🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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

Week 18 Waiver Wire: Catchers

By EricEnfermero (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Michael Griffin recommends catchers (C) who can be valuable waiver wire targets or adds to help fantasy owners for Week 18 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

When I looked at the ownership percentages on Wednesday, I was struck by how wide the difference is. There's a 30% difference between Brian McCann, who is at 79% and the next player, who is at 49%. Whoa, indeed. There is quite the gulf between ownership numbers.

This is what trying to navigate that chasm feels like:

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

You might see that Matt Wieters is below 50%. Ignore him. He's been steadily sliding down the ranks all season and has fallen this far thanks to a putrid July where he didn't hit a single homer. Fantasy owners are also dumping Alex Avila because his father, who is the Tigers GM, traded him to the Cubs, where he'll lose a lot of playing time to Willson Contreras. Thanks, Dad! See what gift you get next Father's Day!

 

10-12 Team League Catcher Pickups

Here are some catcher waiver wire pickups for Week 16, to consider adding to your teams. We'll show you three players to snag in 10-12 player leagues, and also three to look out for in two-catcher leagues. All of these players are just at or below 50% ownership in Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Welington Castillo  (BAL) 49% owned

Welington Castillo has been trending upward the past several days. He elicited a lot of interest when he had a four-RBI day on July 30. Such is the state of catching that even a one-day outburst will have owners' ears pricking up like starving dogs in a desert.

Mike Zunino  (SEA) - 29% owned

Mike Zunino is still being picked up by a fair amount of people. What's not to like about a catcher with a good chance of exceeding 20 homers over the course of the season? He's sitting on 16 now with August and September still ahead of him. He's more than capable of going on a couple more hot tears like he did earlier this season. Well worth a shot.

James McCann (DET) 6% owned

James McCann has also seen an uptick in ownership. Part of it may be because of the Avila trade clears the way to his having the Detroit catching job. Hitting over .400 over the course of a week is also another good reason for people to be snapping him up. He's also been driving in runs during that span. Grab him while he's still hot, folks.

 

Two-Catcher League Pickups

Manny Pina (MIL) - 11% owned

Manny Pina is still proving himself to be a popular one when it comes to the add/drop department. He's been hitting when he gets in the lineup, as evidenced by his .304 average. His hot streak, coupled with Stephen Vogt's injury, has given his manager ample reason to keep putting him in the lineup. He makes a fine addition in a two-catcher league.

Christian Vazquez (BOS) 3% owned

Now, a good portion of the 1,000+ fantasy owners who recently picked up Christian Vazquez may be Boston fans still riding the wave of euphoria from Tuesday's insane win over Cleveland (the Tribe and Sox have played some DOOZIES over the past decade-plus), but he was raking well before that walk-off homer. He's not producing enough to be in a one-catcher league, but he might vault up there if he keeps hitting like this.

Kurt Suzuki (ATL) 6% owned

Kurt Suzuki is this week's winner of the "Why The Heck Not?" competition. He's had at least one hit in four of his last five starts and fantasy owners have taken notice. Overall, he's at .266/12/33, which is not too terrible at all, especially in a two-catcher league. Why The Heck Not, indeed? We'll check back in two weeks to see who gets the slot then.

 

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

Jauan Jennings

Won't be Suspended
Draymond Green

Will be Questionable for Wednesday Against the Rockets
Goga Bitadze

Downgraded to Questionable
Dereck Lively II

Will Miss At Least 7-10 Days
Paul George

Will Not Play Tuesday against the Magic
Tyrese Maxey

Will Play Tuesday Against the Magic
Omarion Hampton

Chargers Open Omarion Hampton's Practice Window
Joel Embiid

Ruled Out Against Orlando
Lamar Jackson

Returns to Practice
DK Metcalf

D.K. Metcalf Will Be Limited Early in the Week
Isiah Pacheco

Set to Return on Thursday
J.T. Realmuto

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

Red Sox Acquire Sonny Gray From the Cardinals
Brian Thomas Jr.

Expected to Make his Return in Week 13
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Have "Great Optimism" Aaron Rodgers Will Play in Week 13
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Makai Lemon, Skyler Bell Named Biletnikoff Award Finalists
Jayden Daniels

has Been Throwing, Return Timeline Unclear
NFL

As Many as Three NFL Teams Could Have Interest in Hiring Bill Belichick
Tre Johnson

Out Indefinitely With Hip-Flexor Strain
Goga Bitadze

Active Tuesday in Philadelphia
Wendell Carter Jr.

