🖥 CYBER MONDAY - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE CYBER
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

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
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Waiver Wire Points Leagues - Week 5

Matthew Stamper recommends some waiver wire adds at each position for fantasy baseball owners in points leagues. These players could be sleepers for 2017.

May is finally here and just like the weather, we can only hope that some bats heat up too! After the first month, we definitely have a better feel of the players on our rosters we absolutely do not want to cut, and some of the "on the bubble" guys. Points leagues are nice because we're literally chasing the points from week to week, so maybe I can encourage you to drop some bubble guys for some extra points in Week 5.

Here are a few guys who can contribute in points leagues, one at each position to consider for the next week. All of these guys have ownership numbers between 30% and 50% so if you're not picking them up, target them in a trade! These are your points leagues waiver wire pickups for Week 5. Let's get to it.

Note: All ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Points League Waiver Wire Adds - Week 5

C - Austin Hedges, San Diego Padres - 35% owned 

He might be striking out at almost a 30% rate, but when he makes contact, Austin Hedges makes really good contact. The average is starting to come around, but his 25% HR/FB ratio, especially when he hits in a place like Petco is a good sign. Hedges has already hit six home runs this year and continues to drive in runs in the lower half of the lineup. Especially at catcher where it's not always easy to find big points and lots of power, Hedges is a must-grab. He might be someone who could seriously cool off, but it's worth those cool times to have him while he's hot.

1B - Mitch Moreland, Boston Red Sox - 26% owned 

He hits in the Boston Red Sox lineup. That's all. Well, not exactly, seeing as the Red Sox rank at the bottom of the league in homers with 14, and 29th in the league with only 87 runs. Good news is that they're at in the top five in league average and hits, they're just leaving tons of men on base. For a guy who hits in the middle of a potentially potent lineup, Moreland is severely under-owned. With guys like Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, or some combination of those guys hitting before Moreland, it's only a matter of time before Moreland picks it up. And he hasn't even been that bad to this point.

2B - Hernan Perez, Milwaukee Brewers - 36% owned 

He may not play every day, but he's well on his way there, and his upside is far greater than those few days he sits out. Perez has hit up and down the lineup, anywhere from fourth, through to seventh, and he's got speed to burn. He's already hit two three-baggers and while he's not on his way to steal the 34 bases he did last year, it's mainly due to the power and consistency he's providing in the middle of the lineup. I'll take the consistency and power considering we're not talking about category leagues. Steals are a nice touch, but they only provide a few points here and there. Pick up Perez as soon as you can, because he'll provide shortstop eligibility in Yahoo leagues soon, in case you have a Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Peraza or Xander Bogaerts, who just haven't gotten off to the starts we wanted.

3B - Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox - 43% owned 

This will probably end up being the last call on baseball's number one prospect. The 21-year-old has been highly touted for a while now, and he was probably drafted in a number of leagues where teams have an N/A spot. Assuming the White Sox don't keep up their above .500 play for the rest of the year, we could see Moncada in July, but even half a season will be well worth the wait. Moncada is a serious contributor in every category, but temper expectations a little bit for the MLB. Moncada has already struck out 29 times in 20 games, so his average may not stay when he has to face professional pitching. He'll still be worth the wait if you can hold him until then in an N/A spot, otherwise, with the amount of injuries this year, some teams won't be able to afford so many inactive spots.

SS - Taylor Motter, Seattle Mariners - 34% owned

After losing a waiver wire, and sleeper hero, Mitch Haniger, the Mariners offer up another season-saver in Taylor Motter. Motter has the positional versatility to play both shortstop and the outfield, arguably two of the most shallow positions this year, due to injury. Hopefully his strikeout percentage drops back to some of his more minor league numbers as he's sitting around the 25% rate at the moment, but last year he was around 20% and in the minors even less than that. He jumped out to a hot start, and has started to cool off a bit, but now that Haniger is injured, he'll have plenty of playing time.

OF - Michael Conforto, New York Mets - 48% owned 

Another player who will benefit from injury is 24-year-old Michael Conforto. With Yoenis Cespedes and Conforto's competition Brandon Nimmo out for a while, the Mets have no choice but to play him. Even without the injuries, manager Terry Collins would have to play Conforto with the way he's hitting. In the leadoff spot, Conforto has thrived, hitting .355 there with five of his six home runs. His strikeout rate is down and his walk rate is up, so he's definitely seeing the ball better after his demotion last year. Conforto had a very similar start in April of 2016 and then flew off the handle in May. I think he's finally coming around, and although he may have a little luck on his side, I don't think it'll run out any time soon.

SP - Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians - 35% owned 

I like Trevor Bauer as this week's double-start pitcher because he gets Detroit at Comerica, and Kansas City at Kauffman. Detroit has struck out nearly 200 times, which goes well with Bauer's 10.96 K/9 and 2.74 BB/9. Bauer is quite a few more fastballs which is allowing him to stay ahead of hitters, or at least not get so far behind. Plus, on his weekend start, Bauer gets a bad team in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. What more can you ask for? Bauer is finally shaping up to be a more productive fantasy pitcher, especially in points leagues where he's racking up strikeouts.

RP - Bud Norris, Los Angeles Angels - 48% owned 

Yes, we're talking about that Bud Norris. Norris is now the de facto closer in Los Angeles since Cam Bedrosian and Huston Street have both hit the DL. The Angels traded for veteran David Hernandez, but Norris has still been the ninth inning man, earning five saves in nine days. He's doing the job for now and with all the injuries plaguing the MLB, you might as well grab him. The Angels have been winning and someone needs to close out those games. Pick up Norris until he coughs it up, like it seems so many closers have done so far this year.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Egor Demin

Available Against Hornets
Justin Herbert

Planning to Play Through Broken Bone in Left Hand in Week 14
Terance Mann

in Danger of Missing Monday's Game
Sauce Gardner

Likely to Miss a "Couple of Weeks" With Calf Strain
Noah Clowney

Considered Probable for Monday
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed as Probable for Monday's Matchup
Caris LeVert

Expected Back Monday
Duncan Robinson

Questionable to Face Hawks
Jalen Duren

Likely to Return Against Hawks Monday
Brock Bowers

Records Two Touchdown Grabs in Week 13
Alexandre Sarr

Iffy for Monday
Mark Williams

Available Against Lakers Monday
Ryan Dunn

on Track to Return Monday
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Uncertain for Monday
Coby White

Returning to Bulls Lineup Monday
Paolo Banchero

Unavailable Monday
Larry Nance Jr.

to Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jarrett Allen

to Miss a Week of Action
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Listed as Probable for Monday
Anthony Davis

Likely to Play Against Nuggets Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Considered Probable for Monday
Justin Herbert

Suffers Fractured Hand in Week 13, Will Have Surgery
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Won't Play Sunday
Kimani Vidal

has Season-High in Rushing Yards in Win Over Raiders
De'Von Achane

Looks Unstoppable on the Ground in Week 13
Davante Adams

has Another Two-Touchdown Game
Aaron Jones Sr.

is Questionable to Return With Shoulder Injury
Adonai Mitchell

has Career Day With 102 Yards, Touchdown in Win
Andre Drummond

Available Versus Atlanta
VJ Edgecombe

Cleared to Suit Up on Sunday
Bijan Robinson

Compiles 191 Total Yards, Touchdown in Loss to Jets
Shedeur Sanders

Will Start Again in Week 14 Against Titans
Mike Evans

Could Return in Week 14
Keon Coleman

Active for Week 13
Dalton Kincaid

Officially Inactive for Week 13
Kyren Williams

Returns in Week 13 After Injury Scare
Kyren Williams

Suffers Apparent Leg Injury in Week 13, Status Unclear
Woody Marks

Returns in Week 13 After Injury Scare
Sauce Gardner

Colts Rule Out Sauce Gardner With Knee Injury
Woody Marks

Questionable to Return With Foot Injury
Kyler Murray

Not Fully Healthy Yet
Keon Coleman

Expected to Play Against Steelers
CFB

Lane Kiffin to be Introduced as LSU's Next Head Coach on Monday
CFB

Florida Poised to Land Jon Sumrall as Next Head Coach
CFB

Alex Golesh Taking Over Auburn Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Arkansas Expected to Hire Ryan Silverfield as Next Head Coach
Joel Hofer

Shuts Out Mammoth
Owen Tippett

Amasses Three Points in Saturday's Win
Stuart Skinner

Bounces Back With Shutout
Brock Nelson

Notches Four Points in Big Win
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Sustains Upper-Body Injury
Logan Cooley

Hurt in Saturday's Loss
Warren Foegele

Not Ready to Return Saturday
Simon Benoit

Won't Play Saturday
Henri Jokiharju

Lands on Injured Reserve
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Pavel Zacha

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Ryan Helsley

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Orioles
David Pastrnak

Out for Second Consecutive Game
William Nylander

Available Saturday
Kyle Palmieri

Out for 6-8 Months With Torn ACL
Jake Walman

Sidelined for Third Consecutive Game
Jack Roslovic

to Miss Two Weeks
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

to Return Saturday
Mattias Samuelsson

in Concussion Protocol
Kyle Palmieri

Sustains Lower-Body Injury
Lukas Dostal

Ruled Out for 2-3 Weeks
Kirill Marchenko

Misses Third Straight Game
Jaden Schwartz

to Miss Six Weeks
Dylan Cease

Agrees With Blue Jays on Seven-Year, $210 Million Deal
Anthony Rendon

Angels Could Buy Out Final Year of Anthony Rendon's Contract
Josh Hader

Says his Shoulder is "Back to Normal"
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks "Actively Listening" on Ketel Marte
J.T. Realmuto

Red Sox Showing Interest in J.T. Realmuto
Sonny Gray

Red Sox Acquire Sonny Gray From the Cardinals
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Makai Lemon, Skyler Bell Named Biletnikoff Award Finalists
Shohei Ohtani

to Play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP