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Week 20 Waiver Wire: Catchers

By EricEnfermero (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Michael Griffin recommends catchers (C) who can be valuable waiver wire targets or adds to help fantasy owners for Week 20 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Baseball's a rough sport, especially for catchers. They are constantly being dinged by foul balls, they have to squat for nearly three hours a game, and catching those pitches have to be hard on the hands. So, it's no surprise that they may be hurt a little more than other players. Still, sometimes when I look at the injury reports, I feel like this kind of warning should be scrawled on it:

Still, grit your teeth and check those injury reports. There will be people coming back soon, like Evan Gattis. Gary Sanchez returned, too, so all is not totally lost. If you can get one of these people, you won't be shuffling around like those zombies on "The Walking Dead."

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

10-12 Team League Catcher Pickups

Here are some catcher waiver wire pickups for Week 16, to consider adding to your teams. We'll show you three players to snag in 10-12 player leagues, and also three to look out for in two-catcher leagues. All of these players are just at or below 50% ownership in Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Wilson Ramos (TB) 24 % owned

Wilson Ramos is the latest catcher to be grabbed in a general frenzy by the Yahoo! fantasy population. Why? Hitting home runs on consecutive days is a good way to get those hearts a'flutterin.  Thousands of people have added him in the past day or so. Perhaps they think he's finally rounding back into the form that made him a fantasy stud before he got hurt last year. Here's hoping.

Tyler Flowers (ATL) 36% owned

 Tyler Flowers started off like a house on fire, though he must have started feeling the heat in July, since his production fell off. He's still hitting near .300, though his power has been lacking. With the rash of injuries that have befallen a lot of the catching options, he's also someone to grab to just fill the lineup slot.

Right now he's hitting .294/9/37, and while he lacks the base-stealing speed to make him a threat like J.T. Realmuto, he's still a very solid option to hold you over for the rest of the season if need be. There are a lot worse choices out there.

James McCann (DET) 35% owned

James McCann has been a hot property lately, with thousands of leagues snapping him up like he's the next coming of Mike Piazza. Well, maybe that's a little bit of hyperbole, but the fact that he drove in five runs on Aug. 12 seems to have sent a lot of fantasy owners into a tizzy.  That and the fact that there seem to be more catchers on the disabled list than actually on the field. It's been so bad that even Matt Wieters is back in favor.

Right now, a lot of owners are just grasping at straws when it comes to catchers, and McCann's .259/11/37 line might not be the most impressive, but right now, if you don't have a top tier catcher that's still injury-free, you're going to want a semi-competent warm body up there and McCann fills the bill. For now.

 

Two-Catcher League Pickups

Manny Pina (MIL) - 16% owned

While Manny Pina isn't hitting .300 anymore,  that's probably a byproduct of his getting more at-bats than usual. He's still had a pretty good past week, having seven RBI in that span.  While he's not up to snuff in a 12+ player league,  he makes a fine addition in a two-catcher league.

Tucker Barnhart (CIN) 15% owned

Tucker Barnhart is another one of those catchers who has seen a somewhat significant increase in ownership numbers. This time, though... it was a pretty good bump, from 1% to 15%. Not exactly an amount that you'd want to hang your hat on as a full-time catcher in a 12-team league. The situation hasn't gotten THAT dire yet... though if a few more catchers get hurt, you might want to reconsider that thinking and promote him to first-string.

Barnhart is getting a lot of playing time because Devin Mesoraco tends to get hurt, and he has done a not-so terrible job, though his .267/5/29 stat line isn't going to bowl anyone over. He's still worth a shot in the two-catcher format, though.

Mike Zunino  (SEA) - 28% owned

Mike Zunino has been moved to the Two-Catcher table because he's cooled off a lot since earlier this year. He does have two homers in the past week, but his batting average is pretty low and he hasn't been consistent enough to warrant being the main catcher on anyone's roster. If he keeps hitting though, we could see him in the other group in a couple of weeks.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

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Upgraded to Available on Tuesday
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to Sit Out 6-8 Weeks
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Activated From Injured Reserve
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to Miss 2-3 Months
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D.J. Durkin Staying at Auburn Under Alex Golesh
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Out of Action Again on Tuesday
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Sidelined at Least Three Weeks
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Charlie Weis Jr. Permitted to Coach Ole Miss Offense in College Football Playoff
Khris Middleton

Will Not Play Tuesday
Kyshawn George

Is Questionable Against the 76ers
Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Says he's Fine After Suffering Hip Contusion
Trey Murphy III

Will Return Tuesday Night
Omarion Hampton

Likely to Return in Week 14
Yves Missi

Uncertain to Play Tuesday Against the Timberwolves
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Questionable Against Minnesota
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Will Play Tuesday Against New York
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Downgraded to Questionable on Tuesday
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Florida Hiring Brad White as Defensive Coordinator
Kyle Schwarber

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Willson Contreras

Willing to Waive his Full No-Trade Clause?
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers "Hopeful" Brandon Aiyuk Will Play in 2025
Brayden Point

Without Timetable for Return
Jake Walman

Still Out Tuesday
Mason Appleton

Misses Tuesday's Contest
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Good to Go Tuesday
Conor Garland

Out on Tuesday
Petr Mrazek

Considered Day-to-Day
Tyson Foerster

Hurt in Monday's Loss
Trey Murphy III

May Skip Another Game Tuesday
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Back in Pelicans Lineup Tuesday
Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Carted Off With Hip Injury on Monday Night
Edwin Díaz

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Devin Williams

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Mets
Cole Ragans

Red Sox Targeting Cole Ragans in a Trade?
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Kentucky Hires Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein As Head Coach
Davante Adams

Not Dealing With a Serious Injury
Kyler Murray

Surgery Not on the Table for Kyler Murray
Marvin Harrison Jr.

in Danger of Missing Week 14?
Danila Yurov

Won't Play on Tuesday
David Pastrnak

to Remain Out Tuesday
Adam Gaudette

Iffy for Monday
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Kalani Sitake the Top Target for Penn State Coaching Job
Logan Cooley

a Game-Time Decision Monday
Josh Norris

Available Monday
Neal Pionk

Remains Out Monday
Jimmy Snuggerud

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Justin Herbert

Having Hand Surgery on Monday
Kyler Murray

Cardinals Won't Open Kyler Murray's Practice Window This Week
Sauce Gardner

Not a Candidate to Go on Injured Reserve
Jayden Daniels

Not Cleared for Contact, Decision on Week 14 Status Delayed
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Josh Heupel Says He's Not a Candidate for Penn State Head Coach Job
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Doubtful to Return in Week 14
Tee Higgins

Still in the Concussion Protocol
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"has a Chance" to Play in Week 14
J.J. McCarthy

in Line to Start in Week 14?
Aaron Jones Sr.

Not Dealing With Serious Shoulder Injury, Likely Day-to-Day
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Justin Herbert

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Amon-Ra St. Brown

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Zach Ertz

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Lane Kiffin to be Introduced as LSU's Next Head Coach on Monday
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Florida Poised to Land Jon Sumrall as Next Head Coach
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Alex Golesh Taking Over Auburn Head-Coaching Job
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Arkansas Expected to Hire Ryan Silverfield as Next Head Coach
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Ryan Helsley

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