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Welcome to the penultimate week of the baseball season, and congratulations on still being in the running for your fantasy baseball championship. For some of you, this week is for all the marbles. Others are playing semifinal matchups, beginning a two-week championship match, and, of course, some have two weeks left to wrap up the title in a rotisserie league. However your league determines a winner, we've got the tools to help you come out on top!
If wrapping up a league title involves finding a new middle infielder, you're in luck. There are plenty of names under 50% rostered who can help your fantasy squad. Of course, at this point in the season, matchups are everything, and the names below have matchups good enough to recommend them here in the most important games on the calendar.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 26 -- September 16 through September 22.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays (37% rostered)
Oh Brandon Lowe, how we've missed you in this column. After a temporary stretch where Lowe's roster percentage was too high to recommend him, a finger issue kept him out of the lineup for three straight days and the slugging second baseman was dropped in enough leagues to be recommended here.
If your league was one of the spots where he was dropped, Lowe is a top waiver-wire priority heading into Week 26. Why put the must-add tag on Lowe's name? Perhaps this handy chart can help:
| Brandon Lowe | Hard-Hit% | Barrels-per-PA | Average Exit Velocity | SLugging% | xSLG | xwOBA |
| Stat | 46.60% | 8.4% | 90.7 MPH | 0.485 | 0.525 | 0.366 |
| 2B Rank | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
Lowe ranks second among all 2B in six of the most important Statcast metrics for batters. Better yet, it's not the same player who ranks first in any of these categories; Lowe simply crushes baseballs and it can be argued he's the best 2B in baseball based on his batted-ball data.
The only reason for Lowe to be this available in fantasy is his injury history, which includes his recent missed games with a finger issue. However, Lowe is healthy now, and whenever he's healthy, he's a must-start 2B in fantasy.
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (39% rostered)
Speaking of players who have graced this column frequently in its 25 prior editions, we've got another chance to hype up Masyn Winn, who's had a rock-solid sophomore campaign for the Cardinals. It's been a disappointing season overall in St. Louis, but one positive has been the 22-year-old prospect who's established himself as the shortstop of the future for the Cards.
On the season, Winn is slashing .273/.320/.412 with 13 homers, 73 runs, 50 RBI, and 11 steals in 137 games. He's got a strikeout rate under 20%, and his 87th-percentile sprint speed should lead to even more steals and runs scored in the season's final two weeks.
The only thing making Winn this available in fantasy is the position he plays, as shortstop may be the deepest position in fantasy. However, if you need an upgrade at SS, Winn is quite the find on waivers.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Ernie Clement, 2B/SS/3B, Toronto Blue Jays (19% rostered)
This time of year, a player's long-term fantasy outlook can be thrown out the window if the player happens to be on a hot streak. Case-in-point, 28-year-old utility man Ernie Clement launching himself into the fantasy conversation while getting a chance to play for the Blue Jays.
Clement had never played more than 70 games in any of his previous three MLB seasons, but he's played in 124 contests for Toronto this year and he's batting a respectable .267 with 11 homers and 11 steals. More importantly, he's been absolutely on fire in September to the tune of a .342 BA and .842 OPS.
These are the weeks that can enshrine players in fantasy baseball lore, and Clement's hot streak has made him fantasy-relevant; it's not too late to jump on the bandwagon and see if Clement can keep up this torrid pace.
Brendan Rodgers, 2B, Colorado Rockies (23% rostered)
Brendan Rodgers has had a nice bounce-back season in 2024 after being an afterthought last season. Through 126 games, the 28-year-old is slashing a respectable .271/.314/.412 with 13 homers after he slugged under .400 last year. Of course, he's been elite at home to the tune of a .889 OPS, and the Rockies have three home games this upcoming week.
In a daily lineup league, Rodgers is a great option for those three home games, but he's a start-worthy option in weekly lineup leagues as well, despite being three games away from Coors Field. His splits are extreme, but those looking for upside can't do much better than a .507 slugging percentage hitter off waivers for half the week.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch List
Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics (4% rostered)
At this point in the season, let's change the "Watch List" section to a deeper league add as there's no time left on the calendar to wait and see what top prospects are doing. If you're stuck in a deeper league, Jacob Wilson is widely available and putting up good numbers for the A's.
The No. 1-ranked prospect for Oakland coming into the season, Wilson posted massive numbers in the minors, batting .423 in 53 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He's not much of a power hitter, but Wilson's calling card is elite batting average thanks to an all-fields approach and excellent whiff and strikeout rates.
Wilson far and away led the minor leagues with a minuscule 7.4% K rate and he's taken that skill to the majors as he's only struck out six times in 52 PA. He's not the sexiest name on waivers, but those in need of a last-ditch effort to make up ground in batting average can throw a Hail Mary in the form of the 22-year-old manning shortstop for the Athletics.
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