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Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups: Outfield

We're approaching the end of August and you know what that means -- top prospect promotions for flailing teams! In the course of a week, the Yankees went from being the most floundering team in the league to the one with the brightest future. That's what strong play from the likes of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will do for you. But the Yanks aren't the only club testing out their young talent. From Arizona to Cincinnati, there are a plethora of rookie debuts to be witnessed over the coming weeks.

Don't forget the old guys in your pursuit of the most desirable prospect. There are a handful of guys recovering from injuries that have, to some degree, flown under the radar. We've got all the bases covered in this week's column.

Editor's Note: Purchase a full season NFL Premium Pass (including Draft Kit + DFS Premium), and also get MLB Premium + DFS for free through October. Premium DFS lineup picks, expert lineups, tools and more - seven days a week. You can see screenshots of our NFL Premium and MLB Premium and DFS tools. What are you waiting for?

 

Week 21 Outfield Targets

Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals

Owned in 39% of Fleaflicker Leagues

After an abysmal start to the season, a month lost due to injury and a mediocre July, Alex Gordon is back to his previous form. He's been seeing the ball much better in August to the tune of a .294/.377/.603 line with six homers (including a walk off jack against Minnesota the other night) and 16 runs scored. That should be all of the evidence needed for most fantasy owners, as Gordon bolstered himself as an All-Star over the past three seasons.

Of course, much of that acclaim has been garnered by his play in the field, but his batting numbers haven't been too shabby either. From 2013 to 2015, Gordon managed an average of 17 long balls per season with a tasty .348 OBP. Nothing about him will knock your socks off, but when he's near 100% (as he appears to be), Gordon is likely the most reliable option the waiver wire has to offer.

 

Teoscar Hernandez, Houston Astros

Owned in 2% of Fleaflicker Leagues

After a full year of dreadful, regret-inducing play, Carlos Gomez has finally been exiled from the Astros outfield. Meanwhile, Colby Rasmus just had surgery on his ear and there is no clear timetable for his return. That leaves a trio of young players, namely Teoscar Hernandez, Jake Marisnick and Tony Kemp, to fill the final void beside George Springer and Marwin Gonzalez. While Kemp, Marisnick and Gonzalez have rotated for lineup spots over the past week or so, Hernandez has been a mainstay in the outfield and for good reason.

Since being called up, the rookie is sporting a .281/.378/.594 line with three homers, six RBI, and nine runs scored in just 32 plate appearances. The only category he hasn't lit up is steals and that's what makes this kid so exciting. The speed is there. He already has 34 stolen bases across two levels of minor league play this season. The best is yet to come.

 

Mitch Haniger, Arizona Diamondbacks

Owned in 4% of Fleaflicker Leagues

If you haven't heard of this guy yet, you will soon. Mitch Haniger demolished his way through the minors and has been doing much of the same in his first week at the Big League level. That's no overstatement -- in two levels of minor league ball, Haniger posted a monstrous .325/.423/.588 line with 24 dingers, 10 swipes and a whopping 86 RBI. Most of the success even came after the promotion to Triple-A Reno.

In seven games thus far with the Diamondbacks, the 25 year-old has gone 8-for-26 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI. So far, no homers, no steals. But fear not, they surely will come. The only question is whether or not he will receive ample playing time moving forward. The next player on this list is soon to insert himself in a permanent role and Yasmany Tomas isn't going anywhere. The most likely scenario (as well as the hopeful/reasonable one) is that Haniger begins to take on center field, pushing Michael Bourn to a secondary role. If Haniger continues to hit, he will continue to play. It's not like the D-Backs have much to play for this year.

 

A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks

Owned in 58% of Fleaflicker Leagues

A.J. Pollock is coming back! Like, really soon! To be specific, Pollock is expected to return to the lineup this Friday and that is exciting news for those who diligently held onto the injured star throughout his lengthy (yet shorter than expected) rehab process from a broken elbow. However, his ownership shows that many owners still haven't gotten the hint. It's natural to avoid anyone with the "DL60" tag in fantasy.

If you are in one of those leagues, listen closely -- pick this guy up! He's been gashing his way through the minors, evidenced by his unreal .433/.541/.733 line in 10 games across three levels. He's also stolen a couple of bases and swatted two home runs. In all likelihood, if you are in a league with remotely savvy owners, Pollock is already long gone from the waiver wire. This is just a friendly reminder to double check and avoid missing out on the deal of the season.

 

More Options: Joc Pederson (56%), Danny Valencia (53%), Brandon Moss (47%), Andrew Benintendi (41%), Rajai Davis (41%), Denard Span (39%), Jayson Werth (35%), Keon Broxton (25%), Randal Grichuk (21%), Chris Owings (13%), Jose Peraza (3%)

 

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




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jackson Chourio

in Starting Lineup for NLDS Game 2
Nikola Topić

Nikola Topic Slated to Miss Several Weeks
Xavier Worthy

Active on Monday Night
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic Expected to Suit Up for Preseason Opener on Thursday
Bradley Beal

Expects to be Ready For Opening Night
Terry McLaurin

Commanders "Optimistic" Terry McLaurin Will Return in Week 6
Saquon Barkley

Dealing With Knee Injury, Expected to Play on Thursday
J.T. Miller

Available Tuesday
Artemi Panarin

Cleared for Opening Night
Jake Walman

Inks Seven-Year Extension With Oilers
Connor McDavid

Signs Two-Year Extension With Oilers
Omarion Hampton

Placed on Injured Reserve with Ankle Injury
Brock Bowers

Labeled "Week-to-Week" After Missing Week 5
Jalen Coker

Expected to Practice on Wednesday
CeeDee Lamb

Could Return Within Next Two Weeks
LeBron James

Teases "Second Decision" Ahead of Season 23
Karl-Anthony Towns

Slims Down to Shine at Power Forward
Stephen Curry

Focused on Present, Not Retirement Clock
Ben Sheppard

Won't Play in Preseason Opener
CFB

Jermod McCoy Unlikely to Play Against Arkansas
CFB

Conner Weigman in Concussion Protocol
Dyson Daniels

There is "Distance" Between Hawks, Dyson Daniels in Extension Talks
Washington Wizards

Wizards Sign Skal Labissiere to Exhibit 10 Deal
CFB

Florida State's Quindarrius Jones Set for Season-Ending Surgery
Ja Morant

Suffers Sprained Ankle, Considered Week-to-Week
CFB

Mark Gronowski Viewed as Day-to-Day with Knee Injury
Xavier Worthy

is Fine and Expected to Play Against the Jaguars
Omarion Hampton

May Miss Some Time With an Ankle Injury
Alex Pereira

Becomes Two-Time Light-Heavyweight Champion
Magomed Ankalaev

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Cory Sandhagen

Gets Dominated In The UFC 320 Co-Main Event
Cory Sandhagen

Merab Dvalishvili Dominates Cory Sandhagen
Jiří Procházka

Jiri Prochazka Scores Comeback Win
Kyle Burroughs

Placed on Injured Reserve
SJ

Egor Afanasyev to Start Season on Injured Reserve
Khalil Rountree Jr.

Suffers Third-Round Knockout Loss
Mattias Janmark

to Miss 1-2 Weeks
Jake Walman

Suffers Setback
Alex Vlasic

Traveling With Blackhawks
Youssef Zalal

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Josh Emmett

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Abus Magomedov

Gets Submitted
Joe Pyfer

Gets Second-Round Submission Win
Breece Hall

Maximizes Efficiency in Loss to Dallas on Sunday
DeVonta Smith

Breaks Free for 114 Yards in Week 5 Loss
Calvin Ridley

Explosive in Week 5 After Rough Start to Season
David Montgomery

Gets Involved in Trickery, Totals Two Touchdowns Against Cincy
Stefon Diggs

Gets Big Revenge in Primetime Win Over Bills
Theo Johnson

on the Rise, Scores Two More Touchdowns in Week 5 Loss
Ryan Flournoy

Leads Cowboys in Receiving -- Worth a Waiver-Wire Pickup?
Jake Ferguson

Records Two Touchdown Grabs in Week 5
Rashid Shaheed

Rides 87-Yard Touchdown to Breakout Week 5
Jaylen Waddle

Records Season-High in Targets, Catches, and Receiving Yards
Rachaad White

Finds the End Zone Twice in Week 5
AJ Barner

Records Two Touchdown Catches in Week 5
Jonathan Kuminga

Golden State Expected to Put Jonathan Kuminga on the Trade Block Once Eligible
Alex Laferriere

Questionable for Opening Night
Jonathan Toews

Practices on Sunday
Oskar Sundqvist

Injured at Sunday's Practice
Jonathan Drouin

Returns to Practice Sunday
Cole Perfetti

Out Week-to-Week With Ankle Injury
CHI

Matt Grzelcyk Inks One-Year Deal With Blackhawks
Ryan Ellis

Sharks Acquire Ryan Ellis From Flyers
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Back at Practice
Ryan Preece

