We have made it through another week of action and have some stats to give us an idea of players’ production. At this point of the season, it is all about playing the hot hand and great matchups in the coming weeks. The season is still young, so there will be a few players to track due to injuries, increased playing time, streaming starting pitchers and some new closers.
Each week, I will highlight a few players to target in your weekly free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) process and waiver wire, but know there are many others available and, more importantly, others who may be better fits for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball FAAB & Waiver Wire Targets: Week 11
Note: We use Yahoo for player percentages and recommend players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Rostered: 39%
Suggested Bid: 11%
Jake Meyers is one of the most talked about FAAB targets in recent weeks. He has become the Astros’ regular CF and has hit .333 in May. Meyers has added three home runs and three steals, scoring 11 runs and 14 RBI. Meyers has showcased strong plate discipline and walking 9.8% of the time while striking out 17.4%. Meyers should be one of your top outfield pickups this week if you want outfield help.
Rostered: 37%
Suggested Bid: 6%
The Tigers’ offense is starting to produce and Matt Vierling is one of the most productive hitters on the team. In May, Vierling is hitting .309 with five home runs, 12 runs scored and 21 RBI. Four of the five home runs have come in the last four games. Vierling has a .946 OPS and .296 ISO with a 161 wRC+. Vierling brings that sweet CI/OF flexibility that helps so many rosters. It’s time to stop sleeping on Vierling.
Rostered: 26%
Suggested Bid: 11%
Nick Gonzales was called up from Triple-A on May 10 and has become one of the most productive hitters on the Pirates. He’s hitting .313 with three home runs and two stolen bases since he was called up with 10 runs and 16 RBI. Gonzales is locked in at the plate as he’s barreling the ball 14.6% of the time with a 50% hard-hit rate. Gonzales showcased improvements at AAA. They have carried over with the Pirates. With the MI position being challenging in FAAB, Gonzales should be a primary target this week.
Pitchers
Rostered: 33%
Suggested Bid: 7%
It has been a rough season for Hunter Brown, but he may be figuring things out. He has made five appearances, four being starts, in May and has a 3.42 ERA and 3.46 xFIP while allowing 10 earned runs over 26.1 innings pitched. Brown struck out 29 in May and has a 17.4% K-BB with a 10.8% SwStr. Over the five appearances, Brown has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four outings. Brown has the skills to be a solid pitcher and may be figuring things out to become a fantasy asset over the season’s final months.
Rostered: 30%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Ben Brown will be one of the most popular pitchers in this week’s FAAB. In his two starts since rejoining the rotation, Brown has thrown 11 innings without allowing a run with 16 strikeouts. Brown has been solid all season with a 2.72 ERA and a 3.16 SIERA. He has a 20.7% K-BB% and 13.7% SwStr. Brown should be stuck in the Cubs’ rotation while Kyle Hendricks is in the bullpen, so I look forward to adding Brown for now.
Rostered: 8%
Suggested Bid: 22%
Tylor Megill returned from the injured list (IL) on May 20 and has looked great in his two starts. He has allowed two earned runs over 12 innings with 16 strikeouts. He has a 28.3% K-BB and an 11.3% SwStr. Megill should be rostered in 12-team and deeper leagues. If I am only adding one pitcher this week, I would prioritize Megill over Ben Brown, as Megill is locked into a rotation spot, barring something crazy happening.
Closers
Rostered: 43%
Suggested Bid: 9%
Reed Garrett has been a great reliever all season. With Edwin Diaz on the IL, he has added some saves to his fantasy goodness. Over his last five outings, Garrett has two saves and six strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched. He also has two losses, including a horrible outing versus the Giants, but that will happen occasionally with late-innings relievers. If you are looking for saves, Garrett should be on your radar.
Rostered: 30%
Suggested Bid: 7%
Jeremiah Estrada has been one of the more remarkable relievers in the game of late. Over his last five appearances, Estrada has picked up two wins and a save while striking out 18 over 6.2 innings pitched. Yes, 18 strikeouts. That’s insane. Estrada may not get a ton of saves as Robert Suarez has been great for the Padres, but he can supply plenty of strikeouts with excellent ratios and an occasional win.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
