The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 18

Welcome back to The Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look. We'll look at players who are worthy of a drop, players who are worth monitoring for replacing, and someone on the hot seat who […]

The Bigger Picture - Post-Trade Deadline Pickups Are Key

The MLB trade deadline is one week away as of this writing and the first big deal has already gone down. Baseball's version of the Highlander, Nelson Cruz, has moved to Tampa Bay. It comes as no shock that the Twins are sellers this year; they are currently 17.5 games behind first place in the […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers: Week 18

It's F5 season folks, as we are just seven days away from the Trade Deadline. We just saw the first domino fall yesterday in Nelson Cruz, who heads to Tampa Bay after being acquired from the Twins for a couple prospects. Strap yourselves in folks, because from all accounts this next week could get wild. […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 18

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 18 of the MLB season (7/26 through 8/1). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some matchups in order to gain an edge on […]

Yandy Diaz (1B/3B, TB) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Diaz has been on a tear since the calendar flipped to July, slashing .389/.450/.750 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, seven RBI, and eight runs scored over 36 at-bats. The 29-year-old infielder was slugging .291 over his first 182 […]

Robbie Grossman (OF, DET) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: Grossman is one of those guys that's always an afterthought, even in the deepest of leagues, when it comes to fantasy baseball. He's a career .249 hitter and had only had double-digit homers once in eight major league seasons.......prior to this […]

Andrew Heaney (SP, LAA) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 52% of leagues ANALYSIS: Heaney has been plagued with inconsistency all year long, but when he has pitched well he's been able to provide decent fantasy value. His biggest value driver this year has been the strikeouts, as his 27.9 percent strikeout rate and 29.5 […]

Andrew Vaughn (1B/OF, CWS) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: Like many young players, Vaughn had some trouble getting going when he broke camp with the White Sox. He was a hot commodity in leagues that drafted closer to the start of the season, but his .255 average with just one […]

Joey Votto (1B, CIN) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's surprising to see Votto is still available in 68% of Yahoo! leagues considering how he's performed recently. He fractured his thumb back in early May and missed over a month but has been locked in since coming off the IL back […]

Michael Pineda (SP, MIN) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: Ever since joining the Twins, Pineda has been putting up the best numbers of his career — and 2021 has proven to be no different. While not flashy, Pineda has been a solid pitcher with a 3.93 ERA, 1.221 WHIP and […]

Kyle Muller (SP, ATL) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Despite the 1-3 record, Muller has had a solid start to his major league career in 2021, posting a 3.20 ERA, 1.119 WHIP and 28.4 percent strikeout rate over 19 2/3 innings of work. Muller only tossed four innings his last […]

Joc Pederson (1B/OF, ATL) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pederson seems to like his new digs now that he's with the Braves. His numbers looked better before his disappointing 0-for-5 performance in Thursday's win over the Phillies so he's now slashing .227/.261/.364 with a double, a home run, and four […]

Akil Baddoo (OF, DET) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 49% of leagues ANALYSIS: Akil Baddoo just barely comes in under the 50% rostered cutoff as of this writing and as one of the most popular adds on the Yahoo platform in recent days, that's unlikely to be the case for much longer. If he's still available in […]

Jameson Taillon (SP, NYY) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: After a disastrous performance against the Phillies on June 12 wherein he allowed four runs and recorded only a single out, Jameson Taillon's ERA stood at an unsightly 5.74. After Saturday's win over Boston, that has shrunk to 4.36 alongside a 1.24 WHIP and […]

Donovan Solano (2B/3B/SS, SFG) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Solano has been raking since the All-Star break, slashing .333/.385/.333 with a pair of runs and a stolen base across 24 at-bats (six games). The veteran infielder now has a .270/.324/.358 batting line with three home runs, 21 RBI, two stolen […]

