We have made it through another week of the baseball season, and we are ready for the stretch run. We are back to a full schedule, allowing us to play matchups, two-steps, hot bats and more. We’ll still look for some fantasy baseball waiver wire targets to improve your teams, but some things can change now that we’re in the second half.
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- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- Rest-of-Season Projections
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire & FAAB Targets
Each week, I will highlight a few players to target in your weekly waiver wire FAAB process, but keep in mind there are many others available and, more importantly, other players that may be a better fit for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter (@bdentrek).
Note: We use Yahoo for player percentages and recommend players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Brenton Doyle (OF – COL)
Rostered: 54%
Suggested Bid: 23%
Brenton Doyle was having a rough season at the plate and was also dealing with some personal tragedies off the field. Since the All-Star break, Doyle is looking a lot more like the hitter we saw last season. Since July 19th, Doyle has been hitting .400 with four home runs and two stolen bases.
Doyle is barreling the ball 10.6% of the time with a 47% hard-hit rate. He has an impressive 1.045 OPS to go with an outstanding 180 wRC+. It’s time to get Doyle back in your lineups for the final few weeks of the season.
Andrew Vaughn (1B – MIL)
Rostered: 52%
Suggested Bid: 28%
Andrew Vaughn continues to beast out since joining the Brewers on July 7th, hitting .340 with eight home runs, 17 runs scored and 32 RBI. He’s striking out fewer than 15% of the time while barreling the ball 14% of the time with a 53.5% hard-hit rate.
Vaughn has a 1.034 OPS and 185 wRC+. He added two more hits, including a home run, on Friday night. Vaughn is playing daily at first base for the Brewers and is mashing. He should be rostered in all formats.
Alec Burleson (1B, OF – STL)
Rostered: 46%
Suggested Bid: 6%
It was a bad start to the season for Alec Burelson, where it got so bad that he was platooning. He’s now locked into a starting role and producing a bit better. Since the All-Star break, Burleson is hitting .244 with four home runs, 11 runs and 11 RBI. Not life-changing stats, but a significant improvement for Burleson.
Burleson is striking out 15.5% of the time while barreling the ball nearly 11% of the time. His positional flexibility is great, and he could help a lot of teams over the final few weeks of the season.
Pitchers
Jacob Lopez (SP – ATH)
Rostered: 51%
Suggested Bid: 12%
Jacob Lopez had some solid starts early in the season, but it has been an up-and-down roller coaster season for Lopez. Over his previous four starts, Lopez has not allowed a run over 24 innings pitched for a 0.00 ERA and 2.98 SIERA.
Lopez has 28 strikeouts and six walks over those 24 innings for a 24.7% K-BB rate. Lopez has been outstanding and has a nice two-step next week on the road. Get him in your lineups.
Cade Horton (SP – CHC)
Rostered: 51%
Suggested Bid: 11%
Cade Horton has been back and forth between the starting rotation, bullpen and AAA this season. Since he re-entered the Cubs’ rotation on July 20th, he’s been outstanding. Over the five starts, Horton has four wins to go with one earned run over 28.1 innings pitched.
Horton has a 0.32 ERA over those five games with a 4.02 SIERA, so maybe he’s getting a bit lucky. He also has 24 strikeouts and nine walks during that span for a 14.9% K-BB rate. Keep starting Horton while he’s dealing like this.
Hurston Waldrep (SP – ATL)
Rostered: 19%
Suggested Bid: 22%
Hunter Waldrep has joined the Braves’ rotation and has been as advertised for a top pitching prospect. Over his first two starts, Waldrep has allowed two earned runs over 11.2 innings pitched for a 1.54 ERA and 3.72 SIERA. He had 10 strikeouts and three walks over the 11.2 innings pitched.
On Friday night, Waldrep was great again, throwing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Waldrep appears to be anchored in the Braves’ rotation and should be anchored in your fantasy lineups.
Closers
Bryan Abreu (SP – HOU)
Rostered: 47%
Suggested Bid: 35%
With Josh Hader heading to the injured list (IL) and likely missing most of the rest of the season, Bryan Abreu appears to be the favorite to close games for the Astros.
Abreu picked up a save in his last start and looked dominant in doing so. On the season, Abreu has a 1.64 ERA, 2.67 SIERA and 25% K-BB rate over 55 innings pitched. Abreu should be a top priority if you need saves for the rest of the season.
Randy Rodriguez (RP – SF)
Rostered: 47%
Suggested Bid: 17%
Randy Rodriguez has been excellent this season in the Giants’ bullpen. He hasn’t pitched since August 6th, since the Giants are playing horrible baseball, but Rodriguez will be the top option for saves when that opportunity arrives again.
On the season, Rodriguez has a 1.51 ERA and 2.21 SIERA to go with a 28.8% K-BB rate. Rodriguez will get some saves down the stretch and should do so with plenty of strikeouts.
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