2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6

One month down, five more to go. The fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint, though hopefully your squads have gotten off to a fast start anyway. No matter what your situation, it's always a good idea to stay on top of the state of your league's waiver wire. Most of the […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers: Week 6

Going outside the world of fantasy baseball for a moment, can I just say how great it is to be able to go back to games this year? I've managed to get out to a Brewers and a White Sox game this month, I snagged my first ever live ball at a game (an Andres […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 6

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 6 of the MLB season (5/2 through 5/9). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your […]

Pavin Smith (1B, OF, ARI) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pavin Smith should be getting more attention from fans and fantasy managers alike for what he's doing as the leadoff hitter for a surging Diamondbacks offense. Arizona has won nine of its last 11 games and, coincidentally or not, that streak started […]

Tejay Antone (SP/RP, CIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tejay Antone, the 6'4, 230-lb. alumnus of Weatherford College, came up mega-clutch for Cincy on many occasions last year, and while he closed out 2020 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 35.1 innings, the circumstances of being a spot-starter/long-reliever are fickle, […]

Myles Straw (SS/OF, HOU) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Myles Straw forgot to unpack his 2020 struggles before kicking off 2021, and over 81 AB so far he's managed only three XBH (one triple, two doubles) and a beaten-up slash of .222/.304/.272, though he's still collected five steals in six attempts, […]

Nico Hoerner (3B/2B/SS, CHI) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: It already feels like Nico Hoerner has been a fixture in the Cubs lineup and dugout for years; which is why I was quite surprised to find out that he's still just 23, having blown through the minor leagues in just 337 […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 6 Waiver Wire

Another week gone by, and a lot went down in the AL bullpens while the NL bullpens mostly had a straightforward week. The Tigers and Reds bullpens are still their own messes. The Royals may have a new closer already. The Mariners may be moving to a new guy too. The Blue Jays bullpen might […]

Adolis Garcia (OF, TEX) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 41% of leagues ANALYSIS: A new sleeper has arisen in the American League Rookie of the Year race. Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia has been absolutely mashing over the past week. He's on a five-game hitting streak and he's reached base in each of his last seven games. […]

Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIA) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar was a terror on San Francisco Giants pitchers this past weekend. He hit home runs in each of the last three games of the series, an especially tough feat in the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. Aguilar hadn't homered […]

Kolten Wong (2B, MIL) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong has been on an absolute tear lately. He has recorded multiple hits in each of his past four games, going 10-for-17 with three doubles and a home run over the four-game stretch. Wong has led off each […]

Jon Gray (SP, COL) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: There's been plenty of stretches, even seasons, that have made us collectively hold our breathe in anticipation of Jon Gray's true arrival, and his start to the 2021 season could announce his presence at the gates. So far through 28.1 IP over […]

Alex Cobb (SP, LAA) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: Granted: Alex Cobb did not have a good game last time out, allowing three walks, six hits, and four earned runs to the Astros in 2.2 IP (though he did have four strikeouts). However, his first two outings of the season showed […]

Tucker Barnhart (C, CIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: At the notoriously shallow and tough-to-predict position of catcher, Tucker Barnhart has emerged as an option who is finally putting together the complete package. The two-time Gold Glove winner had a strong finish to last season and has ridden that momentum right […]

J.D. Davis (3B/OF, NYM) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: J.D. Davis well on his way to recapturing the vibe that carried him to a breakout campaign of 2019. In 29 AB so far for 2021, Davis has two doubles, two home runs, and a booming slash of .414/.485/.690, however, he has found […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5

We are rolling downhill towards May already, and we are turning our attention to the upcoming fantasy week (April 26 - May 2) and beyond. In this post, we will look at some potential long-term adds at starting pitcher. All in all, the waiver wire has not been kind to us when picking up pitchers. […]

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 5

A brief glance at the lineup notes section of this week’s article illustrates what was a busy week in the MLB, giving fantasy managers plenty of opportunities to get ahead using waivers this week. Although most of the recommendations in this article are longer-term focused, fantasy managers should take advantage of lineup movements for short-term […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5

It's only been one month, but I feel comfortable admitting that the 2021 fantasy baseball season has been harder to manage than 2020. Last year, those who played were just along for the ride. This season was supposed to be a return to normalcy, and instead, we're left with unending trips to the injured list, constant […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5

We're coming up on the end of the first month of the 2021 season. Hopefully your fantasy squads are dominating to the point where you don't need any help. More likely, whether due to injury or ineffectiveness, you're in search of a boost. Most of the players who will be written up in this feature […]

Catchers to Stream - Week 5 Waiver Wire

It's your resident catcher advocate here, with my weekly defense for baseball's most maligned position. Instead of giving into easy narratives about the lack of talent at the catcher position and how they're the kickers of fantasy baseball, I'm here to create a place where catchers are celebrated for how they can help our teams. […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 5

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 5 of the MLB season (4/26 through 5/2). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers: Week 5

Well after back-to-back weeks with not a lot of great two-start streaming options, we finally have some good starters to choose from in Week 5. Before we get there, we'll recap the previous two weeks as always. It's a close call for who was the best pickup in Week 3, but if you started Matthew […]

J.B. Bukauskas (SP, ARI) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: He's only eligible as a starting pitcher for the moment, but J.B. Bukauskas just might be the closer in Arizona sooner rather than later. A first-round pick back in 2017, the 24-year-old flamed out as a starter due to injuries and command issues. Those […]

Tejay Antone (SP/RP, CIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds, like many teams, do not have a obvious closer right now. Amir Garrett has collected two of their three saves to this point, but he also has hideous ratios (16.20 ERA, 3.20 WHIP) thanks to allowing three homers and seven (!) walks […]

Anthony DeSclafani (SP, SFG) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 41% of leagues ANALYSIS: Two issues have plagued Anthony DeSclafani during his seven seasons in the major leagues - injuries and the long ball. While it remains to be seen if he can stay out of the trainer's room, the 31-year-old's early 2021 success suggests that he may […]

Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: An unheralded prospect entering 2019, Bryan Reynolds parlayed a red-hot start at Triple-A into a year that saw him finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. That season, he hit .314/.377/.503 with 16 home runs and 151 R+BI in just 134 games with […]

Alex Kirilloff (OF, MIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miguel Sano's hamstring strain has opened a spot in the Twins' lineup, and they've recalled top prospect Alex Kirilloff from the alternate training site to fill it. Kiriloff appeared in one postseason game last year and was the emergency "27th man" for a doubleheader […]

Manuel Margot (OF, TB) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Through the early going this year, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Manuel Margot has been making hard contact like we've never seen from him before. He has a 52.5% hard-hit rate, up from 33.9% last year, and a 7.5% barrel rate, a major increase […]