AL-Only and NL-Only: Deeper Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6 (2024)

Welcome RotoBallers to our AL-only and NL-only deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6 -- April 29 through May 5. The waiver wire can be difficult to navigate. Knowing who to add and when is a game within the game of fantasy baseball. Doing this in a mono league where the player pool is half the size of a full league makes it even more challenging. Every drop and add is significant.

One of the keys to success with roster management is opportunity. A player given the chance to get on the field and produce is one of the first signs of potential. After all, they can't accumulate statistics if they're sitting on their team's bench. These opportunities can arise because of either a promotion from the minor leagues, an injury to another player, or simply because the team has moved on from another player. Whatever the case may be, these players are now given a chance to shine.

It's important to note that these players are on a short leash to see if they can produce. If they don't, then they can be dropped for the next man up. All that being said, here are some of the best players with opportunities.

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Willi Castro - 2B/SS/3B/OF Minnesota Twins (8% owned)

The number one recommended pickup for this week is Willi Castro. He comes with somewhat of a buy-low pedigree after struggling in April to continue on last year's breakout success. He has, however, picked things up as of late. This past week, he raised his batting average by almost 80 points while recording numerous multi-hit games in the process. While anyone can have a good week, it's his knack for doing this before that makes for some intriguing long-term upside. Keep in mind that in 2023, he finished the month of April with a .177 batting average and just one stolen base before finishing the best season of his career.

This upcoming week, the Twins play in Chicago to take on the White Sox before heading home for a weekend series against Boston. With the weather improving, chances are that Castro's productivity will too. He's versatile enough to play anywhere on the field and he could provide some sneaky help with batting average and steals. He's worthy of a pickup in all leagues to see if he can repeat the success from last season.

Will Brennan - OF Cleveland Guardians (2% owned)

Brennan is a player whose minor league numbers suggested he had patience and great contact skills. This year, however, something has changed. Through April, he has hit three home runs, which, to the naked eye, isn't overly impressive. That said, coming into this season, he had amassed six career home runs in just under 500 at-bats.

Will Brennan LOVES playing the Red Sox 💥

The @CleGuardians are on the board first this afternoon at Progressive Field! #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/qWc5IEsk0q

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) April 25, 2024

So what has changed this season? Early indications reveal a slightly different batting stance and grip on the bat. While last year he had a more closed stance with his back elbow flaring upward, this season, his right foot seems more open to the pitcher while his left shoulder rests lower. This, alongside an offseason focus on power, could mean that we see him surpass his career-high of five home runs soon. The results this year have seen him already barrel the ball five times while also posting an average exit velocity higher than his own personal high and the league average. The Guardians play at Houston before heading home to face the Angels. Buy now, while the price is cheap, and see if you get some gold here.

Trevor Rogers - SP Miami Marlins (5% owned)

Trevor Rogers was a bit unlucky last year. First, he suffered a biceps strain, which caused him to miss significant time. While he was recovering, he suffered a partially torn lat muscle on his non-throwing arm. At the time, the doctor who examined him said that this was the first time he had ever seen an injury of this magnitude to a non-throwing arm. He didn't pitch for the rest of the year and started this season fully healthy and ready to go. Due to many other injuries on the Marlins, the opportunities have been plentiful. It turns out that he's also been unlucky on the field this season.

I present to you the Unlucky Three: Trevor Rogers, Cole Ragans, and Joe Ryan.

Of the 113 pitchers to throw at least 20 innings so far this season, they are the only 3 with a sub-3 FIP and 0 Wins.

-Rogers, 2.85
-Ragans, 2.00
-Ryan, 2.19 pic.twitter.com/1PlUeEaHml

— Louis Addeo-Weiss (@addeo_louis00) April 24, 2024

The performance that stood out the most was his last outing against the Braves. For five innings, he held the best offense in baseball to three hits and one walk while striking out four batters. Unfortunately, things unraveled quickly, as they tend to do against Atlanta, and now his season-long ERA has ballooned to 4.10 through 20.2 innings pitched. Going forward, he gets the Nationals at home before pitching at Oakland. Take a chance on Rogers and see if he can build on an already successful bounceback.

Bailey Falter - SP Pittsburgh Pirates (6% owned)

The final player this week is Bailey Falter who had himself quite a game last week. He threw seven innings of three-hit ball against the Brewers, giving up just one run in the process. Stretching back even further, he has a 1.57 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP over his last four starts since Opening Day, beating teams like the Phillies and Orioles in the process. How has he been doing this? The biggest factor seems to be his fastball, which is borderline unhittable thus far.

Since his Opening Day fiasco, twelve of his sixteen strikeouts have been on fastballs. On the season, opponents have a 0.069 batting average against it and only four hits in total. There is a bit of long-term caution here though. All four of his other pitches have at least a .200 batting average against, as it doesn't look like he has that dynamic second pitch. However, in the short term, he faces the Athletics in Oakland and then the Rockies at home this week. Those are two outstanding matchups that need to be utilized.

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