Waiver Wire Targets: Week 7

It feels like a normal mid-season week. Hitters are starting to fall into set production levels. Starters with talent changes are rostered. And teams are trying to determine their most reliable relievers. It doesn’t seem like anyone is available to blow the budget on. Instead, just pick and choose those players to help win this week.

As usual, I’m going to at least cover the players in demand using CBS’s (40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered by my preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters.

Hitters

1. Brad Miller (42%): A career-high walk rate (18%) and career-low strikeout rate (21%) has him posting a career-best season (1.086 OPS).
2. Victor Reyes (26%): He’s leading off for the Tigers while hitting .306 with three homers and five steals. What the hell else do fantasy managers want?
3. Jon Berti (31%): If available in a roto league, a must-add. His eight stolen bases are good for the fourth-highest total. He’s not a power sink with a couple of home runs.
4. Ryan Mountcastle (40%): He’s been good so far with three homers and a .356 AVG. Some regression is expected but not too much.
5. Willy Adames (44%): He’s playing every day with five homers and a .311 average.
6. Nick Madrigal (41%): A .400 AVG, all singles. Also, one walk and a stolen base. Obviously a batting average only play who may eventually start stealing bases.
7. Jeimer Candelario (22%): Boring and steady production (4 HR, 1 SB, .294 AVG) while qualified at multiple positions.
8. Garrett Cooper (14%): He’s finally playing and hitting .278/.297/.556 while being qualified in the outfield and third base.
9. Roman Quinn (6%): He’s stolen eight bases with two homers. Even with a .241 AVG, he’s playable in a roto league. The problem is that his .649 OPS means his playing time is at risk (played in 29 of 34 games).
10. Rowdy Tellez (15%): I’m willing to roll the dice on a mini breakout (7 HR, .266 AVG). I’m a believer because he’s cut his strikeout rate almost in half (28% to 16%) by making more contact (70% to 76%).
11. Evan Longoria (39%): He’s having a fine season (4 HR, .295 AVG) but doesn’t have the position flexibility of some higher-ranked third basemen.
12. Ke’Bryan Hayes (18%): It just been 15 PA, so he can post a 40% K% with a .357 AVG (.571 BABIP). I’ve read over a ton of scouting reports and while his glove is elite, no one believes in the bat. Francisco Lindor had the same prospect reports (all glove, no bat), so I could be wrong. I recommend the third basemen ranked ahead of him who will come with lower price tags.
13. Jurickson Profar (29%): Continues to be a batting average sink (.223), but he plays every day providing six homers and three steals so far this season.
14. Brandon Belt (34%): The .424 BABIP induced .341 AVG won’t keep going especially with a five-year high strikeout rate (25%). The home run boost (6 HR) is backed by a 62% Hard% and 23% GB%.
15. Tyler Naquin (7%): Started eight straight games while batting in the 6th spot with career-high power (.286 ISO).
16. Josh Naylor (7%): Since being traded to the Indians, he’s batting 7th. He’s swinging at (2% BB%) and hitting (8% K%) everything. Complete wildcard.
17. Leody Taveras (7%): Like with Naylor, it’s tough to pin down a good valuation. There are good and bad signs. He’s leading off with a homer and two steals in just 12 games. It’s also just a .211 AVG (36% K%) and a .079 ISO.
18. Miguel CabreraDH (32%): There is no reason his ownership is so high. He just continues to age.
19. Bobby Dalbec (15%): He’s being owned by MLB pitching so far with a 57% K% (19 PA). I’d gamble elsewhere since there are just a few weeks left in the season.
20. Austin Riley (48%), Adam Duvall (11%), and Nick Markakis (27%): The Atlanta trio has been OK with all three having an OPS around .800. Riley and Duvall provide home runs while Markakis is a nice source of batting average. Among the three of them, they have not stolen a base. They each seem to provide replacement level production.
21. Ty France (12%): He’s getting a chance to now play in Seattle but it’s tough to know if he’s any good.
22. Alex Dickerson (25%): Everyone needs to calm down with the love. In six games at Colorado, he’s hit four of his seven homers with a 1.042 OPS. He has a .704 OPS against everyone else. He’s done with Coors Field and will be a boring replacement level hitter, if that, for the rest of the season.
23. José Marmolejos (3%): He’s a deep league dart throw in leagues where every regular is rostered. The 27-year-old has shown some minor league power skills and usually has near a .300 AVG (currently at .232).
24. David Bote (6%): He’s been playing instead of Kris Bryant with OK production (5 HR, 2 SB, .214 AVG).
25. James McCann (40%), Jose Trevino (10%), Jacob Stallings (15%): This week’s catcher carousal.
26. Brandon Crawford (8%): Maybe a replacement-level shortstop.

Starters

1. Michael Pineda (59%): His first start off suspension was fine. He threw strikes (one walk) and had his velocity the same (92.6 mph vs 93.0 mph). A must-add in all formats.
2. Dane Dunning (40%): In his three starts, he’s been great (3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 11.6 K/9). His 50% GB% has helped limit the homers (0.6 HR/9), but he is averaging fewer than five innings per start limiting his chance for a Win.
3. Tony Gonsolin (44%): The rate stats have been great (0.72 WHIP, 0.76 ERA), but he has yet to get a Win yet because he’s averaged fewer than five innings per start. Also, he’s been a little lucky by having just a 0.4 HR/9 with a 31% GB%.
4. Tyler Mahle (49%): He’s redone his pitch mix moving away from his curve and throwing a cutter more. The strikeouts are way up (9.0 K/9 to 10.5 K/9). His issue will be his 28% GB% with the Happy Fun Ball in play. He’ll allow below league level BABIP (.206) but a ton of homers (1.8 HR/9).
5. Josh Fleming (26%): Three starts, three Wins to go with a 3.52 ERA. While don’t expect many strikeouts (6.5 K/9), he’s a fine 5th to 6th starter.
6. Deivi García (39%): The talent is there (10.1 K/9, 1.03 WHIP, and 3.38 ERA), but it’s tough to know if and when he’ll start (currently he’s off the MLB roster). I think his best value will be in daily lineup leagues so all his starts will count.
7. Alex Young (21%): He’s a matchup play who can be a little homer prone (2.3 HR/9).
8. Chase Anderson (22%): He’s about a clone of Young, a matchup option who gives up a ton of homers.
9. Chad Kuhl (24%): I have no idea how he’s maintaining a 3.10 ERA with a 1.9 HR/9 and 4.0 BB/9. Once his .213 BABIP normalizes, his ERA will balloon to match his ERA estimators over 5.00.
10. Adbert Alzolay (7%): It’s been just 8 IP so far this season but there are positives (12.5 K/9, 58% GB%, 2.08 ERA) and negatives (7.3 BB/9). There is a lot to like if he can get the walk under control. I would be more interested if more season was left to see if he can pull it together.
11. Trevor Richards (9%): Besides being a Ray, there is nothing to get excited over. A 1.60 WHIP and 4.91 ERA says it all.
12. Taylor Clarke (7%): Fantasy managers must be chasing that sub-3.00 ERA. While the 8.9 K/9 and 54% GB% are good, the 4.9 BB/9 is ridiculously high.
13. Justin Dunn (17%): He’s thrown two good starts against the Angels and Rangers (0.00 ERA and 9.0 K/9). Nothing has changed in his profile so I expect his season-long struggles to continue.
14. Johan Oviedo (8%): It’s tough to get too excited about a 6.1 K/9 with the rest of the profile being blah at best.
15. Jaime Barria (5%): His production only looks decent because he hasn’t allowed a home run yet. Everything points to a 5.00 ERA talent pitcher.

Relievers

1. Greg Holland (26%): An OK reliever with the closer’s role.
2. Matt Barnes (33%): An OK reliever with the closer’s role.
3. Yoshihisa Hirano (20%): An OK reliever with the closer’s role.
4. Daniel Bard (18%): An OK reliever with the Rockies closer’s role.
5. Jeremy Jeffress (38%): An OK reliever with likely the closer’s role.
6. Hunter Harvey (20%): A good relier who may have the closer’s role.
7. Felix Peña (7%): An OK reliever who may have the closer’s role.
8. Trevor Rogers (7%): An OK reliever who may have the closer’s role.
9. Gregory Soto (27%): A good relier who may still have the closer’s role.
10. Diego Castillo (41%): A good reliever who will get some of his team’s Saves.
11. Pete Fairbanks (8%): A good reliever who will get some of his team’s Saves.
12. Devin Williams (26%): An insanely great reliever who is next in line for the closer’s role.
13. Jonathan Hernández (41%): A good reliever who is next in line for the closer’s role