We have made it through another week of action and entered the season’s final month. At this point of the season, it is all about playing the hot hand and identifying great matchups in the coming weeks. This week, a handful of prospects were called up, which will cause many to get waiver happy on the young players.
Each week, I will highlight a few players to target in your weekly FAAB process, but remember, there are many others available and, more importantly, others that may be a better fit for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter (@bdentrek).
Fantasy Baseball FAAB Waiver Wire Report
All of the following players were rostered in no more than 60% of leagues at time of writing.
Hitters
Rostered: 57%
Suggested Bid: 23%
Schneider took over everyday playing time once Matt Chapman went on the IL, and he has been raking. Entering Friday, Schneider has hit safely in ten of his last 11 games for a .400 batting average. He has 11 extra-base hits, including four home runs over the 11 games, scoring 13 runs and driving in 13.
Schneider has been locked in with a 26.9% barrel rate with a 46.2% hard-hit rate, and when he’s not putting the ball in play, Schneider is also walking nearly 22% of the time. Schneider is a game-changer at the plate and should be rostered in all formats while Chapman is on the IL.
Rostered: 55%
Suggested Bid: 14%
Polanco has been locked in since returning from the IL. Over his last 19 games, he is hitting .313 with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 18 RBI, and two stolen bases. Polanco is barreling the ball 17.6% of the time with a 47.1% hard-hit rate over the 19 games.
Polanco has been hitting second daily and has seven games next week versus RHP, including four juicy games versus the White Sox to end the week. Enjoy the Polanco MI and CI flexibility over the last few weeks of the season.
Rostered: 49%
Suggested Bid: 7%
LeMahieu looks like his former all-star self of late, which has put him on the fantasy radar. He entered Friday hitting safely in 12 of his last 15 games for a .281 batting average. LeMahieu has seven home runs with ten runs scored while leading off for the Yankees. He’s playing first base daily with Anthony Rizzo out for the season, and with his positional flexibility, LeMahieu is a huge fantasy asset to finish the season.
Pitchers
Rostered: 43%
Suggested Bid: 13%
Pepiot missed most of the season, returning from injury. He returned a few weeks ago and has been outstanding. Over his four appearances, he has allowed two runs over 21 innings with seventeen strikeouts. HIs last two outings have been starts, and he has thrown 13 scoreless innings combined.
Pepiot should be a regular in the Dodgers’ rotation, and his next three starts versus the Padres, Tigers, and Giants can be a fantasy game-changer.
Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 8%
Canning has been low-key excellent since the all-star break. He has made six appearances (four starts) and has a 3.52 ERA (2.58 xFIP). He also has 46 strikeouts over 30.2 innings with an outstanding 31.5% K-BB.
Canning has another great start on tap next week versus the Tigers, making him one of the better fantasy starting pitching targets on the wire.
Rostered: 32%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Schmidt has been a consistent ratio machine this season yet remains largely overlooked. He has allowed three earned runs or less in 18 of his last 19 starts for a 3.84 ERA (4.28 xFIP). He has 91 strikeouts over 100.2 innings pitched for a 15.8% K-BB.
Schmidt may not be dominating on the mound, but he continues to produce, and next week, he has two starts versus the Red Sox and the Pirates, which could create more fantasy goodness.
Closers
Rostered: 55%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Scott is putting together a solid season out of the Marlins bullpen, and, with David Robertson‘s struggles, the lefty has taken over the closing duties in Miami. Over his last five appearances, Scott has not allowed a run over 6 2/3 innings while collecting three saves and a win. Scott can provide solid ratios and saves over the last few weeks of the season.
Rostered: 43%
Suggested Bid: 4%
May has been outstanding since the all-star break, yet continues to be widely available in fantasy leagues. Since the break, May has a 2.16 ERA with 12 saves and two wins. May continues to rack up saves without crushing your ratios, so add him if you need some saves down the stretch.
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