We have made it through another week of action, and there continue to be endless injuries we need to account for on our rosters. Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of solid and slow starts from players that leave us wondering what to do with those roster spots.
Each week I will highlight a few players to target in your weekly FAAB process, but know there are many others available and, more importantly, others that may be better fitting for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter (@bdentrek).
Remember that we’ll be using Yahoo for player percentages, and we’ll keep our suggestion to players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups
Hitters
Rostered: 45%
Suggested Bid: 12%
Lewis was called up a few weeks ago, and for some reason, the hype has worn off quickly based on his 45% roster rate. Lewis is only hitting .283 over his first 14 games, but he has two home runs and nine RBI. Lewis is also striking out over 31% of the time, which could be better.
There is no hiding that it may be a slow start for Lewis, but I would buy the dip while you can. Lewis has the tools to be a fantasy stud, and once he gets comfortable in the bigs or even more confident with his health, he should be poised to break out.
Rostered: 35%
Suggested Bid: 8%
Raley is having quite the 2023 season and has turned up the heat at the plate in June. Heading into Friday, Raley was hitting .344 with seven extra-base hits, two being home runs and a stolen base. Raley has a .406 ISO, 1.114 OPS, and 206 wRC+. He’s barreling the ball a ridiculous 22.7% barrel rate and 45.5% hard-hit rate.
Raley picked up two more doubles on Friday to bring his batting average on the season to .270. Raley has 12 home runs and eight stolen bases with a .327 ISO and 163 wRC+. Raley is the real deal, and he appears to have stable playing time, which is hard to find with the Rays. Enjoy the CI and OF flexibility and roster, Raley.
Rostered: 26%
Suggested Bid: 6%
It may be a year late, but Taveras is producing like many fantasy managers expected from him last season. In June, Taveras is hitting .262 with four home runs and two stolen bases. Taveras is only striking out t13% of the time, with a 13.9% barrel rate and 52.8% hard-hit rate. Taveras is now hitting .299 on the season with seven home runs and seven stolen bases, and he should be rostered in 12-team and deeper leagues.
Pitchers
Rostered: 38%
Suggested Bid: 18%
Garrett has been one of the best starting pitchers over his last seven starts. Garrett has a 2.89 ERA, 2.46 xFIP, and a 26.5% K-BB. Garrett is forcing a 34.2% O-swing and a 15.7% SwStr. He is thrown at least five innings in each start while striking out at least six in six of seven games. Garrett has been locked in, and he should be rostered in all 12-team leagues and deeper.
Rostered: 37%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Taijuan Walker has been locked in over his last five starts as he entered Friday. He allowed six runs over 28 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA. Walker did have a 5.19 xFIP and 6.4% K-BB which is less than ideal, but the improvements have been solid. On Friday night, he threw eight strong innings, allowing one run and striking out eight versus the A’s. Walker may have a rough start occasionally, but overall he has become quite a fantasy asset in a world of bad starting pitching.
Rostered: 34%
Suggested Bid: 9%
Whitlock has found his grove in recent starts. Over his last two starts, he has thrown 13.1 innings while allowing three earned runs and striking out 13. He has a 21.2% K-BB with a 46.7% O-swing and 18.9% SwStr. Whitlock has shown signs of being a fantasy stud, but he is doing it on the mound right now. Feel free to jump on the Whitlock bandwagon before it officially leaves the station.
Closers
Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 8%
With the unfortunate news of Liam Hendriks heading back to the IL, Graveman is again the man to roster for saves with the White Sox. Since June 1, Graveman has had two saves over 7.2 innings with two earned runs, four walks, and five strikeouts. Graveman makes most outings as stressful as possible but will provide saves if you are in the market for closers.
Rostered: 22%
Suggested Bid: 7%
Alzolay has been dominant this season, and over his last six starts, he has thrown seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and two saves. The Cubs have used a few pitchers in save chances, but Alzolay is the preferred option for now. At worse, he’ll get strikeouts and solid ratios. Alzolay is worth grabbing now before he gets anointed the primary closer.
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