👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 11 Waiver Wire Watch List

Welcome to Week 11 of The Watch List. Each week we’ll be updating this list full of players who you maybe aren’t quite ready to pick up (depending on league size, of course), but who need to be on your radar regardless. We’ll look at several players in-depth each week and keep tabs on players “graduating” into the waiver wire pickups category, as well as players demoted off the list entirely. (Reminder, these are Yahoo ownership and positions.)

With the season beginning to stabilize a bit, there are simply fewer players graduating and being demoted each week. With that in mind, we’ll no longer have a set number of eight players highlighted each week, but rather somewhere in the five to eight range. However many players graduate/are demoted will be replaced and the new players will be highlighted.

Once again, if there are any names who you’d like to see highlighted next week, or even just added to the list as a whole, feel free to at me on Twitter (@FantasyBaseTurv). Let’s get this show on the road.

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

Editor's Note: Our friends at Fantrax have even more fantasy baseball advice columns and videos to help improve your teams. Be sure to also check them out!

 

Players to Watch in 10-team Leagues

Max Kepler (Min, OF): 28% owned

Kepler had a slow week (3-for-24 with just one run and one RBI), but those weeks are bound to come around even for top fantasy options. He still has a strong batted-ball profile that should improve his surface statistics as the season goes along.

Jarrod Dyson (Sea, OF): 17% owned

I wavered for a week or two on Dyson, but for the most part, I have been all-in on Dyson all season. Dyson stole two more bases last week (along with a .294 average and eight RuBIns), and his 16 steals for the season are tied for fourth in all of baseball. Of that top four, he has the best on-base percentage, making him even more valuable in OBP leagues.

Joe Ross (Was, SP): 36% owned

Ross joins the list for what may only be one week, but only because he could easily see his ownership rate jump too high by this time next week to be within its rank for more than seven days. Ross was absolutely electric against the Orioles his last time out, striking out 12 and walking none in 7 ⅓ innings of one-run, four-hit ball. Ross still has a 6.16 ERA, but he has the pedigree (3.43 ERA in 105.0 innings in 2016) as well as the peripherals (3.50 xFIP) to win over a lot of people really fast. Ross is sporting a career-best 9.71 strikeouts per nine, paired with a career-low 1.66 walks per nine. That’s a killer combo, and he may have to be an add not a watch if you want him on your roster.

Lucas Duda (NYM, 1B): 22% owned

Duda went homerless in the past week, but he is still rocking a .547 slugging percentage and .284 isolated power for the season. A few more homerless weeks and it may be time to worry, but not for now. The HR/FB rate (23.8 percent) is backed by some nice pop (46.9 percent hard hit ball percentage).

Pat Neshek (Phi, RP): 21% owned

Neshek will officially be the Phillies closer moving forward, so for owners in needs of saves, Neshek is your best chance to get a true closer with the gig on the waiver wire. Neshek has quietly been pretty strong over the past month, with an absurd 35.3 percent strikeout rate and 2.9 percent walk rate. Neshek got his first save of the season on Tuesday, needing just two outs for the save but doing so without giving up any baserunners. The closer’s role has been in fluctuation in Philly all season, and it’s not as though the team is going to be winning enough games to make Neshek too valuable. Plus, Neris is almost certainly the closer in the long term for the team, but still, finding reliable, in-the-moment saves is a borderline impossible task in any league worth its salt.

Zack Wheeler (NYM, SP): 34% owned

Wheeler continues to live on the cusp of ownership in most leagues, but his production has been undoubtedly strong over the past six weeks, with seven, one-run innings last week. He hasn’t given up more than three runs in a start since April 23.

 

Players to Watch in 12-team Leagues

Trevor Rosenthal (StL, RP): 30% owned

Rosenthal continues to have the edge in nearly all pitching stats (and velocity stats) over Seung-Hwan Oh, but until Oh blows a few saves, this won’t be a conversation. Once he does blow a save or two, pounce on Rosenthal, though.

Tommy Joseph (Phi, 1B): 20% owned

Joseph had ten hits including a home run in the past week, bringing his average to a far more respectable .254 figure with the week. His OBP is still lacking at .304, giving him more value in classic leagues than OBP leagues. The power will play, regardless, though.

Mallex Smith (TB, OF): 28% owned

Smith is arguably the hottest player in baseball right now, and he may well be owned in over 35 percent owned in Yahoo leagues by the time you actually read this. Smith was called up after an injury to Kevin Kiermaier opened up a spot in the Tampa Bay outfield, and he’s doing his absolute best to steal the job outright. Kiermaier will be out almost two months, so there’s a lot of time left, but Smith has managed eight hits in his first three days (four games) since being called back up. He went 2-for-3 with three runs, a bomb, two RBI and three (!) steals on Friday before collecting three more hits (and a run + steal) on Saturday. He finished off his single-handed demolition of the A’s with a 3-for-3 day Sunday in which he scored twice more and drove in another run. He was stealing bases (16 in 30 games) and hitting well (.311 BA) in Triple-A before the call-up and offers a pretty high ceiling as well as a reliable floor given his speed.

Jordan Montgomery (NYY, SP): 22% owned

Montgomery continued a strong rookie season in his last outing, striking out eight Orioles over seven, two-run innings. Montgomery is playing with fire with his 7.8 percent HR/FB rate as a pitcher who pitches half his games in Yankee Stadium, but the strikeout numbers are nice, as is his 3.55 ERA as a 24-year-old rookie.

Jed Lowrie (Oak, 2B): 21% owned

Lowrie just keeps doing his thing, as he had the most at bats of any hitter on the watch list, and collected nine hits and six runs with all those opportunities. He remains a great option while healthy.

Bradley Zimmer (Cle, OF): 17% owned

Zimmer is the type of player for whom this list was made. He’s a talented young rookie who simply isn’t getting enough playing time for his big league roster to be on your fantasy roster right now. He had only two hits in just 16 at bats last week, but one of those was a homer.

 

Players to Watch in 14+ team Leagues

Mike Foltynewicz (Atl, SP): 24% owned

Folty had another seven shutout innings, but he struck out only four batters this time and had a matchup (Philadelphia) that lent itself to some prime stats. He’s a great streaming option right now, and a borderline rosterable pitcher.

Danny Valencia (Sea, 1B/3B/OF): 30% owned

Valencia saw his ownership rise exponentially in the past week despite a rather pedestrian week in which he had just four hits but tallied seven RuBIns (runs+RBI). Having a reputation as a hot hitter will do that, but he might be getting a bit too much buzz for what he is at this point.

Joe Biagini (Tor, SP): 20% owned

Biagini continues to be exceptionally solid for the Blue Jays, tossing his third straight quality start for the club in his last time out. Biagini isn’t going to win you any leagues, but he’s going to give you plenty of really solid (48:12 K:BB ratio) and safe (only one start with more than three runs allowed) innings.

Delino DeShields (Tex, OF): 5% owned

Thanks to a recent spat of success, DeShields is creeping onto fantasy radars once again. The speedster has been in and out of the Rangers lineup this season, but when he has been healthy and getting plate appearances, his numbers are actually excellent, with a .301 BA and 12 steals. He has five steals and eight hits (as well as five run) in the past five days for Texas, and he should continue to get a better portion of at bats with Mike Napoli on the DL and the nice results.

Robert Gsellman (NYM, SP): 11% owned

After a rough start to the season saw him moved to the bullpen, Gsellman has been much better in his second go-around in the rotation. Gsellman has three quality starts in his four second-wave outings, and his only non-quality start saw him go 5 ⅓ innings with just two runs allowed and six strikeouts. Gsellman is the type who isn’t going to win you a league (6.79 K/9), but he’s a reliable innings eater right now, and those arms are hard to find. He draws a tough opponent in Washington this week, but he is far better at home (thanks in part to a very homer-averse home stadium), and he has shown the potential to have a better strikeout rate in the past. I’d take a pass this time to watch how he does in this tough Washington test, but he may be a nice streaming option afterwards.

 

Players to Watch in AL or NL-Only Leagues

Jorge Bonifacio (KC, OF): 5% owned

Bonifacio dropped back down into the AL-only tier with a 3-for-27 week, but one of those hits was a home run, and his line drive rate (31.0 percent) and hard hit ball rate (36.0 percent) are strong enough to demand an eye be kept on the rookie outfielder.

Tommy Pham (StL, OF): 7% owned

Pham got enough at bats last week to maintain his solid spot on this list. He is stealing a lot more bases in 2017 as well. His six steals in 31 games are three times as many as he had in 78 games in 2016. Part of that is an 80 point jump in OBP, but he’s also just being more aggressive.

Joe Mauer (Min, 1B): 6% owned

I probably was a bit too over-excited last week with the effusive praise for Mauer, but he is still getting on base at a .357 clip (with a .283 average), and his plate discipline is just so excellent that it’s hard to imagine him having any truly terrible weeks. Low ceiling but high floor.

Keone Kela (Tex, RP): 4% owned

Kela began the season sitting out due to disciplinary reasons, but he has bounced back nicely for the Rangers, and he is now second in line to Matt Bush for saves in Texas. Kela owns a 11.79 K/9 rate and a 3.42 ERA on the season, and with Bush having given up four runs in his past four outings, there’s at least a little buzz around a potential change. Bush still has a 2.42 ERA and a pretty solid hold on the closer’s gig, but for those desperate to make a move in the saves category, there’s at least a chance that a Kela pickup could pay off down the road.

Colby Rasmus (TB, OF): 2% owned

On the one hand, Kevin Kiermaier is out for two months, so there should be more room in a crowded Rays’ outfield. On the other hand, Mallex Smith (who we covered above) is playing out of his mind and is a better fit for Kiermaier’s role, so Rasmus may end up maintaining his 16-22 at bats a week. He hit another two homers with his 16 at bats last week, so he’s definitely producing for owners despite the low at bats total.

 

Graduated - Ownership Too High

Jimmy Nelson (Mil, SP): 55% owned

Ariel Miranda (Sea, SP): 50% owned

Logan Morrison (TB, 1B): 40% owned

 

Demoted

JC Ramirez (LAA, SP/RP): 24% owned

Jeff Locke (Mia, SP/RP): 4% owned

Gerardo Parra (Col, 1B/OF): 10% owned

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

OG Anunoby

Day-To-Day Entering All-Star Break
Isaac Okoro

Unavailable on Wednesday
Micah Potter

Jarace Walker, Micah Potter Available Wednesday
Dorian Finney-Smith

is Unavailable on Wednesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Sit Versus Cleveland
Noah Clowney

Ruled Out Wednesday
Jalen Smith

Ruled Out Wednesday
Jakob Poeltl

is Returning on Wednesday
Nicolas Claxton

Misses Wednesday's Action
Dominick Barlow

Set to Return Wednesday
Pete Nance

Active Against Magic
Tre Jones

Unavailable Against Celtics
Ryan Rollins

Ruled Out for Wednesday
Jacob Stallings

Retires, Joins Pirates' Front Office
Quentin Grimes

Unavailable Against Knicks
Josh Giddey

Ruled Out Again on Wednesday
Joel Embiid

Won't Play Wednesday
Orion Kerkering

Suffers a Grade 1 Hamstring Strain
Zaccharie Risacher

Upgraded to Available
Trey Yesavage

Blue Jays Will Monitor Trey Yesavage's Workload
Nicolas Batum

Out Versus Houston
Dyson Daniels

Available Against Hornets
Jalen Johnson

Returns to Action Wednesday
Tanner Houck

to Throw Next Week, Hopes to Contribute in September
Sam Hauser

Officially Available Wednesday
Roman Anthony

Likely to Lead Off for the Red Sox?
Trevor Story

Expected to Bat Second?
Nick Castellanos

Told Not to Report to Spring Complex
Miles Mikolas

Nationals Signing Miles Mikolas
Brandon Woodruff

Throwing Bullpens, "in a Good Spot"
Chris Martin

Robert Garcia, Chris Martin the Front-Runners for Saves in Texas
John King

Marlins Agree to One-Year Deal
Sung-Mun Song

Set for Utility Role in San Diego
Francisco Lindor

to Have Surgery on his Hand on Wednesday
Mason Miller

Officially Named Padres Closer
Bryce Eldridge

Getting Work in Left Field
MacKenzie Gore

Thows Bullpen Session on Wednesday
Jorge Polanco

Mets Expect Bo Bichette to Bat Third, Jorge Polanco Fourth
Gary Sánchez

Brewers Signing Gary Sanchez to One-Year Deal
Dylan Cease

Adding a Changeup, Striving for Consistency
Evan Phillips

Dodgers Re-Sign Evan Phillips
Aidan Miller

Mostly Working on Left Side of the Infield
Cameron Young

Looking for Pebble Beach Success
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Turn Things Around at Pebble Beach
Collin Morikawa

