8 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups to Target (Week 14)

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.

Fantasy Baseball FAAB Waiver Wire Report

Hitters

Henry Davis (C,OF – PIT)

Rostered: 49%
Suggested Bid: 26%

Davis has been as advertised since getting called up by the Pirates. The former first-round pick has hit safely in eight of his first ten games for a .351 batting average with a home run and two stolen bases. Davis showcased some power and speed in the minors, which drew comps to Daulton Varsho when looking at catchers for fantasy. The beauty with Davis is he plays every day in the outfield with an occasional start at DH. He may be one of the season’s most valuable catchers with everyday at-bats for the 2H of the season and should be a primary add in most leagues.

TJ Friedl (OF – CIN)

Rostered: 49%
Suggested Bid: 12%

Friedl has been excellent this season, and since returning from the IL on June 10, he has been a fantasy force. Friedl is hitting .306 with three home runs and eight stolen bases over the 16 games since his return. He walks nearly 15% of the time while striking out 14%. Friedl’s plate discipline has been great as he leads off versus RHP and hits at the bottom of the order versus LHP. Now playing every day, Friedl boosts his fantasy production, overtaking Jake Fraley as the Reds’ outfielder.

Tommy Pham (OF – NYM)

Rostered: 17%
Suggested Bid: 6%

Pham has been a man on a mission since June. He is hitting .329 with seven doubles, five home runs, and four stolen bases. Pham has driven in 17 runs while also scoring 13 runs. Pham is extremely locked in with a 19% barrel rate and a 58.6% hard-hit rate. Pham had an eye procedure to help him see the ball better, as shown in his production. Roster Pham immediately wherever you need outfield help.

Pitchers

Gavin Williams (SP – CLE)

Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 24%

After a rocky debut, Williams bounced back quickly and looked like the ace many were hoping for. Williams threw seven shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out six. Williams had a 2.39 ERA in the minors with a 34.3% strikeout rate and 24.2% K-BB. Williams is the real deal and will have some time to showcase his skills with Logan Allen going back to AAA (he’ll be back soon) and Cal Quantrill already struggling.

Kenta Maeda (SP – MIN)

Rostered: 32%
Suggested Bid: 6%

Meada has returned from a long IL stint and looked good in his last two starts. Maeda has thrown five innings in each start while allowing two runs and striking out 12. Maeda’s most recent start was at Atlanta, which stands out in a big way as the Braves are hitting everyone. He only allowed 70% contact in his last two starts with an impressive 15.2% SwStr. We have seen Maeda do this before and then let us down. For now, he’s dealing, and if you need pitching, he should be on your radar.

Bryan Woo (SP – SEA)

Rostered: 29%
Suggested Bid: 17%

After a rough debut, Woo has been dominant. He has a 2.18 ERA, 3.29 xFIP, and 28% K-BB. Woo has allowed two runs or less in his last four starts, with at least five strikeouts in each start. Innings may be an issue for Woo, but for now, ride the excellent start out and add him to your team immediately.

Closers

Hunter Harvey (RP – WAS)

Rostered: 16%
Suggested Bid: 6%

Kyle Finnegan is still in the Nats’ bullpen, but Harvey has recently been the ninth innings’ leading arm. Harvey has three saves in his last five outings, throwing 4.1 innings without allowing a run and striking out four. There’s a chance Harvey gets traded soon, but for now, he’s the closer, and he is worth an add-on team in need of saves.

Justin Lawrence (RP – COL)

Rostered: 15%
Suggested Bid: 8%

Rostering Rockies’ closers is always shaky, but for now, Lawerence is the man in the closing role and has been quite productive. Over 12 June appearances, Lawrence has thrown 13.2 innings while allowing four earned runs while striking out 12. He has five saves with a hold, a win, and a loss. Lawrence also has nine walks, which is not ideal, but he is getting saves without getting blown up, and that will work when rostering a Rockies’ closer.