This is it, the last weekly waiver wire of fantasy baseball’s regular season. We are headed into week 21, which, for many, is the last week before the playoffs start. If you’ve been rocking with me since the beginning, I hope you’ve had an incredibly successful season so far. We’ve had some highs and lows, ups and downs, but the amount of guys we’ve been early on should have been enough to help you get a competitive edge.
With this week’s waiver wire article, I really want to highlight guys who are set to not only have big weeks but success that can carry over into the playoffs as well. Guys that may be very under-rostered and available in all of your leagues will still provide top-tier production. If you follow my weekly planner article, you’ll know that only a handful of teams play next Thursday, limiting the number of teams to seven starts. That’s what we’ll use to get the biggest advantage.
Waiver Wire Targets
Josh Rojas (2B, 3B – SEA)
Rojas has not only been one of the hottest hitters for the Mariners lately, he’s been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. Since August 11th, Rojas has been hitting .382 with his first three home runs of the season. He’s also scored 15 runs, driven in nine, and stole three bases in those 13 games. He’s managed to cut his swinging strike rate to just 8.8%, and in turn, his contact rate has jumped to an impressive 80.2%. He’s literally doing everything right, and that Mariners offense is loading. Second base is weak, which makes Rojas a top 10 at the position option for the end of the fantasy baseball regular season.
Adam Duvall (OF, DH – ATL)
At the beginning of the season, Duvall was looking like he was destined to be the best waiver wire pickup of the fantasy baseball season. That was very quickly squashed by a wrist injury that derailed his season for a considerable amount of time. Now, at the end of August, Duvall seems to have once again found his power stroke.
In his last 18 games, Duvall has nine multi-hit games. In that same timeframe, he’s hit six doubles, six home runs, and driven in 17. Much like the Mariners, the Red Sox lineup is clicking on all cylinders, and Duvall is a big part of that. When he’s healthy, he’s been incredible. Evident by his 12.7% barrel rate and career-best 76% contact rate. He’s playing great defense, showing great poise at the plate, and making excellent contact. Everything you want in a late-season waiver wire addition.
Nolan Jones (1B, OF – COL)
Someone else who made my waiver wire article in the past, Jones is on here now for multiple reasons. The first is the fact that the Rockies play all six of their week 21 games at home. Coors Field is an incredible advantage for hitters at this point of the season. Especially hitters with the power Jones has flashed. He’s one of only a handful of players this season to hit multiple home runs 470+ feet.
Much of that power comes from his 15% barrel rate, which is in the 92nd percentile. His max exit velocity of 115.3 MPH is in the 97th percentile. At home this season, Jones is hitting .284, which is almost 40 points higher than on the road. While Colorado is about to face both Atlanta and Toronto’s pitching staffs, everything points towards a big power upside for Jones in week 21 and beyond. Grab him if he’s available. Three home runs seem very attainable next week.
Shea Langeliers (C, DH – OAK)
If you’re looking for batting average help, Langeliers isn’t your guy. But what he does offer is solid power and run-producing ability. Especially when he’s as hot as he is currently, in his last six games, he’s hit four home runs, driven in six, and even stole a base. Something you don’t see often from the catcher position outside of a handful of guys.
For the season, he makes good-quality contact. He has an 11.2% barrel rate and 44.2% hard-hit rate, and while his whiff rate still sucks, he’s cut it down immensely. In 2022 his 42.7% whiff rate was one of the worst in baseball. In 2023 he’s dropped that number to 32.6%. Anytime you can improve 10% in a category, it’s going to help produce noticeably better results. Langeliers is peaking at the right time. Take advantage while you can.
Kyle Isbel (OF – KC)
Isbel has been an interesting one, to say the least. He played in parts of two prior seasons, and they ended up being very underwhelming. He’s a very contact-heavy hitter with not a lot of power who excels on defense. He is the type of player who typically makes for a better real-life baseball player than a fantasy baseball asset. He’s managed to change that narrative a bit lately, though.
In his last 14 games, Isbel is hitting .349 with four XBH, eight runs scored, and 11 RBI. He’s used what speed he has to show he can be active on the basepaths as well by swiping a pair of bases in those games. The quality of contact numbers will never jump off the page, but his contact numbers are great. A 93.5% zone contact rate and 86.3% overall contact combined with a 5.5% swinging strike rate make Isbel even more appealing in points leagues. He’s hitting 88 points higher against fastballs this year, which is a big culprit for his uptick in production. With a very easy home schedule this week, look for that to continue.
Gabriel Moreno (C – ARI)
I don’t necessarily like putting two catchers on this list because it has been a pretty strong position this year, but Moreno has been too good to ignore lately. He was never a guy touted for his power, and that has been evident by his lack thereof this season, but his contact was supposed to make up for it. And boy, has it these last two weeks. He’s managed to become the hitter the Diamondbacks needed exactly when they needed it the most.
In his last six games, Moreno has managed multiple hits in five of them. He’s batting an impressive .458 with a 1.188 OPS that almost looks made up. That’s thanks to his three XBH, including a triple that, honestly, none of us expected from him. He’s making insane contact (91.2% overall), and his 4.9% swinging strike rate rivals that of Luis Arraez. He’s scoring runs (seven) and driving in runs (seven) despite batting at the bottom of the order, and he’s doing everything a fantasy baseball manager looks for in a player to lock up a position for the playoffs. Moreno is worth an add in any league deeper than 10 teams.
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