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As usual in points leagues, we're trying to ride waves and hot streaks. Week 19 is home to tons of players who have picked it up and it may be because of their schedule, the weather or they've just gotten a little lucky by doing something right. Only a few weeks separate the regular season from the playoffs, and while these pickups may not be someone who turns into a playoff saviour, they could be week-changers.
This week we're back with our shallow and deep points leagues waiver targets, looking at anyone and everyone between 1% and 55%. So here are a few guys who can contribute in points leagues, one at each position to consider for the next week, and possibly beyond. These are your H2H points leagues waiver wire pickups for Week 19. Let's get to it.
Note: All ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
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Week 18 Waiver Wire - Points Leagues
C - Matt Wieters, Washington Nationals - 49% owned
Another week, another desperation play at catcher. It's pretty well known that if you haven't snagged a decent catcher in your draft, traded for one or jumped on a waiver wire chance early in the year, you're not going to have many options by week 19. That being said, Matt Wieters, who is playing on a great team, is kind of back in relevance. He had a rough go of things early last week, but broke out of his four game hitless streak in a big way. After picking up an RBI single and a double on Saturday, he blasted a grand slam on Sunday, and added a fifth RBI to help power the Nats past the surging Chicago Cubs. Finally, on Monday, he continued his hit streak with another RBI single. Don't expect this to last, but with the lineup he's hitting in, he's bound to get on base at some point to either score some runs or drive in a few. If you're in a pinch, this is probably your best option on the wire.
1B - Matt Adams, Atlanta Braves - 25% owned
While he hasn't shown a whole lot lately, Matt Adams playing in Atlanta is exactly the kind of combination that fantasy baseball owners should be excited about. Prior to coming over from St. Louis, Adams hadn't really impressed. While he was hitting .292, he had only driven in seven runs, with one long ball. Immediately after heading to Atlanta in May, Adams hit two homers in his first three games. Since then he's hit 15 in total with the Braves, with most of them coming in June. He's definitely hit a bit of a wall since then, with his average in June dropping from .314 to a .257 in July. I have a feeling that August is going to treat him a bit better, and once he's back in the lineup (he missed a few days due to illness and dizziness), he'll hit a few more dingers and bump the average back up. Hitting in a place like Atlanta is just too good to be true for a slugger like Adams.
2B - Tim Beckham, Baltimore Orioles - 52% owned
What a difference a trade can make. Tim Beckham was having a solid year with Tampa Bay, but since moving to the AL East rival Baltimore Orioles, Beckham has turned it on, looking like a season-saver. Beckham, a first overall pick in the 2008 draft hadn't really been as advertised with the Rays, and that didn't translate over to fantasy baseball either. Since the July 31st trade deadline though, Beckham has mashed three doubles, a triple and three home runs with 6 RBI. Not to mention he's also boosted his batting average with multi-hit efforts in five of six games. He was taken number one in 2008 for a reason, and now it's time to make him number one in your hearts (or just pick him up and ride the streak).
3B - Howie Kendrick, Washington Nationals - 24% owned
The 34-year-old vet has missed quite a bit of time this year due to injury, but his fantasy value for 2017 hit an all-time high when it was announced he was moving to Washington from Philadelphia. Even though he hasn't played that much this year, he's proven to be a strong contributor, especially in points leagues. Kendrick has good speed; he's swiped eight bags in 47 games, and he's also hit 10 doubles. Those extra points can help owners out in a huge way, especially because he's on base all the time. Kendrick is currently slashing .345/.397/.470. Plus, he's locked into the top few spots of the order, giving him plenty of opportunities to swipe bags and come home to score. Kendrick is the kind of guy you can use at any point in your season.
SS - Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia Phillies - 17% owned
I've owned a dropped Galvis a few times this year already because I just have not been able to time his streaks. Knowing my luck, as soon as I write this, he'll hit a cold streak, but it's not like there are tons of waiver wire options at shortstop anyway. As I said, I haven't timed his streaks well this year, so of course a few weeks after dropping him, Galvis has picked it up again. Since the end of July, he's been a little up and down, picking up multi-hit games, and alternating them with a few duds, but those multi-hit games are worth especially considering Galvis is pretty much locked in to the number two spot in the Phillies lineup. There won't be tons of power, but there should be enough consistency to hold you over, and enough contribution across the board so that when he does fill up the box, it looks like a great pickup by you.
OF - Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers - 53% owned
This number is still shocking to me. Mazara is posting a great year, especially for points league owners, and he's still under the 55% mark. Granted, his .245 isn't great for category players, but his 68 RBI looks great in points. He's been heating up, as in his last 10 games, he's knocked in 11, and while he's still striking out at a high enough clip, he's still able to pick up big points for owners like me with the doubles he's hit. He's mashed 21 doubles for the year. He may not eclipse the 20 homers he hit last year, but with 14 to this point, he'll get awfully close. The power is there and with a little more consistency, Mazara could be a huge categories league contributor too.
SP - Andrew Cashner, Texas Rangers - 25% owned
While Cashner isn't a two start pitcher this week, there's the potential for him to be a two-starter next week. So there's only one reason he finds himself here this week: the New York Mets. Yes, the Mets are terrible, making Cashner a nice spot start for Tuesday. Not to mention, he's turned in a few quality starts in a row now. The only downside is that he has one of the lowest strikeout rates in the majors, but he's picking up wins and not giving up runs, which has put him in the 13-16 point range in his past four of five starts. Even with the low K rate, the Mets are a team for pitchers to take advantage of, so if he can keep the walks to a minimum, I'll guess he gives owners a decent start tomorrow.
RP - Brad Ziegler, Miami Marlins - 25% owned
With A.J. Ramos pitching for those awful New York Mets, Brad Ziegler is now looking for handshakes at the end of Marlins games. He's already collected two; one against a good Washington team and another against a weak Atlanta, but a save is a save. With the amount of relievers and closers moving around last week for the trade deadline, if we can recommend a closer who is still available in a large amount of leagues, we'll recommend him. Yes, the WHIP and the ERA are terrible, but to be fair, those are inflated from early in the season, and he's looked good in his two appearances so far. Plus, with Kyle Barraclough out for a while, there's really no one else who can steal Ziegler's job.
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