This is the final week of the regular season, which means this is our final article. Anyone reading this is probably playing their fantasy championship this week, so I wish you the best of luck. Many of these options might not even play a full allotment of games because many of these teams will be resting players. That’s the nature of the final week, but we’ll try to include guys who should play out the final week!
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.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 26)
Home Runs
Hunter Goodman (C, OF – COL): 19%
Goodman won’t hit many singles, but he should be in line for at least one bomb this week. The most crucial factor is that he has all six games at home, with the Rockies being the highest-projected offense of the week closing the season in Coors Field. That’s massive since Goodman has been their best power hitter recently, popping five homers and 11 RBI over his last 11 outings. That’s no fluke when evaluating his splits, sporting a .571 SLG and .839 OPS at home this season. The matchups aren’t as scary as they look, and we’ll talk about that later!
RBI
Garrett Mitchell (OF – MIL): 5%
Why is Mitchell below 10 percent rostered? This guy has been batting cleanup for one of the best lineups in baseball despite being held as a platoon player against righties. That doesn’t matter this week because Milwaukee is projected to face four right-handers in this six-game week. That should bode well here because Mitchell has maintained a .350 OBP, .507 SLG, and .857 OPS against righties this year. He also comes into this matchup rolling, registering a .361 OBP, .723 SLG, and 1.084 OPS across his last 22 outings! He also avoids Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, and Sean Manaea, even though he faces the Mets and Pirates!
Runs
Parker Meadows (OF – DET): 22%
Meadows has been hitting leadoff for Detroit when they face a righty, and they have five right-handers on the schedule this week! This former top prospect has always pummelled righties throughout his career, collecting a .305 AVG, .533 SLG, and .833 OPS across his last 42 games. That’s what you’re looking for when digging for runs because Meadows is the leadoff hitter for one of the hottest lineups in the league! Facing teams like the Rays and White Sox doesn’t worry us either, with Chicago sitting 29th in ERA and WHIP, while Tampa is likely to rest starters in the final week.
Batting Average
Brendan Rodgers (2B – COL): 14%
Rockies players tend to have massive home splits, which is exactly what we’ve seen from Rodgers. The second baseman has a .328 AVG, .384 OBP, .500 SLG, and .884 OPS at Coors Field this year. That’s no surprise since that’s the most hitter-friendly park in the sport, and it’s massive since Colorado plays all six games at home this week! Facing teams like St. Louis and Los Angeles sounds scary, but it shouldn’t worry you. The Dodgers are one of the most shorthanded rotations in the league and could rest starters in the final series of the season. As for the Cards, they rank 21st in xWOBA, sending out a bunch of old geezers for every start.
Steals
We had Robles in here last week, and he provided us with more steals! That’s what this speedster has done since signing with Seattle, swiping 25 bases over his last 56 games! He’s also hitting .339 in that span and has been even more aggressive with the Mariners fighting for their playoff lives. In fact, Robles has recorded 12 steals over his last 21 outings! Facing Houston in the opening series is horrifying, but we love the closing series against an Oakland staff that ranks 25th in xwOBA. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see Robles be aggressive on the bases in that Astros series since that’s a team Seattle is battling with for a playoff spot.
ERA
Zack Littell (SP – TB): 25% (at DET)
Littell might be the hottest pitcher in baseball, and he’s still rostered in less than 30 percent of leagues. The righty hasn’t allowed a run in three straight starts while allowing one run or fewer in seven of his last eight outings. He also has a 1.41 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in that eight-start stretch and shouldn’t be faded against a team like the Tigers. Detroit ranks 18th in runs scored, 22nd in K rate, 24th in wOBA, and 28th in OBP, despite getting hot over the last month.
Strikeouts
Jonathan Cannon (SP – CWS): 3% (vs. LAA, at DET)
There is not a single two-start streamer that we want to trust this week, but Cannon is a sneaky option. Despite some ugly season-long averages, Cannon has compiled a 4.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across his last three starts. He also started the year with a 3.34 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through his first six starts, so a good week is far from the realm. The matchups are why we believe he could be a sneaky source of strikeouts because LA ranks 19th in K rate, 27th in OBP, and 28th in OPS, while Detroit sports the averages mentioned in the Littell write-up.
WHIP
Cody Bradford (SP – TEX): 39% (at OAK)
Out of every player who’s widely available, Bradford is the best pickup of the week. This stud has allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his 12 starts, with the only dud happening against Arizona. That’s the best offense in baseball, with Bradford collecting a 2.15 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in those other 11 starts. We’re willing to remove that stinker since he faces Oakland, with the A’s ranked 23rd in OBP, 26th in run scored, and 27th in K rate. He’s also faced them twice this year, totaling a 1.32 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate against them!
Wins
Reese Olson (SP – DET): 24% (vs. CWS)
There’s not a single two-start streamer we can trust this week, so we’ll bet on Olson getting the win for the Tigers. The most significant variable here is the matchup with the White Sox because Chicago sits last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. They also have just 36 wins, and Detroit will likely enter this matchup as a -300 favorite because they’re one of the hottest teams in baseball fighting for a playoff spot. We love that for a guy like Olson, allowing three runs or fewer in 15 of 20 starts while posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He also had a 2.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his final six starts before landing on the IL.
Saves
We had Weaver in this section last week, and we’re going right back to him for all the same reasons. Clay Holmes has been removed as the Yankees closer, with Weaver sliding in that role as the setup man all year. He’s earned this role, too, tallying a 1.13 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 14.1 K/9 rate since August 11. Most importantly, he’s been pitching the ninth inning recently, recording two saves and two wins over his last five outings! With New York fighting for a playoff spot, look for Weaver to grab one or two saves in this final week!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.