Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Report for Week 21

August 13, 2023

Deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for hitters focused on deeper leagues with 12 or 14+ teams. Consider adding these free agent hitters for Week 21.

We are coming up on Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season. The calendar flips to August, and the fantasy baseball playoffs push to the forefront of our brains. But you can't let that stress you out. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets rostered in less than 5% of leagues.

It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the 21st week of the MLB season could give you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.

This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 21, August 14 through August 20. While the season may have settled in, the waiver wires are still hot. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point -- this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo leagues.

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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. There are six teams with five games on their schedule. Six teams will play a full slate of games this week.

In this week's weather report: mostly clear skies for most of the country, but a bit of rain is expected in the Northeast and the Rust Belt on Monday.

• Seven Games - KC, SEA, ARZ, NYM, SD, STL
• Six Games - TEX, SF, TB, BAL, HOU, LAA, NYY, MIA, MIL, OAK, ATL, BOS, CLE, DET, COL, LAD, PIT, WAS
• Five Games - CHW, MIN, TOR, CHC, CIN, PHI

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

There are pitchers of varying quality on this week's two-start streamers list. For more insight, check out my article on this week’s two-start pitcher streamers.

• Merrill Kelly (@ COL, @ SD)
• Slade Cecconi (@ COL, @ SD)
• Max Fried (vs. NYY, vs. SF)
• Nick Pivetta (@ WAS, @ NYY)
• Clarke Schmidt (@ ATL, vs. BOS)
• Tyler Glasnow (@ SF, @ LAA)
• Logan Allen (@ CIN, vs. DET)
• Alex Faedo (@ MIN, @ CLE)
• Brady Singer (vs. SEA, @ CHC)
• Jordan Lyles (vs. SEA, @ CHC)
• Logan Gilbert (@ KC, @ HOU)
• Emerson Hancock (@ KC, @ HOU)
• JP Sears (@ STL, vs. BAL)
• Miles Mikolas (vs. OAK, vs. NYM)
• Dakota Hudson (vs. OAK, vs. NYM)
• Alex Wood (vs. TB, @ ATL)
• Yu Darvish (vs. BAL, vs. ARZ)
• Michael Wacha (vs. BAL, vs. ARZ)
• Quinn Priester (@ NYM, @ MIN)
• Carlos Carrasco (vs. PIT, @ STL)
• David Peterson (vs. PIT, @ STL)
• Wade Miley (@ LAD, @ TEX)
• Braxton Garrett (vs. HOU, @ LAD)
• Bobby Miller (vs. MIL, vs. MIA)
• Chris Flexen (vs. ARZ, vs. CHW)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Luis Campusano (C), San Diego Padres - 2% Rostered

Since July 22, Luis Campusano has slashed .405/.444/.667 with three home runs, nine runs, and 11 RBI in 11 games. The 24-year-old backstop's mind-blowing stretch of hitting has had little impact on his playing time, as he's still sharing starts with Gary Sanchez.

With relatively poor framing skills, Campusano likely won't pick up regular starts behind the plate this season. But with Ji Man Choi sporting a .313 OPS in his first seven games as a Padre, it shouldn't be long before Campusano begins to pull plate appearances at DH. If your league allows you to change lineups throughout the week, be prudent and start the hot-hitting Campusano when he's in the lineup.

Nick Madrigal (2B/3B), Chicago Cubs - 2% Rostered

Had it not been for an unfortunate hamstring injury that took him out for all of July, Nick Madrigal would be widely rostered in fantasy baseball. From June 13 to July 3, Madrigal slashed .367/.463/.531 with one home run, eight runs, nine RBI, and five stolen bases in 16 games.

He picked up right where he left off, slashing .333/.429/.417 in seven games upon his return. While he is 1-for-12 in the last week, his .333 xBA in that stretch proves that this mini-slump is an aberration. The 26-year-old has finally become a blue-chip contact hitter; grab the everyday third baseman off waivers before he's gone.

Pablo Reyes (2B/SS), Boston Red Sox - 2% Rostered

Pablo Reyes has fought tooth and nail to keep himself a spot on Boston's roster this season, but he may have secured a starting job. The 29-year-old has come alive this season, slashing .337/.374/.435 with a home run, 13 RBI, 14 runs, and two stolen bases through 100 plate appearances. With six straight starts and Luis Urias struggling, Reyes should henceforth be Boston's second baseman.

Jake Bauers (1B/OF), New York Yankees - 4% Rostered

Anthony Rizzo is out for the foreseeable future, but Jake Bauers has picked up the slack at first base. He has had a fantastic season, slashing .228/.307/.476 with 11 home runs, 25 runs, 26 RBI, and two stolen bases through 64 games this season. With two home runs in his past seven games, the 27-year-old should produce solid power numbers ROS.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

David Peralta (OF), Los Angeles Dodgers - 2% Rostered

David Peralta has consistently been one of the better strong-side platoon bats in deeper leagues. He's maintained a line of .314/.349/.473 since May 1 but has also chipped in two steals, seven runs, and eight RBI in 11 games this month. With a solid impact in all categories, give Peralta some shine when the Dodgers face right-handed pitchers.

Oscar Colas (OF), Chicago White Sox - 3% Rostered

It's been a disappointing rookie year for Oscar Colas, slashing just .217/.258/.295 with a 27.2% strikeout rate. But he's finally showing signs of life this month, slashing .273/.333/.545 with two home runs, three RBI, and seven runs in his last six games. With an everyday role, Colas is worth a prospective add for a possible late-season breakout.

Johan Rojas (OF), Philadelphia Phillies - 4% Rostered

With Brandon Marsh expected to miss a few weeks after crashing into the outfield wall in Citizens Bank Park, rookie Johan Rojas steps into the spotlight. He's slashed .306/.338/.419 with a home run, nine runs, 12 RBI, and five stolen bases in 22 games since his call-up last month.

While it's unlikely that he sends one over the fence again (unless Jordan Luplow decides to don his Craig Kimbrel cosplay again), his 29.2 ft/sec sprint speed will let him rack up steals and leg out enough infield singles to carry his weight in the AVG category.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers