X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups: Outfield

In a shocking fantasy baseball development, there are still no 28 year-old sluggers in the prime of their career dwelling on the waiver wire. No, the waiver wire is a collection of toddlers and senior citizens; some poised to make their mark on professional baseball and some grasping on to the successes of years' past. This week's list will feature players of both kinds -- three young guns and a former keystone mainstay pushed to the outfield to prolong his career.

The first two players on this list have proven themselves in the MLB previously. Though the duration of their production may differ, they are both proven hitters who should be owned while they continue to see the ball well. The last two guys on this list have been sitting atop many league waiver wires for over a month now. They are both rookies and their low ownership is a sign that most fantasy owners don't trust the results that they are seeing. It's a fair assumption. Plenty of rookies come into the league guns blazing only to fade away over the course of a full season. However, both of these studs have been producing for the better part of three months now and it is time to make a choice. There's no time to wait on these guys.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium MLB Subscription for only $1.99 per week. We have all the tools to help win your seasonal and daily leagues: Hitter & Pitcher Streamers, Matchup Ratings for every player, Sleeper Surgers for AVG, HR, Ks, PLUS Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids. 

 

Week 16 Outfield Targets

Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals

Owned in 43% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Owners who reached for Randal Grichuk on draft day were sorely disappointed in light of the youngster's early season struggles. In 62 games this year, Grichuk hovered barely over the Mendoza line before being sent down to Triple-A on June 17. As a result, he was unequivocally dropped in most leagues. The hard-hitting outfielder was one of the more valuable waiver wire pickups of 2015, as the then 23 year-old produced an impressive .276/.329/.548 line with 17 homers and 47 RBI in just over 100 games. Since being called back to the Majors on July 5, Grichuk is right back on track. In his first ten games back with the big league club, Grichuk is slashing a dominant .342/.359/.737 with four moon shots. The cardinals outfield is starting to look a little crowded with the addition of a hot-swinging Tommy Pham, but Matt Holliday and Matt Adams are likely to be the two most affected by it. Grichuk's ownership is elevating faster than any other player in the league right now, so don't sit back on this guy. It's now or never.

Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Dodgers

Owned in 25% of Fleaflicker Leagues

It's no secret that Howie Kendrick's best years are behind him. After turning 33 last week, Kendrick has barely retained a starting job in the Dodgers crowded lineup. Well, at least it used to be crowded. Kendrick has been pushed out of his regular role at second base by fellow old-timer Chase Utley. In all fairness to Kendrick, Utley is and looks much older. Consequently, Kendrick has bounced around the field from second base to third, from first base to DH, ultimately landing a more regular job in left field. Keep in mind he hasn't seen time in the outfield since his All-Star campaign back in 2011. With Trayce Thompson and Enrique Hernandez both on the DL, Kendrick has become the only logical option in the outfield aside from utility man Scott Van Slyke. Now that Joc Pederson has returned, Kendrick may receive a day off here and there in favor of Van Slyke, but he remains the primary option at this point. He's been serviceable this year, shown by his .270/.330/.374 line. He's been especially hot as of late, going 18-for-40 in his last 15 games with a 1.161 OPS in that span. That's second in the MLB behind Jason Kipnis over the past two weeks. Get 'em while they're hot.

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians

Owned in 22% of Fleaflicker Leagues

For Tyler Naquin to hold onto his starting job for the Indians, he must play better baseball than Juan Uribe. Quite a challenge, I know. Thus far, he has done just that. The 25 year-old rookie is quitely having a tremendous season for the surging tribe, evidenced by a .314/.376/.593 slash line in 62 games. The performance could be overlooked when the sample size was small, but with 191 Major League plate appearances under his belt, Naquin looks like he might be here to stay. Better yet, he's been getting hotter every month. He closed out the first half with four homers in his last eight games and has started off the second half with a bang. He's started every game while going 4-for-13 with a home run and four runs scored. Don't let this guy dangle atop the waiver wire for much longer. If this level of play continues, which his minor league numbers indicate it will, Naquin will likely be claimed by the end of the week.

Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins

Owned in 31% of Fleaflicker Leagues

In many ways, Max Kepler is the polar opposite of Tyler Naquin. First of all, and totally unrelated, he's German. Secondly, Naquin has proven himself a much better MLB hitter than Kepler. Just compare Naquin's .314/.376/.593 line to the .231/.306/.481 line of Kepler and there's no question as to who's had more success. Yet, Kepler is the more widely owned of the two. Why is that? Just take a look at the RBI totals. Despite witnessing 12 less at bats, Kepler is leading Naquin in RBI 34-to-23. The difference becomes even more staggering over the past month. In the past 30 games, Kepler has amassed an inconceivable 27 RBI compared to just nine for Naquin. The most shocking part of that statistic is that Naquin plays for the far superior club with much more potential for scoring runs. The difference is that Kepler bats fifth in the Twins lineup behind the competent duo of Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier, whereas Naquin dwells at the bottom of the order for the Tribe. It may seem trivial, but the numbers show that batting order placement has a huge impact on fantasy production. If you're still looking for a way to rationalize the stark contrast, comfort yourself with the fact that Kepler is more disciplined at the plate than Naquin, shown by his higher walk rate and lower strikeout percentage.

More Options: Curtis Granderson (55%), Cameron Maybin (54%), Joc Pederson (44%), Denard Span (40%), A.J. Pollock (40%), Lonnie Chisenhall (32%), Steve Pearce (27%), Michael Conforto (21%), Seth Smith (16%), Peter Bourjos (10%), Hunter Renfroe (4%)

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-55" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Sepp Straka17 mins ago

Looks To Stay Hot At Genesis Invitational
Will Zalatoris19 mins ago

A Golfer To Watch At Genesis Invitational
Brian Harman36 mins ago

Looking For Top-20 Result At Torrey Pines
Tommy Fleetwood1 hour ago

An Interesting Name For Genesis Invitational
Kenley Jansen1 hour ago

Agrees To Contract With Angels
Corey Conners1 hour ago

A Scary Play At Torrey Pines
Keegan Bradley2 hours ago

A Bounce-Back Candidate At Torrey Pines
Matt Fitzpatrick2 hours ago

Tries To Get Putter Working At Torrey Pines
Jason Day2 hours ago

Gets Second Chance At Torrey Pines
Ludvig Aberg2 hours ago

Plans To Play At Torrey Pines This Week
Sam Burns2 hours ago

Could Have An Adventure At Torrey Pines
Cody Martin3 hours ago

Out Through The All-Star Break
Ayo Dosunmu3 hours ago

Probable For Tuesday
PGA3 hours ago

Byeong Hun An A Concern Heading To Genesis Invitational
Lonzo Ball3 hours ago

Sits Out Third Consecutive Game
Myles Turner3 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing A Second Consecutive Game
Eric Gordon4 hours ago

Questionable Tuesday
Kyle Lowry4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
Jonathan Mogbo4 hours ago

Listed As Probable Tuesday
Gradey Dick4 hours ago

Probable For Tuesday's Action
RJ Barrett4 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Tuesday
Austin Voth4 hours ago

Signs Overseas
Dylan Covey4 hours ago

Elects Free Agency
Rob Kaminsky5 hours ago

Cardinals Sign Rob Kaminsky To Minor-League Contract
Janson Junk5 hours ago

Marlins Sign Janson Junk To Minor-League Deal
Jayvien Sandridge5 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Yankees
Ronaldo Hernández5 hours ago

Yankees Sign Ronaldo Hernandez To Minor-League Contract
Justin Thomas11 hours ago

Secures Another Top-10 Finish At WM Phoenix Open
Taylor Pendrith11 hours ago

Continues Playing Outstanding Golf
Hideki Matsuyama11 hours ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To Genesis Invitational
Tom Kim11 hours ago

Slips In Final Rounds At WM Phoenix Open
Tom Hoge11 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back After Missing Cut At WM Phoenix Open
Jordan Spieth11 hours ago

Finding Form Heading To Genesis Invitational
Rickie Fowler11 hours ago

Returns To Action After Recovering From Illness
Tony Finau11 hours ago

Playing Well But Lacking Consistency
Patrick Cantlay11 hours ago

In Solid Form To Start 2025 Season
Daniel Berger11 hours ago

Puts On Strong Showing At WM Phoenix Open
Colin Rea14 hours ago

Could Be Favorite For Fifth Rotation Spot
Vidal Bruján14 hours ago

Vidal Brujan, Alexander Canario, Gage Workman Good Bets For Opening Day Roster
Taijuan Walker14 hours ago

Must Pitch Well To Secure Bullpen Spot
Weston Wilson14 hours ago

Competing For Second Utility Spot
Rafael Marchán14 hours ago

Rafael Marchan Considered The Favorite For Backup Catching Duties
Tyler Matzek14 hours ago

Secures Minor-League Deal With Yankees
Luka Dončić15 hours ago

Luka Doncic Ready For Lakers Debut
Grayson Allen16 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Tuesday
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action Tuesday
Bradley Beal16 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
OG Anunoby16 hours ago

Uncertain For Tuesday
Jamal Murray16 hours ago

Active On Monday
Aaron Gordon16 hours ago

Will Play Against Portland
Michael Porter Jr.16 hours ago

Remains Out Monday
Kansas City Chiefs16 hours ago

Nick Bolton Wants To Stay With Chiefs
Kris Murray16 hours ago

Skips Monday's Action
Josh Hart16 hours ago

Probable For Tuesday
Robert Williams III16 hours ago

Out On Monday
Jakob Poeltl16 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Kyle Wright17 hours ago

Could Be Limited To Start Spring Training
Kris Bryant17 hours ago

To See Limited Outfield Opportunities
Justin Turner17 hours ago

Cubs Showing Interest In Justin Turner
New Orleans Saints17 hours ago

Saints Expected To Have Interest In Brandon Staley For Defensive-Coordinator Role
Gabriel Arias17 hours ago

Juan Brito, Gabriel Arias Competing For Second Base Job
Drew Thorpe17 hours ago

Could Miss Start Of Season
Kirk Cousins18 hours ago

Browns To Look At Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones?
Deebo Samuel Sr.18 hours ago

Bills, Chargers Among Teams That Could Be In Play For Deebo Samuel Sr.
Jake Bauers19 hours ago

Firmly In The Mix For Opening Day Roster Spot
Nico Hoerner19 hours ago

"In A Great Spot" In His Recovery
Jett Williams19 hours ago

Invited To Spring Training
MMA22 hours ago

Weili Zhang Wins Decision In Co-Main Event Of UFC 312
Tatiana Suarez22 hours ago

Takes Decision Loss
DeAndre Hopkins22 hours ago

Finds End Zone In Super Bowl Loss
Justin Tafa23 hours ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 312
Travis Kelce23 hours ago

Nearly Disappears In Super Bowl Loss
Xavier Worthy23 hours ago

Scores Twice In Super Bowl Debut
Tallison Teixeira23 hours ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 312
Patrick Mahomes23 hours ago

Loses His Second Super Bowl
Francisco Prado23 hours ago

Drops Decision At UFC 312
Kansas City Chiefs24 hours ago

Chris Jones Injures His Knee In Super Bowl Loss
Miami Dolphins24 hours ago

Retirement On The Table For Terron Armstead
Washington Commanders24 hours ago

Commanders Could Look To Trade For Greg Newsome II
Dallas Cowboys1 day ago

Cowboys To Consider Trading Micah Parsons?
Derrick Henry1 day ago

Ravens, Derrick Henry Expected To Begin Extension Talks Early This Offseason
J.J. McCarthy1 day ago

