Last week was one of our best articles of the season. I will be zoned in for the season’s final six weeks. This is the most critical time of the year because this is where we make money in our fantasy leagues. Now is the time to lock up these categories and enter the fantasy playoffs with some serious momentum. Anything can happen from there, but need to try to gain ground because we’re quickly winding down to the end.
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.
I’ll be putting out a similar piece every week, so check back every Sunday, as I’ll have a new list of players not previously mentioned. Without further ado, here are this week’s category-based fantasy baseball waiver wire additions.
- Weekly Trade Value Chart
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 22)
Home Runs
Jhonkensy Noel (1B, 3B, OF – CLE): 19%
Jhonkensy Noel has been hitting bombs since his call-up, homering 11 times through 40 games. He has a .577 slugging rate (SLG) and .896 OPS this season while also posting a .578 SLG and .932 OPS at Triple-A this year. There aren’t many guys with this man’s raw power, and it’s evident when you look at his massive frame.
The home run potential skyrockets since he has seven games this week, avoiding Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Seth Lugo in these matchups with the Royals and Pirates. Not to mention, being eligible for all of those positions is a major bonus.
RBI
Kerry Carpenter (OF – DET): 54%
Kerry Carpenter has been an elite power hitter since the start of last season. The outfielder has 32 homers and 101 RBI across 177 games in that span. He’s also got a .606 SLG and .892 OPS in nine games since coming off the injured list (IL), recording eight RBI in that stretch.
Those RBI opportunities should be prominent as long as he remains in the three-hole or cleanup spot for the Tigers, especially since he has a .344 on-base percentage (OBP), .542 SLG and .885 OPS against righties since 2021. Not only does Detroit have seven games, but all of them are also against struggling righties in the Red Sox and Angels rotations. We’ll talk about those guys later.
Runs
Charlie Blackmon (OF – COL): 6%
This one is simple math. The Rockies have seven home games this week, six against right-handers. That means Colorado will be the highest-projected offense of the week, and we expect Charlie Blackmon to hit leadoff in almost every game. That’s the optimal spot for runs, especially since the Rockies will be projected to score five runs in nearly every game at Coors Field.
Some people might think that Blackmon is past his prime, but he has had a .375 OBP and .891 OPS at home since the start of last season, and he has posted sensational career splits against righties. These are some horrible pitching staffs, too, and we’ll talk about that in the next write-up.
Batting Average
Brendan Rodgers (2B – COL): 23%
Brendan Rodgers has been a massive disappointment throughout his career, but he’s finally starting to find it. The second baseman has been hitting in the heart of the Rockies lineup every day, providing a .288 batting average (AVG), .466 SLG and .802 OPS across his last 63 games. Anybody flirting with a .300 AVG across two months will help you with your batting average, mainly since Coors Field is conducive to elite batting averages because of its spacious dimensions.
That has been clear since Rodgers has a .320 AVG, .377 OBP and .869 OPS at home over the last three years. We also foreshadowed these terrible pitching staffs, with Rodgers and Blackmon projected to face Albert Suarez, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers (TBD), Edward Cabrera, Roddery Munoz, Max Meyer and Valente Bellozo this week.
Steals
This is an all-around streamer as much as it is just for steals. Let’s start with the speed because Parker Meadows has four steals over his last seven games. That’s massive since Detroit has made Meadows their leadoff hitter, and we have already discussed how the Tigers get seven games against right-handers. Meadows has all of his steals against righties over the last three years while posting much better splits against them.
In addition, he has a .348 AVG, .384 OBP, .594 SLG and .978 OPS across his last 18 games. Facing guys like Johnny Cueto, Griffin Canning, Jack Kochanowicz, Nick Pivetta, Cooper Criswell, Tanner Houck and David Martin only adds to his intrigue because Houck is the only decent pitcher, and even he’s struggling right now.
ERA
Andrew Heaney (SP – TEX): 16% (at CWS)
Andrew Heaney’s had a few stinkers this season, but his recent form is challenging to overlook. The lefty has a 3.60 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across his last four starts. He had a 3.24 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in an 18-start stretch earlier in the year. Only a few duds have his season ERA up to 4.04, but that’s still better than most waiver-wire options.
We’re willing to bet he keeps his hot streak against Chicago, with the White Sox ranked last in runs scored, OPS, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. In their two matchups last season, Heaney had a 1.54 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 13.1 K/9 rate.
Strikeouts
Nick Martinez (SP – CIN): 30% (vs. OAK, vs. MIL)
Nick Martinez has been a fantastic find by the Reds, who moved him from their bullpen into their shorthanded rotation. That move has worked wonders for both sides, with Martinez maintaining a 2.78 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 7.9 K/9 rate since the end of May.
That’s not the most dominant strikeout stuff you’ll find, but it’s all you can hope for from such a hot two-start streamer. The matchup with Milwaukee is scary, but they rank 19th in strikeout rate. Oakland is an outstanding opposition, though, with the A’s ranked 24th in OBP, 25th in runs scored and 26th in strikeout rate.
WHIP
Jameson Taillon (SP – CHC): 43% (at PIT, at WAS)
Jameson Taillon’s recent form is a bit terrifying, but this guy was one of the best pitchers in the National League a month ago. The Cubs righty still has a solid 3.77 ERA and 1.20 WHIP despite allowing at least four runs in four of his last five starts.
He had a 2.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his first 17 starts. We’re confident he’ll return to that form in matchups like these. The Pirates rank 24th in runs scored, 26th in strikeout rate, 27th in OBP and 28th in wOBA, while Washington sits 22nd in wOBA and 24th in xwOBA.
Wins
Dane Dunning (SP – TEX): 6% (at CWS, vs. OAK)
There’s not a two-start streamer that has better matchups than these. We already discussed how the White Sox have the worst offense in baseball, and the A’s aren’t far behind. Most importantly, these two teams are at the bottom of the American League standings, with Texas likely entering both of these games as massive favorites.
Dane Dunning has had a disappointing season, but this guy had a 3.70 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP last year. He also threw two quality starts in his two matchups with these teams in his breakout campaign. Given how bad they are, it should be a decent bet for at least one win.
Saves
It’s annoying that Victor Vodnik is now on the IL, but that should open the door for Tyler Kinley to get some saves. This guy couldn’t get anybody out earlier in the season, but he’s been bumped to the setup role with his second-half resurgence. Kinley has a 1.37 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate since July 10.
He’s only allowed a run in two of those 19 outings and was the option for saves before some ugly midseason showings. That makes him an enticing option for saves this week because Colorado has seven games at home. You’d think a closer with seven home games would get at least a few chances for saves.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
