August 28, 2017

Kyle Bishop recommends outfielders (OF) who can be valuable waiver wire targets or adds to help fantasy owners for Week 22 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. Consider this column your recommendations for Week 22 outfield waiver wire pickups.

We're entering the stretch run, but there are still plenty of guys who can help you floating around on the waiver wire. Not every move can be a blockbuster. Value is value, wherever you can find it. This column is designed to help you do just that.

Let's get down to business.

Week 22 Outfield (OF) Waiver Wire Targets

Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels (44% owned)

Calhoun’s had an up-and-down season, but right now there’s a good time to be had riding the wave. The Angels’ cleanup hitter has earned that spot with this performance this month: .333/.427/.560, with four home runs and 30 R+RBI in 22 games. He’s also walked as often as he’s struck out, a good sign after a spike in his whiff rate earlier in the year. Calhoun has never been a star, but he has typically been useful for fantasy owners anyway. He could be of use to you now.

Howie Kendrick, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Washington Nationals (36%)

The Nationals have been besieged by injuries, which is exactly what you don’t want to see when you’re a playoff lock just trying to make it to October without incident. Fortunately, they’ve enjoyed plenty of help from the next man up all season, the latest being Kendrick. Since coming over from the Phillies last month, the veteran has slashed an impressive .325/.365/.600 with five homers, two stolen bases, and 28 R+RBI. Kendrick is a career .291 hitter, and typically provides modest pop and speed. Couple those things with his positional flexibility and recent opportunities in the leadoff spot, and you have a great pickup for the stretch run.

Kevin Kiermaier, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (26%)

Kiermaier missed over two months with a hip fracture before returning to action on August 18. You certainly wouldn’t know it to look at his performance over those nine games. The Rays’ center fielder has collected multiple hits in five of them, homering three times and stealing a base for good measure. Despite losing significant chunks of each of the last two seasons to injury, Kiermaier has now reached double-digits in homers and steals in three straight years.

Kolten Wong, 2B/OF, St. Louis Cardinals (24%)

After three straight seasons as a below-average hitter to open his career, Kolten Wong was beginning to look like the odd man out in St. Louis. Last year, he was yanked in and out of the lineup, sent to the minors, and then asked to learn the outfield. As a result, fantasy owners paid him little heed in drafts this year. H’s worked his way back into consistent playing time, though, and has been swinging an especially hot bat lately. Wong has hit .384/.439/.570 in the month of August, with two homers, three steals, and 35 R+RBI.

Matt Joyce, OF, Oakland Athletics (4%)

Matt Joyce, like many left-handed hitters, has never been very good at hitting southpaws. I know it, you know it, and the American people (the tiny fraction who know who Matt Joyce is, anyway) know it. That hasn’t changed, and it probably never will. He’s also pretty bad in the field. But! Joyce has managed to stick around for as long as he has – he’s 33 – because he can hit right-handers. The A’s are bad, and so they give regular at-bats to flawed players like Joyce. He’s been plenty productive in the second half, though: .264/.348/.554, eight homers, and 47 R+RBI in 34 games. Grab him in deep and AL-only leagues.

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