AL-Only and NL-Only: Deeper Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7 (2024)

Welcome RotoBallers to our AL-only and NL-only deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 7 - May 6 through May 12. The waiver wire can be difficult to navigate. Knowing who to add and when is a game within the game of fantasy baseball. Doing this in a mono league where the player pool is half the size of a full league makes it even more challenging. Every drop and add is significant.

One of the keys to success with roster management is opportunity. A player given the chance to get on the field and produce is one of the first signs of potential. After all, they can't accumulate statistics if they're sitting on their team's bench. These opportunities can arise because of either a promotion from the minor leagues, an injury to another player, or simply because the team has moved on from another player. Whatever the case may be, these players are now given a chance to shine.

It's important to note that these players are on a short leash to see if they can produce. If they don't, then they can be dropped for the next man up. All that being said, here are some of the best players with opportunities.

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Tyler Stephenson - C Cincinnati Reds (10% owned)

The 2024 season came with a bevy of catchers that were projected to make an impact. In fact, some people said that it was the deepest that the position had been in years. One month into the season, however, we have seen injuries to some of the top players, putting some fantasy owners in a hole. There is one catcher who was once seen as an outlier in one-catcher leagues but may be on the precipice of a breakout: Tyler Stephenson.

There is a lot of red on his Statcast page, which is a far cry from what was seen there last year. Of note, his exit velocity (92.8 mph) and hard-hit rate (53.8%) are not only at career-high levels, but they are also sitting well above the MLB averages for those respective stats. Furthermore, his .246 xBA and .454 xSLG show that he may have been unlucky in the results he has seen thus far. Whether or not this continues is hard to say, but those fantasy owners looking for a replacement at catcher could do far worse than Stephenson, who plays half of his games at Great American Ball Park. This upcoming week, the Reds play three games at home to Arizona before heading to play in San Francisco.

Josh Rojas - 2B/3B Seattle Mariners (6% owned)

Josh Rojas came to Seattle via the trade that sent Paul Sewald to Arizona. Since his arrival, he has done nothing but hit and be productive. After finishing the season with a .272 batting average as a member of the Mariners, he's carried over that success into this year, flourishing in the lineup while J.P. Crawford recovers from an oblique injury.

This graph shows the tremendous improvements that Rojas has made at the plate. He's walking more and striking out less, all as a result of him not chasing pitches as much as he used to. This sort of growth is something that comes from good coaching and preparation. Furthermore, he's already barreled the ball five times, which is more than half of his 2023 total of nine barrels. With Crawford out of action for the foreseeable future, there's not only a chance for productive everyday at-bats in the near future, but there is also some long-term appeal here. Rojas should be rostered in all league formats.

Justin Lawrence - RP Colorado Rockies (8% owned)

It is quite surprising to see Justin Lawrence rostered in only 8% of leagues when he is the anointed closer in Colorado. Sure, the home ballpark and team dynamics are not ideal situations. However, even with the worst teams in history, save situations do present themselves with regularity. After all, if a bad team is winning, chances are they are doing so in close games as opposed to blowouts. As such, Lawrence should find himself with opportunities to save.

While the season hasn't necessarily started the way he envisioned, Lawrence's velocity and spin rate are up from last year. The difference is that he is locating his sweeper, which was his best pitch in 2023. While last year he used that as a weapon to the tune of a .149 BAA, this year he has already surrendered six hits as that pitch has a .286 BAA and a .318 XBAA. Still, it's early in the season, and manager Bud Black believes in him going forward.

While it can be scary to trust any Rockies' pitcher, keep in mind that saves are saves. As a well-supported closer, keeping Lawrence at the end of your team's bench can pay dividends in the right situation. If he can improve on his sweeper, he has a chance to defy the odds and succeed in Colorado.

Richie Palacios - OF Tampa Bay Rays (5% owned)

Richie Palacios might be the topic of another chapter in the book "Former Cardinals Who Succeed Elsewhere", which is a painful saga to read for any fan of St. Louis. Thus far in 2024, Palacios has broken out to the tune of three home runs and four stolen bases, all while maintaining a batting average above .300 and walking more than he ever has in the past.

Richie Palacios, who was on base a #Rays record-tying 6 times on Saturday, with singles in his 1st 2 at-bats on Sunday

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) April 28, 2024

Palacios has had a successful season thus far after working hard in the offseason. He was able to track his body weight through sensors, train with weighted bats, cultivate his bat speed, and receive a lot of help from the fine people at Driveline. For the early part of the season, things seem to be working for him. He has earned himself everyday at-bats and will look to build on this success going forward. The Rays play six games at home this week against the White Sox and Yankees, both of which provide good matchups for him.

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