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).
We have hit the All-Star Break, so we may be speculating on a few players going forward. Depending on your league, speculating on injured players may be a good idea too. If you have any questions about these players, please contact me on Twitter to help.
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.
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Fantasy Baseball FAAB Waiver Wire Report
Hitters
Ezequiel Tovar (SS – COL)
Rostered: 44%
Suggested Bid: 6%
It took Tovar some time to find his offensive groove, but he is raking now. Since June 1, Tovar has been hitting .309 with five home runs and two stolen bases. He has a .200 ISO and .840 OPS, playing very well with half of his games in Coors Field. Tovar plays daily and showcases a nice power and speed skillset in the minors, now carrying over to the big leagues. It’s also nice that the Rockies start the second half of the season with three in Coors.
Jordan Westburg (2B, SS, 3B – BAL)
Rostered: 39%
Suggested Bid: 17%
Westburg joined the Orioles on June 26 and has been quite productive. He is hitting .323 in his first nine games with four extra-base hits, seven runs scored, and six RBI. The power and speed he showcased in the minors have yet to arrive at the bigs, but that should come. Westburg’s plate discipline has also been quite impressive, as he is walking 11.1% of the time while only striking out 5.6%.
Jarren Duran (OF – BOS)
Rostered: 34%
Suggested Bid: 6%
After a bit of a slump, Duran rakes again at the plate. Since June 1, he has been hitting .345 with 11 doubles, two triples, and one home run. Sure, we’d like more power, but we can look past that with the batting average he provides and, more importantly, the nine steals since June 1. Duran leads off most games for the Red Sox and will provide plenty of run production.
Pitchers
Tarik Skubal (SP – DET)
Rostered: 45%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Skubal made his first start of the season this past week and looked great. His rehab starts were going well, and he backed it up significantly versus the A’s. Skubal threw four shutout innings without allowing a hit or a walk and striking out six. Skubal forced a 12.1% SwStr and a solid 50% O-Swing. Sure, the A’s may have made it easy for Skubal, but he looked great and should be a primary add this week if you need starting pitching.
Kenta Maeda (SP – MIN)
Rostered: 45%
Suggested Bid: 9%
Maeda returned from the IL on June 23 and made three solid starts. Over the three starts, Maeda has thrown 17 innings while allowing three earned runs and striking out 21. Maeda has forced a 33.3% O-Swing with an outstanding 15.5% SwStr. For now, Maeda is healthy, making him very fantasy viable.
Bryan Woo (SP – SEA)
Rostered: 39%
Suggested Bid: 12%
Woo continues to pitch great for the Mariners in his rookie season. Over his last five starts, he has allowed two earned runs or less in each start while striking out 35 over 26.2 innings pitched. Woo will eventually have his innings limited, but for now, it is full steam ahead with one of the best pitching prospects this season.
Closers
Hunter Harvey (RP – WAS)
Rostered: 45%
Suggested Bid: 3%
Harvey was splitting closing duties for a bit, but now the job is primarily his in Washington. He has picked up five saves in his last eight appearances, allowing only one earned run and striking out nine over 7.2 innings pitched. The Nats are hanging in many games this season, which has allowed for plenty of save chances for Harvey.
Trevor May (RP – OAK)
Rostered: 9%
Suggested Bid: 2%
It took some time for May to get comfortable on the mound, but he is good to go now and has taken over as the A’s closer. May has picked up saves in three of his last five outings, allowing one earned run and striking out five. May doesn’t always make it easy on the mound, but he is picking up saves when given the chance, and that’s all we care about when it comes to our fantasy teams.
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