April 24, 2017

Kyle Bishop recommends outfielders (OF) who can be valuable waiver wire targets or adds to help fantasy owners for Week 4 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we take a look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. Consider this column your recommendations for Week 4 outfield waiver wire pickups.

Any and all advice at this point in the year carries the implicit caveat of "It's April." Don't get carried away with making any major changes to your roster at this stage of the game. Tinkering on the edges, though? That's perfectly fine, and that's what this column is designed to help you do.

Let's get down to business.

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Week 4 Outfield (OF) Waiver Wire Targets

David Peralta, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (37% owned)

Peralta got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he has 14 hits in his last six games. Five of those hits were for extra bases. This surge has brought his season line to a healthy .306/.346/.486, with a pair of home runs and a matching pair of stolen bases. The 29-year-old hits second in the Diamondbacks lineup against RHP, comfortably ensconced between A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt. With those studs flanking him, Peralta could be a five-category contributor in 2017.

Jason Heyward, OF, Chicago Cubs (29%)

After his catastrophic performance at the plate in 2016, fantasy owners justifiably gave Heyward a wide berth in drafts this year. He’d always been a better real-life player than fantasy asset anyway, given his lack of gaudy run production or power. Thus far in 2017, he’s looked much more like that still-useful piece than the offensive black hole he was in his first season with the Cubs. He’s hitting .297/.348/.422 with 20 R+RBI and went deep in back-to-back games last week.

Michael Conforto, OF, New York Mets (25%)

It took a debilitating run of injuries to their other players, but the Mets have finally begun to pencil Conforto into the lineup regularly. All he’s done is hit a blistering .361/.432/.722 with four homers and 17 R+RBI in 44 plate appearances. Two of those big flies came in this past weekend’s series with Washington. It remains to be seen what will happen once multiple Mets are no longer being actively maimed, but if Conforto keeps mashing, it’ll be awfully hard for Terry Collins to bench him. You would think, at least.

Jayson Werth, OF, Washington Nationals (20%)

Werth just returned from a brief absence due to a sore groin. Even after an 0-for-3 showing on Sunday, he’s hitting .289/.347/.489 with three homers to this point. The 37-year-old is unlikely to make it through the entire season without at least one stint on the disabled list, but he’s typically still productive when on the field. With pretty much every Nats regular outside of Anthony Rendon clicking right now, Werth is…worthy…of a roster spot in most formats.

Taylor Motter, SS/OF, Seattle Mariners (19%)

This guy sounds like a create-a-player in a video game, but he is a real person! Even more impressive, he is a real person having real success against big-league pitchers who are, at last check, mostly real. Motter has filled in admirably for the injured Jean Segura, hitting .255/.321/.667 with five homers and 22 R+RBI. Motter can play any non-battery position, so he could still find regular playing time even once Segura returns. He’s definitely worth a flier as long as he’s running hot, at least.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds