Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 26

September 17, 2023

Nicklaus Gaut's fantasy baseball H2H points league waiver wire hitters to pick up for Week 26 of the 2023 MLB season, identifying free agents hitters to add.

Welcome to Week 26 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for hitters. These fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups are for the week of September 18 - September 24, looking at players below ~50% rostered on ESPN, Yahoo!, or Fantrax.

We'll be doing this points league roundup every week here at RotoBaller because we know points players get neglected and we're here to help. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best and worst fits, with waiver wire targets being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems on ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, Fantrax, and NFBC.

Position eligibility is taken from Yahoo and players are grouped by their most valuable fantasy position, using a hierarchy of C > 2B > OF > 3B > 1B > SS. Stats and rankings for charts are calculated using games through Saturday, September 16.

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Know Your Scoring System

You'll likely find a suitable mirror to your own system if you look above. While every point counts, as long as they aren't seismic changes, you can get away with some "close enough" calls. I.E., you're probably fine if everything is the same except for HBP (or something similar).

Week 26 Leaderboards

Here are our waiver wire leaderboards headed into Week 26, with players ordered by their Yahoo Roster%:

And here are the stats driving the above ranks:

First Base Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Carlos Santana, MIL, 1B (Yahoo: 16%, ESPN: 22%) - Santana’s Roster% continues to be ridiculously low, with a 74 APR for the season and a 99 APR over the past two weeks still not apparently good enough for a lot of folks. And it’s not like he’s not hot, currently running a 28 APR so far in Week 25 after hitting two home runs on Friday against the Nationals. With seven games in Week 26 and four of them scheduled against LHP, I’m more than happy to roll out Santana again in what is likely a championship week for many leagues.

Mark Canha, MIL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 19%, ESPN: 7%) - Looks like Mark answered our question from last week -- Yes, he Can-ha!...I’m sorry, that was totally unnecessary. Regardless, Canha continues to be a fantasy boon for a streaking Brewers team that has now won seven of their last nine games. Batting every day in the middle of a surging offense is a good start to points success. You can double that in leagues with a strikeout penalty, as Canha is running a minuscule 16% K% with an 11% BB%.

Next Choices

Cavan Biggio, TOR, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - Biggio has started every game but one when facing a right-handed starter and Toronto isn't scheduled against any in Week 26. With playing time likely assured, Biggio's hot(ish) streak could continue.

J.D. Davis, SF, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 7%) - Davis is having a ho-hum Week 25 (but still has a game in Coors today) and has really tough slate of pitching ahead of him in Week 26, with matchups against Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Clayton Kershaw, and the rest of the Dodgers' star youngsters.

Ryan Noda, OAK, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 1%) - Noda is still running a brutal 33% K% but has enough power and walks in his game to stay points relevant, even on a mediocre Oakland offense.

Desperate Choices

Andy Ibanez, DET, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 1%) - The lightly-rostered Ibanez has heated back up in September, slashing .344/.405/.594 over 37 PA with at least one hit in eight of his last nine appearances. Unfortunately, his playing time is still too sporadic to trust strongly.

LaMonte Wade Jr., SF, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 12%, ESPN: 11%) - Wade Jr. has been somewhat resurgent but is also coming off of a series at Coors. Like the rest of his teammates, he will have to deal with some seriously tough pitching with series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, CIN, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 7%) - His Roster% has dropped considerably but Encarnacion-Strand still isn’t hitting enough to justify being on most rosters.

Elehuris Montero, COL, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 11%, ESPN: 2%) - Montero ended up being a sneaky corner play as we anticipated last week but it's really hard to trust a Colorado hitter going on the road with your fantasy playoff aspirations.

On the IL

• Joey Gallo, MIN, 1B/OF (foot contusion - no timetable)
• Brandon Belt, TOR, 1B (lower back - no timetable)
• Mike Moustakas, LAA, 1B/3B (strained forearm - no timetable)
• Kevin Newman, CIN, 1B/2B/3B/SS (strained oblique - rehab assignment)

Second Base Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (Yahoo: 32%, ESPN: 7%) - It's hard to count on him starting vs. RHP but Taylor always gets the call vs. LHP and the Dodgers are scheduled to face four of them in Week 26. But while most of his power comes against lefties, be aware that so do the strikeouts; Taylor has a 38% K% vs. LHP, compared to a 28% K% vs. RHP.

Ronny Mauricio, NYM, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 24%, ESPN: 7%) - Mauricio has collected at least one hit in 10 of his 12 games since getting called up and now has five SB on the season.

Next Choices

Cavan Biggio, TOR, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - Biggio has started every game but one when facing a right-handed starter and Toronto isn't scheduled against any in Week 26. With playing time likely assured, Biggio's hot(ish) streak could continue.

Matt Vierling, DET, 3B/OF (Yahoo: 8%, ESPN: 2%) - After briefly seeing his usage drop, Vierling is back to an everyday role, having started the last 10 games he was available. Over that stretch, he has slashed .294/.405/.559 over 42 PA with two HR, 11 R, eight RBI, and one SB, batting first or second in all but two games.

Zack Gelof, OAK, 2B (Yahoo: 42%, ESPN: 15%) - Gelof has slowed down some but still has a 102 APR so far in Week 25 and should continue piling up PAs, with seven games on the schedule in Week 26. Starting in the top third of Oakland's lineup in every game since July 19, Gelof is a surprising high-floor play.

Michael Massey, KC, 2B (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - Massey has been mashing, with six hit hits and three home runs in his last four games. But the Royals face two LHP in Week 26, against whom he's started just once in September. Be prepared for a lighter dose of PAs.

Desperate Choices

Andy Ibanez, DET, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 1%) - The lightly-rostered Ibanez has heated back up in September, slashing .344/.405/.594 over 37 PA with at least one hit in eight of his last nine appearances. Unfortunately, his playing time is still too sporadic to trust strongly.

Edouard Julien, MIN, 2B (Yahoo: 15%, ESPN: 4%) - Julien has been solid lately but hasn't started against a left-hander since August 20 and the Twins are scheduled to face three of them in Week 26.

On the IL

• Nick Gordon, MIN, 2B/SS/OF (fractured shin - rehab assignment)
• Kevin Newman, CIN, 1B/2B/3B/SS (strained oblique - rehab assignment)

Third Base Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (Yahoo: 32%, ESPN: 7%) - It's hard to count on him starting vs. RHP but Taylor always gets the call vs. LHP and the Dodgers are scheduled to face four of them in Week 26. But while most of his power comes against lefties, be aware that so do the strikeouts; Taylor has a 38% K% vs. LHP, compared to a 28% K% vs. RHP.

Next Choices

Cavan Biggio, TOR, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - Biggio has started every game but one when facing a right-handed starter and Toronto isn't scheduled against any in Week 26. With playing time likely assured, Biggio's hot(ish) streak could continue.

J.D. Davis, SF, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 7%) - Davis is having a ho-hum Week 25 (but still has a game in Coors today) and has really tough slate of pitching ahead of him in Week 26, with matchups against Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Clayton Kershaw, and the rest of the Dodgers' star youngsters.

Desperate Choices

Maikel Garcia, KC, 3B/SS (Yahoo: 23%, ESPN: 5%) - Garcia has a 106 APR over the past two weeks but that has mostly been carried by six runs and two stolen bases, as he's slashing just .143/.268/.229 over his last 10 games. That's really hard to trust with a series against Cleveland and Houston on the docket.

Andy Ibanez, DET, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 1%) - The lightly-rostered Ibanez has heated back up in September, slashing .344/.405/.594 over 37 PA with at least one hit in eight of his last nine appearances. Unfortunately, his playing time is still too sporadic to trust strongly.

Elehuris Montero, COL, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 11%, ESPN: 2%) - Montero ended up being a sneaky corner play as we anticipated last week but it's really hard to trust a Colorado hitter going on the road with your fantasy playoff aspirations.

On the IL

• Anthony Rendon, LAA, 3B (shin contusion - no timetable)
• Mike Moustakas, LAA, 1B/3B (strained forearm - no timetable)
• Kevin Newman, CIN, 1B/2B/3B/SS (strained oblique - rehab assignment)

Shortstop Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (Yahoo: 32%, ESPN: 7%) - It's hard to count on him starting vs. RHP but Taylor always gets the call vs. LHP and the Dodgers are scheduled to face four of them in Week 26. But while most of his power comes against lefties, be aware that so do the strikeouts; Taylor has a 38% K% vs. LHP, compared to a 28% K% vs. RHP.

