As May comes to an end, we are about to close the chapter on the first third of the season. No fantasy team is a lost cause at this point, but if your team is floundering, the time to pick up the pace and still have a reasonable shot at competitiveness is beginning to wane. Fantasy rosters are often like boats: they can stay afloat longer with some quick reflexes and plugging as many holes as possible.

One of the easiest paths to keeping a roster afloat on the fantasy high seas is improvement through the waiver wire. While determining who is a lost cause and who could still come around on one's roster is another matter entirely, who to target to fill those potential spots is not. That's precisely why we are digitally gathered here, sirs and madams of the fantasy world: to plunder for riches!

So pull out your best knapsack, fannypack or other "-ack" device and take a handful of these potential plugs to seal your leaks. These aren't guaranteed to last, but they can help owners get to the next roster port. All players are owned in 25% or less of Flea Flicker leagues.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

 

American League Targets - Hitters

Leonys Martin (OF, SEA) - 13% Owned

Long living under the weight of only glimpsed fantasy potential, outfielder Leonys Martin is starting to shows signs of it again. He enters Tuesday night on a seven-game hitting streak that also includes three home runs, five runs scored and five RBI. For the month of May, Martin is hitting .319 with four home runs, seven RBI and five steals, easily making him a must-start in all AL-only leagues. His ability to do this long-term is still questionable, but with stats that sizzling, try not to worry about that until he stops hitting.

Jarrod Dyson (OF, KC) - 4% Owned & Paulo Orlando (OF, KC) - 3% Owned

Fellow owners of outfielder Alex Gordon, and those looking to take advantage of his injury, huddle up. The Royals are looking to fill his spot in the lineup with outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando. Both outfielders bring a different skill set to the table, but neither has established themselves as a reliable fantasy option, hence the current low ownership rates. Which one fantasy owners should pick up will likely come down to the need (or lack there of) for speed.

Dyson is the safer pickup as he has more of a track record and has averaged one stolen base for every seven at-bats over his career (154 in 1,147 at-bats). He already has eight this year. But Dyson's career marks of six home runs and a .255 average are what have historically held his value down. Orlando is more of the unknown, debuting last year as a 29-year-old who hit 14 doubles, six triples and seven home runs in only 241 at-bats. He has followed that up this season by hitting .400 with one home run, 10 RBI and two stolen bases. With the lion's share of Gordon's at-bats going to Orlando, he has an ample opportunity to strut his stuff.

Joey Gallo (3B/OF, TEX) - 10% Owned & Ryan Rua (1B/OF, TEX) - 2% Owned

Texas received bad news this week on three of their outfielders, Josh Hamilton, Drew Stubbs and Shin-Soo Choo, losing the former all season and latter two to the disabled list. Now the Rangers will be looking to use both outfielder Ryan Rua and, more importantly, top outfield prospect Joey Gallo to solidify their outfield going forward. Rua once looked like a major offensive threat in the minors not unlike Gallo, but even with those hopes since diminished, he has shown enough this season to believe he could be an average fantasy outfielder, which in AL-only ain't half bad.

Joey Gallo and his big-time power bat have the might to put up All-Star numbers right away. He already has two 40-homer seasons in the minors, and had eight this year before the call up. How patient he can be at the plate will likely determine just how valuable he can be overall. But if Gallo's gains in that department this year (24 strikeouts versus 22 walks) hold up, he'll help wins leagues.

Johnny Giavotella (2B, LAA) - 5% Owned

I don't want to alarm anyone--especially any jumpy Royals fans--but second baseman Johnny Giavotella might have actually, finally unlocked his potential. He has followed up his successful debut with the Angels last season--one that saw him set a career high in batting average with .272--by hitting .279 so far this season. There isn't much in the ways of counting stats in this package, but AL-only owners could do far worse than an average-only middle infielder riding a 12-game hitting streak.

Didi Gregorius (SS, NYY) - 9% Owned

Shortstop Didi Gregorius brings to the table a fantasy package quite similar to Giavotella: an okay batting average with a sprinkle of counting stats. He is also amidst a hitting streak, though his is only at six games. After a tough April, Gregorius has put together a great May, hitting .294 with one home run, eight runs scored and 11 RBI. Normally a weaker hitter against lefties than righties, he is experiencing a platoon reversal this season. If he can raise the right back to his norm while keeping at least some of the gains in the left, Gregorius will easily top his current career-high in batting average of .265, much to the delight of his fantasy owners.

 

American League Targets - Pitchers

Michael Fulmer (SP, DET) - 5% Owned

After the failure of the hyped Twins and Athetics pitching prospects earlier this month, it is nice to see an AL pitching prospect experience some Major League success, even if it's just two starts. After his second through fourth starts of his career were duds, starting pitcher Michael Fulmer showed up in a big way in his last start against the Majors' current home run leaders, the Rays. Over seven innings, he limited them to one run on four hits and a walk, striking out 11. Consistency isn't his strong suit at the moment, but Fulmer brings enough potential as the Tigers' top prospect to be worth a roster space.

Ivan Nova (SP, NYY) - 5% Owned

Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been great since taking over the rotation spot of oft-injured starter C.C. Sabathia. In his three starts so far, he has given up one run in each, walking two and striking out eight along the way. Other than in walks--where he is allowing far less--Nova is producing right along his career norms and appears primed to return to the land of double digit wins. But with an ERA of 5.65 in the past two seasons, he'll have his work cut out for him to stay near his 4.28 career mark or produce his third season under 4.00. Current results say he's up for the task.

Sam Dyson (RP, TEX) - 10% Owned

Texas' new closer Sam Dyson has not missed a beat since inheriting the role from Shawn Tolleson earlier this month. He already has four saves since his first on May 11th. Houston gave him a headache during one of those saves, scoring a run off of two hits, but he was still able to close the door. As Tolleson was simply a pleasant surprise and not an established closer, the Rangers have no obligation to reinstall him when he recovers. Look for Dyson to run with this gig all season, putting up average closer stats.

Michael Feliz (RP, HOU) - 1% Owned

Relief pitcher Michael Feliz makes the list week despite having a 5.29 ERA on the season. But outside of two disasterous appearances in April that saw him allow nine runs in 5.1 innings, he has been absolutely bonkers. In 11.2 innings in May, Feliz has a 0.77 ERA, 0.26 WHIP and 19 strikeouts. He should be used in all AL-only leagues while he's hot, especially on teams with ERA and WHIP bloat from bad starters.

Luke Hochevar (RP, KC) - 2% Owned

Since opening May with a terrible appearance against the Nationals, relief pitcher Luke Hochevar has pitched eight scoreless innings in a row, picking up five holds and 13 strikeouts along the way. He's now sitting at 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 24 strikeouts on the season. Since fizzling out as a starter, Hochevar has been a fantastic reliever for AL-only teams. With so many struggling starters out there, don't be afraid to seek some relief.

 

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