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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

AL-Only Waiver Wire Team of the Week: MLB Week 14

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to take advantage of breakouts or impact bats before others sure can.

The primary challenge of playing in an NL or AL-only league is often the lack of options regarding adding and subtracting players when needed. In mixed leagues, the players on the waiver wire are usually starting for an NL-only staff. So then how does one wade through the names of players that even regular fantasy players have never heard of, and that often will not even start for their teams to begin with? That is where this series comes in.

Instead of owners spending time digging the waiver wire of 0% owned players, this article will give owners a player at each position to fill the gap, or at the least, keep an eye on to add or stash. Not all of these players will replace that injury, but offer the best option off the scrap heap. Often the players advocated for here are long shots due to the nature of shallow leagues. No quick fixes, but some upside that could turn into much more.  With that onto the island of misfit fantasy toys.

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

 

AL-Only Team of the Week

C - Sandy Leon (C, BOS) - 1% owned

While locked into the backup role for Boston moving forward, Sandy Leon has been getting close to half of the games behind the plate so far.  This, all of a sudden, makes him fantasy relevant. In May, for example, he played in 13 games, and in June the number stayed the same at 12 games. With some small improvements in production Leon moves to the top of the backup catchers for 12+ fantasy leagues, and offers interesting upside in addition to line-up context. Taking just June, Leon hit .256 with two homers and eight RBI. If he can keep a batting line close to .260 the rest of the way that places him in the top third of catchers, and at worst does not hurt fantasy teams. With the typical chance of an injury and rotation, this seems to be like the best piece on the wire concerning production moving forward.

1B - Hanley Ramirez (1B, FA) - 24% owned

A few things on this pick for some context. First, that 24% ownership rate for Hanley Ramirez, seems way too high for a player not currently on a team to be accurate. It might be a bit of a lag with some owners still holding out some hope, but also might be owners who are not checking rosters. Second, even with that in mind, owners should be taking this risk as the most likely landing spots look to be in the AL. If one spot made the most sense, it would be Detroit, but Kansas City also looks like a solid pick if Duda still has to fight through a knock. While he was with Boston, Ramirez was slashing .254/.313/.395 with six homers and 29 RBI. On any other team these numbers are worthy of the long side of the platoon, and for fantasy would be starting worthy.  If and when he gets signed there will be some lag to account for with the conditioning and game readiness, this still could be the addition that helps a team the most in the second half.

2B - Joey Wendle (2B, TB) - 1% owned

Playing time matters on this list, and Wendle is getting that this year with 68 games for the surging Rays. Over that time he is batting .260 with 22 R and 21 RBI. Little to no power, but could add a few here and there to the line. Wendle is a play for the runs and average floor due to the rest of that team. The OBP might be there, but a 25% and above K rate is not helping on that level. The other rub with the playing time is splitting the platoon with David Robertson, but again, when looking to a deep league, the platoon should boost the underlying numbers with the matchups. Wendle seems like a safe play with limited upside, but excellent support at the position.

3B - Yolmer Sanchez (2B/3B, CWS) - 12% owned

While not dipping below that magic ten percent line, the chance that Sanchez is free in a league makes him worth a discussion here. 78 games this season have resulted in a .260/.306/.410 slash with 36 RBI and eight steals. For a lousy offensive club, these are good numbers that should play at the position, and even better at the MI/CI slot. The power is not there, but for a team needing RBI this is the play, as Sanchez is the top in the category for players owned in under 18% of leagues. Some position flexibility adds to the profile, and the speed plays with those steals placing him at the top of the list as well. Sanchez is Joey Wendle with additional speed and should be picked over that player, but is also valuable on his own.

SS - David Fletcher (SS/3B, LAA) - 1% owned

With Zach Cozart needing season-ending surgery David Fletcher seems to be guaranteed at least a utility role on the club. Through his first 14 games with the Angels, Fletcher is slashing .324/.378/.412 with five RBI. The production seems to line up with this minors numbers well and shows that he is mostly a rate stats play who will chip in some other production. Do not expect the power to come, but perhaps with ball factors in the bigs, eight or so should be a good target over a season. The critical factor to this profile is the K rate which sits at 10.8%, right in line, if not lower than his past track record. Fletcher will put the bat on the ball and should be able to ride a decent BABIP with above-average speed and plate approach to good overall numbers.

OF - Leury Garcia (OF, CWS) - 1% owned

The close to zero ownership rate must be tied to the recent DL stint, and for that reason, owners who are interested should jump on while he is still available. In 45 games Garcia is slashing .275/.312/.369 with two homers and nine steals. The latter is what makes him the must add-on this list. While most of the speed options on the list only get steals, Garcia offers an above average batting line which will keep him in most line-ups. For context, in 2017 he stole eight bases in 87 games and has passed that in half the time this year. When looking to add speed, the ability to add players on a team that is already out of the race cannot be understated. When there is nothing to lose fantasy owner benefit from the increased risk-taking with numbers like these. Even better, Garcia is hitting .375/.405/.500 against left-handed pitching this season, so even in daily leagues should be a must-add.

OF - Jake Marisnick (OF, HOU) - 1% owned

Another play that owners should avoid looking to season-long stats for evaluation, and instead look to what Marisnick has done lately. In 19 games in June, Marisnick is hitting .286 with 10 R and three homers. For a player posting a sub-.200 line the rest of the campaign this is a marked improvement. While hopefully not just a small sample, the ability to add a close to .300 batting line for free is worth the risk. The best line for this player is when he bats as a righty at home, as over the course of the season, he is hitting .304 with two homers in that spot. With that being said, when owners can shoot for that match-up make sure he is in the lineup, but if not, this could be a good OF4 while he stays hot. No power and limited speed, but the average along make this worth a dart.

OF - Ben Gamel (OF, SEA) - 1% owned

Another under the radar player who needs to be owned more than 1%, Ben Gamel has slashed .299/.371/.414 with 22 R and five steals so far this season. While mostly playing off the bench, in the past week he has played in five of six games and might in for a run with other factors affecting the outfield in Seattle. At the very least, the lefty-bat will keep him in conversation with the platoon, and the average should make him an exciting addition to the roster. In addition, the K rate is down a few points, and the BB rate is up a few, meaning that the overall profile is moving in the right direction. Another outfielder who is not going to chip in power, but will offer a good floor with the bat. Gamel, with playing time, could work himself into an OF3 spot for AL teams.

P - Jose Alvarez (RP, LAA) - 1% owned

The Angels’ bullpen is a mess right now with injuries and performances, so any time owners can add the reliever that is consistent that is worth a ton. 36.2 innings for Alvarez have resulted in three wins and a 2.95 ERA supported by 8.84 K/9. Not a saves play right now, but if that bullpen stays a mess who knows. At the very least, this will give owners decent K numbers with a low 0.49 HR/9 rate that should be steady the rest of the season. Good ratios play, and that ERA should stay much the same with the sample size building.

P - Edwin Jackson (SP, OAK) - 3% owned

Two strong starts for the veteran make him an interesting option moving forward, as, at the very least, good performances will keep him in the Oakland rotation. Over those two starts, Jackson has pitched 12.2 innings with one win and an ERA of 2.13. Add that to a 9.24 K/9 rate, and this looks like an SP2 in most leagues for that small sample. Does this mean that he will continue to pitch like this moving forward? Perhaps not, but the 3.10 FIP indicates there is something right in the approach that is working. While probably Jackson is more of an SP4 moving forward, that 3% ownership rate means adding a starter for free who could outperform pitchers drafted in the 20th or later rounds.

P - Jonathan Holder (RP, NYY) - 1% owned

After a solid 2017 campaign, 2018 has been a bit of a breakout for Jonathan Holder. 31.1 inning so far this season has been the righty post a 0.73 WHIP to compliment a 2.01 ERA. Even better is the drop in BB/9 from 1.83 to 1.15 and the 0.29 HR/9 rate. While, as is common on this list, perhaps not a save candidate, these ratios can help any club looking for that RP3 to keep in the line-up for the long term. The team context means not much risk for losses, and he should be in a position to pick up a few wins here and there. This year Holder has added a slider which he is throwing 15.9% of the time and explains the changes in the overall line. Keep an eye on this pitcher as this could be the closer of the future for the Yankees.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jordan Clarkson3 hours ago

Out At Least A Week
Kyle Kuzma3 hours ago

Out Again On Saturday
Jamal Murray3 hours ago

Won't Return On Friday Night
Giannis Antetokounmpo3 hours ago

Anticipated To Play Versus Cleveland
Puka Nacua4 hours ago

Shot To Play Week 9
Jordan Love4 hours ago

Tracking To Play In Week 9
Stephen Curry7 hours ago

Unavailable Saturday
Yves Missi7 hours ago

Expected To Take The Court Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns7 hours ago

Available On Friday
Eric Comrie7 hours ago

Faces Blue Jackets Friday
Daniel Theis7 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Friday
David Savard7 hours ago

Sits Out Practice For Maintenance Purposes
De'Anthony Melton7 hours ago

Unavailable Saturday
Jordan Hawkins8 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Alexander Romanov8 hours ago

