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 5 Waiver Wire Watch List

Players to watch and target on the waiver wire. Chris Doyle identifies fantasy baseball free agent adds for various leagues in Week 5 of the 2018 MLB season.

With a month in the books for 2018 we're starting to get some more clarity. We know that Didi Gregorius is the new Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole is the most untouchable pitcher in the world and everyone on the Oakland A's can mash. Ok, so we aren't really any further ahead than we thought.

Even still, it's a little bit easier to weed out the noise with a month's worth of plate appearances to look at. This is the time to be really in tune with the waiver wire; as the summer months approach, many managers will become less involved and it affords the opportunistic manager the chance to scoop up prime talent that has fallen through the cracks.

On that note, here are this week's watch list adds. There's no doubt there are plenty of players out there that can help your teams overcome slow starts or injuries, so it pays to be prepared.

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

 

Players to watch in 10-team leagues

Junior Guerra (SP/RP, MIL) - 34% owned
Guerra is throwing it all the way back to 2016 in the early-going with a microscopic 0.82 ERA through his first 22 innings. He hasn’t allowed a single home run yet, which was his Achilles heel last season. His 4.26 xFIP suggests regression is inevitable, but then again he did outperform his expected ERA by about a run and a half two seasons ago. The fact he can be slotted as an RP is a bonus too.

Daniel Robertson (2B/3B/SS, TB) - 33% owned
Robertson’s versatility is valuable, but what’s even more valuable is the way he’s raking thus far with a .344/.494/.590 triple slash. Even more promising is his newfound plate discipline: he’s walked and struck out 16 times apiece. There’s no good reason Robertson shouldn’t play everyday hitting like this. Keep a watchful eye on the 24-year-old.

Aaron Altherr (OF, PHI) - 14% owned
Just because he’s started poorly doesn’t mean you can afford to sleep on Altherr. He’s part of a crowded Phillies outfield but as we know, one injury can change all that. Despite a .665 OPS in 24 games, there are some good signs: he’s almost doubled his walk rate to 14.3%, his strikeouts are down slightly to 24.7% and he’s riding a miserable .182 BABIP with a 38.3% hard contact rate. The hits will come, so be ready to add.

Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) - 15% owned
It seems like Schebler gets overlooked an awful lot for a guy who hit 30 homers last season in just 473 at-bats. He’s hitting the ball even harder this season (42.9% hard contact) plus he’s hitting more fly balls (40.0%). His last seven days have gone like this: .323-2-10 with seven runs scored. Still just 27, there’s massive power potential here.

 

Players to watch in 12-team leagues

Bartolo Colon (SP, TEX) - 12% owned
It’s hard to believe we’re still talking about Colon in 2018, let alone as a viable fantasy option, but here we are. Colon fired seven innings Saturday and mostly shut down the Blue Jays, allowing three runs with a pair of strikeouts. He’s up to 51.6% ground balls this season, well above his 41.8% career average, so perhaps he’s turned over a new leaf at the ripe age of 44. There are worse options if you’re desperate for pitching.

Curtis Granderson (OF, TOR) - 10% owned
The Grandy-man has been even better than expected for the Blue Jays in his platoon role versus righties. The veteran outfielder owns a 169 wRC+ with all his damage coming against right-handers (he has just seven plate appearances against lefties). If he continues to be dispatched this way he’s a potentially sneaky power source for leagues that allow daily lineup changes.

Leonys Martin (OF, DET) - 14% owned
Martin was mentioned in this space several weeks ago and he’s continued to chug along. His HR/FB rate is rather low at 9.5% and with the number of fly balls he’s hitting - a whopping 57.5% - it’s reasonable to expect a few more balls to leave the yard if he maintains this batted ball profile.

 

Players to watch in deeper leagues (14-team or AL/NL only)

Albert Almora Jr. (OF, CHC) - 6% owned
Almora is definitely a deep league-only kind of player right now with limited power and speed but he’s playing regularly and he’s still young at 24 years of age. Through 515 MLB plate appearances he’s slashing .294/.335/.449 with 12 HR, 67 RBI and 69 runs. That’s not bad production for a fourth or fifth outfielder, with the added benefit of untapped potential in the equation.

JaCoby Jones (OF, DET) - 5% owned
Jones has seemingly nailed down a starting gig in Detroit and he’s making the most of it with his power-speed combination (2 HR, 3 SB). If he keeps getting the playing time he’s a good target in deeper leagues.

Mark Canha (OF, OAK) - 6% owned
Everybody is crushing the ball in Oakland these days, and Canha is no exception. He’s smacked a pair of homers with four runs and four RBI over the last seven days and should be paid attention to.

Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - 7% owned
He doesn’t play every day, and he’s currently in a bit of a funk with hits in just two of his last 16 at-bats, but Moreland is a solid deep league watch list add as someone who hits in the middle of a loaded Red Sox lineup when he’s in there.

Jesse Winker (OF, CIN) - 6% owned
Winker has yet to find his power stroke, but then again power was never his true calling card as a prospect. He’s a strong option in OBP leagues (16.9% walk rate in 89 PA) and if he hits ahead of Joey Votto regularly he’ll score plenty of runs.

Caleb Smith (SP/RP, MIA) - 3% owned
Smith has been up and down in the season’s first month and his overall numbers aren’t exactly pretty (0-3, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). But, he’s struck out 36 batters in just 25.2 innings and is coming off a dominant performance Sunday: seven shutout innings with just two hits and a walk and nine strikeouts. If he can harness his control (16 walks) he could be a viable mixed league play with dual-positional eligibility.

Eric Skoglund (SP, KC) - 0% owned
Skoglund pitched well on Saturday, striking out nine over seven innings of one-run ball in which he allowed just three baserunners. More starts like that one will drive up his ownership level pretty quickly.

Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - 4% owned
What a big league debut. All Kingham did was throw seven innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts versus the Cardinals on Sunday. The plan was for this to be a spot start before heading back to Triple-A but with that performance in the books, who knows. Keep him on your radar.

 

Notable updates from last week's list:

Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIL) - Well whaddya know! Just last week we highlighted Aguilar as someone who had playing time issues but some definite potential, and then Eric Thames goes down for up to two months. He’ll still cede some starts to Ryan Braun at first base but the opportunity is there for him to establish himself as a regular player for the first time in his career.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF, TOR) - Gurriel Jr. hit his first career home run Saturday, a no-doubter, but perhaps even more encouraging was the fact that the Blue Jays optioned the struggling Devon Travis to Triple-A and kept Gurriel in Toronto. He hasn’t hit his stride yet but he’s an intriguing player who will likely see time all over the diamond.

Trevor Cahill (SP/RP, OAK) - Cahill keeps humming along, and he’s sitting at 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (3.11 xFIP) and 9.50 K/9 through three starts. He’s back to his usual worm-burning self, too (55.8 GB%).

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




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

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF