Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Report for Week 16

We’re coming up on Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season. The All-Star break may give the baseball world a breather for a few days, but now is no time to rest. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets rostered in less than 5% of leagues.

It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the 16th week of the MLB season could end up giving you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.

This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 16, July 10 through July 16. While the season may have settled in, the waiver wires are still hot. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point -- this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo leagues.

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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

With nearly every team playing three games after the All-Star break, the playing field is as leveled as it'll get. A doubleheader between the Padres and Phillies later this week is a great opportunity to get ahead.

In this week's weather report: clear skies across the country, but some rain to watch for in the Northeast on Thursday.

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

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

The extended week creates chaos when talking about two-start pitchers. With most teams playing three games this week, there's a long list of pitchers who'll take their second start this week. For more insight, check out my article on this week’s two-start pitcher streamers.

• Dean Kremer (vs. MIA)
• Tyler Wells (vs. MIA)
• Kyle Gibson (vs. MIA)
• James Paxton (@ CHC)
• Brayan Bello (@CHC)
• Kutter Crawford (@ CHC)
• Carlos Rodon (@ COL)
• Clarke Schmidt (@ COL)
• Gerrit Cole (@ COL)
• Tyler Glasnow (@ KC)
• Zach Eflin (@ KC)
• Taj Bradley (@ KC)
• Chris Bassitt (vs. ARZ)
• Jose Berrios (vs. ARZ)
• Kevin Gausman (vs. ARZ)
• Lance Lynn (@ ATL)
• Dylan Cease (@ ATL)
• Lucas Giolito (@ ATL)
• Tanner Bibee (@ TEX)
• Shane Bieber (@ TEX)
• Aaron Civale (@ TEX)
• Eduardo Rodriguez (@ SEA)
• Tarik Skubal (@ SEA)
• Michael Lorenzen (@ SEA)
• Jordan Lyles (vs. TB)
• Brady Singer (vs. TB)
• Daniel Lynch (vs. TB)
• Pablo Lopez (@ OAK)
• Joe Ryan (@ OAK)
• Sonny Gray (@ OAK)
• Hunter Brown (@ LAA)
• J.P. France (@ LAA)
• Framber Valdez (@ LAA)
• Patrick Sandoval (vs. HOU)
• Reid Detmers (vs. HOU)
• Shohei Ohtani (vs. HOU)
• Paul Blackburn (vs. MIN)
• JP Sears (vs. MIN)
• Hogan Harris (vs. MIN)
• George Kirby (vs. DET)
• Logan Gilbert (vs. DET)
• Luis Castillo (vs. DET)
• Jon Gray (vs. CLE)
• Martin Perez (vs. CLE)
• Nathan Eovaldi (vs. CLE)
• Charlie Morton (vs. CHW)
• Bryce Elder (vs. CHW)
• Spencer Strider (vs. CHW)
• Sandy Alcantara (@ BAL)
• Braxton Garrett (@ BAL)
• Jesus Luzardo (@ BAL)
• Max Scherzer (vs. LAD)
• Justin Verlander (vs. LAD)
• Kodai Senga (vs. LAD)
• Zack Wheeler (vs. SD)
• Ranger Suarez (vs. SD)
• Aaron Nola (vs. SD)
• Taijuan Walker (vs. SD)
• MacKenzie Gore (@ STL)
• Patrick Corbin (@ STL)
• Josiah Gray (@ STL)
• Kyle Hendricks (vs. BOS)
• Drew Smyly (vs. BOS)
• Marcus Stroman (vs. BOS)
• Graham Ashcraft (vs. MIL)
• Andrew Abbott (vs. MIL)
• Ben Lively (vs. MIL)
• Corbin Burnes (@ CIN)
• Freddy Peralta (@ CIN)
• Wade Miley (@ CIN)
• Rich Hill (vs. SFG)
• Johan Oviedo (vs. SFG)
• Mitch Keller (vs. SFG)
• Jack Flaherty (vs. WAS)
• Jordan Montgomery (vs. WAS)
• Miles Mikolas (vs. WAS)
• Tommy Henry (@ TOR)
• Zach Davies (@ TOR)
• Zac Gallen (@ TOR)
• Chase Anderson (vs. NYY)
• Kyle Freeland (vs. NYY)
• Austin Gomber (vs. NYY)
• Julio Urias (@ NYM)
• Tony Gonsolin (@ NYM)
• Bobby Miller (@ NYM)
• Joe Musgrove (@ PHI)
• Yu Darvish (@ PHI)
• Blake Snell (@ PHI)
• Seth Lugo (@ PHI)
• Alex Cobb (@ PIT)
• Logan Webb (@ PIT)
• Alex Wood (@ PIT)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Nick Pratto (1B/OF), Kansas City Royals - 5% Rostered

While Nick Pratto has flaws, they aren't strong enough to warrant putting an above-average everyday hitter in the five-percenters club. Pratto is slashing .255/.341/.403 with six home runs, 27 runs, and 28 RBI in 63 games. His poor plate discipline (36.9% strikeout rate, 12.5% SwStr rate) is less than desirable, but he is still playable with a 9.5% walk rate.

Pratto won't have the fantasy ceiling he should have with his cleanup role in this destitute Kansas City offense, but he doesn't need that to be startable in deeper leagues.

Miguel Rojas (1B), Los Angeles Dodgers - 1% Rostered

One of the more obvious candidates for positive regression earlier this season was veteran infielder Miguel Rojas. His xWOBA was 89 points higher than his actual wOBA when he featured on this series in Week 11; the gap is now at just 40 points. Since June 14, Rojas is slashing .304/.355/.393 with seven runs, three RBI, and two stolen bases. Rojas starts nearly every day, and with a 98.2% Zone-Contact rate, he should continue to perform offensively.

Mike Ford (1B), Seattle Mariners - 2% Rostered

With a .965 OPS as the near-everyday DH for the Seattle Mariners, Mike Ford is surprisingly still at a 2% rostered rate. He's been overlooked in fantasy, and I'm not certain that it's because of his 30.1% strikeout rate and an xWOBA that is 68 points lower than his actual wOBA.

He's an obvious candidate for regression, and it'll surely come sometime soon, but eight home runs in 29 games this season is undeniable. Ford is one of the best hitters in the game this month, with a 1.385 OPS through seven games against top-tier opponents (Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and Houston). At his floor, Ford is a swing-for-the-fences hitter buoyed by impressive power numbers. Either way, Ford is worth rostering.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Travis Jankowski (OF), Texas Rangers - 3% Rostered

Travis Jankowski has been unable to move past the strong-side platoon role, despite slashing .365/.492/.481 in 25 games since May. While hitters stuck in lineup purgatory are not prime pickups, you can't deny someone with a .855 OPS and 10 stolen bases in limited play. He's a good lineup boost in deeper leagues when he gets starts.

Dane Myers (OF), Miami Marlins - 0% Rostered

2017 sixth-round pick Dane Myers has made the most of his MLB debut. In his first three games, Myers is slashing .455/.455/.545. It's an extension of his success in Triple-A this season, where he slashed .440/.494/.707 in 20 games with Triple-A Jacksonville. There isn't enough to say whether Myers will keep the good times rolling with the bat, but his 28.4 ft/sec sprint speed and impressive defense give him some staying power.

With Jazz Chisholm and Jonathan Davis injured, Myers is worth a prospective add in deeper leagues.

David Peralta (OF), Los Angeles Dodgers - 1% Rostered

David Peralta is on quite a hot stretch as the strong-side platoon man. Since May 26, Peralta is slashing .365/.404/.531 with four home runs, 12 runs, and 13 RBI. If you're looking to platoon, Peralta is a no-brainer pickup.

Chas McCormick (OF), Houston Astros - 5% Rostered

As mentioned in last week's profile of Corey Julks, any rotational Astros outfielder is in buy-low territory with GM Dana Brown looking to clear the glut in Houston's outfield. 2022 World Series champion Chas McCormick has continued his solid offensive performance this season, slashing .257/.337/.467 with eight home runs, 20 runs, 27 RBI, and eight stolen bases across 48 games. When he gets regular playing time, McCormick will finally regain widespread fantasy viability.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers