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We are coming up on Week 27 of the fantasy baseball season. It's championship week, and that trophy is right in front of you. But you can't get complacent now; you can't slip up. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets rostered in less than 5% of leagues.
It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the 27th week of the MLB season could give you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.
This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 27, September 25 through October 1. While the season may have settled in, the waiver wires are still hot. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point -- this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo leagues.
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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook
This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. There are four teams with five games on their schedule. Five teams will play a full slate of games this week.
In this week's weather report: mostly clear skies for a large part of the country, but rain showers in the Northwest and Southeast in the middle of the week.
- Seven Games - NYY, SEA, TEX, COL, LAD
- Six Games - KC, HOU, SD, LAA, CHC, BOS, CHW, MIN, TOR, MIA, PIT, SF, ARZ, BAL, DET, OAK, ATL, LAD, MIL, NYM, PHI, STL
- Five Games - CLE, WAS, CIN, TB
Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers
There are pitchers of varying quality on this week's two-start streamers list. For more insight, check out my article on this week’s two-start pitcher streamers.
- Kyle Bradish (vs. WAS, vs. BOS)
- Tanner Houck (vs. TB, @ BAL)
- Michael King (@ TOR, @ KC)
- Kevin Gausman (vs. NYY, vs. TB)
- Jose Urena (vs. ARZ, vs. SD)
- Alec Marsh (@ DET, vs. NYY)
- Kenta Maeda (vs. OAK, @ COL)
- Justin Verlander (@ SEA, @ ARZ)
- Paul Blackburn (@ MIN, @ LAA)
- Luis Castillo (vs. HOU, vs. TEX)
- George Kirby (vs. HOU, vs. TEX)
- Jon Gray (@ LAA, @ SEA)
- Martin Perez (@ LAA, @ SEA)
- Bryce Elder (vs. CHC, vs. WAS)
- Braxton Garrett (@ NYM, @ PIT)
- Aaron Nola (vs. PIT, @ NYM)
- Justin Steele (@ ATL, @ MIL)
- Hunter Greene (@ CLE, @ STL)
- Adrian Houser (vs. STL, vs. CHC)
- Mitch Keller (@ PHI, vs. MIA)
- Zack Thompson (@ MIL, vs. CIN)
- Ryne Nelson (@ CHW, vs. HOU)
- Chase Anderson (vs. LAD, vs. MIN)
- Ryan Pepiot (@ COL, @ SF)
- Blake Snell (@ SF, @ CHW)
- Logan Webb (vs. SD, vs. LAD)
Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups
Bobby Dalbec (1B/3B), Boston Red Sox - 1% Rostered
Bobby Dalbec is back in the big leagues and better than ever. Since being recalled on September 17, the 28-year-old is slashing .412/.444/.706 with a home run, four runs, and a 72.7% hard-hit rate through 18 plate appearances.
With Triston Casas out for the year and Alex Cora committing to giving Dalbec consistent playing time to end the year, Bobby Dalbec should end an excruciating season on a more positive note.
Josh Donaldson (3B), Milwaukee Brewers - 5% Rostered
Since joining the Milwaukee Brewers major-league squad two weeks ago, Josh Donaldson maintains a .348 wOBA with three home runs in 42 plate appearances as Milwaukee's new third baseman. The Brewers will end the regular season at home in the homer-happy American Family Field, meaning the 37-year-old could have enough juice to push you over the finish line in the HR category.
Mark Vientos (1B/3B), New York Mets - 5% Rostered
Mark Vientos has disappointed in nearly every MLB stint to date, but the talented hitter is ending 2023 with a bang. Since August 29, he is slashing .286/.324/.571 with six home runs, 10 RBI, and a 55.1% hard-hit rate. With four home runs in his last 10 games, Vientos is an emergency power injection for your final week.
Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups
Matt Wallner (OF), Minnesota Twins - 5% Rostered
Minnesota will end their season with matchups against Oakland and on the road against Colorado, meaning everyone and their mothers plucked Twins players off waiver wires in the past few weeks. But somehow, Matt Wallner remains available in most deep leagues.
The rookie's fantasy irrelevance is especially peculiar, as the rookie holds a 138 wRC+ and has hit 12 home runs across 69 games this season. The everyday outfielder has also turned it up a notch lately, slashing .407/.500/.593 with six RBI in his last 10 games. Wallner is a bonafide league-winner, don't miss it.
Jason Heyward (OF), Los Angeles Dodgers - 5% Rostered
Jason Heyward has been incredibly efficient in his strong-side platoon role with the Dodgers all season. With a .917 OPS since July 16, it is odd that Heyward can still qualify for this list. But no one should be complaining about this golden opportunity. The Dodgers will start their final week in Coors and they'll face right-handed pitchers for six out of seven remaining games, making Heyward a no-brainer pickup.
Aaron Hicks (OF), Baltimore Orioles - 4% Rostered
With his xwOBA being nearly 47 points lower than his actual wOBA, Aaron Hicks has been bound to regress for months. But regression hasn't struck the 33-year-old outfielder once since he arrived in Baltimore in late May. He's amidst another incomprehensible stretch in September, slashing .373/.475/.490 with a home run, nine runs, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases in 16 games.
It'd be terribly comical if his luck ran out this week, but I wouldn't bet on it. Baltimore will end their regular season with bouts against the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox. Hicks has had incredible success against the Boston Red Sox in the past few years, with a .941 OPS across 27 games against Boston since 2020. Be wary, but give Hicks the benefit of the doubt against two rotations that rank in the bottom 10 for ERA this season.
Miguel Andujar (OF), Pittsburgh Pirates - 4% Rostered
Somehow still kicking around, Miguel Andujar has surged at just the right time for deeper league fantasy baseball managers. Since being recalled in September, the 28-year-old is slashing .366/.409/.634 with two home runs, seven runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases, and a .317 xBA in 13 games with Pittsburgh. He's pushed his way into the lineup, making starts in the outfield in Pittsburgh's. Andujar is shaping up to be one of the most unlikely heroes of the 2023 fantasy baseball season for those who take the chance.
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