Joc Pederson (OF, LAD) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 18% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson is one of my favorite fantasy assets. He also happens to be one of the most misunderstood. The fact that his ownership percentage is at 18% is evidence of this fact. To their credit, the Dodgers have learned how best to utilize him, and fantasy owners should learn the same.

Joc is a hard split asset. You deploy him against right-handed starting pitching and never against southpaws. There really isn’t any more to understand about using him, but people see the good weeks and think you can throw him out there any time. Joc has sat against all left-handed starters and, wouldn’t you know it, is putting up All-Star caliber numbers playing part-time. I personally have been using Joc in our staff Ottoneu league, in which I’m playing for my own belt, and the four dingers he’s put up in the last two weeks while opening up a roster spot for another hitter when he’s playing against a less advantageous matchup. The .290/.313/.645 line he’s put up in 32 plate appearances is great. Add in the extra production I’m getting from guys like Kevin Kiermaier, Joc’s teammate Alex Verdugo, or any of the other guys on this list, and you have the recipe for dynamite production out of a single spot.

Luckily for Joc, he plays a tidy eight games against teams with righty heavy rotations. He should have plenty of opportunities to smash homers, making him a must play in DFS and H2H situations. And he’s one of the few assets that I’d add even if I don’t need to use him. I don’t want that bat in the lineup against me, so grab him immediately.