Jose Iglesias (SS, LAA) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Iglesias has quietly been raking over the last 17 games, slashing .369/.406/.538 with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI, and nine runs scored over 65 at-bats. For the year, he's got a .284/.313/.408 batting line with 15 doubles, […]

Joakim Soria (RP, ARI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though he's a prime candidate to be dealt ahead of next weekend's trade deadline, Joakim Soria is the clear top dog in the Arizona bullpen right now. That makes it surprising to see him languishing on the waiver wire in over two-thirds of leagues […]

No Update Yet On Javier Baez

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez was injured during Sunday's matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although the exact nature of the ailment is unknown, skipper David Ross indicated that he suffered an injury below the knee, possibly to his foot or ankle. Baez should be considered day-to-day at the moment, with an update regarding his availability […]

Zack Collins (C, CHW) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams and in OBP formats ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: The week sets up nicely for Zack Collins, who's taken over as the everyday catcher for Yasmani Grandal (knee), who underwent surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left knee back on July 7. Collins hasn't really flashed […]

Kike Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: When we last saw Kike Hernandez (pronounced KEE-KAY), he was mashing lefties for the Dodgers for the last few years. That limited his chances. His career high in at-bats is 414, set in 2019 when the Dodgers had a lot of […]

Nick Anderson Scheduled For Another Rehab Start

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Nick Anderson (elbow) will participate in another rehab outing on Monday. The 31-year-old hasn't played this season as he continues to work his way back from partially torn UCL. The righty recorded two strikeouts during an inning of work on Friday during an outing in the Florida Complex League and […]

Tim Locastro Transferred To The 60-Day Injured List

New York Yankees outfielder Tim Locastro (knee) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Sunday. No surprise here, primarily since the 29-year-old was already pegged to miss the remainder of the year because of a torn right ACL. Although he regressed this season from a statistical standpoint, he is worth holding on to in […]

Mariners Making A Push To Acquire Whit Merrifield

The Seattle Mariners are making a push to acquire Kansas City Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Merrifield is currently signed through 2022, with the Royals holding a team option for 2023. He's been the premier base stealing option in fantasy for several years now, and he currently leads the […]

Daniel Lynch Impressive On Sunday

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch recorded the win on Saturday over the Detroit Tigers. The southpaw logged eight innings, allowing five hits and no runs while striking out four batters. The 24-year-old recently got the call from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, although it's unknown how long he will remain with the big club […]

Adam Frazier Traded To San Diego Padres

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier has been traded to the San Diego Padres, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Pirates are sending Frazier and cash considerations to San Diego, and will receive infielder Tucupita Marcano, outfielder Jack Suwinski and pitcher Michell Miliano. Marcano is the No. 5 overall prospect in the Padres […]

Aaron Rodgers Reportedly Turns Down Record Extension

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly turned down an extension that would have made him the highest-paid player in all of football. The reigning MVP and the organization remain at a stalemate, as the team remains adamant that he would not be traded. The 37-year-old didn't attend voluntary offseason training activities, and it's unknown […]

Brent Rooker Goes Yard Sunday

Minnesota Twins outfielder Brent Rooker belted his second home run of the season in Sunday's loss to the Angels. Rooker followed up Max Kepler's first-inning homer with one of his own, a towering 436-foot homer that left his bat at 111.7 MPH. The 26-year-old doubled in Saturday's game and homered Sunday, rewarding manager Rocco Baldelli, […]

Max Kepler Belts 13th Homer In Losing Effort

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler went 2-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Angels. Kepler wasted no time in putting the Twins on the board, swatting a leadoff homer. The blast traveled 390 feet at 1-2.7 MPH. July continues to be Kepler's best month, as he has slugged seven homers while […]

Bailey Ober Solid In Sunday's No-Decision

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober pitched well enough to earn the win Sunday despite not factoring into the decision. Ober allowed two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings of work, issuing one walk. He struck out four batters while inducing 10 whiffs, including five on his slider, which featured improved break from […]