Expected To Be Ready For OTAs
Philadelphia Eagles1 day ago

Eagles Defense Puts On A Clinic Against Kansas City
Jake Elliott1 day ago

Delivers Flawless Kicks In Super Bowl Win
Dallas Goedert1 day ago

Targeted Twice In Super Bowl
A.J. Brown1 day ago

Catches Touchdown Pass In Super Bowl Win
DeVonta Smith1 day ago

Hauls In Big Touchdown Pass Sunday
Jalen Hurts1 day ago

Displays Dominance In Super Bowl Victory
Saquon Barkley2 days ago

Contained By Chiefs In Super Bowl Win
Jake Matthews2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC 312
Rodolfo Bellato2 days ago

Battles Back To Get A Draw At UFC 312
Jimmy Crute2 days ago

Fights To A Draw In Return At UFC 312
Sean Strickland2 days ago

Suffers Lopsided Decision Loss At UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis2 days ago

Retains Middleweight Belt At UFC 312
Drew Doughty2 days ago

Joins Team Canada For 4 Nations Face-Off
Rasmus Ristolainen2 days ago

To Sit Out 4 Nations Face-Off
Jakub Dobes2 days ago

Starts On Sunday
Matias Maccelli2 days ago

Heads Back To Press Box Sunday
Connor Ingram2 days ago

Takes On Capitals Sunday
Logan Thompson2 days ago

Faces Utah On Sunday
Mathew Barzal2 days ago

To Miss Roughly Six Weeks
Lukas Dostal2 days ago

Stops 43 Shots In Victory
Thomas Harley2 days ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Saturday
Matt Boldy2 days ago

Tallies Three Points On Saturday
Samuel Ersson2 days ago

Stands Tall Against Pittsburgh
Matthew Tkachuk2 days ago

Tallies Three Points In Victory
Thatcher Demko2 days ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Igor Shesterkin3 days ago

Out For 1-2 Weeks With An Upper-Body Injury
Pyotr Kochetkov3 days ago

Takes On Utah Saturday
Sam Montembeault3 days ago

Starts On Saturday
Tyler Tucker3 days ago

Misses Third Straight Game Saturday
Mikey Anderson3 days ago

Remains Sidelined Saturday
Dylan Cozens3 days ago

Expected To Play Saturday
Zachary L'Heureux3 days ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Kevin Fiala3 days ago

Extends Scoring Streak On Friday
MMA4 days ago

Weili Zhang Set For Third Title Defense
Tatiana Suarez4 days ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Tallison Teixeira4 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut At UFC 312
Justin Tafa4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC 312
Francisco Prado4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jake Matthews5 days ago

Opens Up UFC 312 Main Card
Rodolfo Bellato5 days ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC 312
Jimmy Crute5 days ago

Ends Layoff At UFC 312
Sean Strickland5 days ago

Looks To Reclaim Middleweight Title At UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis5 days ago

Puts Middleweight Title On The Line At UFC 312
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Rome Odunze - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

2025 Second-Year Breakouts: Sophomores Who Could Shine In Year Two

A 2024 season full of rookie breakouts spoiled the fantasy community. Brian Thomas Jr. (WR4), Malik Nabers (WR6), Ladd McConkey (WR12), Brock Bowers (TE1), Jayden Daniels (QB5), and Bucky Irving (RB13) excelled in their first professional seasons. That made it even more of a bummer when other big-name rookies and first-round picks didn't burst onto […]


Dylan Sampson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Dynasty, Rookie Prospects

Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy - How To Rebuild Your Roster

It's never easy going from worst to first in Dynasty fantasy football. But it's possible. Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean it's not possible, and certain strategies can help you achieve what might seem impossible at first -- going from the worst team in your league to making a championship run. There are a […]


Jaxson Dart - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Rookie Dynasty Mock Draft: 2025 Fantasy Football 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 100 days away. More importantly, the NFL Combine is around the corner. Much will change between now and the NFL Draft at the end of April. However, it’s time for my second dynasty rookie mock draft of the year. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, 12-team, […]


Jerry Jeudy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition Part II

It's not uncommon for a player to have a hot streak or a cold spell during a long season. It's the nature of the beast. What is, however, less common is when a player seemingly flips a switch and becomes a different player entirely. Sometimes, a player has two different seasons in a single year. […]


Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks

Dynasty League Sells - Overrated Fantasy Football Players To Trade Away

Being tied to bad teams, having anomalously high production that isn't sustainable long-term, and dealing with serious injuries are at least a few reasons why players can become overrated in Dynasty fantasy football leagues. When evaluating your players, it's important to take a wide-angle lens to understand what's going on. Hanging on to an overrated […]


Mark Andrews - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Tight Ends Touchdowns Fallers for Fantasy Football - Regression Candidates

Fantasy points per game is one of the best predictive stats for fantasy managers. However, a player's point-per-game average can sometimes be significantly impacted by how many touchdowns they did or did not score. For 80% of a position's player pool, the players score more or less what we'd expect or in line with their […]


Tetairoa McMillan - College Football DFS Lineup Picks, NCAA CFB, NFL Draft Prospect

Early-Round Busts In 2025 Rookie Dynasty Fantasy Football Drafts

It's incredibly unpopular to say that rookies, who many Dynasty fantasy football managers are excited about, will bust and not be worth their picks. The problem is that it happens every year. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is a prime example of this. While he had plenty of chances to develop into a […]


Isaac Guerendo - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Backup Running Backs To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

You can never have enough running backs in fantasy football, just like you can never have enough lobster tails at your favorite seafood establishment. While the NFL has transformed into a pass-first league, and the fantasy values of quarterbacks and wide receivers have increased over the past decade, running backs still rule the fantasy roost. […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

A Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition (Part I)

The NFL season is long and can result in players performing differently throughout the year. Sometimes, a player starts hot but fades down the stretch. Other times, they start cold but catch fire late in the year. Identifying these can not only be interesting but can also help fantasy managers understand who to buy or […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS

Super Bowl Fantasy Football Projections: (Half-PPR) - Patrick Mahomes, A.J. Brown, Isiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, more

Super Bowl LIX is just around the corner, and we know many of you are still competing in postseason fantasy football setups or DFS contests, so we're here to help. Use our Super Bowl fantasy football projections to assist your efforts and see how key players are expected to perform. Ahead of the final game of […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Stacks for Super Bowl LIX: Correlations for Philadelphia and Kansas City

Super Bowl LIX brings us a rematch of the Eagles and Chiefs, who battled it out in the big game just two years ago, with the Chiefs coming out on top in a high-scoring close game. Vegas likes this game to be close (Chiefs -1.5) and high-scoring (48.5 total). Both teams had fantastic regular seasons […]


Dallas Goedert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver and Tight End Matchups to Target for Super Bowl LIX - Dallas Goedert, Xavier Worthy, A.J. Brown, more

Welcome to the Super Bowl LIX edition of our WR Matchups to Target column. We aim to finish the 2024-2025 NFL year on a high after a successful regular season that saw us hit the 3x DraftKings salary benchmark on 34% of our picks. We’ll be spotlighting the top six pass catchers by DFS salary […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Tight Ends You Must Have in 2024

Free Super Bowl LIX Betting Picks and Expert Predictions

Championship Sunday was kind to us two weeks ago. We cashed tickets on the Chiefs and Eagles and won .5 units in the process. Super Bowl LIX is this weekend, and the NFL season is almost officially over. I’ve enjoyed writing this weekly column for RotoBaller and am thankful for the opportunity. Hopefully, you’ve learned […]