We have made it through another week of action and are now in the second half of the season. At this point, it is all about playing the hot hand and having great matchups in the coming weeks. We are nearly through the end of the regular season, so there will be a few players to track due to injuries, increased playing time, streaming starting pitchers and some new closers.
I highlight a few players to target in your weekly free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) process and fantasy baseball waiver wire. 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 24
Note: We use Yahoo for player percentages and recommend players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF – CHC)
Rostered: 56%
Suggested Bid: 23%
Pete Crow-Armstrong has been one of the hottest hitters in the game of late. Entering the weekend, he was hitting .392 over his last 14 games. He’s showcasing power and speed with three home runs and three stolen bases with a 13.9% barrel rate and 41.7% hard-hit rate. Crow-Armstrong fills the whole ROTO stat sheet, adding 16 runs and 15 RBI over the 14-game stretch. He should be rostered in all formats to finish out the season.
Rostered: 29%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Jesse Winker enters the weekend on a solid seven-game stretch. He’s hitting .391 with two doubles and two home runs. Winker has scored five runs with seven RBI. He’s not running like he was in Washington, but the bat is locked in with a 17% barrel rate over his last seven games. Winker will still sit versus lefties, but the Mets face mainly right-handers this upcoming week, making him a great streamer.
Rostered: 15%
Suggested Bid: 11%
Matt Wallner has taken over the primary right-field job for the Twins, and his bat is flourishing. Over his last 12 games entering the weekend, Wallner is hitting .295 with three home runs. He still strikes out too much with a 31.3% strikeout rate, but a 15.3% barrel rate and 51.7% hard-hit rate mask that swing and miss. The Twins face mainly righties next week, making Wallner a solid play again.
Pitchers
Rostered: 44%
Suggested Bid: 9%
Ben Lively is coming off two rough starts where he allowed 10 earned runs over 8.1 innings. Lively does not have a lot of strikeout upside, but at this point in the season, we want great matchups, and Lively has two this upcoming week. Lively faces two of the worst offenses in baseball in the White Sox and Rays, making him a great two-start streamer.
Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 7%
JP Sears has allowed five earned runs in two of his last three starts but has been good overall, with three earned or fewer in five of his previous seven. Since the All-Star break, Sears has a 3.95 ERA and 4.03 SIERA with a 16.3% K-BB over nine starts. This week, Sears has an intriguing two-step, taking on the Astros and then the White Sox.
Rostered: 38%
Suggested Bid: 11%
After some rough starts, MacKenzie Gore looks to be back on track. Over his last three starts, Gore has three quality starts by allowing four earned runs over 18 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts and only two walks. Walking has been an issue for Gore, so the two walks are huge. This week, Gore has a nice two-step, taking on the Braves and the depleted Marlins.
Closers
Seranthony Dominguez (RP – BAL)
Rostered: 48%
Suggested Bid: 22%
Seranthony Dominguez has taken over closing duties for the Orioles and has been outstanding. Over his last nine appearances, he has seven saves and 11 strikeouts in eight innings pitched. The Orioles should give Dominguez plenty of chances for saves in the next couple of weeks. He should be rostered in all formats.
Rostered: 37%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Lucas Erceg missed a few games with an injury but returned and picked up the save on Thursday. Since joining the Royals, Erceg has been great. Over his last 10 appearances, he has six saves with 13 strikeouts over 10.1 innings pitched. Erceg is one of the better closing options on the wire for the final weeks.
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