a .446 slugging percentage and .153 isolated power. Heyward has a .349 OBP in the same time period, putting up solid extra-base and run production totals.

Heyward has five home runs and 12 doubles since the beginning of June, knocking in 23 runs and scoring 33 times. The doubles and run production are very nice for fantasy owners and his .313 BABIP shows that his strong performance of late is not that lucky. A lot of his strong performance has come from 20% line drive rate and 30.8% hard hit ball rate. He still has a 49% ground ball rate since June 1, but the line drive rate and hard hit ball rates are very nice.

Heyward has been hitting third for the Cubbies of late, putting him in a good spot to create runs and cash in on his extra-base hits. As long as Heyward is hitting near the top of the lineup for Chicago, he is a good addition in deeper fantasy leagues and should be a starter.