We have made it through another week of fantasy baseball 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. 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 fantasy baseball 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 Waiver Wire & FAAB Targets: Week 14
Note: We use Yahoo for player percentages and recommend players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Rostered: 51%
Suggested Bid: 22%
Andrew Vaughn got off to a rough start to the season and many fantasy managers gave up on him. Some happy campers are those who held on or have already added him back. Since June 1st, Vaughn has been hitting .358 with five home runs. The power has been missing in Vaughn’s game since he was drafted, so the recent power surge is a welcome surprise. He’s doing it by pulling the ball more. He has had a 12.7% barrel rate and 49.1% hard-hit rate since June 1st. Vaughn looks poised to break out and must be rostered everywhere.
Rostered: 33%
Suggested Bid: 11%
I have been waiting for Mark Vientos to get regular playing time for a couple of years now. He’s finally getting that with Brett Baty back in AAA. Since June 1st, Vientos has hit .286 with three home runs. He barrels the ball 11.9% of the time with a .831 OPS and 139 wRC+. The third base position is getting shallower by the day in fantasy, which makes Vientos an even better play on most 12-team and deeper teams.
Rostered: 28%
Suggested Bid: 23%
I am still trying to understand Yahoo’s 28% roster rate regarding Zach Neto. He’s one of the top-hitting shortstops in the game of late and is still widely available. He entered Friday hitting safely in eight of his last 10 games with a .306 batting average. Neto is flexing his muscles with three home runs with a 13.3% barrel rate and 56.7% hard-hit rate. Neto hits at the bottom of the order, affecting his run production, but his overall production warrants being rostered in all 12-team and deeper leagues.
Pitchers
Rostered: 54%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Matt Waldron has been on quite the heater of late. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in his last eight starts with a 1.82 ERA and 3.56 SIERA. Waldron has 47 strikeouts over 49.1 innings pitched with an 18.4% K-BB. Waldron brings a nice knuckleball in his arsenal to go with a newly improved sweeper. In his last start, he allowed one run over seven innings versus the Phillies, which was the first time a starting pitcher went seven innings allowing only one rune versus the Phillies all season. Waldron has been outstanding and should be used in most starts going forward.
Rostered: 30%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Tobias Myers had rough starts in his first stint with the Brewers, but he’s looked much better in his return. Over his last three starts, Myers has allowed one run over 20.1 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts. He still walked six, so his 12.7% K-BB is not great, but he has looked much better lately. He may not be a strong option for each start, but he is streamable.
Spencer Schwellenbach (SP – ATL)
Rostered: 11%
Suggested Bid: 11%
Spencer Schwellenbach has made four starts since he was called up and has been solid in three of them. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his four starts and has a 4.15 SIERA with 19 strikeouts over 21.2 innings pitched. Limiting the walks, he can assemble a solid stretch of starts going forward. Next week, he has a two-step versus the Cardinals and Pirates, which the doctor ordered for fantasy teams in 12-team and deeper leagues.
Closers
Rostered: 31%
Suggested Bid: 6%
With Yimi Garcia and Jordan Romano on the injured list (IL), Chad Green is said to be the next man up, according to the Jays. Green has not allowed a run in his last four appearances, with four strikeouts over 3.2 innings pitched. There have not been a lot of save chances since Garcia went on the IL, but Green appears to be the one to target if you are desperate for saves.
Rostered: 28%
Suggested Bid: 8%
With Andres Munoz battling a back injury and getting used in different roles when he does pitch, Ryne Stanek has been getting his fair share of saves. Over his last five appearances, Stanek has made three saves without allowing a run, with three strikeouts over 3.2 innings pitched. Stanek may not get all the saves, but he is worth looking at if you need an occasional save.
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