Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - NFBC Waiver Wire Report for Week 24

We have completed another week of MLB action, making it time to make more waiver wire moves heading into Week 24. However, things will be slightly different for our weekly look into the high-stakes NFBC landscape. For those who do not know, in the NFBC, there are no IL spots and trades, making waiver moves a bit different. Also, offensive roster moves are made bi-weekly, so some waiver claims are made for the player in a great matchup early or later in the week. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets that are rostered in less than 50% of leagues, according to the 12-team online championships.

As the season continues and we are churning and burning on the waiver wire, sometimes a hot bat is worth a pickup. Besides "hot bats," we can also look at upcoming schedules to try and maximize at-bats. With all of the injuries, we are also looking into players that may be receiving more playing time. Some of the lower-rostered players, or some not mentioned here, are on the solid side of platoons, so make sure you are not adding them if they have a negative schedule. Lastly, the names in the article are in order of percentage rostered, not so much in my preference of adding to your roster. This article will discuss NFBC fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 24, September 19th through September 25th.

In the first few weeks, rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Also, when you want to chat about outfielders, prospects, or dynasty leagues, please message me directly on Twitter at @bdentrek. Key points - this list will focus on rostered players in less than 50% of NFBC OC leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

This week has some great schedules to target for Fantasy. We have a whole week of Coors Field and Great American Small Park, which is always a plus for the home teams but also has some appeal for the opponents this week. The DBacks and Dodgers play eight games which are great for targeting at-bats. Unlike recent weeks, we do not have any teams, only playing five games which is nice too. This is one of the last weeks of action, so maximize all the at-bats you can.

• 8 Games- ARI, LAD
• 7 Games- ATL, BAL, CHC, CLE, COL, HOU, LAA, MIL, MIN, SEA, SF, TB
• 6 Games-  BOS, CIN, CWS, DET, KC, MIA, NYM, NYY, OAK, PHI, PIT, SD, STL, TEX, TOR, WAS

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

• Merrill Kelly (@ LAD, vs. SF)
• Zach Davies (@ LAD, vs. SF)
• Kyle Wright (vs. WAS, @ PHI)
• Charlie Morton (vs. WAS, @ PHI)
• Tyler Wells (vs. DET, vs. HOU)
• Austin Voth (vs. DET, vs. HOU)
• Brayan Bello (@ CIN, @ NYY)
• Wade Miley (@ MIA, @ PIT)
• Nick Lodolo (vs. BOS, vs. MIL)
• Cal Quantrill (vs. MIN, @ TEX)
• Aaron Civale (@ CWS, @ TEX)
• Chad Kuhl (vs. SF, vs. SD)
• Kyle Freeland (vs. SF, vs. SD)
• Dylan Cease (vs. CLE, vs. DET)
• Joey Wentz (@ BAL, @ CWS)
• Luis Garcia @ TB, @ BAL)
• Zack Greinke (vs. MIN, vs. SEA)
• Jose Suarez (vs. SEA, @ MIN)
• Clayton Kershaw (vs. ARI, vs. STL)
• Tyler Anderson (vs. ARI, vs. STL)
• Edward Cabrera (vs. CHC, vs. WAS)
• Corbin Burnes (vs. NYM, @ CIN)
• Josh Lindblom (vs. NYM, @ CIN)
• Sonny Gray (@ CLE, vs. LAA)
• Dylan Bundy (@ KC, vs. LAA)
• Max Scherzer (@ MIL, @ OAK)
• Luis Severino (vs. PIT, vs. BOS)
• JP Sears (vs. SEA, vs. NYM)
• Kyle Gibson (vs. TOR, vs. ATL)
• Roansy Contreras (@ NYY, vs. CHC)
• Mike Clevinger (vs. STL, @ COL)
• Logan Gilbert (@ LAA, @ KC)
• Luis Castillo (@ OAK, @ KC)
• Jakob Junis (@ COL, @ ARI)
• Carlos Rodon (@ COL, @ ARI)
• Adam Wainwright (@ SD, @ LAD)
• Drew Rasmussen (vs. HOU, vs. TOR)
• Shane McClanahan (vs. HOU, vs. TOR)
• Cole Ragans (vs. LAA, vs. CLE)
• Ross Stripling (@ PHI, @ TB)
• Cory Abbott (@ ATL, @ MIA)

Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Elvis Andrus (SS), Chicago White Sox

44% Rostered

Andrus joined the White Sox on August 19th and has been raking. He is hitting .321 with six home runs and four stolen bases. Andrus has been leading off and accumulating stats with 17 runs scored and 21 RBI. He is striking out less than 15% of the time to go with a .220 ISO, .903 OPS, and 158 wRC+.

