Fantasy owners who need a boost in deep NL-only leagues may find some help from players that have gone unnoticed by less-savvy league members (the ones who don't use RotoBaller). Check here each week for the hottest pickups and deepest sleepers available.

The following players are owned in 25% or less of Fleaflicker leagues.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

 

National League Waiver Wire Pickups

Hitters

Chase Utley (2B, LAD) - 23% owned - Unless you're a Mets fan, you have to love what Utley did last Saturday in New York. He irked the Mets enough to get Noah Syndergaard ejected and then promptly smashed two homers and drove in five en route to a 9-1 drubbing of the NL champs. That game aside, Utley is hitting .286 on the year and has scored 30 times. His slugging and OPS are at their highest rates since 2013. He also has a career-high 31% LD% so far, which actually follows a trend of steadily increasing over the last few years. Utley is still available in three-fourths of Fleaflicker leagues, so he should be able to make a lot of owners outside the Big Apple happy.

Adam Duvall (OF, CIN) - 12% owned - Obviously not enough of people paid attention to last week's column (or box scores in general)! Duvall continues to launch balls over the fence, with six HR and 13 RBI in the last eight games. He has shown this kind of power throughout the minors, so this is not an unexpected outcome. Duvall is by far the hottest waiver addition this week and should now be owned in mixed leagues as well. In many leagues, he has already been snatched up, but only shows a 12% ownership in Fleaflicker as of 5/31. If he is available in your NL-only league, don't hesitate any longer.

David Freese (1B/3B, PIT) - 11% owned - When Jung-Ho Kang returned to the lineup, it was thought Freese would be relegated to the bench in a reserve role. Freese has not just seen time spelling Kang at third, but is in a platoon of sorts with left-handed hitting John Jaso at first base. He is slashing .296/.374/.428 with four HR and 18 RBI on the year. In the past week, he has scored seven times and driven in six runs. As part of one of the top hitting clubs in the NL, Freese is still providing value and is now 1B eligible to boot.

Matt Adams (1B, STL) - 18% owned - Adams wasn't a factor whatsoever in April, but has turned it on as of late. He has collected three HR and 13 RBI over the last two weeks and has increased his average by 58 points in that time, up to .318. He will need to hit to stay in the lineup, as the Cardinals have several options at first base including Brandon Moss and Matt Holliday. For the time being, Adams is the man.

Yangervis Solarte (1B/2B/3B, SD) - 14% owned - Since his return from the DL on May 21, Solarte hasn't wasted any time getting going. He has three homers and eight RBI over nine starts. He is splitting time between second and third base, since the Padres basically have no viable options at either position, so his positional flexibility remains a positive. Solarte continues to be a bright spot in a dismal season for San Diego.

Derek Dietrich (2B/3B, MIA) - 7% owned - The power hasn't been there for Dietrich this season, with only three home runs, but he may be sacrificing power for a higher OBP. Dietrich is slashing .318/.406/.508 and has been warming up this past week, hitting .371 in the past 10 games. He will never be confused for Dee Gordon, but Dietrich can be a solid contributor for a Marlins team that can do damage when all the key pieces are healthy.

Adonis Garcia (3B, ATL) - 3% owned - Braves fans and desperate NL owners alike are hoping for Garcia to turn it on this season. He began the year hitting .313 after the first three weeks, but has slowly declined ever since. He is now down to .246, but sadly only has one homer on the year. Garcia projected as a power bat and posted a .220 ISO last season in 192 at-bats, but the power just hasn't shown up in 2016. He is a bench stash at best right now, but is worth keeping an eye on in deep leagues.

Aaron Hill (2B/3B, MIL) - 2% owned - Hill is surging again. Over the past two weeks, he is hitting .394 and has scored seven runs, proving he is more than just an occasional power bat. His mini-streak a couple of weeks ago may not have been a fluke after all. Hill has always possessed power, but has helped fantasy owners in other ways as well.

Dustin Garneau (C, COL) - 1% owned - Would I be recommending Garneau if he didn't play in Colorado? Probably not. Deep NL-only and two-catcher leagues are always scouring the free agent pool for help, so Garneau could provide some help behind the plate. Tony Wolters is hitting a mere .220 so Garneau will likely see more playing time until Nick Hundley returns.

Michael Bourn (OF, ARI) - 6% owned - Yes, Michael Bourn is fantasy-relevant again. After being dumped by the Braves, Bourn caught on with the Diamondbacks and has started nearly every day over the last two weeks. He is hitting .343 and has stolen three bases in 12 games. Yes, he is worth adding right now. I imagine if Bourn has a vanity license plate, it would read CHPSTLZ.

 

Pitchers

Archie Bradley (SP, ARI) - 6% owned - This may be Bradley's year to stick in the majors for good. He has been consistently inconsistent to this point, but he has at least strung together two decent starts in a row, albeit separated by 20 days. His ERA is an unattractive 6.11, but his 4.25 FIP and 4.38 SIERA suggests he is pitching better than that. The former first-round pick possesses as much talent as any young pitching prospect out there, but shouldn't be relied upon by fantasy owners just yet. Keep him as a stash if you have the room.

Tyler Glasnow (PIT, SP) - 8% owned - A purely speculative pick, Glasnow is a top pitching prospect in the Pirates organization that may soon see Major League action. Glasnow has a 2.25 ERA and 1.23 WHIP to accompany an 11.1 K/9 rate. He could stand to walk less batters (4.0 BB/9), but after climbing the ladder quickly in 2015 and pitching well again this season, he has nothing to prove in the minors. If you have the room, stash Glasnow right now.

Jameson Taillon (PIT, SP) - 7% owned - Taillon is another prospect-in-waiting for the Bucs that will need to prove himself MLB ready when the call comes. It's still a guessing game if/when Taillon or Glasnow will join the big club, but when that time comes you'll want to already have them on your roster. Taillon has dominated Triple-A this year with a 1.79 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. At 24 years old, he shouldn't be overwhelmed by the bigs. Taillon is a bit older than Glasnow, but comes with a Tommy John surgery on his resume and missed the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons. As with any rookie pitcher, there is great risk/possible reward here.

Jonathon Niese (SP, PIT) - 14% owned - The Pirates were expecting a consistent mid-rotation arm when they deal Neil Walker to acquire Niese. He hasn't quite performed the way he did in New York the last few years, but things are starting to turn around. He has thrown four consecutive quality starts and allowed only one run in each of his last two starts. He has a mediocre 6.3 K/9 but on a solid Pirates team, he has earned five wins despite a 4.42 ERA. Niese should continue to post W and QS throughout the season.

Dan Straily (CIN, SP/RP) - 18% owned - Straily is becoming a mainstay on this list, but that may change soon. It's easy to be skeptical of a Reds starter this year, especially a journeyman like Straily. His relatively low ratios (3.43 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) and good strikeout rate (8.4 K/9) have remained constant all year. Even better, he can be slotted at RP in many leagues.

Tom Koehler (MIA, SP) - 6% owned - Ignore everything before and including May 1st (especially May 1st) for Koehler. Since then, he has righted the ship and allowed a total of nine earned runs in his past five starts. Walks are still a major issue, as he has issued exactly five free passes in each of the last four starts. If you can take the hit in WHIP, Koehler could win games in Miami and maintain a good ERA.

Jeremy Jeffress (RP, MIL) - 22% owned - Jeffress seems to be suffering the same fate as Alex Colome in the fantasy world. Despite pitching lights-out this year, he is viewed as a temporary closer who will lose his job soon. The truth is that Will Smith has no more experience closing than Jeffress did before the season. If he is somehow pulled from the job, then you can keep him on waivers. For now, Jeffress has 12 saves in 13 chances and should be universally owned and started.

Tyler Thornburg (RP, MIL) - 4% owned - In leagues counting holds, Thornburg is one of the top values out there. Thornburg may not be in consideration for closing any time soon, but owners needing a reliever to help in the outlying categories could benefit from his 0.89 WHIP, 12.5 K/9 and 10 holds.

Tony Watson (RP, PIT) - 12% owned - As the setup man for Mark Melancon, he has been lights out. In the last 30 days, Watson has not allowed an earned run over nine innings and has recorded four holds. Unless Melancon goes down with an injury, Watson's value is limited to leagues that count holds, as he only has 17 strikeouts on the year.

Fernando Rodney (RP, SD) - 20% owned - Saying this feels like deja vu all over again. Rodney still hasn't allowed an earned run to score all season. 10 saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 'nuff said.

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

 

Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!