TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 18 Waiver Wire: Catchers

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 18 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

When I looked at the ownership percentages on Wednesday, I was struck by how wide the difference is. There's a 30% difference between Brian McCann, who is at 79% and the next player, who is at 49%. Whoa, indeed. There is quite the gulf between ownership numbers.

This is what trying to navigate that chasm feels like:

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources:

You might see that Matt Wieters is below 50%. Ignore him. He's been steadily sliding down the ranks all season and has fallen this far thanks to a putrid July where he didn't hit a single homer. Fantasy owners are also dumping Alex Avila because his father, who is the Tigers GM, traded him to the Cubs, where he'll lose a lot of playing time to Willson Contreras. Thanks, Dad! See what gift you get next Father's Day!

 

10-12 Team League Catcher Pickups

Here are some catcher waiver wire pickups for Week 16, 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.

Welington Castillo  (BAL) 49% owned

Welington Castillo has been trending upward the past several days. He elicited a lot of interest when he had a four-RBI day on July 30. Such is the state of catching that even a one-day outburst will have owners' ears pricking up like starving dogs in a desert.

Mike Zunino  (SEA) - 29% owned

Mike Zunino is still being picked up by a fair amount of people. What's not to like about a catcher with a good chance of exceeding 20 homers over the course of the season? He's sitting on 16 now with August and September still ahead of him. He's more than capable of going on a couple more hot tears like he did earlier this season. Well worth a shot.

James McCann (DET) 6% owned

James McCann has also seen an uptick in ownership. Part of it may be because of the Avila trade clears the way to his having the Detroit catching job. Hitting over .400 over the course of a week is also another good reason for people to be snapping him up. He's also been driving in runs during that span. Grab him while he's still hot, folks.

 

Two-Catcher League Pickups

Manny Pina (MIL) - 11% owned

Manny Pina is still proving himself to be a popular one when it comes to the add/drop department. He's been hitting when he gets in the lineup, as evidenced by his .304 average. His hot streak, coupled with Stephen Vogt's injury, has given his manager ample reason to keep putting him in the lineup. He makes a fine addition in a two-catcher league.

Christian Vazquez (BOS) 3% owned

Now, a good portion of the 1,000+ fantasy owners who recently picked up Christian Vazquez may be Boston fans still riding the wave of euphoria from Tuesday's insane win over Cleveland (the Tribe and Sox have played some DOOZIES over the past decade-plus), but he was raking well before that walk-off homer. He's not producing enough to be in a one-catcher league, but he might vault up there if he keeps hitting like this.

Kurt Suzuki (ATL) 6% owned

Kurt Suzuki is this week's winner of the "Why The Heck Not?" competition. He's had at least one hit in four of his last five starts and fantasy owners have taken notice. Overall, he's at .266/12/33, which is not too terrible at all, especially in a two-catcher league. Why The Heck Not, indeed? We'll check back in two weeks to see who gets the slot then.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

CFB

Auburn, Ohio State the Lead Suitors for Kyle Parker
CFB

Oregon QB Transfer Bryson Beaver Linked to Georgia, Kentucky
CFB

Jake Merklinger Commits to UConn
Tobias Harris

Set for First Appearance in 2026
New York Giants

John Harbaugh Finalizing Deal With Giants
Isaiah Stewart

Expected to Return Thursday
Jalen Duren

on Track to Return Thursday
Bilal Coulibaly

Departs Early Due to Back Problem
Daniel Gafford

Makes Early Exit Wednesday
Cooper Flagg

Exits With Ankle Injury Wednesday Night
Jalen Brunson

Injures Right Ankle Versus Kings
Darius Garland

Exits Early Wednesday With Foot Injury
Jalen Suggs

to Miss Sixth Straight Game Thursday
Wendell Carter Jr.

Cleared to Play in Berlin
Myles Turner

Available Thursday
Deni Avdija

Likely to Remain Out Thursday
Jaylen Brown

Ready to Face Heat Thursday
Bruce Brown

Spencer Jones, Bruce Brown Available Wednesday
Aaron Gordon

Cleared for Wednesday Night
Jamal Murray

Active Wednesday Night
Cade Cunningham

Ready to End Two-Game Absence
Devin Booker

Questionable for Thursday Night
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Probable to Face Spurs
Brandon Williams

Available Wednesday
Max Christie

Out Wednesday
Mackenzie Blackwood

Activated From Injured Reserve
Ben Griffin

Looks To Stay Hot In 2026
Tom Wilson

Cleared for Contact, Could Return Thursday
Neal Pionk

Lands on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Jamie Drysdale

Activated From Injured Reserve
Corey Perry

Unavailable Wednesday
Teuvo Teravainen

to Miss at Least One Game
Connor Bedard

Returns to Practice
Alexandre Texier

Canadiens Sign Alexandre Texier to Two-Year Extension
New York Giants

Giants Making "Massive Push" to Hire John Harbaugh on Wednesday
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Agrees to Five-Year Deal With Red Sox
CFB

Dante Moore Not Entering 2026 NFL Draft, Will Return to Oregon
NFL

Mike Tomlin Doesn't Plan to Coach in 2026
Travis Hunter

Expected to Play More Defense in 2026
CFB

FBS Coaches Unanimously Vote to Expand Redshirt Eligibility to Nine Games
CFB

Ohio State Transfer Mylan Graham Signs with Notre Dame
CFB

Caden Durham Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Will Stay at LSU
Leon Draisaitl

Has Three Points in Tuesday's Loss
Joel Hofer

Controls Hurricanes Tuesday
Jordan Spieth

Perhaps the Most Intriguing Player at Sony Open
Jeremy Swayman

Posts First Shutout of the Season
Zach Werenski

Totals Three Points in Tuesday's Win
Chandler Stephenson

Available Wednesday
Aaron Rai

Looking For Putting Confidence at Waialae Country Club
Jonathan Marchessault

Moved to Injured Reserve
Brayden Point

Labeled Week-to-Week
Collin Morikawa

Isn't The Safe Play He Used to Be Ahead of Sony Open
Kurt Kitayama

Needs His Putting to Turn Around For Success at Year's First Event
Ryan Weathers

Yankees Add Rotation Depth, Acquire Ryan Weathers in Four-Player Deal
Robert Thomas

Out Tuesday
Jake Walman

Available Against Predators
Troy Terry

a Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Justin Sourdif

Won't Play Tuesday
Jakob Chychrun

a Game-Time Call Tuesday
Morgan Geekie

Available Tuesday
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Fire Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman
Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin Stepping Down as Steelers Head Coach
CFB

Georgia Tech the Favorite to Land Justice Haynes?
Nolan Arenado

Cardinals Trade Nolan Arenado to Diamondbacks
Tom Kim

Desperately Needs a Solid Week at Sony Open
Billy Horschel

Hoping For a Fast Start to New Season at Sony Open
Corey Conners

Looks to Have a Return to Form in 2026
PGA

Chris Gotterup a Decent Play at Sony Open
Gary Woodland

Could Prosper at the Sony Open
Keith Mitchell

Unlikely to Contend at Sony Open
Robert MacIntyre

Looking for a Good Performance at the Sony Open
Michael Kim

Hopes to Start Sony Open Better This Week
Tom Hoge

Tries to Erase Poor 2025 Second Half in Hawaii
Brian Harman

Seeks Fresh Start in Hawaii
Eric Cole

Looks to Last Year for Success at Sony Open
Daniel Berger

Starts Off 2026 at Sony Open
Nico Collins

Suffers Concussion Against Steelers
Nico Collins

Carted to Locker Room for Concussion Evaluation
Kyle Tucker

Mets Meet With Kyle Tucker
Dalton Kincaid

"Should be Fine" for Divisional Round
Brooks Koepka

Officially Returning To PGA Tour
Tucker Kraft

Hopes to be Ready for Week 1 of Next Season
CFB

Georgia Lands Kentucky Transfer Dante Dowdell
Matthew Stafford

has "Little Sprain," Should be "Good to Go"
CFB

Sam Leavitt Expected to Sign with LSU
Green Bay Packers

Packers Expected to Work Out New Deal With Matt LaFleur in the "Coming Days"
CFB

Dylan Raiola Commits to Oregon
CFB

Isaiah Horton Landing with Texas A&M
George Kittle

Suffers Torn Achilles on Sunday
Omarion Hampton

Active for Wild-Card Round Against Patriots
George Kittle

Ruled Out After Non-Contact Achilles Injury
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Request Interview With Ejiro Evero
Los Angeles Rams

Mike LaFleur to Interview With Raiders and Cardinals
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Open to Re-Signing Aaron Rodgers?
Matthew Stafford

X-Rays Come Back Negative
MacKenzie Gore

Yankees Pursuing Trade for MacKenzie Gore
Alex Bregman

Cubs Sign Alex Bregman to Five-Year, $175 Millon Contract
Freddie Freeman

Withdraws from World Baseball Classic
Max Kepler

Receives 80-Game PED Suspension
CFB

Cam Coleman Visiting Alabama on Friday
Omarion Hampton

Expects to Play Sunday Night
CFB

Eric Singleton Jr. Enters Transfer Portal, Trending to Land at Florida
CFB

NCAA Denies Trinidad Chambliss a Sixth Year of Eligibility
Omarion Hampton

Questionable for Wild-Card Weekend
Kyle Tucker

Mets Remain in Mix for Kyle Tucker

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP