Joe Ryan (SP, MIN) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's officially last call for boarding the Joe Ryan hype train. The rookie put on an absolute clinic on Wednesday night, striking out 11 batters in five innings of work. Though he was only at 86 pitches, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is a cowardly man... Read More

Shane Baz (SP, TBR) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: As if the defending American League champions (and owners of the AL's best current record) needed any more help, Shane Baz made his major league debut on Monday and was excellent. Tasked with facing a red-hot Blue Jays squad, the 22-year-old earned a... Read More

Jesús Sánchez (OF, MIA) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: While he's a flawed player who's had his share of growing pains as a rookie, Jesus Sanchez is finishing the season strong. The 23-year-old ranks inside the top 20 overall players in 5x5 during the past two weeks, hitting .275 with six home runs and... Read More

Austin Hays (OF, BAL) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: Austin Hays has been a bright spot for the Orioles as they play out the string of their third 100-loss season in four years. Since the calendar flipped to September, the 26-year-old has hit a blistering .289/.349/.645 with seven home runs, 30 R+BI, and a... Read More

Evan Longoria (3B, SFG) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Evan Longoria's resurgence has flown somewhat under the radar, thanks to an injury that cost him over two months and the fact that so many of his teammates have had similar renaissances. That's why despite a spike in his rostered rate over the... Read More

Alejandro Kirk (C, TOR) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Blue Jays have roared back from the edge of oblivion in recent weeks, putting themselves in the driver's seat for a wild card spot thanks in large part due to a collective surge from their bats. You obviously won't be able to... Read More

Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B, DET) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: A glance at Jeimer Candelario's full-season numbers wouldn't suggest that he's a guy you need to run to the waiver wire for, but he's just outside the top 75 players in 5x5 over the past month. The 27-year-old has hit .272 with six home... Read More

Dylan Floro (RP, MIA) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: Over the last few years, more and more teams have chosen to spread the wealth when it comes to save opportunities. This is usually a sound strategy for them, but makes life tougher for fantasy managers who are scratching and clawing for every last... Read More

Eric Lauer (SP, MIL) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 49% of leagues ANALYSIS: It can difficult to find good pitchers on the wire at this point in the season, as many fantasy managers are streaming like mad with the finish line in sight. That's why it's surprising to see Eric Lauer still available in half of Yahoo... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 26

Two more weeks to go. At this stage of the game, it's a full-out sprint with little room for error. Some of the weaker managers have already peeled off to attend to their fantasy football interests as is tradition, but those who remain will be your daily combatants on the waiver wire. With the end... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 25

Just three weeks remain in the 2021 season. At this stage of the game, it's a full-out sprint with little room for error. Some of the weaker managers have already peeled off to attend to their fantasy football interests as is tradition, but those who remain will be your daily combatants on the waiver wire.... Read More

Bailey Ober (SP, MIN) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: Since the All Star Break, Bailey Ober has produced excellent ratios (2.81 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) and struck out 40 batters while walking only six in his 41.2 IP. That he only has one win in that span is a reflection of the Twins... Read More

Yoshi Tsutsugo (1B/3B/OF, PIT) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: Anytime you suit up for three teams in a single season, it's safe to say things haven't gone according to plan. Unable to find opportunities at the MLB level with either of the current pennant holders in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, Yoshi Tsutsugo... Read More

Brandon Marsh (OF, LAA) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: Brandon Marsh hasn't offered a ton of category juice - just a single home run and three stolen bases in 44 games. But the rookie has been collecting a ton of hits over the past month, batting .322 and putting up respectable run production... Read More

Carlos Hernández (SP/RP, KCR) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Some scouts questioned whether Carlos Hernandez could be anything more than a middle reliever despite his ability to touch triple digits. Right now, he's doing a pretty good job in the rotation. Since July 29, he's made seven starts with sparkling ratios (1.91... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24

Here we are: the final month. At this stage of the game, it's a full-out sprint with little room for error. Some of the weaker managers have already peeled off to attend to their fantasy football interests as is tradition, but those who remain will be your daily combatants on the waiver wire. With the... Read More

Scott Barlow (RP, KCR) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: Who the primary saves option is in Kansas City has been a point of contention for most of the year, but Scott Barlow appears to have taken command of the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has locked down each of the team's last four save chances,... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

Six weeks remain in the 2021 season. That's a short runway, but it's still a significant chunk of games, both in amount and importance. Most leagues' trade deadlines have already passed as well, leaving the waiver wire as fantasy managers' only recourse to improve their rosters. Most of the players who will be written up... Read More

Tyler Naquin (OF, CIN) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tyler Naquin is on an 11-game hitting streak, and it's not a cheap one - he's logged multiple hits in seven of those contests. That includes Saturday 3-for-3 effort in which he also scored three runs. During the streak, he's gone deep three times,... Read More

Josiah Gray (SP, WAS) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: As painful as it must have been for Nationals fans to bid adieu to both Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the deadline, they should be thrilled to have Josiah Gray in the fold. The rookie hurler has been excellent since arriving in... Read More

Frank Schwindel (1B/OF, CHC) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Cubs' roster teardown at the trade deadline opened up a lot of opportunities for new blood, and they've had a few bright spots emerge in the wake of that carnage. Frank Schwindel is one such player. The 29-year-old journeyman had only gotten 15... Read More

Anthony Santander (OF, BAL) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: Barreling toward their third 100-loss season in four years, the Orioles are a franchise in dire need of bright spots. In the shortened 2020 campaign, Anthony Santander looked like he could be one; his .890 OPS was a reason why Baltimore was on a... Read More

Lewis Brinson (OF, MIA) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: Back in March when publishing my bold predictions piece, I poked fun at MLB editor/long-suffering Marlins fan Pierre Camus and his indefatigable optimism about Lewis Brinson. The former top prospect entered this year with a horrific .546 OPS in 821 MLB plate appearances across... Read More

Huascar Ynoa (SP, ATL) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: When we last saw Huascar Ynoa, he was losing a fight with the clubhouse wall after just his second bad start of the year. His broken hand now healed, the rookie will return to action on Tuesday against the light-hitting Marlins. Prior to his... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 21

Here we are again, staring down the barrel of another fantasy baseball stretch run. Unlike last year, it only feels like the season just started. Then again, if you've been less than successful at navigating the minefields of injuries, COVID cases, and the league's half-cocked crackdown on foreign substances, it may seem to you that this season... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 20

Here we are again, staring down the barrel of another fantasy baseball stretch run. Unlike last year, it only feels like the season just started. Then again, if you've been less than successful at navigating the minefields of injuries, COVID cases, and the league's half-cocked crackdown on foreign substances, it may seem to you that this season... Read More

Cal Quantrill (SP, CLE) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: When a pitcher records a double-digit strikeout game, fantasy managers tend to sit up and take notice. That's been the case with Cal Quantrill, as his dominant win over the Tigers on Friday led to a significant spike in his rostered rate. Despite that,... Read More

Rafael Ortega (OF, CHC) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Cubs' fire sale, if nothing else, opened up a lot of opportunities for other players in the organization. That includes Rafael Ortega, who has certainly made the most of his chance. Last Sunday, the 30-year-old went yard three times, which catapulted his rostered... Read More

Logan Webb (SP, SFG) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: Since returning from a six-week stint on the injured list last month, Logan Webb has been among the best starting pitchers in the game. While he only has one win during that time, his ratios are fantastic (2.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) and he's struck... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 19

With a wild MLB trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, we've entered the stretch run of the 2021 season. By now you should have a clear sense of any weaknesses that need to be addressed on your roster. At this point in the year, we care less about the names and more about the... Read More