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We are coming up on Week 24 of the fantasy baseball season. With the calendar flipped to September, 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 24th 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 24, September 4 through September 10. 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.
Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook
This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. There are only two 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 a large part of the country, but the Northeast will see some rain on Friday/Saturday.
- Seven Games - CLE, LAA, SEA, TB, ARZ, CHC
- Six Games - TEX, BAL, MIA, DET, COL, KC, NYM, STL, MIN, TOR, PHI, BOS, CHW, HOU, OAK, PIT, MIL, NYY, ATL, LAD, SD, SF, WAS, CIN
- Five Games - NYM, WAS
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.
- Brayan Bello (@ TB, vs. BAL)
- Gerrit Cole (vs. DET, vs. MIL)
- Zach Eflin (vs. BOS, vs. SEA)
- Aaron Civale (vs. BOS, vs. SEA)
- Jose Berrios (@ OAK, vs. KC)
- Jesse Scholtens (@ KC, @ DET)
- Lucas Giolito (vs. MIN, @ LAA)
- Joey Wentz (@ NYY, vs. CHW)
- Cole Ragans (vs. CHW, @ TOR)
- Pablo Lopez (@ CLE, vs. NYM)
- J.P. France (@ TEX, vs. SD)
- Reid Detmers (vs. BAL, vs. CLE)
- Jaime Barria (vs. BAL, vs. CLE)
- Ken Waldichuk (vs. TOR, @ TEX)
- Bryan Woo (@ CIN, @ TB)
- Bryce Miller (@ CIN, @ TB)
- Jesus Luzardo (vs. LAD, @ PHI)
- Justin Steele (vs. SF, vs. ARZ)
- Kyle Hendricks (vs. SF, vs. ARZ)
- Corbin Burnes (@ PIT, @ NYY)
- Merrill Kelly (vs. COL, @ CHC)
- Brandon Pfaadt (vs. COL , @ CHC)
- Clayton Kershaw (@ MIA, @ WAS)
- Rich Hill (vs. PHI, @ HOU)
- Logan Webb (@ CHC, vs. COL)
Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups
Freddy Fermin (C), Kansas City Royals - 4% Rostered
Freddy Fermin had built a season's worth of momentum, but two putrid weeks of offense sent him back into the fantasy baseball abyss. From August 11 to August 27, he held a .374 OPS, leading to a fall in his rostered rate as precipitous as his rise the week before. But a .265 xBA in that timeframe indicates that the rookie's recent slump was of little fault of his own.
Fermin has luckily regained the favor of the baseball gods in time for the fantasy playoffs, batting 5-for-10 in three straight starts at catcher. With Kansas City's favorable fantasy playoff schedule, Fermin remains a league-winning waiver wire add.
Austin Wells (C), New York Yankees - 3% Rostered
In a long-awaited move, the New York Yankees called up top catching prospect Austin Wells to debut as the rosters expanded in September.
The 2020 first-round pick is coming off a strong stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .254/.349/.452 with five home runs, 16 runs, 20 RBI, and two stolen bases in 33 games.
New York is practically out of playoff contention, so Aaron Boone should give the rookie enough at-bats to make an impact in fantasy baseball.
Gabriel Arias (1B/SS/3B/OF), Cleveland Guardians - 1% Rostered
Gabriel Arias has outlasted all challengers and now stakes a claim to Cleveland's everyday shortstop role. He has impressed lately, slashing .279/.313/.492 with three home runs, eight RBI, a stolen base, and a .333 xBA in his last 17 games.
With sustainable offensive production and positional versatility, Arias is a premier waiver wire add this week.
Lenyn Sosa (2B/SS), Chicago White Sox - 1% Rostered
A .366 OPS in a botched reign as Chicago's starting second baseman in April doomed Lenyn Sosa to the minors. But the White Sox threw in the towel early, giving Sosa a golden opportunity.
Since being recalled in mid-August, the 23-year-old has slashed .277/.277/.532 with four home runs, nine RBI, and a .327 xBA through 14 games. The White Sox have the second-easiest remaining schedule, meaning it's time to go all-in on Lenyn Sosa.
Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups
Ernie Clement (OF/2B/3B), Toronto Blue Jays - 1% Rostered
Losing Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman to injury felt like the end of Toronto's season, but Ernie Clement is here to save the day. The 27-year-old has filled in spectacularly at shortstop, going 10-for-23 with a home run, six RBI, and a stolen base since being recalled on August 28.
With Bichette and Chapman not expected back in the next week, the hot-hitting Clement should get a look in deeper leagues.
Kole Calhoun (OF/1B), Cleveland Guardians - 2% Rostered
Against all odds, Kole Calhoun is still kicking, and the 12-season vet has made the most of his new opportunity with Cleveland. Since joining the Guardians at the start of August, the 35-year-old is slashing .263/.341/.438 with three home runs, 13 runs, and 16 RBI through 21 games.
Josh Naylor is soon to return, but Calhoun has hit well enough to be the preferred option at DH. With that, he should continue to put up big numbers in the last weeks of the 2023 campaign.
Jason Heyward (OF), Los Angeles Dodgers - 3% Rostered
Jason Heyward has been solid in an outfield platoon role with the Dodgers this season, but the veteran has looked like the Heyward of old in these last few weeks. With a .918 OPS in August and a 1.415 OPS in the past week, the 34-year-old is head and shoulders above every other platoon option available in fantasy baseball.
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