Ezequiel Tovar, COL, SS (Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 11%) - He was our cover dude last week for a reason; Tovar has posted a 30 APR so far in Week 25 and is up to an 85 APR for the year. Like the rest of his teammates, he'll suffer a Coors tax from going on the road this week but the difference is Tovar is starting with a bigger bankroll.

Ronny Mauricio, NYM, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 24%, ESPN: 7%) - Mauricio has collected at least one hit in 10 of his 12 games since getting called up and now has five SB on the season.

Next Choices

J.P. Crawford, SEA, SS (Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 21%) - Even with an average week, Crawford still has a 67 APR for the year. The Mariners are scheduled to face four LHP in Week 26, against whom Crawford performs significantly worse against. Probably a good week to look elsewhere, if you can.

Desperate Choices

Maikel Garcia, KC, 3B/SS (Yahoo: 23%, ESPN: 5%) - Garcia has a 106 APR over the past two weeks but that has mostly been carried by six runs and two stolen bases, as he's slashing just .143/.268/.229 over his last 10 games. That's really hard to trust with a series against Cleveland and Houston on the docket.

On the IL

• Nick Gordon, MIN, 2B/SS/OF (fractured shin - rehab assignment)
• Kevin Newman, CIN, 1B/2B/3B/SS (strained oblique - rehab assignment)

Outfielder Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Mark Canha, MIL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 19%, ESPN: 7%) - Looks like Mark answered our question from last week -- Yes, he Can-ha!...I’m sorry, that was totally unnecessary. Regardless, Canha continues to be a fantasy boon for a streaking Brewers team that has now won seven of their last nine games. Batting every day in the middle of a surging offense is a good start to points success and you can double that in leagues with a strikeout penalty, as Canha is running a minuscule 16% K% with an 11% BB%.

Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (Yahoo: 32%, ESPN: 7%) - It's hard to count on him starting vs. RHP but Taylor always gets the call vs. LHP and the Dodgers are scheduled to face four of them in Week 26. But while most of his power comes against lefties, be aware that so do the strikeouts; Taylor has a 38% K% vs. LHP, compared to a 28% K% vs. RHP.

Robbie Grossman, TEX, OF (Yahoo: 8%, ESPN: 4%) - Sweet lord, Grossman is still capable of getting red hot; he has a 9.0 APR so far in Week 25 and has now started eight games in a row, over which he slashed .391/.545/.696 over 33 PA with two HR and an 18% BB%. And (at least) until Adolis Garcia returns (likely late in the week), Grossman should continue to play every day, making his hot hand good enough to keep riding.

Next Choices

Cavan Biggio, TOR, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - Biggio has started every game but one when facing a right-handed starter and Toronto isn't scheduled against any in Week 26. With playing time likely assured, Biggio's hot(ish) streak could continue.

Matt Vierling, DET, 3B/OF (Yahoo: 8%, ESPN: 2%) - After briefly seeing his usage drop, Vierling is back to an everyday role, having started the last 10 games he was available. Over that stretch, he has slashed .294/.405/.559 over 42 PA with two HR, 11 R, eight RBI, and one SB, batting first or second in all but two games.

Ryan Noda, OAK, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 1%) - Noda is still running a brutal 33% K% but has enough power and walks in his game to stay points relevant, even on a mediocre Oakland offense.

Andrew Benintendi, CHW, OF (Yahoo: 36%, ESPN: 16%) - Boring and streaky Benintendi taketh, just as he giveth; Benintendi has an 82 APR for the season but is outside of the top 200 over the past two weeks and so far in Week 25.

Max Kepler, MIN, OF (Yahoo: 17%, ESPN: 7%) - Kepler has run up a 29 APR so far in Week 25 but three left-handers on his Week 26 schedule could cool him down real quick.

Desperate Choices

Wilyer Abreu, BOS, OF (Yahoo: 7%, ESPN: 3%) - Abreu doesn't start vs. LHP but has started almost every game vs. RHP as of late. He is slashing .370/.443/.519 over a small 61 PA sample. With a 66 APR over the past two weeks and only one LHP on the Week 26 schedule, his dart might be worth a throw if you're in need.