Ready To Play Friday
Al Horford8 hours ago

Resting Against Charlotte
Evgeni Malkin8 hours ago

Takes Maintenance Day On Friday
Andrew Wiggins8 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Matchup With Houston
Rose Namajunas8 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
D'Angelo Russell8 hours ago

Will Suit Up Versus Toronto
Devon Levi8 hours ago

Returns To Sabres Crease
Clayton Kershaw8 hours ago

To Undergo Two Surgeries
Anthony Davis8 hours ago

Available Against Toronto
Erin Blanchfield8 hours ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Lowe8 hours ago

Rays Pick Up Club Option On Brandon Lowe
Ryan Hartman8 hours ago

Rejoins Wild Lineup Friday
Zach LaVine8 hours ago

Will Play Against Brooklyn
8 hours ago

Nick Martinez Headed To Free Agency
Erik Cernak8 hours ago

Available On Friday
Marc-Andre Barriault8 hours ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Brent Suter8 hours ago

Inks Extension With Cincinnati
Immanuel Quickley8 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
CJ McCollum8 hours ago

Out At Least Two Weeks
8 hours ago

Yankees, Mets Among Teams In Battle For Juan Soto
Anthony Black8 hours ago

Starting Versus Cleveland
Franz Wagner9 hours ago

Cleared For Friday Night
Herbert Jones9 hours ago

To Miss A Significant Amount Of Time With Shoulder Injury
Marc-Andre Barriault9 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Blake Snell9 hours ago

Opts Out Of Deal With San Francisco
Desmond Bane9 hours ago

Won't Face The 76ers
Josh Jacobs9 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Drake Maye9 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Tyler Boyd9 hours ago

Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd Listed As Questionable
Tyjae Spears10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Calvin Ridley10 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Trevin Giles10 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Noah Fant10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Brian Robinson Jr.10 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Mike Malott10 hours ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Dallas Goedert10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
DK Metcalf10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Zach Benson10 hours ago

Could Play Next Week
Jani Hakanpaa11 hours ago

And Connor Dewar Sent On Conditioning Stint
Dmitri Voronkov11 hours ago

Ready For Season Debut Friday
Jordan Love11 hours ago

Questionable Vs. Lions
Mathew Barzal11 hours ago

Getting Tests Done For Upper-Body Injury
Vladimir Tarasenko11 hours ago

Ready To Go For Saturday
Mark Stone11 hours ago

Misses Practice Due To Birth Of Child
Puka Nacua12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Week 9
Will Levis12 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
David Njoku13 hours ago

Good To Go For Week 9
Bucky Irving13 hours ago

Absent During Friday's Practice
David Njoku13 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
Adam Thielen13 hours ago

Doubtful For Week 9
Jonathon Brooks13 hours ago

Not Expected To Play In Week 9
Tee Higgins13 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Sunday
Tyreek Hill13 hours ago

Expected To Play In Week 9
Tomás Nosek16 hours ago

Tomas Nosek Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Leon Draisaitl17 hours ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Three-Point Effort
Martin Necas17 hours ago

Registers Four Points In Dominant Win
Alex Ovechkin17 hours ago

Bags Three Points In Thursday's Win
17 hours ago

Royals Decline Option On Adam Frazier
Sidney Crosby17 hours ago

Drags Penguins Back On Track
17 hours ago

Manuel Margot, Kyle Farmer Headed To Free Agency
William Nylander17 hours ago

Pots Two Goals Versus Seattle
17 hours ago

Milwaukee Declines Option On Wade Miley
NHL17 hours ago

Will Smith Scores First Career Goals
Lucas Giolito17 hours ago

Staying In Boston
Chris Stratton17 hours ago

Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton Returning To Kansas City
Jordan Montgomery17 hours ago

Staying In Arizona
1 day ago

Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn Headed For Free Agency
Roansy Contreras1 day ago

Claimed By Texas
1 day ago

Alex Kirilloff Announces Retirement
Jorge Soler1 day ago

Traded To Los Angeles
Curtis Lazar1 day ago

Out Indefinitely Following Knee Procedure
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado1 day ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz1 day ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton
Derrick Lewis1 day ago

Faces An Unranked Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Ends Layoff At UFC Edmonton
2 days ago

Daniel Hudson Retires After World Series Victory
Freddie Freeman2 days ago

Drives In Two More Runs, Earns World Series MVP Honors
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Comes Up Short at Homestead
William Byron4 days ago

Rallies to Sixth at Homestead
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Tire Issue at Homestead Could Doom Kyle Larson's Championship Hopes
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Charges To A Thrilling Victory At Homestead
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Loses At Homestead On The Final Corner To Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Quietly Nabs A Top-5 Finish At Homestead
Khamzat Chimaev5 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Robert Whittaker5 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 308
Aleksandar Rakic5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 308
Armen Petrosyan5 days ago

Knocked Out At UFC 308
Shara Magomedov5 days ago

Gets Highlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC 308
Joey Logano5 days ago

Intentionally Sleepwalked Through Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Advances to Championship 4 as Owner but Not as Driver
Dan Ige5 days ago

Loses Second-Straight Fight At UFC 308
Lerone Murphy5 days ago

Remains Undefeated At UFC 308
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Wins Lackluster Decision Win At UFC 308
Max Holloway5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out For First Time At UFC 308
NASCAR6 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Earns Best Qualifying Run in Over a Year at Homestead
Zane Smith6 days ago

Expect Zane Smith's Steady Consistency to Continue at Homestead
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Both Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing Seem Ill-Suited to Intermediates
Michael McDowell6 days ago

Couldn't Overcome Ford's Intermediate Speed Deficit in Homestead Qualifying
Joey Logano6 days ago

Team Likely to Ignore Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Looks to Clinch Rookie of the Year Award
Daniel Hemric6 days ago

Qualifies Ninth for Best Start of the Year
Denny Hamlin6 days ago

Is Strong at Homestead, but Sometimes Struggles in the Clutch
Justin Haley6 days ago

Benefits in Qualifying From Spire Motorsports Speed
Austin Cindric6 days ago

Slowest Ford Regular in Homestead Qualifying
Chris Buescher6 days ago

Lacks Intermediate Track Consistency
Josh Berry6 days ago

Hopes to Stay Alive in Rookie Race at Homestead

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Jalen Hurts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Week 9 Targets and Avoids (2024)

Welcome to our NFL Survivor Pool Picks for Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season! There are so many different pools, fantasy leagues, weekly bets, and futures bets that it's hard to decide what to do with these choices. But survivor pools are the oldest and simplest leagues out there. All you have to do […]


Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 9 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Jalen Hurts, Chase Brown, Evan Engram, and more

After raiding my daughter's trick-or-treat bag leftovers, I'm battling a Halloween hangover. It's probably a similar feeling to what lots of DFS players were experiencing after last week's Main Slate, as injuries and muted outputs from several popular players were hallmarks of Week 8. That said, we're on to a Week 9 slate that features […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 9 (Friday Updates): Puka Nacua, DK Metcalf, Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, more

We have now hit the halfway point of the NFL season, but over halfway for most fantasy football seasons. As has been the norm this season, there are plenty of injuries to top fantasy players at every position. Some remain out for the foreseeable future, some are potentially playing through injury, and some are returning […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Pick'em Pool Picks (Week 9) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests (2024)

Just two teams will be on a bye during Week 9, leaving a busy slate across the NFL. Injuries will once again impact the slate, as well as some teams making changes at quarterback. Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 9 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 9 - Top Lineup Plays Include Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown, T.J. Hockenson

Like a backup quarterback patiently holding the clipboard with his hat on backward, I've been summoned into action to help give you some helpful NFL DFS advice for Week 9. My good friend Dennis Clausen, who usually pens this piece, asked me to help him out this week. Don't worry - Dennis is fine, other […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Josh Jacobs, Zay Flowers, Tank Bigsby, Rachaad White, Nick Chubb, Bucky Irving

Welcome to Week 9, the midway point of the 2024 fantasy football season. It's arrived quickly for most, but there's still plenty of season left! Injuries to wide receivers have left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers, therefore propping up running backs. However, some running backs may have a rough week while […]


Michael Pittman Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 9 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 9 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 9! With the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, fantasy managers will have to replace George Pickens, Najee Harris, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle in their lineups. This Week 9 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em piece will help you make the right lineup decisions […]


Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati Bengals Defense - Fantasy Football DST Streamers, Rankings, Pickups

Top Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings (Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our fantasy football D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 9, 10, 11, and 12 -- looking at the next four weeks and identifying the best D/ST matchups. If you like to stream defenses weeks in advance or are looking for a defense to pick up and play this week, you have come to […]


Video: Week 9 Must-Start Running Backs - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us! There are some interesting decisions at the RB position on this slate. Don't miss our notable fantasy football running back starts and sits for Week 9! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" running backs that will have a fantasy football impact in Week 9, […]


CeeDee Lamb - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Breakouts for Fantasy Football - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends for Week 9 (2024)

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9 by Kevin Tompkins Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

The King's Week 9 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel delivers his Week 9 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league formats. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to confirm that your must-start players have a good chance of posting winning fantasy […]