Tyler Skaggs (SP, LAA) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Tyler Skaggs is off to a nice start in 2018. The 26-year-old southpaw has taken two turns thus far and boasts a 1.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. Perhaps most importantly, he issued just two walks and didn't […]

Jacob Barnes (RP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Corey Knebel is headed to the disabled list with a hamstring injury, which means that the ninth inning is up for grabs in Milwaukee. There are several viable candidates for the role. Josh Hader is the flashiest name, but also the most widely-owned. […]

Joakim Soria (RP) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Who will be the White Sox closer in 2018? This was one of the big unknowns through the offseason, as many speculated that young relievers Nate Jones or Juan Minaya would get a chance. Once Joakim Soria was traded to the Sox in January, […]

Dexter Fowler (OF) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 55% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: While Dexter Fowler has gotten off to a slow start in 2018, going 3-for-23 with seven strikeouts and a walk, fantasy owners should not be alarmed as this is normal for Fowler. In three of the last four seasons, Fowler has had a batting […]

Jakob Junis (SP) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: There isn't a much better way for Jakob Junis to have started his season, as he threw seven shutout innings on his way to his first win of the year over the Tigers. He allowed only three hits and one walk, while striking […]

Joe Panik (2B) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Joe Panik made headlines by hitting home runs in the Giants' first two wins of the season over the Dodgers, against Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen no less. While he's hit "only" one home run since then he has continued to hit the […]

Andrelton Simmons (SS, LAA) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 49% of leagues ANALYSIS: Andrelton Simmons finally got his bat rolling last season and the result was a 4.9 WAR, making him the 20th-best position player in the league (higher than Gary Sanchez, Marcell Ozuna, and George Springer, notably). To the surprise of no one, he’s carried […]

Yonder Alonso (1B, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 44% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: First baseman Yonder Alonso, now with Cleveland, broke out in 2017 and came into 2018 as one of the top sleepers in the draft. It’s crazy how his draft stock failed to ascend after finally breaking out during his age-30 season, though. I […]

Shin-Soo Choo (OF, TEX) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 44% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Shin-Soo Choo finds himself in the ideal position for an aging ballplayer who could struggle to get into the lineup due to the fact that he is basically unusable in the field. Now that Delino DeShields is out for the next several weeks, it […]

Hanley Ramirez (1B, BOS) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 58% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: First base is loaded with talent but is also producing some slow starters during the first week of the 2018 season. If you're an antsy owner, you can find a quick fix with Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez. He's had multi-hit […]

Tim Beckham (2B/SS, BAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles infielder Tim Beckham had a breakout year in 2017, posting a 3.5 WAR with a .334 wOBA. Expectations for Beckham to continue to play at that level may be an exercise in foolishness given his BABIP was an unsustainable .365; granted, […]

Yangervis Solarte (2B/3B/SS, TOR) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Any player, regardless of offensive prowess, who is eligible for more than two positions is still a valuable player to have on your team. Toronto Blue Jays' utility infielder Yangervis Solarte is just that kind of player. Solarte is good for the most part; […]

Miles Mikolas (SP, STL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 47% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Perhaps you caught St. Louis Cardinals' starter Miles Mikolas' debut this past Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers and weren't impressed. He gave up four earned runs, three of which were homers, and seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He also surrendered zero walks […]

Keone Kela (RP, TEX) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 60% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: As someone who treats relief pitchers as expendable due to their volatility, I always wait until much later in the draft to grab one. Closers, in particular, lose their jobs often depending on the competition behind them; never mind the possibilities for injuries. Case in […]

Cesar Hernandez (2B) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Cesar Hernandez has quietly put up All-Star numbers the past two season posting 4.3 and 3.3 WAR in 2016 and 2017. These numbers are even more impressive considering how weak the Philadelphia offense has been. Last year, for example, the Phillies finished […]

Brandon Drury (2B) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Brandon Drury looks primed to take advantage of the “pinstripe bounce” during the 2018 season following a move from Arizona to the Bronx. Flying under the radar in 2017, Drury posted the 13th-best slugging percentage (.447) and fourth-best doubles total (37) of […]

Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Whether to pick up Kevin Pillar will be a popular question after his three steals in a single game this past Saturday. With Billy Hamilton looking so bad so far and Delino Deshields getting hurt, there will be owners scrambling for another source […]

Lewis Brinson (OF) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: “Really? You want me to play a Marlin this year?” Perhaps the first thought as you saw Brinson's name on this list. Yes, yes we do. First, look to the fact that Brinson actually wants to be in Miami. As a Florida kid, the […]

Jose Martinez (1B/OF, STL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: Martinez looks like he could be the next late bloomer to turn into a power stud after tallying a .309/.379/.518 triple slash in 307 big-league PAs for St. Louis. I’m sure you’ve heard about his wild 2017 and his 90.4 MPH average exit velocity, […]

Yonder Alonso (1B, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: Damn, y’all are fickle. Remember when Alonso made the American League All-Star squad last year with an awesome first half? Or are you really that burned by the second half that you’re just out on the guy? Even if I grant you that he’s […]

Matt Davidson (1B/3B) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Davidson hit three home runs on Opening Day, in case you missed that. He is a poor defender and has some pretty crummy contact skills, leading some to want Yolmer Sanchez playing third for the South Siders instead (sorry, I wrongfully called them the […]

Matt Chapman (3B, OAK) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chapman could end up being the most valuable Matt in Oakland’s starting lineup by the end of 2018, as the star defender also boasts a power bat yet to be recognized at the Major League level. Chapman’s 14 homers in 326 PAs is decent, […]

Nate Jones (RP, CHW) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Saves Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: Back then, pros didn’t want him. Now he’s hot, pros all on him. That was a stretch and I don’t care, Nate Jones is for real (when he’s healthy) and should prove much more reliable and effective than Joakim Soria in the ninth inning. […]

Keone Kela (RP, TEX) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Saves Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kela was recently named the closer for the Texas Rangers. He may have previously dug himself into Texas’ doghouse, but he doesn’t deserve to be in fantasy ones too. Ignoring his brief disciplinary stint at Triple-A, the fireballer posted a 2.79 ERA (3.26 FIP) […]

Jack Flaherty (SP, STL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Thanks to an Adam Wainwright injury, Flaherty will open the season as the Cardinals’ No. 5 starter and get a chance to show off his fastball, slider, curveball and just maybe the changeup. His brief stint in the Majors (at age 21) didn’t go so […]

Marco Estrada (SP, TOR) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: To most folks, Estrada’s poor 2017 season just confirms the sabermetric counterpunch that had cast its shadow over his successful years. His 3.13 ERA of ‘15 had a 4.40 FIP and 4.93 xFIP behind it, only to produce a 3.48 ERA, 4.15 FIP and 4.64 […]

Michael Brantley (OF, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stash in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: I know, Brantley is synonymous with injured and he’s starting the year on the DL so why are we discussing this? Well, this injury stint is just due to recovery from offseason ankle surgery and the concerns surrounding dealing with him potentially never coming […]

Lewis Brinson (OF, MIA) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: There’s little doubting Brinson is a talented player, but I understand why a 24-year-old that looked over his head during his cup of coffee last year is being shied away from. We can’t ignore that being Miami depresses value as well, but I hold […]

Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Semien is poised to split leadoff duties with Matt Joyce for Oakland, with the 27-year-old seeking a rebound to his 600-plus PA seasons in 2018 and challenging for a 100-20-75-15-.250 season. It’s very unlikely his average jumps much past that, but he did pop […]