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Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 2. Free-agent hitter pickups, emerging starting pitchers, and bullpen arms for every week of the 2026 MLB season.
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We're still wading into the 2026 season and slowly tweaking our preseason convictions as each new day washes over us. There are plenty of hot starts to pick apart and cold openings to exercise calculated patience with. Let's draw some lines in the sand together as we construct winners off the wire!
These waiver periods are the most chaotic and typically reward those who cycle a few roster spots in pursuit of league-winning upside. This column looks for a mix of high-risk, high-reward options thrown in with more steady "floor" plays that can supply volume while you throw darts elsewhere. We hope that you can strike it rich with my waiver wire targets for Week 2.
We'll continue to use Yahoo rostered rates and stop at 0%, listing players in a rough priority order (check our full waiver article for up to 70% rostered!). Please note that most statistics are gathered before Saturday's games are played, though I'll mention key Saturday figures as I write. You can find me on X (@NMariano53) to ask about anyone not mentioned here.
Nick's Hitter Waiver Wire Targets
Catcher: Francisco Alvarez (32% rostered), Carter Jensen (20%), Dillon Dingler (23%), Gabriel Moreno (18%), Tyler Stephenson (5%), Danny Jansen (1%), Gary Sanchez (1%)
Alvarez bashed a pair of homers on Friday after being highlighted last week and in several preseason articles. I realize the catcher rostered rates get fairly static due to 1C/2C formats, but eventually those slower starters will cause many to pivot to Alvarez.
Jensen made headlines by sleeping in, though we’re far more interested in his plate discipline, penchant for contact, and all-fields pop. An early 40% K rate will settle.
Dingler has hit safely in five of his first six starts, rocking a pair of homers with 11 R+RBI. Moreno is locked into Arizona’s cleanup role. Sanchez played in both games of Milwaukee’s Saturday doubleheader and will play more between C/1B/DH due to Andrew Vaughn’s hamate fracture (due back in mid-May).