Cleared To Play Against 76ers
Jalen Suggs

Ready to Return Tuesday in Philadelphia
Luke Kennard

Uncertain For Tuesday's Game Against Wizards
Adem Bona

Will Not Play Tuesday Against the Magic
Marvin Bagley III

Listed as Questionable vs. Hawks
Kyshawn George

Could Miss Tuesday's Game
Sam Reinhart

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Adam Fox

Delivers Two Assists in Monday's Win
Brandon Hagel

Tallies Three Points Against Flyers
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Extends Winning Streak With Shutout Performance
Logan Cooley

Erupts for Five Points in Monday's Win
Mathieu Olivier

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Monday
Zach Werenski

Hurt Against Capitals
Paolo Banchero

Remains Out Tuesday
Deandre Ayton

Won't Play Tuesday
VJ Edgecombe

Misses Second Consecutive Game Tuesday
Paul George

Expected to Play Tuesday
Tyrese Maxey

Considered Probable Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Could Return Tuesday
Isiah Pacheco

Targeting a Return on Thursday
Shohei Ohtani

to Play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Patrick Williams

Available Monday vs. Pelicans
Lamar Jackson

Now Dealing With a Toe Injury
Jake Walman

to Remain Out Tuesday
Ridly Greig

Still Out Monday
Baker Mayfield

Dealing With Low-Grade Shoulder Sprain
Thomas Chabot

Misses Monday's Matchup
Kirill Marchenko

Out Monday
J.T. Miller

Unavailable Monday
Brayden Point

Out Against Flyers
Nikita Kucherov

Good to Go Monday
Chris Godwin

Buccaneers Plan to "Ramp Up" Chris Godwin's Usage
Colorado Rockies

Warren Schaeffer to Stick Around as Rockies Manager in 2026
Ashton Jeanty

Ankle Injury isn't Severe
Jayden Daniels

to Practice This Week, Considered a Long Shot for Week 13
C.J. Stroud

Remains in Concussion Protocol
Mike Evans

Could Return Before End of Regular Season
J.J. McCarthy

in Concussion Protocol
Tyrod Taylor

to Remain the Jets' Starting QB
Shedeur Sanders

to Make Another Start for Browns in Week 13
Tee Higgins

Won't Play on Thanksgiving
CFB

Chris Bell Out for Rivalry Matchup Against Kentucky
Scott Wedgewood

Gives Avalanche Second Consecutive Shutout
Macklin Celebrini

Makes History During Multi-Point Performance
Joey Daccord

Posts Shutout in Losing Effort
David Rittich

Keeps Kraken Quiet
Jesper Wallstedt

Picks Up Third Shutout of the Season
Rasmus Andersson

Extends Point Streak With Three Assists
Ryan Helsley

Tigers Eyeing Ryan Helsley as a Starter
Dan Hooker

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Marcus Semien

Shipped to the Mets on Sunday
Arman Tsarukyan

Gets Submission Win
Brandon Nimmo

Traded to Texas
Belal Muhammad

Loses Back-to-Back Fights
Belal Muhammad

Ian Machado Garry Outpoints Belal Muhammad
Alonzo Menifield

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Volkan Oezdemir

Gets Back In The Win Column
Jack Hermansson

Gets Knocked Out
Jack Hermansson

Myktybek Orolbai Knocks Out Jack Hermansson
Shamil Gaziev

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Shines At UFC Qatar
Tagir Ulanbekov

Suffers Third-Round Submission Loss
Kyoji Horiguchi

Makes Triumphant UFC Return
MON

Alexandre Texier Joins Canadiens
Adolis García

Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday
CFB

Beau Pribula Expected to Start Against Oklahoma
Dan Hooker

An Underdog At UFC Qatar
Arman Tsarukyan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Ian Machado Garry

A Favorite At UFC Qatar
Belal Muhammad

Looks To Bounce Back
Alonzo Menifield

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Volkan Oezdemir

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Myktybek Orolbai

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jack Hermansson

Makes His Welterweight Debut
Kyoji Horiguchi

Returns To The UFC
Elly De La Cruz

Played Through Partially Torn Quad to End 2025
Tarik Skubal

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal
Raisel Iglesias

Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal

RANKINGS

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