X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 3

Akil Baddoo - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

We’re only nine days into the 2021 regular season, but there has already been plenty of roster shuffling and player movement this year. Although fantasy managers shouldn’t make decisions based exclusively on less than two weeks of samples, there is one notable league-wide issue worth exploring before diving into this week: the ball.

As you may already know, MLB has changed the ball this year, giving it more bounce and more drag. As a result, it’s easier to hit the ball harder (so exit velocities have been up across the league), but the ball hasn’t been flying as far as it used to. Mentions of power metrics like hard-hit rate and max exit velocity should be considered with that context in mind, and I’ve tried to avoid relying on them in this article (as applicable) to avoid mischaracterizing a hitter’s performance.

One more note: all of the hitters mentioned last week continue to be worthwhile adds this week, but to avoid redundancy I’ve focused on other valuable hitters this week. With that out of the way, below are six outfielders worth considering in waivers this week - April 12th through April 18th. As always, roster rates for waiver wire pickups are based on Yahoo leagues with standard 5x5 scoring, and an outfielder must be rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues to be considered for this article. 

Featured Promo: Get any MLB Premium Pass FREE ($119 value) AND up to a $200 deposit match when you sign up with Rival Fantasy. Rival offers 6 and 12-team Best Ball, weekly and daily contests, for as little as $3 per entry. No roster management, just draft and Rival sets your best lineup automatically. Playing fantasy baseball has never been easier! Sign Up Today!

 

Weekly Summary

Who’s Hot?

I’ve expanded this leaderboard to 12 hitters this week to call out the strong performances of Myles Straw and Michael A. Taylor. Straw appeared in last week’s article, and Taylor is analyzed in more detail later in the article.

Player Name Rostered % Week wOBA
Chris Owings 24% 0.700
Darin Ruf 1% 0.641
Tyler Naquin 48% 0.601
Akil Baddoo 48% 0.587
Brandon Nimmo 26% 0.503
Nick Senzel 41% 0.450
Luis Arraez 35% 0.449
Brett Gardner 2% 0.443
Garrett Cooper 3% 0.420
Lorenzo Cain 46% 0.402
Michael A. Taylor 40% 0.399
Myles Straw 23% 0.383

Rest of Season Projections

It’s easy to get caught up in early season trends, but it’s been less than two weeks since Opening Day. Fantasy managers should keep the rest of season projections in mind when making roster decisions to avoid overreacting to early-season slumps (or breakouts) and to capitalize on the mistakes of other managers.

Player Name Rostered % Rest of Season wOBA Projection
Brandon Nimmo 26% 0.348
Luis Arraez 35% 0.342
Brandon Belt 11% 0.335
Aaron Hicks 40% 0.331
Alex Dickerson 20% 0.329
J.D. Davis 49% 0.327
Yasiel Puig 4% 0.326
Josh Naylor 2% 0.326
Randal Grichuk 46% 0.325
Robbie Grossman 3% 0.325

Schedule Notes

This week features a packed schedule during which many teams are slated to play every day. Some notable schedules worth keeping in mind can be found below:

  • The Mariners opens the week with four games against an unimpressive Orioles rotation at the fairly hitter-friendly Camden Yards, so Ty France and Taylor Trammell are worth considering as short-term adds.
  • The Astros play two of the worst pitching staffs in the league in the Mariners and Tigers, making Myles Straw an attractive target for fantasy managers needing steals.
  • The Brewers face hittable and righty-heavy pitching staffs this week in the Cubs and Pirates, making Jackie Bradley Jr. a viable option as a short-term add (more on him later).

Lineup Notes

  • Yoshitomo Tsutsugo seems locked into batting first against RHP for the Rays.
  • Cody Bellinger’s move to the injured list should open up more consistent playing time for Chris Taylor.
  • Randal Grichuk’s value continues to be high in the short term with George Springer’s return unlikely to come soon.
  • The Diamondbacks activated Kole Calhoun from the injured list on Friday.
  • With Jake Fraley and Kyle Lewis on the injured list, Jose Marmolejos should see extra playing time.
  • J.D. Davis is now rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues (49% rostered rate) and is worth stashing in all leagues as long as fantasy managers have an open IL spot.

