1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17

Another week has come and gone, and suddenly August is within view. Is it me, or has this season simply flown by? With the dog days looming, you can expect the waiver wire to be less of a bloodbath soon. Also-rans will lose interest as they turn their attention to fantasy football or enjoying what... Read More

Alex Dickerson (OF, SF) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Remember this guy? Alex Dickerson got a little deep-league love back in 2016 after putting up a .788 OPS, 10 homers, and five stolen bases in a half-season with the Padres. Then he fell off the face of the earth, missing the next two... Read More

Enrique Hernandez (1B/2B/SS/OF, LAD) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: On a less stacked team, Enrique Hernandez might be a consistent everyday player. As it is, he's had to settle for being a super-utility guy on the team that has captured the last two National League pennants. Rough life, eh? The 27-year-old is actually on... Read More

Cavan Biggio (2B/OF, TOR) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cavan Biggio could be doing better; the rookie is hitting just .217/.351/.375 thus far. That said, he's putting up solid counting stats, with a rough full-season pace of 20 homers, 20 stolen bases, and 150 R+BI. The 24-year-old has also been a bit unlucky based... Read More

Oscar Mercado (OF, CLE) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: I had Oscar Mercado ranked as the top waiver wire pickup this week before he went 5-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base on Friday. Even that explosion hasn't been enough to put him over the 35% cutoff, despite his excellent overall numbers. The... Read More

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17

We're almost in August, which means that some owners will inevitably abandon their teams as they turn their attention to football season. This is, on balance, an unfortunate development - nobody should be that guy - but one benefit to those of us who follow through on our season-long commitment is that competition for waiver... Read More

Some Thoughts On Trade Etiquette

As I've often mentioned in my weekly waiver wire columns, the middle portion of the season is the toughest time to find free help. Combined with a sense of urgency as trade deadlines loom and time begins to run out on the season, that means owners are generally more amenable to exploring swaps to address... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16

The second half of the 2019 regular season is underway. It'll be a few more weeks before fantasy football starts siphoning off the also-rans, which means extracting value from the waiver wire will continue to be a tough row to hoe. Tough - not impossible. Whatever your league depth, there are freely available players who... Read More

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16

With the news that Max Scherzer is heading to the injured list with back issues, many fantasy owners are left combing the waiver wire for a replacement. Obviously, nobody you can pick up for free is going to give you what Mad Max can, but there are plenty of respectable options out there, no matter... Read More

Kevin Pillar (OF, SF) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: It isn't really surprising that Kevin Pillar remains unrostered in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. After all, 30-year-old outfielders with a career .696 OPS and current .275 OBP aren't exactly in high demand. If that weren't enough, he also plays half of his... Read More

Roberto Perez (C, CLE) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: There may be no stronger argument for the juiced ball than the fact that Roberto Perez has 16 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage. Entering the season, the 30-year-old backstop had just 21 homers and a .340 SLG. Due to this lack... Read More

Brett Gardner (OF, NYY) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Expected to serve as the Yankees' fourth outfielder this season, Brett Gardner has instead been a fixture in the lineup due to a cavalcade of injuries to other Yankee outfielders. The latest malady for Giancarlo Stanton figures to keep Gardner playing every day for... Read More

Diego Castillo (SP/RP, TB) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: While the Rays are almost certain to continue mixing and matching in the late innings, Jose Alvarado's oblique strain opens up more opportunities for Diego Castillo. Activated from the injured list himself earlier this week, the 25-year-old had been excellent for most of the season,... Read More

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019: Midseason Review

This week is as good a time as any to pause and reflect on the 2019 baseball season thus far. Fortunately, it's been a much less challenging year than last for yours truly. Other than a hapless squad in The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational (15-team industry leagues are tough, and weekly lineups and waivers are... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

By the time you read this, the All-Star break will be underway. June and July tend to be the leanest months on the waiver wire, as most teams are still trying to win and fantasy football has yet to lure away any of the also-rans. Rest assured, however, that there are still players available who... Read More

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

The All-Star Break is nearly upon us. Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the most challenging time of year to be seeking help on the waiver wire. Fortunately, you've come to the right place for assistance. A reminder before we begin: This column focuses on players who are... Read More

Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's easy to be skeptical of Bryan Reynolds. A second-round pick by the Giants back in 2016, he was never highly regarded as a prospect and didn't even reach Double-A until last season, despite being rather old for A-ball. He's also sporting a ridiculous .426... Read More

Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: An afterthought in almost any fantasy league at the start of the year, Kevin Newman has forced owners to, in the immortal words of Birdman, put some respect on his name. The rookie is hitting .321/.376/.469 with five home runs and five stolen bases... Read More

Danny Jansen (C, TOR) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: A popular target in drafts this spring, Danny Jansen's performance over the first two months of the season can only be described as horrific, or with words that are impolite to use in mixed company. The rookie didn't homer until May 17, and... Read More

Midseason Mea Culpas

Anyone who has read my work already knows this, but I've never been fully comfortable with the term "expert." Why? The universe is chaos, especially when it comes to the weighted random number generators that we call sports. The few who are able to make a living as sports bettors still typically aren't much more... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14

We've entered the second half of the 2019 season, even though the unofficial demarcation point doesn't come until next week. June and July tend to be the leanest months on the waiver wire, as most teams are still trying to win and fantasy football has yet to lure away any of the also-rans. Rest assured,... Read More

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14

We have officially passed the halfway mark of the 2019 regular season. Sad, but true. Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the most challenging time of year to be seeking help on the waiver wire. Fortunately, you've come to the right place for assistance. A reminder before we... Read More

Liam Hendriks (SP/RP, OAK) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of leagues ANALYSIS: While Blake Treinen is expected to be activated from the injured list when first eligible on Wednesday, it's fair to wonder if he will immediately reclaim the ninth inning in Oakland. The best reliever of 2018 hasn't come anywhere close to recapturing that magic this... Read More

Emilio Pagan (RP, TB) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays haven't had too many save situations crop up lately. They nearly did on Sunday, but plated two runs in the eighth inning to increase their lead to four. Emilio Pagan was the choice to get the final three outs, though, and that could... Read More

Willie Calhoun (OF, TEX) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of leagues ANALYSIS: We've become so used to seeing top prospects immediately dominate in recent years that it can be especially difficult to see them struggle. Willie Calhoun did just that despite considerable hype, hitting a putrid .233/.283/.338 with just eight extra-base hits in his first 145... Read More

Leury Garcia (MI/OF, CHW) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Leury Garcia has had a quietly useful 2019 season so far. The 28-year-old entered Sunday's action hitting .294 with five home runs, eight stolen bases, and 56 runs scored. The latter ranks 17th in all of baseball, a consequence of Garcia remaining entrenched as... Read More

Luis Urias (2B, SD) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 14% of leagues ANALYSIS: Luis Urias has nothing left to prove at Triple-A. The 22-year struggled in a brief taste of MLB action at the beginning of the year, and was quickly demoted. All he's done since is hit .322/.406/.616 with 17 home runs and 101 R+BI in... Read More

On Vetoes

One of the most enjoyable aspects of fantasy baseball is making trades. It's certainly true that this is not the case in some leagues, because anytime you're dealing with people there's overwhelming potential for people to ruin things. But in the platonic ideal of a league, owners are both active and rational in their negotiations. Here in... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13

This week marks the halfway point of the 2019 baseball season. Hopefully this column has been a help to you so far, and continues to be down the stretch. The middle portion of the year is arguably the toughest stretch in which to seek reinforcements via the waiver wire. With most teams still going for... Read More

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13

We're just about at the halfway point of the 2019 regular season. Feels like just yesterday we were touting the rebound potential of Yu Darvish and mocking any poor suckers willing to run it back with Lucas Giolito again, doesn't it? Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the... Read More