RADIO
We're headed down the final stretch for the 2017 fantasy baseball season, but it's never too late to improve your team via waiver wire adds. There are plenty of rookies who are hungry to make good impressions in the final weeks. Grabbing the right one might be all you need for that final playoff push.
The corner infield positions traditionally offer power with the potential for high averages, so you may want to target players that can offer an advantage in those categories to bolster your team. In this piece, I'll identify waiver wire targets for first base and third base in week 24 who should be able to contribute in multiple categories, either as replacements or bench depth. These players are owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues.
We'll also look at the names mentioned in last week’s post, noting which players have graduated off of the waiver wire (ownership higher than 50%), which are still recommended pickups, and which we are dropping off the list entirely.
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Week 24 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets
Rafael Devers (3B, BOS) 52% owned
I'm going to fudge a little here since Devers is still a hair over half-owned in all leagues, but if he's available in yours you need to pay attention. Devers has seen his ownership drop suddenly because he stopped resembling Ted Williams for a short time. He is still batting .471 over the past week and .308 for the season. With Eduardo Nunez day-to-day, Devers will be needed in the lineup.
Jose Reyes (2B/3B/SS, NYM) 38% owned
Ugh, OK fine Jose Reyes, I'll take notice of you now. Reyes was supposed to be a non-factor by this point of the season, but he's leading off and actually playing well. The Neil Walker deal left a hole at second base for him to fill, which only adds to his positional versatility. Reyes has three homers, four steals, and nine RBI since September began. That kind of production is good at any position.
Nicholas Castellanos (3B, DET) 42% owned
A pair of four-RBI games put Castellanos among the top producers at CI this week. Beyond that, he's actually working on a seven-game hitting streak and is hitting .320 over the past month. More interestingly, Castellanos will add outfield eligibility soon as he's being transitioned to make room for Jeimer Candelario at the hot corner. He'll have to continue swinging a hot bat to prove he can provide value in lieu of his subpar defense.
Justin Bour (1B, MIA) 41% owned
It seems like it's been forever since Bour hit a home run. Because it has. Bour last went deep on July 17 and missed six weeks on the disabled list. He's back now and could be worth an add in the hopes that he can recapture the first-half magic that made him a HR Derby participant and Final Vote nominee for the All-Star game.
Hold For Now
Matt Holliday (1B/OF, NYY) 38% owned
He's taken a seat in favor of Chase Headley and/or Greg Bird the last couple of days, but he should be in there more often than not and still has the same power potential as before. Holliday won't ever sniff a .300 average again, but he can give you a short-term power boost.
Brian Anderson (3B, MIA) 0% owned
Anderson is yet to go deep, but he is batting .300 since his call-up and is playing every day. The power upside isn't massive, but Anderson is one of the better prospects on the wire. Oh, and there's a 100% chance he's available in your league.
Cut Bait
C.J. Cron (1B, LAA) 15% owned
After a five-game RBI streak and 15 RBI in a seven-game span, Cron has gone silent over the past four. It seems reasonable to think that his ridiculous hot streak has come to an end.
Greg Bird (1B, NYY) 29% owned
His back-to-back games with jacks in late August served as simply a tease. In September, Bird has no home runs, one RBI and one run scored. He's also sitting against most lefties and doesn't figure to be forced into the lineup down the stretch.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds
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