RADIO
Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 17 (2026). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Bargain Basement Hitters for Week 17 of the fantasy baseball season. We're in the thick of the stretch run now, so it's time to boost our teams with some impactful pickups.
As always, we will look at five hitters who are improving and are widely available across all Yahoo leagues and determine if they are worthy of a closer look on the waiver wire. Be sure to follow RotoBaller MLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @FAmmiranteTFJ, for any questions!
Additionally, be sure to use discount code FRA for 50% off any Premium Packages and gain access to our Team Sync platform with customized lineup tools, projections, and more based on your league settings. Let's dive in!
Featured Promo: Save 50% the regular price with discount code SUMMER, for a limited time. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, DFS cheat sheets, Lineup Optimizers, betting/prop picks, and exclusive content from Nick Mariano and Eric Cross! GAIN ACCESS NOW
Lane Thomas, OF, Kansas City Royals
11% rostered (Yahoo)
Lane Thomas is currently slashing .240/.338/.412 with nine home runs and five stolen bases in 290 plate appearances. He's increased his walk rate from 9.9% to 12.4% while trimming his strikeout rate from 31.0% to 22.8%. Let's not forget that this is a veteran hitter with a 28-homer, 20-steal season under his belt, back in 2023. It appears that he's finding his groove at the plate once again.
LANE THOMAS WALKS IT OFF ‼️ pic.twitter.com/cApeieuatf
— MLB (@MLB) April 27, 2026
The former Nationals' outfielder has a .311/.373/.639 slash with four homers and one steal in 67 plate appearances in July. He's been mostly hitting in the No. 2 or cleanup spot for the Royals, so he's in an ideal spot to rack up counting stats. Given that Thomas has provided strong fantasy value in the past, there's a legitimate chance that he can stick on your roster for the long haul.
It's a great time to pick up Thomas because the Royals have three games at the Twins and three at Coors Field next week. So not only are you grabbing a hot hitter but also one with a favorable schedule. With Bobby Witt Jr. recently placed on the IL, Thomas will continue to hit in the heart of the Royals' order. Enjoy the ride.
Joey Ortiz, 3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers
3% rostered
Joey Ortiz was one of the key pieces in the Corbin Burnes trade when the Brewers dealt him to the Orioles, but he hasn't panned out for them so far. This is an infielder who is slashing .229/.299/.330 with five homers and seven steals in 258 plate appearances. He's increased his walk rate from 5.3% to 9.3% while maintaining an excellent 17.8% strikeout rate, but there hasn't been much power to go with the drain on your batting average.
Joey O three-bagger for the lead ❕
→ https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm pic.twitter.com/XCCrfcOXsK
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 22, 2026
However, Ortiz has been red-hot of late. In July, Ortiz is slashing .296/.345/.519 with three home runs and two stolen bases in 59 plate appearances. We've seen him hit two homers and swipe two bags in his last five games. This is the case where you can pick up Ortiz for a short-term boost, but unlike Thomas, it's unlikely that he'll have staying power on your roster. Consider him a streamer while he runs hot.
Next week, the Brewers start with three games on the road against the Giants in a pitcher's park, so that's unfavorable. But after that, Ortiz will get to take advantage of the Angels' abysmal pitching in a three-game series. If you lost Bobby Witt Jr. and need a short-term boost at middle infield, Ortiz makes a lot of sense.
Cedric Mullins, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
5% rostered
Cedric Mullins was once a power-speed outfielder who was highly coveted in fantasy leagues. Those days are long gone. He's currently slashing .202/.280/.347 with 12 homers and 16 steals. The batting average has been a major issue, but the power and speed combination is helpful. We've seen Mullins cut his strikeout rate from 24.1% to 20.7%, which is encouraging.
"This is Rays baseball!" 🔥
Cedric Mullins with an electric bunt to score a run! pic.twitter.com/vV11cbTjTc
— ESPN (@espn) May 7, 2026
But the main reason why Mullins finds himself in this waiver wire column is that he's slowly heating up at the plate. We saw him homer on July 20th and rack up two hits on July 21st. That was followed by a run, walk, and being caught stealing last night. You have to like how Mullins has been aggressive on the basepaths.
Next week, the Rays have six games at home against the Rangers and the White Sox. If you need some speed and you're in a deep league, it's not a bad idea to give Mullins a shot. Just don't expect him to stick on your roster for the long run. This is more of a short-term pickup, especially because he's such a detriment to your batting average.
Victor Mesa Jr., OF, Tampa Bay Rays
2% rostered
Victor Mesa Jr. is currently slashing .218/.304/.475 with eight home runs and three stolen bases in 116 plate appearances. He's shown rock-solid plate discipline metrics, including an 11.2% walk rate and a 23.3% strikeout rate. We've also seen him put up a respectable 11.8% barrel rate. This comes in a small sample in the big leagues after he had a 149 wRC+ in 81 plate appearances at Triple-A.
Victor Mesa Jr. goes yard for a 3rd straight game 💥 pic.twitter.com/1qJi9i4ZbG
— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2026
Now 24 years old, we've seen Mesa demonstrate a power surge at the big league level. In his last three games, he has three home runs. We also saw him have two hits last night. You can't rule out a red-hot streak from a young hitter. There's no telling where it can go. Just look at Esmerlyn Valdez in Pittsburgh. If you're in need of power, pick up Mesa and see where it takes you.
Unlike his teammate Mullins, there's a chance that Mesa can stick on your roster. After all, we saw signs of development at Triple-A. Perhaps this is just a late bloomer that the Rays have found. With that in mind, pick him up before he becomes trendy, and that rostered percentage moves up, as he's still only at 2% at the time of this article.
Joc Pederson, UT, Texas Rangers
4% rostered
Joc Pederson is a veteran hitter with a track record for power, but he was a massive disappointment in his first season with the Rangers last year, where he slashed .181/.285/.328 with nine home runs in 306 plate appearances. However, we've seen improvement from Pederson in Year 2 in Texas, as he's slashing .244/.339/.489 with 17 home runs in 305 plate appearances.
Joc Pederson smokes a leadoff home run over the Chop House for the Rangers pic.twitter.com/epyph7C8H6
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 18, 2026
The 34-year-old veteran has increased his barrel rate from 9.4% to 11.7%, so it's clear that he's back to form. He's been red-hot at the plate as well. Coming into Wednesday's action, Pederson had three home runs in his last six games, so if you're in need of a power boost, he's worth a look in deeper leagues. While it's tough to roster a UT-only player, Pederson makes sense if you're short on home runs.
The Rangers have seven games next week: one vs the Mariners, three at the Rays, and three at the Astros. That's the kind of volume that you want to target, especially on a power hitter who is running hot. Pick up Pederson to see if he can keep it going with this favorable schedule. Just make sure to only start him against righties.
