X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

AL-Only Leagues: Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups For Week Eight

As May comes to an end, we are about to close the chapter on the first third of the season. No fantasy team is a lost cause at this point, but if your team is floundering, the time to pick up the pace and still have a reasonable shot at competitiveness is beginning to wane. Fantasy rosters are often like boats: they can stay afloat longer with some quick reflexes and plugging as many holes as possible.

One of the easiest paths to keeping a roster afloat on the fantasy high seas is improvement through the waiver wire. While determining who is a lost cause and who could still come around on one's roster is another matter entirely, who to target to fill those potential spots is not. That's precisely why we are digitally gathered here, sirs and madams of the fantasy world: to plunder for riches!

So pull out your best knapsack, fannypack or other "-ack" device and take a handful of these potential plugs to seal your leaks. These aren't guaranteed to last, but they can help owners get to the next roster port. All players are owned in 25% or less of Flea Flicker leagues.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

 

American League Targets - Hitters

Leonys Martin (OF, SEA) - 13% Owned

Long living under the weight of only glimpsed fantasy potential, outfielder Leonys Martin is starting to shows signs of it again. He enters Tuesday night on a seven-game hitting streak that also includes three home runs, five runs scored and five RBI. For the month of May, Martin is hitting .319 with four home runs, seven RBI and five steals, easily making him a must-start in all AL-only leagues. His ability to do this long-term is still questionable, but with stats that sizzling, try not to worry about that until he stops hitting.

Jarrod Dyson (OF, KC) - 4% Owned & Paulo Orlando (OF, KC) - 3% Owned

Fellow owners of outfielder Alex Gordon, and those looking to take advantage of his injury, huddle up. The Royals are looking to fill his spot in the lineup with outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando. Both outfielders bring a different skill set to the table, but neither has established themselves as a reliable fantasy option, hence the current low ownership rates. Which one fantasy owners should pick up will likely come down to the need (or lack there of) for speed.

Dyson is the safer pickup as he has more of a track record and has averaged one stolen base for every seven at-bats over his career (154 in 1,147 at-bats). He already has eight this year. But Dyson's career marks of six home runs and a .255 average are what have historically held his value down. Orlando is more of the unknown, debuting last year as a 29-year-old who hit 14 doubles, six triples and seven home runs in only 241 at-bats. He has followed that up this season by hitting .400 with one home run, 10 RBI and two stolen bases. With the lion's share of Gordon's at-bats going to Orlando, he has an ample opportunity to strut his stuff.

Joey Gallo (3B/OF, TEX) - 10% Owned & Ryan Rua (1B/OF, TEX) - 2% Owned

Texas received bad news this week on three of their outfielders, Josh Hamilton, Drew Stubbs and Shin-Soo Choo, losing the former all season and latter two to the disabled list. Now the Rangers will be looking to use both outfielder Ryan Rua and, more importantly, top outfield prospect Joey Gallo to solidify their outfield going forward. Rua once looked like a major offensive threat in the minors not unlike Gallo, but even with those hopes since diminished, he has shown enough this season to believe he could be an average fantasy outfielder, which in AL-only ain't half bad.

Joey Gallo and his big-time power bat have the might to put up All-Star numbers right away. He already has two 40-homer seasons in the minors, and had eight this year before the call up. How patient he can be at the plate will likely determine just how valuable he can be overall. But if Gallo's gains in that department this year (24 strikeouts versus 22 walks) hold up, he'll help wins leagues.

Johnny Giavotella (2B, LAA) - 5% Owned

I don't want to alarm anyone--especially any jumpy Royals fans--but second baseman Johnny Giavotella might have actually, finally unlocked his potential. He has followed up his successful debut with the Angels last season--one that saw him set a career high in batting average with .272--by hitting .279 so far this season. There isn't much in the ways of counting stats in this package, but AL-only owners could do far worse than an average-only middle infielder riding a 12-game hitting streak.

Didi Gregorius (SS, NYY) - 9% Owned

Shortstop Didi Gregorius brings to the table a fantasy package quite similar to Giavotella: an okay batting average with a sprinkle of counting stats. He is also amidst a hitting streak, though his is only at six games. After a tough April, Gregorius has put together a great May, hitting .294 with one home run, eight runs scored and 11 RBI. Normally a weaker hitter against lefties than righties, he is experiencing a platoon reversal this season. If he can raise the right back to his norm while keeping at least some of the gains in the left, Gregorius will easily top his current career-high in batting average of .265, much to the delight of his fantasy owners.

 

American League Targets - Pitchers

Michael Fulmer (SP, DET) - 5% Owned

After the failure of the hyped Twins and Athetics pitching prospects earlier this month, it is nice to see an AL pitching prospect experience some Major League success, even if it's just two starts. After his second through fourth starts of his career were duds, starting pitcher Michael Fulmer showed up in a big way in his last start against the Majors' current home run leaders, the Rays. Over seven innings, he limited them to one run on four hits and a walk, striking out 11. Consistency isn't his strong suit at the moment, but Fulmer brings enough potential as the Tigers' top prospect to be worth a roster space.

Ivan Nova (SP, NYY) - 5% Owned

Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been great since taking over the rotation spot of oft-injured starter C.C. Sabathia. In his three starts so far, he has given up one run in each, walking two and striking out eight along the way. Other than in walks--where he is allowing far less--Nova is producing right along his career norms and appears primed to return to the land of double digit wins. But with an ERA of 5.65 in the past two seasons, he'll have his work cut out for him to stay near his 4.28 career mark or produce his third season under 4.00. Current results say he's up for the task.

Sam Dyson (RP, TEX) - 10% Owned

Texas' new closer Sam Dyson has not missed a beat since inheriting the role from Shawn Tolleson earlier this month. He already has four saves since his first on May 11th. Houston gave him a headache during one of those saves, scoring a run off of two hits, but he was still able to close the door. As Tolleson was simply a pleasant surprise and not an established closer, the Rangers have no obligation to reinstall him when he recovers. Look for Dyson to run with this gig all season, putting up average closer stats.

Michael Feliz (RP, HOU) - 1% Owned

Relief pitcher Michael Feliz makes the list week despite having a 5.29 ERA on the season. But outside of two disasterous appearances in April that saw him allow nine runs in 5.1 innings, he has been absolutely bonkers. In 11.2 innings in May, Feliz has a 0.77 ERA, 0.26 WHIP and 19 strikeouts. He should be used in all AL-only leagues while he's hot, especially on teams with ERA and WHIP bloat from bad starters.

Luke Hochevar (RP, KC) - 2% Owned

Since opening May with a terrible appearance against the Nationals, relief pitcher Luke Hochevar has pitched eight scoreless innings in a row, picking up five holds and 13 strikeouts along the way. He's now sitting at 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 24 strikeouts on the season. Since fizzling out as a starter, Hochevar has been a fantastic reliever for AL-only teams. With so many struggling starters out there, don't be afraid to seek some relief.

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-55" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Cronenworth3 hours ago

Targeting Earlier Return
Liam Hendriks3 hours ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Jackson Merrill3 hours ago

Not Expected To Return Next Week
Martín Pérez3 hours ago

Martin Perez Will Undergo MRI On Saturday
Casey Schmitt4 hours ago

Expected To Hit Injured List
Brock Stewart4 hours ago

Expected To Return On Sunday
Luke Keaschall4 hours ago

Busy In MLB Debut
Jose Fleury4 hours ago

Continues Strong Start On Friday
AJ Smith-Shawver5 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight In Defeat
Marcelo Mayer5 hours ago

Tallies Seven RBI On Friday
Zyhir Hope5 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs On Friday
Andrew Painter5 hours ago

Sharp In Second Rehab Outing
Tyler Anderson10 hours ago

Keeps Hot Streak Rolling Friday
Logan Webb10 hours ago

Fans 12 In Tough-Luck Loss
Carlos Rodón10 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Goes Six Scoreless To Snap Personal Losing Streak
Andrew Abbott10 hours ago

Dominates Orioles On Friday
Yoshinobu Yamamoto11 hours ago

Tosses Another Gem
Cam Smith11 hours ago

Hits Two Taters On Friday
Trevor Story11 hours ago

Mashes Pair Of Three-Run Homers
Zack Wheeler14 hours ago

Records 13 Strikeouts
LaMonte Wade Jr.14 hours ago

Out On Friday
Ja Morant14 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams15 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.15 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince15 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL15 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart15 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson15 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura15 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić16 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James16 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard16 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen16 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL16 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin16 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam17 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton17 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham17 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart17 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby17 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson17 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL18 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith18 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren18 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL18 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch18 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson18 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews18 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat18 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard19 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL19 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas19 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk19 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
19 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson19 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze19 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL19 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook19 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens1 day ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges1 day ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock1 day ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants2 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers2 days ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun2 days ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau2 days ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson2 days ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot2 days ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux2 days ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover3 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
5 days ago

Austin Dillon Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Ryan Blaney's Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Christopher Bell Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
5 days ago

Ty Gibbs Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Chase Briscoe Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
5 days ago

William Byron Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF