6 Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 2 (2024)

‘Why Time Begins on Opening Day’ is that seminal book by Thomas Boswell where he waxed nostalgic on the great game of baseball and its stars. I’ve always felt like MLB’s Opening Day is that second New Year’s Day. Spring is starting to peek its head out from behind the chill of winter, even though several openers were rained out on March 28. There’s something about the return of baseball that’s a renewal for all of us, a sign of things to come in the warmer months ahead. It’s much different than the NFL’s kickoff that’s more celebration in the late stages of summer about to turn to fall.

This is also a time to be aggressive when looking on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. Snap up starting pitchers to see if a post-hype youngster might have had the game slow down or found a new pitch to solve hitters. It’s also the time to take chances on hitters who could be getting their legs under them in the batter’s box and make a difference for fantasy teams in the still-developing season.

This deep sleepers column sets the cutoff at players rostered on 20% or less of leagues. This week’s feature has some players who have been largely ignored in drafts but deserve plenty of consideration. Let’s get ready to dive into the deep end!

Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 2

Victor Scott (OF – STL): 20%

Ok, so Victor Scott is right on the cutline. His 80-grade speed is special. What’s going to keep him on the field is his 70-grade glove in center field. He batted ninth in his debut and stole his first MLB base with relative ease. He’ll do that plenty more, as he heisted 94 bases across two levels of the minor leagues last year in his first full year in professional baseball. If he can get even within 25 points of the .369 OBP he had last year it could mean great things for fantasy managers. Legendary Cardinals base stealer Vince Coleman has already anointed Scott as the next Cardinal to steal 100 bases. Maybe it won’t be this year, but no matter how many bases he steals, Scott needs to be rostered by on-the-ball fantasy managers looking for speed.

Henry Davis (OF – PIT): 15%

Henry Davis went just 1-for-6 in the Pirates’ opener but the most important note in that box score was the “C” right next to his name. Davis played just two games at catcher last season but starting behind the plate in the first game could garner him dual eligibility. Davis hit .306 with a .454 OBP in the minors last year, walking 45 times against 48 strikeouts (an outstanding rate). In two-catcher leagues, Davis needs to be picked up and may gain eligibility at catcher before the season is a week old.

Zach Neto (SS – LAA): 14%

Zach Neto is the type of player the Angels need to find out about, as he was the 13th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He hit ninth in the opener and could have free rein to run on an Angels team that stole 44 bases in spring training (second in the league). Neto stole four of his five attempts. If any of the .321 average and .961 OPS from the minor leagues translates to the big leagues, he’ll be an early-season steal for fantasy managers.

Frankie Montas (SP, RP – CIN): 13%

Frankie Montas was fantastic as the Opening Day starter for the Reds, breezing through six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out four. That’s a far cry from pitching just once for the Yankees in 2023, lasting only 1.1 innings. Montas is 31 now and his top-prospect status faded long ago. But while he’s on a team filled with exciting young offensive players — even after injuries hit the lineup hard — Montas could get some wins and strikeouts while he’s healthy. That RP status could make him a good fit in certain fantasy lineups.

Will Benson (OF – CIN): 12%

Will Benson batted second and played center field in the first game. He should be a full-time player for the Reds with the injured TJ Friedl set to miss six-to-eight weeks of the regular season. That opens the door for Benson, who hit .275 with 11 homers and 19 steals in part-time duty for Cincinnati last year. Keep an eye on if Benson plays against lefties. If he’s out there, he could be a valuable pickup.

James Paxton (SP – LAD): 12%

James Paxton made the Dodgers’ rotation after a 2023 season when he made 19 starts for the Red Sox, his most in a season since 2019. More importantly, he struck out 101 batters in 96 innings for a healthy K% of 24.57. Paxton is set to start his first game of the season on April 1 — not an April Fool’s joke — and could be a valuable pitcher on a Dodgers team that has revived many pitchers’ careers. If he stays healthy, the upside is huge. If he flops or gets hurt, he’s an easy drop.

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MLB Waiver Wire MLB Victor Scott Henry Davis Zach Neto Frankie Montas Will Benson James Paxton

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About Author

Jorge Martin

@jorgemartin17

Ever had a family argument that inspired something? For me, it happened over plates of tamales at Christmas a few years ago. We were at a large family gathering – more than 100 people – and the subject was football. Fantasy football, to be exact. Our family has an incredibly competitive 12-team league made up completely of family members. Christmas being playoff time, the passion was heavy and the words were heated. The beer might have helped that along. I sat back during this discussion and thought, "this might be interesting if we recorded it." That's when Familia FFB was born. I approached my primos (cousins) Hector Reyes & Ricky Torres about a podcast. We'd talk fantasy football, as well as our large Mexican family dynamic and Latino culture. And if we disagreed, it didn't matter because blood is thicker than fantasy football. Barely. I'm the host of the show and editor of our website: familiaffb.com. We're on all the podcast audio platforms and have our own YouTube page under the Familia FFB flag. Diving headlong into fantasy analysis has been a goal ever since that fateful discussion, and I am thrilled to be providing rankings for Fantasy Pros. I've been writing professionally since 1986, when I was starting out as a sportswriter for the LA Daily News. Writing has been a part of my professional life ever since, and more recently, I was the publications director for the LA Dodgers for 8 years. Talk about a lifelong dream working for my childhood team and interacting with the heroes of my youth and current-day stars. I've also been an avid fantasy football and baseball player since 1990, when we kept football stats by the newspaper. I'm really looking forward to lending my journalistic and storytelling skills to the industry, and to hopefully connect with and represent the millions of Latino NFL fans in the U.S. and Latin America. As I like to say, Familia FFB is fantasy football con sabor Latino (Latino flavor). I appreciate the opportunity to place my rankings and hopefully my writing alongside some people who have truly become giants in this industry. More important, I'm looking forward to interacting with any and all who both analyze and are passionate about fantasy football. Find me on Twitter @jorgemartin17. Gracias, and Salud!