This has become one of my favorite articles to prepare each week. I love to examine all of these categories and find players that match each stat for that week. It feels like a puzzle every week but it has helped me immensely in my fantasy leagues. Some of these guys aren’t going to hit, but we’re just hopeful it’ll put you guys in the right direction and create a mindset for finding streamers at each spot.
This list comprises the 10 main categories in roto leagues. Under each category, you’ll find a player who can specifically help you with that individual stat. Most players will offer help in more ways than one but their primary contributions should come under the category in which they are listed.
Without further ado, here are this week’s category-based waiver additions.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 4)
Home Runs
Hunter Renfroe (1B, OF – KC): 8%
Hunter Renfroe has been slow to get going but has some of the best power in the sport. The massive outfielder has a .475 career SLG and a .237 ISO. That’s led to him hitting 26+ dingers in five of his last seven seasons. He should reach that total as an everyday player for the Royals. He gets six games this week against the White Sox and Orioles, facing guys like Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen, Dean Kremer, Cole Irvin and Tanner Banks.
RBI
Jared Walsh (1B, OF – TEX): 10%
Many people forget this but Jared Walsh was a must-roster player two years ago. Between 2020-21, Walsh walloped his way to a .280 AVG, .531 SLG and .869 OPS. We’ve seen flashes of that early in the season, with Walsh posting a .273 AVG and .360 OBP. We haven’t seen the power come around but he could have a big week since he faces five righties in this seven-game week. This guy had a .402 OBP and 1.004 OPS against right-handers in those two years and should get tons of opportunities in this terrifying Texas lineup.
Runs
Parker Meadows (OF – DET): 12%
Finding a leadoff hitter on the waiver wire is difficult but that’s what we have with Parker Meadows. He’s leading off for one of the hottest teams in the league and we have to assume he’ll get out of the nightmarish slump. Meadows had a .265 AVG, .345 OBP and .816 OPS in over 1,000 games at Double-A and Triple-A. We expect him to regress to that soon. Getting seven games as a leadoff hitter should put him in plenty of spots to score this week. Detroit gets seven games against Texas and Minnesota, with six of those seven arms pitching from the right side.
Batting Average
Ty France doesn’t provide the power you’d expect from such a big man but he’s a batting-average beast. This guy hit .285 in the three years before a down 2023 season and has kickstarted his 2024 campaign with a .304 AVG. That has him in the everyday lineup, which is fantastic since he gets to play the Rockies and Reds this week. Three of those are in Coors Field. He should have a field day against these putrid pitching staffs.
Steals
Jose Caballero has developed into an everyday player with all the injuries in Tampa, leading to five steals through 13 games. We also saw him record 26 steals across 104 games last year. He could be one of the league leaders in that statistic if he’s in the lineup so frequently. He’s also batting over .400 against left-handers and faces four in this seven-game week.
ERA
I don’t understand why more people don’t roster Javier Assad. He was amazing over the final three months of last year, providing a 2.20 ERA and 1.08 WHIP from June 27 to September 30. Some might think that’s a fluke but he has a 1.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in the opening two weeks this year. That’s no fluke. He should have his way with Miami. The Marlins have the second-worst record in baseball and are ranked last in OBP, SLG and wOBA.
Strikeouts
Garrett Whitlock (SP – BOS): 51%
We always include a two-start pitcher in this section and Garrett Whitlock is the best bet to reach 15 strikeouts. He’s got a 27% K rate through his first three starts, which isn’t far off his 26% career K rate. He’s also got a 3.37 ERA and 1.15 WHIP throughout his four-year career, which should make him a must-roster plater in every format. That makes it challenging for him to fade in a two-game week, especially since Cleveland and Pittsburgh have far-from-fearful lineups.
WHIP
Lance Lynn has been allowing homers like crazy over the last two years. However, he’s done a good job limiting baserunners outside of that. He had a 1.14 WHIP between 2019 and 2022, generating a 1.27 WHIP after being traded to L.A. last year. We expect him to settle around 1.20 since he’s back in St. Louis. He could be even better than that against Oakland. The A’s rank 29th in OBP and wOBA, while Oakland Coliseum is one of the least homer-friendly parks in baseball.
Wins
Roger Suarez has gotten off to a sensational start, sporting a 2.65 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. He also has a 2-0 record and could rack up 15 wins if he continues to pitch like that for this pummelling Philly lineup. What we love is that he gets a home matchup with the Rockies, who rank last in nearly every offensive category on the road in three straight years. That will likely have Suarez entering this matchup as a -200 favorite or higher.
Saves
There are not too many saves on the waiver wire. Yet, James McArthur still sits out there in way too many leagues. He’s taken over as the closer for the struggling Will Smith, recording four straight scoreless appearances. He’s picked up two saves and a win in that span while pitching the ninth inning with a four-run lead in his most recent outing. Those are all the recipes for a true closer. He should get some save opportunities since the White Sox might be the worst team in baseball.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy baseball, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you navigate your season. From our Lineup Assistant — which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections — to our Waiver Wire Assistant — which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much — we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball season.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