Jack Suwinski, PIT, OF (Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 8%) - Some rotation shuffling by their opponents meant Suwinski got to face five right-handers in Week 25. The Pirates are again scheduled against three LHP in Week 26, making Suwinski a pretty risky dart to throw if you're in the playoffs.

Jarred Kelenic, SEA, OF (Yahoo: 33%, ESPN: 17%) - Kelenic has done very little since returning from the IL and a 32% K% is too hard for me to trust in these final weeks.

Andy Ibanez, DET, 1B/2B/3B/OF (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 1%) - The lightly-rostered Ibanez has heated back up in September, slashing .344/.405/.594 over 37 PA with at least one hit in eight of his last nine appearances. Unfortunately, his playing time is still too sporadic to trust strongly.

LaMonte Wade Jr., SF, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 12%, ESPN: 11%) - Wade Jr. has been somewhat resurgent but is also coming off of a series at Coors. Like the rest of his teammates, he will have to deal with some seriously tough pitching with series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Sal Frelick, MIL, OF (Yahoo: 17%, ESPN: 8%) - Frelick has a 72 APR over the past two weeks but is mostly a disaster against his fellow left-handers, against whom he's scheduled to face four of in Week 26.

Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS, OF (Yahoo: 7%, ESPN: 3%) - Another Boston rookie you could take a chance on, Rafaela has posted a 54 APR so far in Week 25, having now started seven of the last eight games with all coming at leadoff. But a 36% K% and .264 xwOBA says a big correction is coming.

Tyrone Taylor, MIL, OF (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 1%) - Taylor is getting everyday at-bats and has a 19 APR so far in Week 25. Four LHP in Week 26 should temper your expectations.

On the IL

• Mickey Moniak, LAA, OF (back tightness - no timetable)
• Jesse Winker, MIL, OF (back spasms - rehab assignment)
• Austin Meadows, DET, OF (anxiety - no timetable)
• Joey Gallo, MIN, 1B/OF (foot contusion - no timetable)
• Nick Gordon, MIN, 2B/SS/OF (fractured shin - rehab assignment)
• Victor Robles, WSH, OF (back spasms - no timetable)
• JJ Bleday, OAK, OF (sprained knee - no timetable)
• Avisail Garcia, MIA, OF (strained hamstring - no timetable)

Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Choices

Logan O'Hoppe, LAA, C (Yahoo: 18%, ESPN: 9%) - O’Hoppe has been a paragon of playing time since returning from shoulder surgery in mid-August, having started eight games in a row heading into this Sunday’s action. Not to be a broken record but that kind of playing time at catcher is a huge advantage in point leagues, even before you get to the actual production. But do be aware that O’Hoppe has done a lot more damage vs. LHP so far and isn’t scheduled to face any in Week 26.

Bo Naylor, CLE, C (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 2%) - Naylor only has 203 PA under his belt but eight HR and 49 R+RBI over his short time in the bigs has made him points relevant, with a top-100ish APR over the last two weeks as well as so far in Week 25. And unlike the others we list below, Naylor can actually take a walk, posting a 12% BB% that has him only behind Adley Rutschman, Will Smith, and Mitch Garver (min 200 PA).

Next Choices

Gabriel Moreno, ARI, C (Yahoo: 19%, ESPN: 6%) - Moreno has only posted a 132 APR so far in Week 25 but keep in mind he’s only played three games, missing the first part of the week while on the paternity list. Unfortunately, he still won’t be able to rack up many PAs in Week 26, given that Arizona only has five games on the schedule.

Desperate Choices

Francisco Alvarez, NYM, C (Yahoo: 33%, ESPN: 18%) - Alvarez has basically been catching every other day, while not hitting enough to justify getting any DH spot starts in the other games. The learning curve for top-catching prospects is understandably long. For right now, Alvarez is what he is -- a bleh points profile under most scoring formats that is fine as an injury fill-in but not much more.

Shea Langeliers, OAK, C (Yahoo: 13%, ESPN: 5%) - Langeliers is coming off a great week, with three HR and five RBI so far in Week 25. The playing time remains his biggest value add.

On the IL

• Danny Jansen, TOR, C (finger surgery - questionable for 2023 season)
• Tom Murphy, SEA, C (sprained thumb - no timetable)

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