Is A Favorable DFS Option for the Charlotte Roval
Zane Smith

Might Be Worth Playing In DFS Lineups for the Charlotte Roval
Cole Custer

Is Cole Custer Playable In DFS Lineups for the Charlotte Roval?
Kyle Larson

Will Likely Go for the Win Over Stage Points
Ryan Blaney

Might Look Past Charlotte Roval to Focus on Last Two Playoff Rounds
Denny Hamlin

Could Focus on Stage Points to Clinch Round of 8 Spot
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Unlikely to Make the Round of 8
Austin Cindric

Very Unlikely to Advance to Round of 8
Alex Bowman

Reliably Consistent at Charlotte Roval
Daniel Suarez

Unlikely to Run Well at Charlotte
Carson Hocevar

Will Likely Earn a Lot of Place-Differential Points at Charlotte
Brad Keselowski

Probably Won't be Viable for DFS
Ty Dillon

Earns Best Qualifying Result at Charlotte Roval
Jackson Chourio

Exits With Hamstring Injury in Game 1 of NLDS
Jayson Tatum

to Return in March?
Justin Faulk

Misses Preseason Finale
Kirill Marchenko

Cleared for Saturday's Action
Macklin Celebrini

Makes Preseason Debut Saturday
Kaiden Guhle

Available Saturday
Noah Dobson

Rejoins Canadiens Lineup Saturday
Max Scherzer

Left Off Blue Jays ALDS Roster
Bo Bichette

Officially Out for ALDS
Texas Rangers

Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker as New Manager
Trevor Megill

Ready for NLDS
Will Smith

Will be Available to Catch in NLDS
Clayton Kershaw

to Pitch Out of Bullpen in NLDS Against Phillies
Lawrence Butler

Undergoes Knee Surgery on Friday
Brandon Woodruff

Will Not Pitch in NLDS
Devin Booker

Likely Playing on Friday
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Won't Play This Weekend
Josh Giddey

Returns to Full Practice
Matas Buzelis

has Team Optioned Accepted
Alex Pereira

Can Become Two-Time Light-Heavyweight Champion
Magomed Ankalaev

Set For His First Title Defense
Cory Sandhagen

An Underdog At UFC 320
Merab Dvalishvili

Set For His Third Title Defense
Khalil Rountree Jr.

Returns At UFC 320
Jiří Procházka

Jiri Prochazka Returns At UFC 320
Youssef Zalal

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Josh Emmett

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Joe Pyfer

Looks To Earn Top 15 Ranking
Abus Magomedov

Set To Open Up UFC 320 Main Card
Cam Schlittler

Dazzles in 12-Strikeout Performance, Yankees Advance to ALDS
CFB

Quintrevion Wisner Expected Back vs. Florida
CFB

Emmett Mosley Probable for Longhorns vs. Florida
Giannis Antetokounmpo

to Join the Bucks in Miami
Jaden Ivey

Fully Recovered From Fractured Fibula
OG Anunoby

Was Inactive for the Knicks' Preseason Opener
Joel Embiid

Adem Bona Starts in Place of Joel Embiid on Thursday
Shane McClanahan

Expected to be "Fully Ready" for Spring Training
Bo Bichette

Unlikely to be Ready for ALDS
Bryce Eldridge

to Undergo Wrist Surgery
Atlanta Braves

Brian Snitker Will Not Return as Braves Manager
Luke List

Looking to Win Again at Sanderson Farms Championship
Tom Kim

Could Be in For Long Week in Mississippi
Max Homa

Are Things Beginning to Turn Around For Max Homa Ahead of Sanderson Farms?
Nicolai Hojgaard

an Interesting Play at Sanderson Farms
Davis Thompson

Looks to Keep Momentum Going in Mississippi
Nick Dunlap

Hoping to Turn Woes Around at Sanderson Farms Championship
PGA

Matti Schmid a Volatile Option at Sanderson Farms
Thorbjorn Olesen

a Solid Play at Sanderson Farms
Stephan Jaeger

a High-Upside Play in Mississippi
Hayden Buckley

Trying to Find Form at Sanderson Farms
Ben Martin

Struggling Mightily with Golf Game
Jacob Bridgeman

Leaning on his Putter at Sanderson Farms
Lanto Griffin

Heating Up for Sanderson Farms Championship
Quade Cummins

Trying to Make Cut at Sanderson Farms
Carson Young

Aims to Rebound from Procore Championship
Matt Kuchar

Still a Golfer to Watch This Week
Doug Ghim

Trending Up for Sanderson Farms Championship
Eric Cole

May Struggle at Sanderson Farms Championship
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Ready for Sanderson Farms Championship
Mackenzie Hughes

Eyes Another Strong Week at Sanderson Farms
Andrew Putnam

a Solid Value Play in Mississippi

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