With Tim Anderson inching closer to returning, Andrus's time may be limited, but keeping his bat out of the lineup will be hard. Nevertheless, he has a lovely six-game week on tap, especially with the final three games versus the Tigers. As long as Andrus plays daily, he should be rostered in all 12-team and deeper leagues.

Brandon Crawford (OF), San Francisco Giants

27% Rostered

The Giants have a nice seven-game slate on tap this week, including four to start the week in Coors Field. Crawford has been a beast in Coors throughout his career, so let's look for another solid start for the week with favorable matchups in all four games.

It has not been the best of seasons for Crawford, especially coming off last year's career season. Over his last 16 games, he is hitting .255 with one home run, so maybe the average is coming back, and that could lead to fantasy goodness in Coors. In his last series in Coors, Crawford had hits in all three games, including a home run and a double. He is a strong streamer for the week.

Evan Longoria (3B), San Francisco Giants

15% Rostered

Another strong streamer for the week is Longoria. He is hitting .242 on the season with 12 home runs, and that is not too shabby considering all the injuries he has been battling. Additionally, he is barreling the ball 12.1% of the time with a near 45% hard-hit rate. Look for Longoria to have a strong series in Coors and help pad some fantasy rosters in the closing weeks.

Matt Thaiss (1B), Los Angeles Angles

0% Rostered

Thaiss was a draft champion and late-round pick darling during the draft season, and he finally got the call to the bigs this season. Since getting the call on August 25th, Thaiss is hitting .270 with two home runs while playing 1B, DH, and catcher for the Angels. In 77 minor league games, Thaiss hit .268 with 10 home runs and, more impressively, seven stolen bases.

The Angels have seven games this week, with five versus RHP. Thaiss should start at least five games, maybe more, and could provide an excellent source of ROTO goodness. He is likely only viable in deeper leagues but could sneak onto some 12-team rosters if you need some power stats.

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Brandon Marsh  (OF), Philadelphia Phillies  

35% Rostered

Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to start producing, and that has happened with Marsh. He plays daily and hits in the middle of the Phillies order, leading to some quality fantasy production. The Phillies also changed his stance and approach at the plate, which is paying dividends.

Since returning from the IL on August 27th, Marsh is hitting .327 with six extra-base hits, including two home runs. In addition, Marsh has driven in 10 while adding a stolen base over that stretch. Marsh will continue to play every day due to his outstanding defense in center field, but his current offensive production makes him fantasy-viable in 12-team and deeper leagues.

Michael Toglia (OF), Colorado Rockies

23% Rostered

Toglia had a solid minor league season, hitting .249 with 30 home runs and seven stolen bases. That production finally led to a spot with the big club, and he has seen some mixed reviews. Since getting called up on September 30th, Toglia has been hitting .204 with two home runs, six doubles, eight runs scored, and eight RBI. He has a .222 ISO, so he hits with a lot of power when he makes contact, but his 32.8% strikeout rate lets us know he does not produce enough contact. In addition, Toglia only has a 67.6% contact rate and a 15.2% SwStr, which means some changes need to be made.

Even with the struggles, Toglia still plays nearly every day. The Rockies play seven games in Coors this week, meaning Toglia should play at least five games and provide some serious fantasy potential.

Aristides Aquino (OF), Cincinnati Reds

18% Rostered

Aquino has been known as a power bat with a batting average risk for most of his career. However, that has changed recently as Aquino is hitting .365 over his last 15 games with five home runs and 11 RBI. His .404 ISO is ridiculous and is paired with a 1.180 OPS and 217 wRC+. Aquino's .412 BABIP is unsustainable, but ride the hot streak for now as he has six nice games in Great American Small Park this week.

Edward Olivares (OF), Kansas City Royals

9% Rostered

Guess who's back, back again. Olivares is back; tell a friend. Olivares is back with the Royals as he returned from the IL and was put right back into the starting lineup, where he went 2-5 with a double and a walk. Before he went on the IL, Olivares hit safely in six of eight games for a .320 average. He has three home runs and two stolen bases on the season, so some power and speed are there with a decent batting average going forward. Assuming Olivares continues to play daily, he becomes one of the better waiver wire adds for the week.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers