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Matt Wallach outlines his favorite week 8 waiver wire pickups and adds for deep leagues, and AL-only or NL-only fantasy baseball leagues for the 2021 MLB season.
It's hard to believe that we're already at Week 8 of the season as things just keep rolling right along into the middle of May. There have been two major themes to the season so far: the first being the large batch of injuries that have occurred and the second being the shockingly low amount of offense that has been on display.
Those two things make it quite difficult to be a fantasy player right now, especially for those in deeper formats. It's been a constant shuffle of players on and off rosters each week, and the actual hot targets that are out there get scooped up at such a quick pace. It's tough to find names out there that garner much excitement, but there are still some decent targets worthy of pickup right now.
Each week, I'll look at five players who are under 15% rostered in Yahoo! leagues and who can be considered as options to add in deep-league formats, such as 15-teamers or AL or NL-only leagues. I'll also include a recommendation for what to do with each player on your roster. Now, without further ado, let's get into it.
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Jonathan Schoop - 2B/1B, Tigers
6% rostered
Recommended move: Add for the long haul
The overall .213/.248/.294 line from Schoop looks bad without a doubt, but as he's been a league-average or better bat the last two years. Some positive regression from Schoop in the future should be expected.
In fact, some of that may have already started, as Schoop has been on fire the last week or so. He posted a .360/.385/.520 line--good enough for a 152 wRC+in his last six games, so he definitely looks to be heating up. The downside though is that it didn't come with any home runs, and just three RBI--perhaps a product of a weak Tigers lineup--but overall, there isn't much to complain about here. Schoop was unlikely to be as bad as his overall stats suggested, and now he's playing well and earning consideration for fantasy teams.
Playing time is guaranteed to be his, and now that he's been playing more first base, he has now gained that extra eligibility, making him an even more attractive fantasy target. While he may not provide anything too crazy in any particular category, Schoop is at least a competent bat in this tough offensive landscape that should give him a spot on many fantasy teams. If he can be a league-average type of hitter for the remainder of the season while contributing mid-teens home runs, that should be considered a positive. Pick him up while he's still hot.
Austin Slater - OF/1B, Giants
6% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
Slater was a nice breakout player in fantasy last season during the shortened season, but he hasn't quite followed up his strong 2020 thus far. He has just a 96 wRC+ and his strikeout rate has jumped all the way to 34.8%. However, what he has done well this season is steal bases and hit home runs. Slater has shown good steals ability by already posting six steals in the first 36 games and has also netted four home runs. Both of those totals are in line with what he ended up with in 2020, and he could reasonably be expected for double-digit totals in both categories over a full season, which would definitely have good value for fantasy purposes.
The playing time situation in San Francisco is a bit hairy right now though, which ultimately limits his fantasy potential. Things are a bit unsettled right now for the team with players both being injured and coming back from injuries, but when the dust settles it looks like Slater will be a platoon bat and getting most of his looks against left-handed pitchers. Not being an everyday player will hurt his value, and the Giants don't exactly face many lefty starters in the coming week. He's definitely a bench bat and more of a matchups option right now, obviously with more value in daily leagues. If you can afford to keep him on your bench and play the matchups, he should provide some pop and steals when given the opportunity.
Odubel Herrera - OF, Phillies
5% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
Like the aforementioned Schoop, Herrera started the season off incredibly slow, but has been quite good since the calendar turned to May with a .300/.364/.460 slash line and good for a 127 wRC+. He's been in particularly good form in the last week with a .375/.444/.583 slash line, although again similar to Schoop, it has come with very few counting stats--just one home run and two RBI. Part of that has to do with Herrera hitting in the eight spot most frequently, and it doesn't look like he'll be moving up anytime soon, as the Phillies pretty much have their lineup positions set with well-established players.
That being said though, even with limited opportunities to drive in runs, Herrera should still be a good option in deep leagues. He shouldn't be such a drag anywhere and should provide a quality performance to keep him relevant. With Adam Haseley's status up in the air and Roman Quinn (hand) still on the injured list, this spot should be Herrera's for the foreseeable future. As long as he's performing well, he should be in fantasy lineups. Keep him around until he starts to slump.
Charlie Culberson - 3B/1B/SS/OF, Rangers
4% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
Culberson was in the short end of a platoon earlier in the season, but his strong play has kept him in the lineup on a consistent basis. He may not be in there every single game, with Andy Ibanez receiving starts in Culberson's place twice last week, and Brock Holt (hamstring) will be returning at some point, but for now, Culberson should be getting the majority of reps at third base for the Rangers.
Like the others profiled here, it's not the prettiest offensive picture, but a competent bat with a .273/.319/.443 slash line will definitely have good fantasy use. He's definitely come down from his early-season hot streak and resembled more of a league-average hitter in May, but the steady consistency should be a welcoming presence in the lineups for many deep league fantasy managers. As an added benefit, Culberson has four-position eligibility which would make him a good option to fill in pretty much everywhere in a pinch, giving him much more value than other options.
Michael Chavis - 1B/2B/OF, Red Sox
3% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
Chavis has been a good fantasy option in the past, most notably in his debut 2019 season where he popped 18 home runs in just 95 games. He struggled big time in 2020, but appears to be playing much better now. Although he still hasn't walked yet this season, it has just been seven games for him and his .259/.259/.481 slash line shows that he has been able to supply some power in the early going. Chavis probably won't be a complete hitter at the plate--the low walk rate has always been a concern for him, and he also strikes out way too much--but he could be a good option for some power.
Chavis started five of six games for the Red Sox last week, even hitting leadoff at times, which suggests that the team has faith in him right now and he should continue to receive a good amount of the opportunities for them going forward. Playing time is also more open with other Red Sox hitters such as Marwin Gonzalez and Franchy Cordero struggling, and Chavis seems like the best option currently of the three, so there should be a lot of confidence that he'll keep getting playing time right now.
Additionally, Chavis is triple eligible in Yahoo!, giving him a level of versatility that makes him that much more enticing for fantasy managers in deep leagues. The Red Sox have been of the game's best offenses this season, and Chavis should in the middle of it for now. He may not be super well-rounded, but he can still be useful and a good source of cheap power.
Reviewing Last Week's Picks
At the end of each week's post, I'll review what happened with last week's picks and offer a suggestion for them in the future.
Harrison Bader (OF, STL)
Last week: 5% rostered. This week: 7% rostered.
Bader could have easily been recommended again this week, and even though he continues to play exceptionally well (170 wRC+ last week, 125 overall), he still remains freely available with just a two percent roster rate increase this week. Right now, it's a do-everything type of profile, as he's hitting for average, power, and he has two steals in just 16 games. I doubt he'll keep hitting at this level going forward, but the early stats still make him worthy of a pickup. He won't be so readily available for long if he keeps playing this well, so jump on him if you still can.
Current recommendation: Hold.
Trevor Larnach (OF, MIN)
Last week: 3% rostered. This week: 3% rostered.
Still getting his feet wet in the Majors with just barely a week's worth of games played, it's too early to make any rash decisions on Larnach. He hit .250/.348/.350, with exactly zero homers or RBI, but the prospect profile is still one to hold on to. He's starting every game against righties and should get plenty of opportunities this week going into a series against the Angels and Indians, and then later on against the Orioles. Hold him for a bit longer.
Current recommendation: Hold.
Eric Lauer (SP, MIL)
Last week: 3% rostered. This week: 1% rostered.
Well, when Corbin Burnes came back from the injured list, it was Lauer who lost his spot in the rotation, and then he eventually lost his spot on the team altogether, as he was sent down to Triple-A last weekend. He's an injury away from coming back up, but there's obviously no reason to hold here.
Current recommendation: Drop.
Dean Kremer (SP, BAL)
Last week: 1% rostered. This week: 1% rostered.
Kremer was recommended last week with the advice of sitting him for his start against the Yankees. After the Yankees roughed him up two other times this season, he actually did pretty well against them with just two runs (both solo home runs), zero walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Not the prettiest performance, but good to see him survive against a Yankees lineup that's been starting to heat up. He gets a more favorable start this week against Tampa, and you feel much better about starting him there. Hold him.
Current recommendation: Hold.
Harold Ramirez (OF, CLE)
Last week: 1% rostered. This week: 0% rostered.
Ramirez just isn't playing enough right now to make him a serious fantasy option. For what it's worth, he did play well last week with a 220 wRC+, but that came in just six plate appearances and shouldn't be taken all that seriously. It's hard to roster a part-time player, especially one on the weaker side of the platoon, so feel free to drop Ramirez. If he ever ends up with everyday playing time with Cleveland, I would have interest in him, but not right now.
Current recommendation: Drop.
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