Eyes Turnaround at Pebble Beach
Jake Knapp

Brings Hot Form to Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor

in Good Form Going into Pebble Beach Event
Viktor Hovland

Carrying Momentum Into Pebble Beach
Tommy Fleetwood

Set for 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Harris English

Looks to Build on Steady Form at Pebble Beach
Justin Rose

Tuned in for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Keegan Bradley

a Boom-or-Bust Play at Pebble Beach
Maverick McNealy

Playing Well with Pebble Beach Looming
Russell Henley

Carries Momentum to Pebble Beach
Shane Lowry

Makes 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Michael Kim

Putting Well with Pebble Beach on the Horizon
Billy Horschel

a Little Rattled After Consecutive Missed Cuts
Ben Griffin

Solid But Not Spectacular Early in 2026
Wyndham Clark

Has Question Marks Heading to Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger

Heating Up at the Right Time for Pebble Beach
Jordan Spieth

Looking For a Return to Form at Pebble Beach
Juuse Saros

Starting Wednesday
William Nylander

Iffy for Olympic Opener
Martin Necas

Ready for Thursday
Drake Maye

Says his Shoulder Injury was Significant
Xander Schauffele

Trying to Get the Motor Going at Pebble Beach
Hideki Matsuyama

Trying to Overcome Sunday Collapse
Kenneth Walker III

Runs Away With Super Bowl MVP Honors
Vinicius Oliveira

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Mario Bautista

Gets Back In The Win Column
Kyoji Horiguchi

Dominates At UFC Vegas 113
Amir Albazi

Gets Dominated At UFC Vegas 113
Rizvan Kuniev

Earns His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 113
Marc-Andre Barriault

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Gets His Third Win In A Row
Las Vegas Raiders

Klint Kubiak Confirms he Will be Next Raiders Head Coach
Jonas Rondbjerg

Out for Olympics
Brad Marchand

Good to Go for Olympic Opener
Gabriel Landeskog

Healthy for Olympics
Jack Hughes

Cleared for Olympics
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Returns to Super Bowl After Injury Scare
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Being Evaluated for Concussion, Questionable to Return
James Pearce Jr.

Arrested Following Police Chase
Quinn Hughes

Enters Olympics in Red-Hot Form
NHL

Juho Lammikko Returns to Switzerland
Pavel Zacha

Misses Olympics
Travis Kelce

Undecided on Playing Future, Leaning Towards Returning in 2026?
CFB

Rutgers Hiring South Dakota Head Coach Travis Johansen as Defensive Coordinator
Vinicius Oliveira

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
Mario Bautista

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 113
Kyoji Horiguchi

Set For UFC Vegas 113 Co-Main Event
Amir Albazi

Looks To Bounce Back
Rizvan Kuniev

Looks For His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Marc-Andre Barriault

In Dire Need Of Victory
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Michael Penix Jr.

Says he's Ahead of Schedule After Knee Surgery
Cleveland Browns

Jim Schwartz Resigns as Browns Defensive Coordinator
Malik Nabers

Says his Rehab has Been "Phenomenal"
CFB

Oklahoma Hiring Former NFL Defensive Lineman DeShawn Williams to Analyst Role
CFB

Jahmal Edrine Charged with Sexual Assault, No Longer Enrolled at Virginia
Jakob Chychrun

Makes Big Impact in Thursday's Win
Brandon Bussi

Shuts Out Rangers With 16 Saves
Anze Kopitar

Reaches 1,300 Career Points
Mark Stone

Becomes First Vegas Player With 100 Multi-Point Games
Daniil Tarasov

Injured in Battle of Florida
Andrei Kuzmenko

Hurt Versus Vegas
John Carlson

Suffers Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Stafford

Named 2025 NFL MVP, Will Return in 2026
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Takes Home Offensive Player of the Year Honors
Christian McCaffrey

Named Comeback Player of the Year
Tetairoa McMillan

Named Offensive Rookie of the Year
Myles Garrett

Unanimously Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF