There wasn’t much in the way of injuries this week and when you have no one to urgently replace, you might not want to take a look at the waiver wire. There are some excellent options out there, however, even in deeper leagues. That’s why we brought in five featured experts to recommend a few hitters and pitchers that they consider under-the-radar pickups worth adding (less than 20% consensus ownership).

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Q1. What one hitter should fantasy owners look into picking up that is owned in less than 20% of Leagues?

Kevin Kiermaier (OF – TBR)
“Kiermaier’s overall numbers are pretty ugly, but he’s hit safely in each of his last five games entering Thursday’s action, and remains entrenched as the Rays’ leadoff hitter. He’s also stolen five bases in six attempts since June 24. Over the previous two seasons, Tampa’s center fielder hit 27 home runs, swiped 37 bags, and scored 111 runs in just 835 plate appearances while hitting a respectable .261. So long as he’s healthy (admittedly always an open question with him), Kiermaier deserves to be owned more widely.”
– Kyle Bishop (RotoBaller)

Jesse Winker (OF – CIN)
“Winker has a pedigree as a former top-100 prospect according to multiple reputable outlets, and he flashed last year. This year he got off to a slow-ish start, but now he’s really turning it on. In 127 plate appearances since June 1, he’s slashing .346/.460/.567 with six homers, a 17.3% BB%, 14.2% K%, .221 ISO, 25.0% LD%, and 51.7% Hard%, per FanGraphs. ”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)

I could’ve gone with a few different players here but the one name that sticks out the most to me is Reds outfielder, Winker. A borderline top-100 prospect coming into the season, Winker doesn’t have the sexiest offensive profile around, but has made significant improvements this year in certain areas. His hard contact rate has risen from 35.7% to 43.9% and he’s trimmed his groundball rate over 12% from 52.6% in 2017 to 42.4% this season. That hard contact rate puts him 25th in MLB amongst qualified hitters and ahead of first-rounders like Nolan Arenado, Giancarlo Stanton, and Bryce Harper. Over the last month, Winker is really heating up hitting .357 with four homers and 21 RBI. As long as he’s playing almost every day, like he is right now, Winker needs to be owned in more leagues.
– Eric Cross (FanTrax)

Harrison Bader (OF – STL)
“Bader hasn’t been playing every day, but with the way he has been hitting, and the possibility that he is the best defender in all of baseball, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him as a staple in St. Louis’ lineup moving forward. I can’t understand why a former top prospect who is hitting .321/.387/.571 over the past two weeks is still just 5% owned, but you’d better hurry because it won’t last long.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Mark Canha (OF – OAK)
“Athletics outfielder, Canha, is quietly (some would say silently) putting up the best season of his career, and has begun to approach legitimate fantasy relevance. The typically free-swinging Canha is sitting on a .262/.336/.460 line as of this writing, and all three marks would represent career-bests for the Oakland outfielder. He’s managed to make himself a more complete hitter, cutting his strikeout rate to 23.4% and raising his walk rate to a career-high 8.7%. Neither number is impressive on its own, but when you consider those numbers were 29.9 and 3.7 respectively in the limited time in the majors he had last year, they indicate legitimate improvement as a hitter. Canha could be a nice depth piece and should provide 20 homers and 70-80 RBI while maintaining a respectable batting average and OBP.”
– Bill Dubiel (RotoBaller)

Q2. What one starting pitcher should fantasy owners look into picking up that is owned in less than 20% of Leagues?

Trevor Cahill (SP – OAK)
“Cahill was rough around the edges in his 3.2 innings pitched in his first start off the DL against the Astros Thursday. That’s forgivable, though. For the year, the only real knock on him is his inability to stay healthy. In nine starts spanning 52.1 innings, he’s whipped up a 3.10 ERA (3.13 FIP, 3.14 xFIP, and 3.33 SIERA), 1.03 WHIP, 6.8% BB%, and 24.4% K%. That type of production shouldn’t be as widely available as it is.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)

Andrew Suarez (SP – SFG) 
“Rookie southpaw Suarez has been an underrated asset to a Giants team doing their very best to keep pace in the NL West, and I think his performance in the first half is sustainable for much of the second half. Dating back to June 2nd Suarez has made eight starts, and in 7 of those starts, he’s gone at least 5 innings while allowing two or fewer earned runs. He’s ripped off quality starts in four of his last five outings, and in the one he didn’t achieve that he threw 5.2 innings of one-run ball against the Padres. There seems to be very little pointing towards regression, either–his .315 BABIP is even a little high, and his 3.30 xFIP indicates he might be pitching even better than his 3.75 ERA indicates. Saurez keeps hitters guessing with a five-pitch mix, keeps the ball down and in the ballpark (1.07 HR/9) and pitches in a pitcher-friendly home ballpark. The only potential downside could be a looming innings limit, but if the Giants are in the thick of a playoff race, I expect they’ll be more lenient about that and simply give him more time between starts instead of shutting him down. ”
– Bill Dubiel (RotoBaller)

Carlos Rodon (SP – CWS)
“It took a while, but just like last year, after Rodon’s slow return from the DL, he has caught fire. This is an immensely talented lefty who if he ever stays healthy, could be the next Trevor Bauer type of breakout starting pitcher. He’s got true ace stuff and we saw a flash of that versus the Cardinals Wednesday when he struck out seven across seven scoreless innings while allowing just four runners. Don’t be surprised if he is a top 25 starter the rest of the season, and guys with that upside aren’t often this under-owned.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Nick Kingham (SP – PIT)
“It’s not altogether surprising to see his ownership rate languishing in the single digits given the fact that he recently returned from a month-long stint in the minors, but Kingham is worthy of a bit more love in fantasy circles. With Chad Kuhl sidelined for at least another month, Kingham should remain in the Pirates rotation, where he’s posted respectable ratios (4.26 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) and struck out nearly a batter per inning. the ERA is a bit inflated by the fact that he’s allowed eight home runs in as many starts, but the long ball was never a problem for him in the minors and he calls PNC Park home to boot.”
– Kyle Bishop (RotoBaller)

Joe Musgrove (SP – PIT)
“For me, Pirates right-hander, Musgrove, is vastly under-owned right now. Outside of a rough two-start stretch against Arizona and Cincinnati, Musgrove has pitched extremely well. His walk rate has remained strong at 2.4 BB/9 and he’s striking out more batters than he ever has, current sitting at 8.9 K/9. A noticeable difference has been with his fastball. Musgrove has commanded the pitch better this season and up-ticked the velocity a little bit. The result has been a much more valuable heater. Musgrove has the upside of a top-50 fantasy SP moving forward and needs to be rostered right now.
– Eric Cross (FanTrax)

Thank you to the experts for naming their under-the-radar pickups. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for all the latest discussions this season.

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