 

Shallow League Pickups

Akil Baddoo, Detroit Tigers

48% rostered

Baddoo has enjoyed an electric start to his rookie season, and fantasy managers have reacted by quickly scooping him up -- Baddoo was drafted in only 2% of leagues coming into the season but owns a 48% rostered rate barely a week in. Baddoo boasts an impressive combination of speed and power, and that skillset has paid off so far with Baddoo posting a 1.429 OPS through his first five games.

I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the massive small-sample size caveat here. Baddoo had never played above High-A ball before 2021, and fantasy managers have reacted to a total of 14 plate appearances to roster Baddoo this year. Still, Baddoo’s 1.429 OPS is the second-best mark from a rookie through any 14 PA sample in the live-ball era, a testament to his tremendous start to the year.

Although that’s more of a fun fact than a real point in Baddoo’s favor for fantasy purposes going forward, it underscores an important point. Specifically, projecting Baddoo’s rest of season performance based on lower-level minor league games and a few MLB games is a fool’s errand, but he clearly has a high upside and has already shown an ability to make a significant impact at the major league level -- that’s enough to make Baddoo worthy of roster consideration in all leagues. 

Michael A. Taylor, Kansas City Royals

40% rostered

Like Baddoo, a hot start to the season has propelled Taylor onto the rosters of fantasy managers, as Taylor went from being undrafted in almost all leagues to being rostered in 40% of leagues just over a week into the season. A breakout candidate heading into the season thanks to some offseason swing adjustments, Taylor has lived up to his billing so far with a 1.112 OPS through his first six games.

Although Taylor’s 17.6% swinging-strike rate is ugly and not what fantasy managers should hope to see from a player whose adjustments were targeted at lowering his strikeout rate, Taylor’s under the hood performance has been encouraging. In particular, Taylor’s 80% z-contact rate is the second-highest mark of his career, and his poor swinging-strike rate is inflated by a high chase rate that is likely to fall back toward his career average over the rest of the season. Taylor won’t stay this hot all year, but he’s a 20 home run, 20 stolen base threat if his adjustments continue to work, and fantasy managers should target him on waivers as a result.

Kole Calhoun, Arizona Diamondbacks

24% rostered

Calhoun appeared in this series about as much as anyone last season, and he’s back this year after being activated from the injured list on Friday. Before getting into the details of why Calhoun is worth rostering in most fantasy leagues, consider that Calhoun was typically a top-250 draft pick in NFBC leagues before his knee surgery on March 3, and he hadn’t been selected later than pick 340 during that time.

Now fully healthy and back to being a regular in the Arizona lineup, fantasy managers should expect Calhoun to return the value of a top-250 pick over the rest of the season, making him worth rostering in most leagues. More specifically, Calhoun should be back to being the hitter who was on pace for 43 home runs and a .864 OPS over a full season last year. Well, maybe Calhoun won’t be quite that good, but with two consecutive seasons with double-digit barrel and walk rates, Calhoun is a good bet for another 30 homer season and is worth a look from fantasy managers as a result.

 

Deeper League Pickups

Jackie Bradley Jr., Milwaukee Brewers

9% rostered

Although this article series generally focuses on longer-term waiver additions early in the season, Jackie Bradley Jr. is too good of a weekly streaming option to not mention this week. As I point out in the schedule notes section, the Brewers go up against a pair of unimposing pitching staffs in the Cubs and Pirates. Making matters even better for Bradley, those pitching staffs combine to account for just one southpaw, and Bradley has a career .748 OPS against righties compared to a .685 mark against lefties*.

It’s worth noting that JBJ has endured a rough start to the season, picking up just one hit with no walks and nine strikeouts through his first six games. That’s far too small of a sample to be seriously concerned with, though, and fantasy managers should expect Bradley to hit well this week. 

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Tampa Bay Rays

2% rostered

Tsutsugo appears to be locked into the leadoff role for the Rays against righties (as locked into a lineup slot as he can be while he plays for the Rays, anyway), boosting both his short and long term fantasy value. For this week, the Rays start with a four-game set against a Rangers staff that is devoid of left-handed starting pitchers (and is also not very good), a desirable series for Tsutsugo.

Longer-term, Tsutsugo is a breakout candidate this year, and a less than stellar start to the season doesn’t change that. Fantasy managers should expect Tsutsugo to begin heating up sooner rather than later, and he should be worth rostering in deeper leagues for much of the rest of the year.

Josh Naylor, Cleveland Indians

2% rostered

Naylor is a notable outlier in terms of rest of season projections, as he has the lowest rostered rate of any outfielder (max. 50% rostered) to crack the top-10 rest of season wOBA projections. Naylor’s power makes him easy to get excited about -- his 115.1 max exit velocity (set in 2019) is elite, and that power gives Naylor exciting upside.

Further working in Naylor’s fantasy value is that he hardly strikes out, and none of the five projection systems hosted on Fangraphs expect Naylor to post a strikeout rate above 18% this season. Naylor has some of the most upside of any player widely available in fantasy leagues as a result, and fantasy managers should strongly consider adding him on waivers.

*Bradley’s splits reversed in 2020, but given the small sample of games, it seems likely that his splits will revert towards his career numbers in 2021.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice


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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nolan Jones1 hour ago

Remains Sidelined Thursday
Los Angeles Rams1 hour ago

Rams Trying To Move Into Top 10
Max Muncy2 hours ago

On The Bench Thursday
Drake Maye2 hours ago

Giants Trying To Trade Up For Drake Maye
Alex Vlasic2 hours ago

Inks Six-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Kyle Okposo2 hours ago

To Suit Up In Game 3
William Nylander2 hours ago

Reportedly Dealing With Migraine Issue
Framber Valdez2 hours ago

To Start Sunday
Brett Pesce2 hours ago

Tony DeAngelo To Replace Brett Pesce
Cal Raleigh2 hours ago

Back In The Lineup Thursday
J.P. Crawford2 hours ago

Heading To The Injured List
Sam Bennett2 hours ago

To Miss At Least A Week
Ceddanne Rafaela3 hours ago

The Team's Everyday Shortstop
Vaughn Grissom3 hours ago

Unlikely To Return This Weekend
Rafael Devers3 hours ago

Likely To Return To Third Base On Saturday
Corey Seager3 hours ago

Serving As Designated Hitter Against Seattle
Jonathan India4 hours ago

Back In Action Thursday
Bryce Harper4 hours ago

Back From Paternity List
Jack Eichel5 hours ago

Makes NHL History In Game 2 Win
Brad Marchand5 hours ago

Racks Up Three Points In Game 3 Victory
Leon Draisaitl5 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Wednesday's Loss
Anze Kopitar5 hours ago

Completes Three-Point Night With Overtime Game-Winner
Mason Marchment5 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
Radek Faksa5 hours ago

Injured In Game 2
Trey Murphy5 hours ago

III Cools Off In Game 2
CJ McCollum6 hours ago

Blows Hot And Cold In Game 2
Brandon Ingram6 hours ago

Overcomes Cold Start In Game 2
Jonas Valanciunas6 hours ago

Leads Pelicans In Scoring Wednesday
Jalen Williams6 hours ago

Contributes In All Areas Wednesday
Chet Holmgren6 hours ago

Sets The Tone For Thunder In Game 2
Uros Medic6 hours ago

A Massive Favorite At UFC Vegas 91
Tim Means6 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander6 hours ago

Leads Thunder To Victory
Austen Lane6 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Jhonata Diniz6 hours ago

Making UFC Debut
Bogdan Guskov6 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Vegas 91
Ryan Spann6 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC Vegas 91
Garrett Whitlock15 hours ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer15 hours ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means15 hours ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh15 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Francisco Lindor15 hours ago

Comes Alive With Two Long Balls
Shohei Ohtani15 hours ago

Three Doubles For Shohei Ohtani
Mike Trout16 hours ago

Cracks MLB-High 10th Homer
Corey Seager17 hours ago

Removed From Game After Being Hit By Pitch
Naz Reid17 hours ago

Named Sixth Man Of The Year
Mitchell Robinson17 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Joel Embiid17 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
DJ LeMahieu17 hours ago

To Be Shut Down For A Week
Zack Gelof17 hours ago

Likely Heading To Injured List
Bam Adebayo17 hours ago

Looks Good In Win Over Boston
Kristaps Porzingis18 hours ago

Struggles Offensively In Game 2
Jayson Tatum18 hours ago

Has A Decent Showing On Wednesday
Jaylen Brown18 hours ago

Leads The Way In Game 2
Tyler Herro18 hours ago

Gets It Done On Wednesday Night
Dallas Cowboys19 hours ago

Cowboys Pick Up Micah Parsons' Fifth-Year Option
Ezekiel Elliott20 hours ago

Cowboys Meeting With Ezekiel Elliott
Cincinnati Bengals20 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Requests A Trade From Bengals
Nic Claxton21 hours ago

Nicolas Claxton The "No. 1 Priority" For Nets In Offseason
Grayson Allen21 hours ago

Not Ruled Out For Game 3
Nikola Jovic21 hours ago

Available For Game 2
Ryan Lomberg22 hours ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot22 hours ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Logan Thompson22 hours ago

Heads Out For Another Win Wednesday
Jake Oettinger22 hours ago

Tries To Bounce Back Wednesday
Jani Hakanpaa22 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Tyler Myers23 hours ago

Battling The Flu
Michael Penix Jr.23 hours ago

Could Be Among Top-Four Quarterbacks Selected
Jared Goff24 hours ago

No New Deal “Imminent” For Jared Goff
J.J. McCarthy1 day ago

Broncos Interested In J.J. McCarthy
Detroit Lions1 day ago

Penei Sewell Becomes Highest-Paid Offensive Lineman
Justin Fields1 day ago

Steelers Not Expected To Pick Up Justin Fields' Fifth-Year Option
Rashod Bateman1 day ago

Ravens Sign Rashod Bateman To Contract Extension
Ja'Marr Chase1 day ago

Bengals Exercise Ja'Marr Chase's Fifth-Year Option
Amon-Ra St. Brown1 day ago

Lions Agree To Four-Year Extension With Amon-Ra St. Brown
Nicolas Hague1 day ago

Out For Vegas On Wednesday
James van Riemsdyk1 day ago

To Make Series Debut Wednesday
Sam Bennett1 day ago

To Miss Significant Time
William Nylander1 day ago

Looking Unlikely For Game 3
James Harden1 day ago

Settles For 22 Points In Game 2
Luka Doncic1 day ago

Leads All Scorers With 32 Points In Game 2
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Scores 34 Points In Losing Effort
Brandon Aiyuk2 days ago

Trade Remains "Very Much In Play"
Denver Broncos2 days ago

Broncos Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Patrick Surtain II
New England Patriots2 days ago

Patriots Haven't Received "Serious" Offers For No. 3 Pick
Kadarius Toney2 days ago

Still In Chiefs' Plans
Jake Browning2 days ago

Bengals Re-Sign Jake Browning
Brandon Aiyuk3 days ago

49ers Have Received Calls Regarding Brandon Aiyuk
Dak Prescott3 days ago

Not Trying To Be Highest-Paid Player
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Broncos Acquiring Zach Wilson From Jets
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo3 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson3 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen3 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell4 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric4 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton4 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek4 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano4 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley4 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Kyler Murray - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Why Do The Bears, Cardinals, and Vikings Have Two First-Round Picks?

The NFL Draft is always one of the most exciting days for organizations and fans, but fans of teams with more than one first-round pick are even more excited and overjoyed. In the 2024 NFL Draft, three teams have multiple picks on Day 1. Landing two studs on the first day of the event can... Read More


Brian Thomas Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft: What Time Is The NFL Draft Tonight? How To Watch Thursday's Draft Picks

It’s finally here, RotoBallers! After months of waiting and speculation, the 2024 NFL Draft starts tonight. Along with the Super Bowl and the Kickoff Game that starts the season, Draft Day is one of the most exciting days on the NFL calendar. The anticipation is over and it is time to get things rolling. It... Read More


Darius Slayton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Veterans With The Most Fantasy Football Value To Lose On Draft Night

It's almost here! The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will take place tonight in Detroit, with 32 players set to join their first NFL team after all is said and done. But those players aren't just being drafted into empty roster spots. The NFL is a zero-sum game. For every new player that... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Biggest Fantasy Football Questions

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The 2024 NFL Draft is upon us and anticipation is high for what could be a wild edition that will likely have huge fantasy football implications for the season ahead. RotoBaller's David Rispoli digs into the biggest fantasy football questions of the 2024 NFL Draft. What draft decisions could have... Read More


2024 NFL Draft Mock Spectacular - Woo Fantasy Podcast

Rotoballer analyst Brandon Murchison (@RotoSuperstar) is joined by co-host Nick Hefley (@therealffgoat) as they dive into their final first-round mock for the 2024 NFL Draft. With what is expected to be a wild and crazy night of selections and potential moves, where will the most coveted players for fantasy managers land? They discuss landing spots... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Three Shocking Predictions for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The 2024 NFL Draft is upon us and anticipation is high for what could be a wild First Round. RotoBaller's David Rispoli drops three bold predictions for what could happen in Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune... Read More


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Rounds 1, 2, 3 Predictions (Final Mock)

It is the most magical week of the year, when the mysticism of Gandalf, Harry Potter, and all the power of your aunt's healing crystals cannot combine to match the aura surrounding NFL Draft week! With the best week of the year here and just a few days until the actual NFL Draft begins, it... Read More


Malachi Corley - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Ranking the Top-10 Small School Prospects

While many of the top NFL players came from large colleges, there's always some talented players that slip through the cracks in recruiting and wind up at either a Group of Five school or an FCS school. Some of the NFL's top stars didn't come from the Power 5. Randy Moss played at Marshall. Khalil... Read More


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2024 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft - Last Look Before Draft Day

There's a lot of people who wait until after the NFL Draft to do their fantasy football rookie drafts. It makes sense -- knowing where a player ends up is a huge part of what helps determine their fantasy football value. Still, it can be fun to do a last-minute rookie draft before we know... Read More


Laiatu Latu - NFL, Draft, EDGE, Prospect, DST, Defense, Rankings

2024 NFL Draft - Who Will Be The First Defensive Player Selected?

It is now finally time for the 2024 NFL Draft. With a plethora of offensive talent available, this feels like one of the more loaded draft classes in recent memory from an offensive point of view. Quarterbacks and skill players have gotten most of the headlines, but there are still players on the defensive side... Read More


Adonai Mitchell - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft: Top 100 Prospect Rankings (Final Update)

With the NFL Draft just a day away, it’s time to submit my final rankings for this class. Below, you will find the top-100 prospects on my board for 2024. There will be some changes from last month, as well as some surprises. Feel free to criticize my choices and views on the platform formerly... Read More


Rome Odunze - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Final 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft - Predictions for all 32 Teams

It's Christmas Eve. The NFL Draft is my favorite day of the year, and the picks made tomorrow night will have an enormous impact on the future of the NFL. With the Chicago Bears expected to select Caleb Williams at No. 1, the real draft begins at No. 2, where the Washington Commanders' pick remains... Read More


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2024 NFL Draft - Brandon Murchison's First-Round NFL Mock Draft

In the realm of fantasy football, anticipation and strategy reach a fever pitch as the NFL Draft approaches. Every selection, every pick holds the potential to reshape not only the fortunes of real-life franchises but also the fantasy landscape for millions of enthusiasts. As the curtain rises on this year's first-round NFL Mock Draft, fantasy managers... Read More