Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. Consider this column your recommendations for Week 8 outfield waiver wire pickups.
We're getting a bit deeper into the season now, but there are still plenty of guys who can help you floating around on the waiver wire. Not every move can be a blockbuster. Value is value, wherever you can find it. This column is designed to help you do just that.
Let's get down to business.
Featured Promo: Get any full-season MLB and DFS Premium Pass for 50% off. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, Premium articles, daily Matchup Rating projections, 15 lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, Research Stations, Lineup Optimizers and much more! Sign Up Now!
Week 8 Outfield (OF) Waiver Wire Targets
Josh Bell, 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (46% owned)
Two weeks into the season, Bell was hitting a putrid .200/.273/.250 with only two extra-base hits, both doubles. In the month since, Bell has been outstanding. He's hit nine home runs, tying him with Cody Bellinger for second among all rookies. The newfound power has helped him hit .269/.358/.624 over that span, with 35 R+RBI. It's also led to some time in the cleanup spot recently.
David Peralta, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (43%)
Peralta continues to be an underappreciated fantasy asset. After injuries derailed his season last year, the 29-year-old has picked up right where left off during his 2015 breakout. A pinch-hit single on Sunday raised his overall line to a robust .324/.372/.493, with four homers, four stolen bases, and 23 runs scored. That batting average ranks 17th in baseball among qualified hitters, and given today's strikeout-heavy environment, high-average hitters are tougher to find than they used to be. Peralta's one of them, and he's got pop, speed, and hits second in a potent lineup.
Ian Happ, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs (40%)
A week ago, it seemed difficult to find enough at-bats for Happ to maintain fantasy relevance on a loaded Cubs roster. With how well he's performed, though, it now seems equally difficult to imagine him returning to the minor leagues. The 22-year-old phenom has slashed .346/.452/.731 with a pair of homers as Chicago has almost immediately installed him as both center fielder and cleanup hitter. There's been a lot of swing-and-miss to his game in his MLB debut, but he's also drawn five walks. Happ has some speed as well, having swiped 16 bags across two levels of the minors last season.
Domingo Santana, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (27%)
As a Phillies fan who remembers his rookie-ball debut, it feels like Santana has been around forever, but he's still just 24 years old. He's also improved every season at the MLB level so far. Even last year, when he battled myriad injuries, Santana saw his numbers tick up across the board. To this point in 2017, the hulking right fielder has chopped a half-dozen points from his strikeout rate. He's hitting .273/.370/.439 with five homers, four steals, and 41 R+RBI. Over the last three weeks, he's gone hitless just four times and slashed .373/.462/.552. Yet his ownership rate has barely budged. Time to take notice.
Josh Reddick, OF, Houston Astros (23%)
Through his first month as an Astro, Reddick was hitting .281, but hadn't produced much beyond that. He had just a single home run and was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts. Since then, while he hasn't added to the latter, he has gone deep five times. Despite a .239 BABIP during that 15-game span, he's hit .276/.348/.569 with 22 R+RBI. Reddick has hit second in the Houston lineup most of the season, so the run-scoring opportunities figure to continue rolling in. He's especially worth consideration in points leagues due to his extremely low strikeout rate.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds
Premium Tools & DFS Research
Get a free trial of our powerful MLB Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator, daily Matchup Ratings, expert DFS Lineups/Cheat Sheets, and more.