FAAB & Waiver Wire Report (Week 25)
I have once again been called up from Triple-A for the spot start with Jeff away, as I have minor league options remaining. This article approximately follows his methodology, focusing on players widely available at the start of this week (I use a <75% owned in the Main Event threshold). The players are ordered for redraft leagues roughly by my rest-of-season preference–only two weeks to go (!)–grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. I tend to put a lot of weight on recent playing time trends and popular weekly (e.g., Razzball) and rest-of-season projections, including the various systems published at FanGraphs, and my own system. I play in a lot of NFBC 15-teamers, so that’s the context I have in mind when writing this. Happy bidding!
Starting Pitchers
He likely doesn’t go beyond 5 innings in a given start, but 4-5 innings is enough for him to make an impact.
Rocker likely doesn’t go beyond 5 innings in a given start, and he’s not deGrom, but 4-5 innings is enough for him to make a good contribution.
Megill projects for an intriguing two-step this week. It’s unclear if he’ll get a start in the final week of the season, however.
Rodríguez has been solid in his rookie year and projects for two manageable matchups the rest of the way.
Steele is expected to return from an elbow injury this week. His pitch counts will be limited given he did not have a rehab assignment.
Garrett is nearing a return from injury and could be back early next week, potentially early enough to land a two-step, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Keep an eye on the headlines today if you are considering going for him. He threw 59 pitches in his September 11th rehab start at Triple-A, showcasing typical velocity.
Olson projects for a fairly scary two-step this week at Kansas City and at Baltimore and a good last week matchup vs. the White Sox. His pitch counts will likely be limited, however–he only threw 45 pitches in his last Triple-A rehab start (September 10th), where his average fastball velocity was down 1.4 MPH.
Martin has a soft schedule the rest of the way, with a potential two-step in the season’s final week.
Canning lines up to face the White Sox twice the rest of the way.
Littell is a respectable arm with friendly matchups remaining, first versus Boston, and then at Detroit in the final week.
Irvin projects for a medium-risk two-step next week at the Mets and Cubs–a decent option for those in need of counting stats.
Hurter has been lights-out in his rookie year, with a 22% K% minus BB%. He projects for a tough matchup at Baltimore this week, and a better matchup vs. Tampa Bay next week.
Cantillo might only get one more start, and is a decent option for pitching-hungry teams.
Falter is a decent option for pitching-hungry teams with a projected two-step next week.
Roupp has good Stuff+ and projections thanks to a strong minor league track record. I would avoid using him next week at Kansas City, but he may be a solid play in the final week of the season.
Senga looks likely to return for an abbreviated start at Atlanta in the season’s final week.
Relief Pitchers
Kinley has been racking up saves of late as Rockies closer. 9 of his 12 remaining games are at Coors, so ratios beware.
Tinoco looks like the top option for saves in Miami, although Calvin Faucher could return on September 20th, which would bump Tinoco back to a setup role.
Weaver sits a top of the closing committee for the Yankees.
Holton is splitting save opportunities fairly evenly with Jason Foley in Detroit.
Hitters
Now back from the injured list, Correa is too good to be left on the waiver wire, even if he may rest fairly often.
Albies looks set to return from a wrist fracture sometime this week. He’ll only hit right-handed, where he has been much better anyway over the course of his career.
Rizzo has started 12 of 13 since returning from injury.
Merrifield has quickly returned to an everyday role in the lineup despite fracturing his foot less than a week ago.
Bader’s playing time has ticked up lately, with 6 starts over the last 7 games.
Wilson is playing everyday and should be a good source of average, without much in the way of power or speed.
Crawford isn’t the most fantasy friendly option, but he basically always plays, allowing him to accumulate decent counting stats.
Urshela is playing everyday for the Braves, with good weekly projections this week.
UT-only McCutchen has been a strong source of offense of late for the Pirates.
Moreno should return from injury by mid-week.
A fantasy baseball tradition as old as 2023: Hunter Goodman emerges late in the season as a popular FAAB pickup, only for the Rockies to toy with his playing time in unpredictable fashion. This is a rollercoaster ride I’ll probably try at least a couple more times.
Beck is playing most of the time, and the Rockies have 9 of their remaining 12 games in Coors.
Smith is a strong-side platoon bat that should get two juicy starts in Coors this week.
Aranda typically starts versus righties and the Rays face 6 of them this week.
Drury is a decent CI option who plays a lot, but he’s day-to-day with hamstring tightness. Keep an eye out for the Sunday lineup before finalizing your bid.
Westburg will need a rehab assignment, but he is nearing return from injury.
Conteras could return to the lineup for the last week of the season.
Perkins is a good source of speed playing a lot for Milwaukee.
Meyers playing time has ticked back up with the Astros losing Chas McCormick to injury.
Rojas is an elite source of speed starting most games for the Phillies.
San Francisco faces 6 righties this week, so Yastrzemski makes for a respectable streaming option.
An intriguing streaming option with 6 righties on tap this week.
Stowers is a good source of power starting most of the time for the Marlins.
Siani is an acceptable option for those in need of stolen bases.
Triolo is a bit boring but playing everyday.
McCray is a good source of speed, starting most games for the Giants.
Rojas is boring but playing most of the time.
Sanoja has received 5 straight starts for the Marlins. He runs a decent amount and doesn’t strike out much.
Marte has struggled to the point where he was benched for 5 in a row, but he has started 5 of the last 7 for the Reds.
Walls is a potential option for those desperate for stolen bases.
Iglesias has been starting most of the time since McNeil went down with injury.
Siri’s playing time fluctuates a good amount, but he remains a strong source of power and speed when in the lineup.
Jung’s playing time has been a bit inconsistent, but he offers decent pop when he is in the lineup.
Julien is holding down a strong-side platoon role as the Twins line up to face 5 righties this week.
Good stuff!