Week 10 Waiver Wire: Catchers

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By EricEnfermero (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Michael Griffin recommends catchers (C) who can be valuable waiver wire targets or adds to help fantasy owners for Week 10 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

As far as catchers go, this season's been more confusing than the New York weather so far. They get hot for a brief bit and then get cold again just as quickly. June feels like April... and that's not just the temperatures talking here. Austin Hedges had another cluster of homers and then has gone silent again.

Meanwhile, you've got Kyle Schwarber hitting well below the Mendoza Line... and still ranking among the leaders in some categories. Yeah, Kyle, it's enough to make me shake my head in bewildered wonderment too.

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10-12 Team League Catcher Pickups

While it might seem like a common sense to just wait and see how Tampa Bay's Wilson Ramos does when he completes his likely comeback to the Majors next week, this is a desperate situation. If you have the roster space, you could take a chance and stash him now. That way, if he starts off like a house on fire, he could help you very quickly. He's already trending on the Pickup side on Yahoo and he's at 19% ownership so far.

Here are some catcher waiver wire pickups for Week 10, to consider adding to your teams. We'll show you three players to snag in 10-12 player leagues, and also three to look out for in two-catcher leagues. All of these players are just at or below 50% ownership in Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Russell Martin (TOR) - 48% owned

Russell Martin is still bumping up against that 50% wall. Part of it might be because he was having neck problems. I'm shocked that a 34-year-old veteran catcher of nearly 12 years might be more easily banged up than someone a decade younger. People seem to be wary of him, with his drop numbers increasing. I still think he's a decent start, especially in this wasteland of backstops.

Alex Avila (DET) - 47% owned

This part was going to be played by Francisco Cervelli before he got put on the 7-Day Disabled List for a concussion. So... I have Alex Avila moving up to the second spot. Avila going deep in three of his previous four games is also a pretty darn good reason for his upward mobility, don't you think? If he keeps hitting at this clip, he's going to move over 50% ownership. Then again, I won't count my chickens before they hatch.

Travis d'Arnaud (NYM) 9% owned

I saw something on Twitter that made me chuckle darkly:

Travis d’Arnaud is hitting .321 with 2 HR & 3 RBI in his last 7 games. His 6 HR this season are tied for 2nd in the NL. #MetsFacts

That was today. Never mind that the intern who posted this on the Mets Twitter site meant that he's second among NL CATCHERS... not the National League itself. That's still incorrect, since he's actually third. Hedges is first, Schwarber is second, Chris Ianetta is third... and d'Arnaud is tied for fourth. Still... we're in early June and he's missed HOW many games and is still in the thick of the leaders? Yeah. It's that kind of season. He could still help you... as long as he stays on the field.

Two-Catcher League Pickups

Austin Hedges (SDP) - 28% owned

There's a reason Austin Hedges hasn't shot up to 50% ownership and beyond. Even though he's up there among the leaders in nearly every offensive category among backstops, it's the streakiness that would kill anyone who had him as a No. 1 catcher on their team. Better to mitigate as much of the damage by having another catcher around. He'd have to go on an incredible binge to make me think otherwise.

Jason Castro (MIN) - 4% owned

Jason Castro's this week's "Why The Heck Not?" candidate. He's had a fairly hot 10 games, driving in five RBI and bashing two homers over that span of time. Yes, it's a constantly rotating cast of characters here. It's all about trying to find the hot hand here... and you have to be ready to deal out a new deck each week. Castro's this week's pick.

Tony Wolters (COL) - 3% owned

Tony Wolters continues to be a find if you like getting runs from your catcher. He's third among backstops... and there's a mere 90-something percent gulf in ownership among the others and Wolters. He's also scored these runs in about 80 fewer at-bats. If you're hurting for those runs, you can pick him up and he'll be invaluable in that area... as long as he stays on the field.