Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 18 (Hitters and Pitchers)

July 28, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 18 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of our weekly waiver wire rankings. We are already onto Week 18, and we are a week away from the MLB trade deadline. We saw the Red Sox acquire infielder Curtis Mead from the Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early. At RotoBaller HQ, we have freshly updated our waiver wire rankings of the top 100 hitters and pitchers to accommodate the flurry of news with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 18 (July 27 - August 2) of the 2026 MLB season. 

Over the weekend, no major prospects were called up, but one prospect to monitor for a promotion is Yankees infielder George Lombard Jr., who the team feels is "Big-League ready." Injuries continue to take a toll as the Mets placed star outfielder Juan Soto on the injured list with a left calf strain. Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford was removed from Saturday's game against the Mariners after fouling a ball off his left foot. Wyatt is considered day-to-day as X-rays came back negative.

As always, we are here to help you prioritize which player to add using our waiver wire rankings article. This edition features players such as Isaac Paredes, Carson Benge, TJ Rumfield, and more, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for the week ahead.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size:

The roster percentage is from Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Jordan Romano, Max Clark, Kade Anderson, Caleb Durbin, and Heliot Ramos. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Jordan Romano, Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jordan Romano worked around two leadoff singles to close out Friday's 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, retiring the next three hitters to earn his eighth save. Romano allowed two hits and struck out one in the scoreless inning.

It was his fourth save in as many chances since joining Colorado's bullpen, where he has surrendered one earned run with nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Colorado has not formally named a closer, but Romano is getting the opportunities that matter. Each of his seven appearances for the club has come in the ninth inning, and he has converted every save chance.

His 10.13 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this season remains a warning, especially after he allowed two baserunners Friday. Still, 94% of Yahoo leagues have left Romano on the waiver wire. He is a priority saves pickup in 12-team leagues and deeper and a viable target in competitive 10-team formats.

Max Clark, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark has had a nice month of July at Triple-A Toledo, posting three homers and six RBI while hitting .333 with 13 runs scored and four stolen bases. As Clark continues to hit, he continues to make his case for a big league promotion.

As the top prospect in the Tigers system, Clark is the main name to watch as the Tigers roster continues to take shape as the trade deadline nears. Clark has a 60-grade hit tool and a 70-grade run tool and has racked up 21 stolen bases at Toledo this year. At just 21 years old, the Tigers will have to decide how they want Clark's career to progress.

He has shown the capability to hit at a high level at Triple-A, and the next step could be Detroit, but do the Tigers want to bring up Clark at such a young age? It's worth taking a chance in fantasy by stashing Clark and waiting for a promotion, especially if the Tigers are active at the trade deadline.

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners top pitching prospect Kade Anderson has seen his value as a stash candidate greatly increase over the past week. Per reports, the Mariners have expressed interest in potentially trading right-handed starting pitcher Emerson Hancock to bolster their lineup for the stretch run. This move would directly open a path for Anderson to make an impact at the MLB level down the stretch.

Additionally, Anderson is coming off potentially his best start of the season and has been nothing short of dominant with Double-A. On Friday night, he tossed five perfect frames with seven punchouts. Overall, he holds a 1.27 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP across 77 2/3 innings of work. With a potential path to MLB innings, Anderson has elite stash upside as the clear top prospect to target across all positions ahead of Week 18.

Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin has worked his way into mixed-league relevance with a useful blend of power and speed. He is batting .233/.300/.391 with 10 home runs, 44 RBI, 44 runs, and 11 stolen bases across 96 games. Durbin does not hit the ball especially hard, but his 13.6% strikeout rate helps him stay involved and keeps the floor from falling apart when the power cools.

The 26-year-old has also settled into regular work at third base and carries second-base eligibility in Yahoo leagues, giving managers more ways to fit him into a lineup. His 84.9 mph average exit velocity, 29.2% hard-hit rate, and 2.7% barrel rate make another major power surge unlikely, so the appeal is the overall category mix rather than a breakout. Durbin remains available in 59% of Yahoo leagues and ranks 25th in RotoBaller's latest waiver rankings. He belongs in the 10-team mix.

Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos is hitting .262/.296/.441 with nine home runs, 31 RBI, and 34 runs through 270 plate appearances. The home-run total undersells how well he has squared up the ball. His 92.4 mph average exit velocity, 15.7% barrel rate, and 50.3% hard-hit rate support the power case, and his .491 expected slugging percentage is 36 points higher than his actual mark.

Ramos is not a five-category player. He has yet to steal a base, and a 26.6% strikeout rate adds batting-average risk. The power is real, though, and he has remained in the lineup since returning from a right quad strain, including recent starts in both the fifth and leadoff spots.

Ramos is rostered in 42% of Yahoo leagues and ranks 23rd in RotoBaller's latest waiver rankings, with an add recommendation for 10-team leagues and deeper. He is one of the better power bats still available in more than half of Yahoo leagues

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 18 Waiver Wire Roundup for Fantasy Baseball

In addition to these waiver wire rankings, we have also put together an assortment of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles. You can see the full roundup below to help prepare you for waiver wire runs:

• Joey Pollizze's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• The Cut List: Time to let go? Who to consider dropping
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 18
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 18
• 7 Must-Add waiver wire pickups for Week 18
• RotoBaller Staff Picks: Top waiver wire targets for Week 18

Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:

Who Should I Pickup?

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Caleb Durbin, George Lombard Jr., Jordan Romano, Heliot Ramos, Kade Anderson, Ian Seymour, Max Clark, Cole Carrigg, Garrett Mitchell, Kyle Karros, Zac Thornton, Josh Bell, Brandon Sproat, Travis Bazzana, JJ Bleday, Grant Taylor, Jake Burger, Tyler Wells, Christian Scott, Bryce Eldridge, Kyle Leahy, Jake Mangum, Bailey Ober, Luke Weaver, and Walker Jenkins. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Caleb Durbin, George Lombard Jr., Jordan Romano, Heliot Ramos, Kade Anderson, Ian Seymour, Max Clark, Cole Carrigg, Garrett Mitchell, Kyle Karros, Zac Thornton, Josh Bell, Brandon Sproat, Travis Bazzana, JJ Bleday, Grant Taylor, Jake Burger, Tyler Wells, Christian Scott, Bryce Eldridge, Kyle Leahy, Jake Mangum, Bailey Ober, Luke Weaver, and Walker Jenkins: