🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 14 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Pierre Camus recommends first basemen (1B) and third basemen (3B) who are valuable waiver wire targets or adds for Week 14 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Believe it or not, the first half is almost over and All-Stars have officially been selected. If you're lucky enough to have a few of them on your fantasy squad, you're probably in good shape. If you're reading this article, chances are you have a glaring hole at either (or both) corner positions and need some offensive boost. Look no further, as there are plenty of options left that could give a spark heading into the latter portion of the 2017 season.

The corner infield positions traditionally offer power with the potential for high averages, so you may want to target players that can offer an advantage in those categories to bolster your team. In this piece, I'll identify waiver wire targets for first base and third base in week 14 who should be able to contribute in multiple categories, either as replacements or bench depth. These players are owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues.

We'll also look at the names mentioned in last week’s post, noting which players have graduated off of the waiver wire (ownership higher than 50%), which are still recommended pickups, and which we are dropping off the list entirely.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Week 14 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets

Nicholas Castellanos (3B, DET) 33% owned

Castellanos went deep Sunday night for the second time in a week. That only gives him 10 HR on the year, which is a slightly disappointing total heading toward the All-Star break. Castellanos has 10 hits in his last 26 at-bats, but is hitting just .247 this season. There's still some untapped potential here, but how long are we going to wait for it to arrive? Some good signs: he's raised his hard contact rate to 48.2% and his .308 BABIP is about 20 points below his career average. If the rest of the Tigers start hitting like they are capable of (looking at you, Miggy and V-Mart), it could be a much better second half in Detroit all around.

Yunel Escobar (3B, LAA) 7% owned

The last time I recommended Escobar, he predictably landed on the DL just days later. Barring a repeat jinx, he remains a solid source of batting average, albeit with little power for a corner infielder. Escobar is hitting .381 in the last week and is creeping toward the .300 mark for the season. Getting Mike Trout back in the lineup should be a huge boost, although he may be moved out of the cleanup spot once that happens. Still, Escobar seems to be a key part of the Angels' otherwise lackluster lineup.

Mike Napoli (1B, TEX) 29% owned

Desperate for power, even at the expense of batting average? Napoli's got you covered. Back-to-back games with jacks have brought him to 16 HR in 229 at-bats, which means he could easily match last year's total of 34. Unfortunately, 101 RBI are a pipe dream at this point, as Napoli has driven in just 35 for a still underachieving Rangers offense. The other bad news is his 0.26 BB/K, which is a career worst. Even if he drags his average up above the .200 mark, it won't be much higher. Stream for the power, but be wary of the strain on other categories.

Tommy Joseph (1B, PHI) 26% owned

If you're like me, you drafted Joseph as a late-round sleeper because you waited on first base, dropped him after a rough April and then picked him up again everywhere once he heated up in May. I find myself keeping him in the CI or Util spot of several leagues because he continues to produce satisfactory power numbers. Two more homers last week gives him 14 on the season. His .249/.309/.457 is just high enough not to hurt you while you extract his power from the waiver wire. While a 24.4% K% isn't great, he doesn't strike out nearly as much as the aforementioned Napoli (33.3% K%) and at 25 years of age, should be trending up.

 

Hold For Now

Brandon Drury (2B/3B/OF, ARI) 44% owned  - Drury is still holding down second base on a nightly basis, so living with last week's 4-for-21 showing might be necessary to wait out his next hot streak. Keep in mind the splits I mentioned last time and utilize him as a spot player for your squad rather than an everyday starter and you'll get more bang for your buck.

Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) 19% owned - Sure enough, since last week he's got two hits in his last 19 at-bats. Realistically, nothing much changed here though. Moreland will continue to be a safe, unexciting corner infield option who will finish between 20-25 HR this season. He fits the mold of a CI in 14+ team leagues that you can set and forget, not a streamer who will help you catch up on stat categories quickly.

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) 46% owned - As mentioned last week, this is a risk-reward move you're making by picking up the struggling young slugger. His output could eventually catch up to his peripherals, but it's going to be a process (in Philadelphia? Imagine that...) Hold or monitor for another couple of weeks, but if he doesn't start putting up more crooked numbers in the power column a week after the All-Star break, move on.

 

Cut Bait

Scooter Gennett (2B/3B/OF, CIN) 17% owned

Not for lack of production, but it's time for Scooter Mania to come to an abrupt halt. Starting All-Star shortstop Zack Cozart is back in the lineup and Jose Peraza has been told he'll keep his starting job, so Gennett should spend most of his time as a pinch-hitter and occasional substitute. This effectively kills his fantasy value until another injury comes along.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds

 

Premium Tools & DFS Research

Get a free trial of our powerful MLB Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator, daily Matchup Ratings, expert DFS Lineups/Cheat Sheets, and more.

Sign Up Now!


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
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

CFB

Alex Golesh Taking Over Auburn Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Arkansas Expected to Hire Ryan Silverfield as Next Head Coach
Tyler Warren

Expected to Play in Week 13
Jalen McMillan

Cleared to Practice
Aaron Rodgers

Set to Play on Sunday
Joel Hofer

Shuts Out Mammoth
Owen Tippett

Amasses Three Points in Saturday's Win
Stuart Skinner

Bounces Back With Shutout
Brock Nelson

Notches Four Points in Big Win
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Sustains Upper-Body Injury
Logan Cooley

Hurt in Saturday's Loss
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Play in Week 13
Bucky Irving

Trending Toward Suiting Up
Chris Olave

Should Play Vs. Dolphins
P.J. Washington

Ruled Out Versus Clippers
Trae Young

"Progressing Well," Will be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Isaiah Hartenstein

Sidelined a Minimum of 10-14 Days
Daniel Gafford

Resting Against Clippers
Jalen Duren

Won't Play Versus Miami
Warren Foegele

Not Ready to Return Saturday
Simon Benoit

Won't Play Saturday
Henri Jokiharju

Lands on Injured Reserve
Anthony Davis

Ruled Out on Saturday
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Pavel Zacha

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Ryan Helsley

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Orioles
David Pastrnak

Out for Second Consecutive Game
William Nylander

Available Saturday
Shedeur Sanders

Could Start for Browns for the Rest of the Season
Kyle Palmieri

Out for 6-8 Months With Torn ACL
Darren Waller

Activated from Injured Reserve, Will Play in Week 13
Amon-Ra St. Brown

"Day-to-Day" With Ankle Injury, Status for Week 14 Unclear
Neemias Queta

Uncertain for Saturday's Game in Minnesota
Derrick White

Expected to Suit Up Versus Timberwolves
Jaylen Brown

Might Miss Saturday's Game
Tyler Warren

Added to Injury Report, Questionable With Illness
Baker Mayfield

Expected to Play in Week 13
Jake Walman

Sidelined for Third Consecutive Game
Jack Roslovic

to Miss Two Weeks
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

to Return Saturday
Mattias Samuelsson

in Concussion Protocol
Kyle Palmieri

Sustains Lower-Body Injury
Lukas Dostal

Ruled Out for 2-3 Weeks
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Test Confirm Low-Ankle Sprain for Amon-Ra St. Brown
Anthony Davis

Available, Will be on a Minutes Restriction
Kyle Monangai

Leads Bears Backfield in Impressive Week 13 Performance
D'Andre Swift

Goes Over 100 Rushing Yards, Finds End Zone in Win Over Eagles
A.J. Brown

Goes Over 100 Yards Again, Scores Twice on Friday
Kyshawn George

Returns to Lineup After One-Game Absence
Paul George

Set To Start Friday Against Nets
Kevin Huerter

Set to Return Against Charlotte
Jarrett Allen

Back in Action on Friday
Coby White

Cleared for Action on Friday
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Suiting Up Against Charlotte
Trey Murphy III

Uncertain For Saturday's Matchup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Returning Versus Knicks
Jaden Ivey

Set To Play Against Orlando
Adem Bona

Back on Friday Night
Andrew Nembhard

Won't Play Versus Washington
Kenneth Walker III

Good to Go for Week 13
Brian Thomas Jr.

Good to Go Sunday
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Questionable for Week 13
Bucky Irving

Fully Practices Friday, Listed as Questionable for Week 13
Omarion Hampton

Ruled Out for Week 13
Baker Mayfield

Practices in Full Friday, Listed as Questionable for Week 13
Kirill Marchenko

Misses Third Straight Game
Jaden Schwartz

to Miss Six Weeks
Dylan Cease

Agrees With Blue Jays on Seven-Year, $210 Million Deal
Anthony Rendon

Angels Could Buy Out Final Year of Anthony Rendon's Contract
Josh Hader

Says his Shoulder is "Back to Normal"
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks "Actively Listening" on Ketel Marte
J.T. Realmuto

Red Sox Showing Interest in J.T. Realmuto
Sonny Gray

Red Sox Acquire Sonny Gray From the Cardinals
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Makai Lemon, Skyler Bell Named Biletnikoff Award Finalists
Shohei Ohtani

to Play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Colorado Rockies

Warren Schaeffer to Stick Around as Rockies Manager in 2026
CFB

Chris Bell Out for Rivalry Matchup Against Kentucky

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP