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Andy Smith's fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 21. Free-agent hitter pickups, emerging starting pitchers, and bullpen arms for every week of the 2026 MLB season.
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Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Premium Waiver Wire targets. As always, we will only look at players rostered in under 30% of Yahoo! leagues.
Andy Smith will be taking over for Nick Mariano on this premium article. These are Andy's waiver wire targets for Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season. These are his best pickups of the week at each position.
Let's dive into the best waiver wire pickups of Week 21!
Andy's Hitter Waiver Wire Targets
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (27% Rostered), Francisco Alvarez (24% Rostered), Tyler Stephenson (15% Rostered), Carson Kelly (11% Rostered), Eduardo Valencia (5% Rostered), Jonah Heim (5% Rostered), Moises Ballesteros (4% Rostered), Luis Campusano (2% Rostered), Rafael Flores Jr. (1% Rostered ), Brett Sullivan (1% Rostered ), Luis Torrens (1% Rostered)
Rafael Flores Jr. made headlines over the past week. On Thursday, the rookie backstop launched two home runs and drove in six runs in their contest against the Marlins, and stayed hot again on Friday, launching another long ball against the Boston Red Sox. Over his last five games, Flores has gone 6-for-15 at the dish with eight RBI and three runs (and the noted three home runs).
While the sample size is small, this hot surge should push him to the top of the depth chart while Endy Rodriguez is on the shelf.
The other rookie backstop that has made waves in the fantasy world is Detroit's Eduardo Valencia. Through his first 17 games in the majors, the catcher has held a .396/.420/.833 line with six doubles and five home runs. Over his last 11 games, he has posted a dominant 1.211 OPS. Like Flores, the sample is small, but his underlying .32 xwOBA makes him a prime target for those in two-catcher leagues needing a No. 2 option with upside.
For those in 15-team leagues needing an upside backup catcher, I suggest looking toward some veteran options like Jonah Heim, Brett Sullivan and Luis Torrens. Heim has gotten a bit cold (.119 AVG over his last 11 games), but held a much higher .294 AVG over his last nine games and should remain in a starting role with Shea Langeliers done for the season.
Sullivan is the No. 2 option behind Hunter Goodman but has been signing a lot, posting a .409/.435/.818 line over his last eight games. Torrens, who is also the "backup" on his roster, has been just as productive as Francisco Alvarez, holding a .320 AVG with three long balls over his last nine games.
