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With the playoffs approaching, most of your fantasy baseball saviours and heroes for 2017 have been scooped up. Aaron Judge, Yonder Alonso, Eric Thames: all guys that have been gone for weeks in any sane league, but there are some short-term options always available to give you a boost. In points leagues especially, some short-term guys may be able to get you over the hump for the week or two because of good matchups or riding hot streaks. The other place to look is prospects that are getting called up. Some of these prospects are the number one ranked within their organization and if you're not playing in a dynasty league, there should be time to scoop a few up.
This week we're back to our shallow and deep points leagues waiver targets, looking at anyone and everyone between 1% and 55%. So here are a few guys who can contribute in points leagues, one at each position to consider for the next week, and possibly beyond. These are your H2H points leagues waiver wire pickups for Week 17. Let's get to it.
Note: All ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
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Week 17 Waiver Wire - Points Leagues
C - Tyler Flowers, Atlanta Braves - 22% owned
If you're lucky to have had some stability at catcher this season, skip this part, because there's lots of us who haven't and need to be able to grab some waiver wire guys. Catcher has always been fantasy baseball's wasteland. Of course if you own Buster Posey, Sal Perez, or Gary Sanchez then you know what to expect for the most part. Other than that, it's kind of a crapshoot, and sometimes you need to chase the numbers and not the names. Tyler Flowers is definitely not a big name, but he's reliable and he plays often. Sometimes that's all you need. While his average is starting to drop, he's still hitting at a .297, and the power is starting to show too, as more than half of his home runs this season have come in the last month or so. It's also no secret that the Braves new ballpark, SunTrust, is kind to hitters. Take a chance on Flowers if your catcher troubles continue.
1B - Gerardo Parra, Colorado Rockies - 38% owned
Another player, another friendly ballpark. We're all aware of what Coors can do for a hitter, but Parra is in another league right now. Parra came back right before the All-Star Break, and for some the break hurts, but the 30-year-old veteran turned the down time into productivity. He's picked up RBIs in six of his last eight games, and even though his health has been an issue in the past few years, he's still been a relatively productive player. If you need to ride his hot streak, or you just like owning players who play in Colorado like I do, jump aboard and grab Parra where you can.
2B - Cory Spangenberg, San Diego Padres - 14% owned
Now that we got great hitters' ballparks out of the way, let's move onto the tough ones. Petco in San Diego is obviously not one of the friendliest parks to hit in but Spangenberg seems to be doing okay for himself. 10 of his season total 30 RBI have come since the All-Star Break, a span of about 10 days or so. He's also got his average running a tick under .270 which is very respectable. He's been on base in nearly every game since the break, meaning we'll see a consistent stream of points from the 26-year-old. He's also been using a bit of his speed, swiping six bags so far. He should be a lock for 10 homers and 10 steals, although I wouldn't be surprised if he can hit somewhere closer to 15 bombs.
3B - Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox - 39% owned
For a guy who hasn't had an MLB at-bat yet, there are high hopes, but we like to take chances here so why not grab Rafael Devers and see if he can produce for you. He clearly is too talented for the minor leagues, slashing .300/.369/.575 with 18 homers in 77 games, in Double-A. Then he moved on to Triple-A and hit .400 in nine games, so it looks like he's the real deal. Obviously don't expect the world from a 20-year-old rookie, but he could be the kind of prospect that turns your season around in the last few weeks. He sat against James Paxton on Monday, and probably for good reason as Paxton carved his way through the Boston lineup, but should see action on Tuesday.
SS - Amed Rosario, New York Mets - 14% owned
Another young prospect with a good chance to make an impression on owners is the Mets' Amed Rosario. It seems that Rosario is the one prospect who just hasn't gotten a glimpse of the MLB no matter how ravaged the Mets have been with injuries. This year could be the year though, with Asdrubal Cabrera fighting injuries, and Jose Reyes fighting Father Time. Rosario missed the last week with the Las Vegas 51s due to a stomach bug, which could potentially push back his MLB timeline. However, with the non-waiver deadline approaching on July 31, Rosario could be in a Mets uniform in no time. Grab him before the hype hits and you miss him!
OF - Nick Williams, Philadelphia Phillies - 23% owned
I was thinking about suggesting the Houston Astros Derek Fisher in the outfield category, but I'd rather choose someone who has shown some results to this point. Plus, it's not a guarantee that Fisher will be up for the rest of the season. Williams, however, will be, as he's slashing .315/.350/.616, with four homers and 18 RBI. That slash line may not hold up, but Williams is hitting the ball well, and hitting the ball hard. He's been bounced up and down the order, but with 17 of his RBI coming since the All-Star Break, along with three triples in that time, he's worth the grab, even on a poor Phillies team.
SP - Seth Lugo, New York Mets - 22% owned
As a two-start pitcher this week, Lugo is worth a shot, delivering five quality starts in seven attempts this year. He's obviously got some injury history, but the Mets really can't fall apart any more than they already have. Lugo has San Diego and Seattle this week, two teams that don't scare me at all. Even if Lugo doesn't pile up strikeouts, he limits the walks well, and he is usually within range of picking up a win as well.
RP - Anthony Swarzak - Chicago White Sox - 21% owned
With former closer David Robertson back to his former team, the New York Yankees, someone needed to take over in Chicago. I know that the White Sox aren't the best team, and they actually have the fewest save opportunities in the MLB, but if your league likes to hoard relievers and closers, you might as well grab the one who has a closing gig for now anyway. Swarzak has a clean 2.23 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, meaning just as nice as it might be to own him right now, the White Sox could easily trade him as a part of their fire sale. Tyler Clippard is the other option in Chicago, but I'd rather have a traded Swarzak than a broken Clippard.
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