NFBC Waiver Wire Report for Week 3 - Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball

We have completed another week of MLB action, making it time to make more waiver wire moves. However, things will be slightly different for our weekly look into the high-stakes NFBC landscape. For those that do not know, in the NFBC, there are no IL spots and no 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.

Early in the season, we are interested in players that are off to hot starts and, more importantly, show sustainable improvements from last season. With the early 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 3, April 25 through May 1.

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

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Schedule Outlook

This week, nearly all teams play at least six games. A weekend series in Coors between the Rockies and Reds will make for some intriguing claims. The two-start pitching targets are mostly rostered in over 50% of leagues, so this week has not much to look into. If you are interested in more claims for players rostered in over 50% of leagues, don't hesitate to contact me on Twitter. Lastly, not all players worth adding will be discussed, so this article is not the end-all-be-all.

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

Two-Start Pitchers

• Merrill Kelly (vs. LAD, at STL)
• Zach Davies (vs. LAD, at STL)
• Max Fried (vs. CHC, at TEX)
• Jordan Lyles (at NYY, vs. BOS)
• Nathan Eovaldi (at TOR, at BAL)
• Marcus Stroman (at ATL, at MIL)
• Reiver Sanmartin (vs. SD, at COL)
• Shane Bieber (at LAA, at OAK)
• Triston McKenzie (at LAA, at OAK)
• Kyle Freeland (at PHI, vs CIN)
• Dallas Keuchel (vs. KC, vs. LAA)
• Eduardo Rodriguez (at MIN, at LAD)
• Framber Valdez (at TEX, at TOR)
• Jake Odorizzi (at TEX, at TOR)
• Daniel Lynch (at CWS, vs. NYY)
• Michael Lorenzen (vs. CLE, at CWS)
• Walker Buehler (at AZ, vs. DET)
• Sandy Alcantara (at WAS, vs. SEA)
• Corbin Burnes (vs. SF, vs. CHC)
• Brandon Woodruff (at PIT, vs, CHC)
• Max Scherzer (at STL, vs. PHI)
• Luis Severino (vs. BAL, at KC)
• Kyle Gibson (vs. COL, at NYM)
• Zach Eflin (vs. COL, at NYM)
• Mitch Keller (vs. MIL, vs. SD)
• Joe Musgrove (at CIN, at PIT)
• Logan Gilbert (at TB, at MIA)
• Miles Mikolas (vs. NYM, vs. AZ)
• Jordan Hicks (vs. NYM, vs. AZ)
• Josh Fleming (vs. SEA, vs. MIN)
• Dane Dunning (vs. HOU, vs. ATL)
• Taylor Hearn (vs. HOU, vs. ATL)
• Jose Berrios (vs. BOS, vs. HOU)
• Kevin Gausman (vs. BOS, vs. HOU)
• Joan Adon (vs. MIA, at SF)

Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Jurickson Profar (1B/OF), San Diego Padres

50% Rostered

Profar is off to a great start to the season, hitting .256 with four home runs and a stolen base. He is playing nearly every day in left field and, of late, is hitting fifth, which brings more fantasy upside. The power output is excellent from Profar, and his contact quality is solid, with a 12.5% barrel rate and 40.6% hard-hit rate. Besides the power, Profar is also walking 16.3% of the time, which adds to even more fantasy production. Profar and the Padres have three games at Cincinnati and three at Pittsburgh this week. He will face five right-hand pitchers, and all six games are juicy matchups for the switch-hitter. Profar is an excellent target for this week, even for just a weekly stream, but there may be some staying power for the 29-year-old veteran.

Santiago Espinal (2B/3B), Toronto Blue Jays

29% Rostered

Espinal has not been lighting the world on fire, but there is some excellent potential with the Jays' second baseman. On Friday, he hit his first home run of the season, and although he is only hitting .214, he has scored four runs, driven in six, and stolen two bases. Espinal has his best maxEV of 106.9 mph with a hard-hit rate of 46.9%. Espinal's xStats point to better Espinal results, starting with a .324 xBA. The Jays play seven games this week, and it may be worth a flier to get Espinal now before the production ramps up. He brings a nice stolen base upside with counting categories to follow.

Eric Hosmer (1B), San Diego Padres

26% Rostered

Eventually, Hosmer's incredible start to the season will come crashing back to earth, but for now, we ride with him on your fantasy teams. Hosmer went 2-4 on Friday night and is now hitting .388 on the season with six doubles. He does not have a barrel this season and still has a crazy 54.3% ground ball rate, but the production is still there. This week, the Padres have great matchups on the road against the Reds and Pirates, which makes Hosmer very fantasy viable for at least one more week.

Ji-Man Choi (1B), Tampa Bay Rays

14% Rostered

Choi entered Friday night, hitting .393 on the season with five extra-base hits, including two home runs. He is striking out 28.9% of the time, which is not ideal, but he is also walking 26.3%. Choi will platoon most of the time; that is the Rays' way, but he faces five right-handed pitchers this week out of the Rays' six games. The best part of the upcoming week is the weekend matchups for Choi versus Bailey Ober, Dylan Bundy, and Chris Archer. Choi is a deeper league add this week.

Sheldon Neuse (2B), Oakland Athletics

4% Rostered

Speaking of deeper league adds, look no further than Neuse. It is not ideal that the A's only play five games this week, which may mean you do not have to bid too high for Neuse. Neuse entered Friday night, hitting .368, and has hit second in the order for the last three games. Neuse appeared to like the jump in the order as he hit safely in all three games. Neuse will be a long-term play as we look at the upcoming schedules that favor some friendly fantasy production. Add Neuse now in deeper leagues with plans of playing him starting next week. Oh, one more thing, he has been playing a lot of 3B, which means he will soon be 2B and 3B eligible, which makes Neuse even more valuable.

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Raimel Tapia (OF), Toronto Blue Jays

49% Rostered

Tapia's value will only stretch as long as Teoscar Hernandez remains on the IL. However, for at least this week and likely a few more weeks, Tapia should see regular playing time for the Jays. Tapia has taken advantage of his increased playing time. He has hit safely in five of his last six games with a .280 batting average, a home run, a stolen base, and four runs scored. When looking at the Jays' upcoming schedule, they play 14 games over the next two weeks, and for now, they will only face three left-handed pitchers. With all the right-handed pitchers on tap and hitting in a great lineup, Tapia should be a strong fantasy asset.

Aaron Hicks (OF), New York Yankees

38% Rostered

Hicks is healthy, and he has been a fantasy contributor when he is healthy. So far this season, Hicks is hitting .270 with a home run and a stolen base. He is also doing Hicks things by walking 15.2% of the time while only striking out 13%. This week, the Yankees have very nice matchups versus the Orioles and Royals and then next week face the Jays and Rangers. There will be plenty of batting pitching for Hicks to hit, and while he is hitting near the top of the Yankees lineup, we should all take advantage of the fantasy goodness.

Joc Pederson (OF), San Francisco Giants

32% Rostered

Joc has been in a platoon for the Giants, mainly starting versus RHP. When he starts, Joc hits cleanup and has been raking. Joc is hitting .297 with three home runs and has even added a stolen base. In addition, he is crushing the ball when he makes contact with a 13.8% barrel rate and 51.7% hard-hit rate. This week, the Giants play five of six versus right-handed pitchers, and four of them are not named Corbin Burnes, which plays in Joc's favor.

Josh Naylor (OF), Cleveland Guardians

3% Rostered

Naylor has returned from the IL and has been raking. He collected two more hits on Friday night, giving him two hits in four straight games and a .444 average. He only strikes out 5.3% of the time in the tiny sample with a 15.4% barrel rate and 46.2% hard-hit rate. In the coming weeks, Naylor will also gain first base eligibility, giving him even more fantasy value. The Guardians play seven games this week, three versus left-handed pitching, which is not ideal, but Naylor is an add for this week and the coming weeks. Naylor should have some fantasy value in all deep leagues and most 12-team leagues as long as he stays healthy.

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