1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24

Only three weeks left in the 2019 season. If you're reading this, your team is almost certainly still in the hunt for a championship. Congratulations on surviving the grind of a long season. We're not at the finish line yet, though. In the final stretch, the waiver wire is your only avenue for reinforcements, and... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24

Wow. Well, if we all learned anything about sports in the past couple of days, it's that we can all be glad that there is far less baggage attached to our top draft picks in fantasy baseball than there is in fantasy football. Even with that in mind, these final three weeks aren't about the... Read More

Dinelson Lamet (SP, SDP) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: Coming off of a 10 K performance against the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet didn't exactly blow the doors off anyone in his last start, losing to the Colorado Rockies 3-2. But Lamet wasn't exactly bad, allowing one earned run in... Read More

Christian Walker (1B, ARI) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker is heating up in August, just in time for those owners in the playoff hunt. Walker has had a fine showing in his first year as the Diamondbacks starting first baseman, slashing .264/.350/.479 and hitting 25 home runs with... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23

Somehow, it's already September. If you're still in the championship hunt, congratulations on navigating the first five months of the long grind that is the fantasy baseball season. With trade deadlines firmly in the rearview mirror, the waiver wire is your only recourse for reinforcements. A well-timed pickup could prove to be the difference between... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23

Now college football is here, and the NFL regular season will have arrived by this Thursday. That means that final fantasy football drafts are popping off like Labor Day fireworks this weekend, and the attention of every living, breathing alumni of colleges across the country will be fixed on the television from noon to one... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

Only five weeks remain in the 2019 regular season. Some leagues have already commenced postseason play; most of us are still fighting for positioning. With trade deadlines firmly in the rearview mirror, the waiver wire is your only recourse for reinforcements. A well-timed pickup could prove to be the difference between a championship and a... Read More

Corey Dickerson (OF, PHI) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Corey Dickerson has been extremely valuable to the team since joining them via trade in early August. The Phillies have suffered a number of losses to their outfield this year and Dickerson has found himself in a regular starting role with... Read More

Matt Magill (RP, SEA) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners pitcher Matt Magill has taken over the closing role for the team the past two weeks. He's converted three of his four save opportunities, striking out five batters in three innings over that stretch. His one blown save was a disaster as... Read More

Leury Garcia (SS/OF, CHW) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: If you don’t know him by now, you will never never never know him. Yes, it sounds like a song lyric but it is applicable to 28-year-old Garcia. Garcia isn’t changing with the times; he is what he is. His version of a fun-ball... Read More

Willie Calhoun (OF, TEX) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The time may have finally come for the breakout of Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun, who was at one point one of the most exciting power-hitting prospects in the game. Calhoun has struggled to earn steady playing time for the Rangers since first being... Read More

Josh VanMeter (1B/2B/3B/OF, CIN) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Josh VanMeter is what some call a boring guy; he provides a little bit of everything when he plays, but nothing outstanding. Of course, he’s not terrible in any category either. While some will look the other way, this is exactly the type... Read More

Adrian Houser (SP, MIL) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Adrian Houser has been extremely effective since rejoining the Brewers' rotation in late July. He's allowed exactly one earned run in four of his five starts during this recent stretch and has earned two wins. The Brewers' rotation has been shaky at... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

If you haven't already taken part in multiple fantasy football drafts, you are probably getting ready to, and there is always the temptation to try and coast through the end of the baseball season as the chaos and guessing games of the NFL commence (particularly if you are in a nice position for the postseason).... Read More

Hanser Alberto (2B/3B, BAL) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Under-the-radar players often make it to the waiver wire. Looking at his first three seasons as an MLB player, all three with negative WAR production, it was normal that Hanser Alberto was left off of most fantasy rosters. This year, in his first season in... Read More

Mark Canha (1B/OF, OAK) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: At this point in time it feels wrong that someone like Mark Canha keeps being overlooked. In 2019, his fifth MLB season, he's slashing .269/.385/.517, with a .902 OPS, all of those numbers being career-best marks. Adding wood to the fire, he just hit... Read More

Evan Longoria (3B, SF) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of Leagues ANALYSIS: After building his Hall of Fame case for 10 years in Tampa Bay, Evan Longoria moved to the west coast to play for San Francisco in 2018. His production last year was awful considering what he had done not long ago. Flip the calendar... Read More

Starlin Castro (2B/3B, MIA) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of Leagues ANALYSIS: I wrote a piece about Starlin Castro for our waiver wire stream last weekend. Seven days ago, I considered him a good guy to pick up in 14+ team leagues. Turns out he can't stop getting better and he's now someone to consider in... Read More

Jason Kipnis (2B/OF, CLE) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: After two completely mediocre seasons, Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is having a bit of a mini-renaissance as of late, seemingly drawing upon the last well of his old-man strength. After hitting .230 for the previous two years, with an 89 and 83... Read More

Tom Murphy (C, SEA) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Poor Tom Murphy...All he wants to do is mash home runs and no one will let him. Well not exactly, as Seattle has let him for mash for 194 plate appearances this year as the backup to Omar Narvaez, to which Murphy has responded by... Read More

Dinelson Lamet (SP, SDP) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: If players on the waiver wire continue to perform well, their ownership naturally rises and eventually reaching a point of inflection, wherein a player transitions from a streamer to a keeper. It's the savvy fantasy player that pounces before that point, saving themselves the heartbreak... Read More

Willy Adames (SS, TB) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: Now presenting Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames, showing for the umpteenth time that the development of prospects is not always a linear process. The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down first two seasons, with a solid rookie year where he slashed .278/.348/.406, with 10... Read More

Vince Velasquez (SP, PHI) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez - who occasionally moonlights as a human gas-can - was a lot easier to recommend before his last start, a 2.2 inning bonfire against the Marlins. Even though Miami had a .285 wOBA and .663 wOBA against right-handers that were... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 21

The end of the 2019 season is now, incredibly, just six weeks away. With fantasy football kicking into high gear and many owners out of the running in baseball leagues, we can expect there to be fewer suitors for any waiver wire pickups moving forward. The owners who remain, of course, are generally of a... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 21

With so many schools starting back incredibly soon (if they haven't already), and so many of us being impacted by the changing of the seasons (whether you have kids in school, you teach, or you're a student yourself), it's important to take a moment to appreciate the days when we have spare time to spend... Read More

Leury Garcia (SS/OF, CHW) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Sometimes players will fly under the radar because they don't stand out in any category but instead give you a little bit everywhere. Case in point, Chicago White Sox outfielder Leury Garcia, who is only 21%-owned in all Yahoo leagues despite being #179 on the... Read More

Josh VanMeter (2B/3B/OF, CIN) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Josh VanMeter entered Sunday's action on a six-game hitting streak. He's hit second in the lineup in three straight games after spending most of the year hitting in the middle-third or bottom-third of the order. As he's more of a contact... Read More

Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates middle infielder Kevin Newman has had a quietly steady first full season in the majors. He's been a regular starter for the team since early May and has been slotting in as a leadoff hitter multiple times per week. While he doesn't... Read More

C.J. Cron (1B, MIN) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Despite having his breakout 30-home run season in 2018, Minnesota Twins first baseman C.J. Cron is still widely available on waivers across many fantasy leagues. And not only has Cron kept up his high home run pace from last year, he's exceeding 2018's power... Read More

Michael Pineda (SP, MIN) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: Shssh...Michael Pineda has been quietly good over the past two months. Just don't say it too loud or too often, because anytime people start talking about Pineda being good then it's almost a guarantee he'll shortly be headed back to the injured list for some... Read More