RADIO
Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league.
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 Week 8 waiver wire targets for first base and third base 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 8 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets
Justin Smoak (1B, TOR) 44% owned
I've already mentioned him in my buy/sell article this week, so it's only right he gets due credit in this space as well. I played the waiting game with Smoak to make sure it wasn't just a tease, as he's done in the past, but he simply hasn't stopped hitting. Four homers and eight RBI in the last week alone have brought Smoak up to 10 HR, 29 RBI on the season. He's also scoring plenty, having crossed the plate nine times in the last seven games. At age 30, it's unlikely we're seeing any sort of breakout that defies his Major League track record, but he is a former first-round pick and top-25 prospect. For now, Smoak has officially entered mixed-league value territory and should only improve once the Blue Jays have Josh Donaldson back in the lineup. Add in all formats and ride out the hot streak while it lasts.
Victor Martinez (1B, DET) 47% owned
Martinez is currently on the paternity leave list, so he may not be in the lineup until mid-week, but he was starting to warm up just before his leave. Martinez had two dingers and five RBI in the three games before his absence, giving him three HR, 23 RBI this season. Those numbers aren't up to his usual standard, but there has been steady improvement after a painfully slow start. It's surprising to see how many fantasy owners cut bait already on a household name, but maybe they're afraid that Father Time has caught up with V-Mart. In reality, he simply had a slow start to 2017. Throughout May, Martinez is slashing .360/.431/.580. His 5.0% HR/FB% is a bit suppressed, so look for the power numbers to climb gradually as he continues to make solid contact.
Mike Napoli (1B, TEX) 39% owned
If you've been waiting for Napoli to get going in Texas, join the club. A move to his former team would seem to be a recipe for success, but Napoli is hitting just .179 on the season with a 33% strikeout rate. The last couple of weeks have been a blast from the past - four in the last 14 days to be specific. He's never been one to threaten for the batting title, but his current .191 BABIP is a whole 110 points below his career average, so this has been an atypical start to the season. Napoli may not be an everyday player any more, but he's got enough juice in his bat to help you in the power categories and could even provide a short-term boost in average as his number start to regress to their norms.
Matt Adams (1B, ATL) 4% owned
Adams was languishing on the bench in St. Louis with no clear path to regular playing time. Freddie Freeman's fractured wrist changed all that, as the Braves acquired the 28-year-old to fill the void at first base for the next several weeks. The perception of Adams as nothing more than a left-handed slugger a la Brandon Moss, who he shared time with last season, is unfair. Adams hit .288 as a full-time player in 2014 and is a career .271 hitter. He clearly does hit right-handers better (.285 vs. RHP, .210 vs. LHP), so you should prioritize him in those matchups. He lacks above-average plate discipline, as his career 3.84 K/BB shows, so there are clear limits on his ability. At age 28, we may not have seen the best Adams has to offer, so it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a new team for the first time in his MLB career. If you are in a deep enough league and are a Freeman owner, he could stick as a regular first baseman while you languish in anticipation of Freeman's return.
Hold For Now
Tommy Joseph (1B, PHI) 22% owned - Joseph is earning his keep still with two homers and four RBI in the last week and a .250 average that is about what fantasy owners should expect from him. He sat on Sunday, but it was just a rest day. Brock Stassi won't threaten his playing time in any way unless Joseph starts to struggle massively as he did in April.
Logan Morrison (1B, TB) 25% owned - LoMo homered once this week and just missed one to dead center the other day against the Yanks. He's racking up RBI, with eight in the past eight games. He strikes out plenty (24.4% K%) but he also has a 12.2% BB% and a .341 on-base percentage that offsets the whiffs for points leagues.
Brandon Drury (2B/3B/OF, ARI) 50% owned - He's certainly slowing down, collecting just four hits in his last 25 at-bats, but he's still batting .301 on the season. With eligibility at every slot and half his games at Chase Field, Drury is worth hanging onto even through the slumps.
Cut Bait
T.J. Rivera (1B/2B/3B, NYM) 5% owned - Rivera quickly went from an everyday player hitting in the two hole to playing every other day and batting sixth. He's hitting right-handers much better, so he may be useful as a streamer in NL-only leagues, but the Mets don't seem to view him as anything more than a utility player at this point.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds
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