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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 21 (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 21 of the fantasy baseball season. We're in the thick of the stretch run now, so it's time to upgrade our teams with some useful pickups. We're either focusing on players with seven-game weeks or exploitable matchups.
As usual, we will look at five hitters who are in good spots and are widely available across all Yahoo! leagues. Each of these players is rostered in fewer than 10% of leagues. Last week, we nailed Dane Myers, who was 0% rostered at the time of recommendation, only to homer twice for the Reds. Let's try to build on that this week. We've got more intriguing picks this time around.
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Connor Norby, 1B/2B/3B, Colorado Rockies
1% rostered (Yahoo)
Connor Norby was traded to the Rockies at the deadline in a deal that sent relief pitcher Victor Vodnik to Miami. Heading into Wednesday's action, Norby was slashing .211/.348/.316 with two stolen bases in 23 plate appearances with the Rockies. You have to like the plate discipline metrics so far, featuring a 17.4% walk rate and a 21.7% strikeout rate. The aggressiveness on the basepaths also bodes well for Norby's fantasy value.
Getting the chance to roster a player eligible at first, second, and third while playing their home games at a hitter-friendly environment like Coors Field is always appealing, particularly in deeper leagues. Remember, Norby homered nine times in only 194 plate appearances back in 2024. Perhaps a change of scenery can ignite a hot streak, just in time for the stretch run.
Connor Norby follows with an RBI double of his own and the #Rockies have tied the game at three! pic.twitter.com/NV9LK6ByTl
— Eli Whitney (@eliwhtney17) August 19, 2026
It's also worth noting that Norby has been hitting anywhere from 5th to 8th in the Rockies' order, with the former coming in his most recent game. If Norby can continue batting in the heart of the order, he'll have a chance to rack up counting stats, especially when the Rockies are at home.
While next week's schedule is filled with road games, the Rockies are one of the few teams with seven games on tap. This includes four at the Nationals and three at the Braves, both hitter-friendly environments. With that in mind, Norby is worth a look next week. He provides rare speed at the corner infield.
Osleivis Basabe, 2B/3B/SS, San Francisco Giants
3% rostered (Yahoo)
Osleivis Basabe is currently slashing .268/.300/.464 with three home runs and one stolen base in 60 plate appearances heading into Wednesday's action. This is a 25-year-old infielder who put up five homers and 12 steals in 311 plate appearances at Triple-A earlier this year, so he can be a well-rounded contributor at a thin position.
You also have to like how he doesn't hurt you in batting average, especially since he's been able to maintain a 15.0% strikeout rate at the big-league level so far. Basabe has mostly been hitting fifth for the Giants lately, putting him in a good position to rack up counting stats.
Osleivis Basabe - San Francisco Giants (2) pic.twitter.com/zS3IayPELz
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 2, 2026
The Giants have seven games on tap for next week, including three against the Reds and four against the Diamondbacks. The volume is good, but each of those games is at home in a pitcher-friendly environment, which caps Basabe's upside.
With that said, this is exactly the type of bench bat that you want on your roster in deeper leagues, especially since he's eligible at three positions. Give Basabe a shot for this high-volume week.
Andres Chaparro, 1B, Washington Nationals
1% rostered (Yahoo)
Andres Chaparro came into Wednesday's action with a .232/.348/.500 slash with seven home runs in 132 plate appearances. He ended up homering in the game against the Rangers. This is a hitter who has strong batted ball metrics, including a 13.6% barrel rate. He can help your team out in the power department.
This is especially true when the Nationals have a favorable schedule, as they do this upcoming week. They've got four games vs. the Rockies and three against the Marlins, each coming at home. That's great news for Chaparro, since they play in such a hitter-friendly environment.
Andrés Chaparro CLOBBERS a ball into the second deck 😯 pic.twitter.com/2vhxh9usR8
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2026
With Chaparro getting to feast on the Rockies' pitching staff, it's the ideal time to pick him up. He hits the ball hard and is capable of going on a power binge to give you a boost in home runs this week.
Remember, home runs often come in bunches with these power hitters. After homering on Wednesday, perhaps this is the start of a hot streak for Chaparro. Pick him up for a power boost.
Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals
2% rostered (Yahoo)
Brady House came into Wednesday's action with a .236/.290/.397 slash with nine home runs in 248 plate appearances. While these are underwhelming numbers, you have to like the batted ball metrics, including an 11.4% barrel rate.
Remember, we saw House put up a .301/.342/.500 slash with eight home runs in 222 plate appearances at Triple-A this season, so the talent is certainly there if he can adjust to big-league pitching.
sorry can’t make it it’s at the same time as me watching this brady house pinch hit homer pic.twitter.com/c332LRe36F
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 6, 2026
As with Chaparro, this is a bet on a power hitter with a seven-game schedule on tap. It's also worth noting that House has been mostly hitting in the No. 3 spot for the Nationals, putting him in a great spot to add to his counting stats.
Considering these favorable circumstances, we'll take a shot on House getting hot for this high-volume week, especially since it's against questionable pitching staffs like the Rockies. If you need some help in power, pick up House.
Lars Nootbaar, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2% rostered (Yahoo)
Lars Nootbaar is a left-handed bat that struggles mightily against lefties, but he has a 96 wRC+ against right-handers, making him worth a stream when he faces them, especially in deeper leagues. We just saw him hit a home run on Wednesday, so maybe this can be the start of a hot streak.
Since getting traded to the Diamondbacks, we've seen Nootbaar hit anywhere from leadoff to fifth in the lineup, so he's typically in a good spot for runs or RBI, especially in an underrated lineup.
Lars Nootbaar hits his first @Dbacks homer! pic.twitter.com/2CV47Iu2JW
— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2026
As with other hitters on this list, this is a bet on volume. The Diamondbacks have seven games on tap for next week, including three against the Cubs and four at the Giants. Of those games, four games are against righties, so Nootbaar is better in daily leagues where you can plug him in and out of your lineup each day.
As someone with strong plate discipline, Nootbaar is also preferred in OBP formats. With that said, he's still in consideration as a bargain-basement hitter due to his favorable schedule. Give him a shot.
