The best players in the world play on NFBC and the most popular high-stakes contest is the NFBC Main Event, which has a $1,750 buy-in with a $7,000 league prize and a $200,000 overall prize. Thankfully, for everyone, NFBC allows us to see what each team is doing with their FAAB pickups on Sunday night.
Each week, I look at the most popular fantasy baseball waiver wire and FAAB pickups in the NFBC Main Event to see who the best players in the world are picking up and whether we should add them.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 18
Robbie Ray (SP – SF)
Robbie Ray was picked up in 56 Main Event leagues with a max bid of $400 and a minimum bid of $67. Ray made his first start back from Tommy John surgery and looked very good in the process, throwing five hitless innings with eight strikeouts. When healthy, Ray can be a difference-maker in fantasy, but he also struggles with command and control at times, which is also what pitchers coming back from Tommy John tend to struggle with.
There is a lot of upside, but the risk is he can’t reel in that command and control and that the Giants don’t put him in many positions to win ball games because they are bad and don’t let him go five innings.
Clayton Kershaw (SP – LAD)
Like Ray, Clayton Kershaw made his season debut after missing the first half of the season with an injury. He was picked up in 56 leagues with a max bid of $350 and a minimum bid of $44. Kershaw has always been a good pitcher when healthy, but how healthy is he and how will the Dodgers use him down the stretch? If they limit his innings that hurts his ability to get wins and improve your ratios.
River Ryan (SP – LAD)
River Ryan was picked up in 56 leagues with a max bid of $113 and a minimum bid of $11. River is a top pitching prospect with a really good upcoming start versus the A’s. The problem is I do not know how long he will be in the Dodgers rotation. Right now he is in, but if the Dodgers add another starter at the trade deadline or get healthy, he will end up in the bullpen or back in AAA.
Tyler Fitzgerald (2B, SS, OF – SF)
Tyler Fitzgerald was on a massive heater over the previous 10 days, hitting .400/.478/1.100 with eight home runs in 10 games, which is why he was picked up in 52 leagues with a max bid of $137 and a min bid of $10. The problem is he doesn’t have this much power or anything close to it, and the underlying skills aren’t particularly good. He was just hot and you’ve likely missed all the goodness.
Connor Norby (2B, OF – BAL)
Connor Norby was picked up in 47 leagues with a max bid of $36 and a minimum bid of $1. Norby is a top prospect for the Orioles who has hit well in AAA and was recently recalled to replace Jorge Mateo, who was put on the injured list (IL). However, Norby has struggled in his limited time in the Majors and might be a trade candidate. Being traded wouldn’t be the worst thing as he would likely be an everyday player wherever he ends up, but if he stays in Baltimore, he may end up as a part-timer or back in the minors.
Luis Garcia (RP – LAA)
Luis Garcia was picked up in 45 leagues with a max bid of $190 and a minimum of $1 after he got the first save after Carlos Estevez was traded to the Phillies. If he isn’t traded himself he may be a nice reliever to pick up, but chances are he is dealt at the deadline and Ben Joyce takes over closing duties in Anaheim.
Lucas Erceg (RP – OAK) & Tyler Ferguson (RP – OAK)
Lucas Erceg and Tyler Ferguson were picked up in 40 leagues each with max bids of $78 and $67, respectively, and min bids of $3 and $1, respectively. With Mason Miller out with injuries, Erceg and Ferguson are the leading candidates to close. Since they have already split the first three save chances it is likely a committee.
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