10 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (2026)

With Opening Day right around the corner, it’s time to make any late additions to your fantasy baseball roster. We have you covered with top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups to target. Most of these players has a consensus ADP outside the top 300 picks. Many are widely available. Let’s dive into who the analysts are targeting late or off the fantasy baseball waiver wire to start the season.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Carter Jensen (C – KC)

Carter Jensen is a deeper name, but one worth paying attention to, especially in two-catcher formats. The rise here is less about current safety and more about offensive upside. Jensen flashed enough impact in a small sample to make sharper drafters start dreaming on a catcher who might actually provide real power and enough plate appearances to matter. That is the key. Catchers are usually drafted for survival. Jensen is being drafted for potential difference-making offense. If the playing time climbs and the bat keeps showing what it teased, then this is the kind of catcher who can rise in a hurry. In shallow one-catcher leagues, he is more of a watch-list or stash profile. In deeper formats, it is easier to see why experts are getting there first.
– Welsh

Cole Young (2B – SEA)

Cole Young is a former top prospect who is crushing spring training, hitting .302/.373/.717 with six home runs and three stolen bases. Young is projected to be the second baseman for the Mariners, and while he may platoon, he has a good enough hit tool to take a massive step forward this year.
– Justin Mason

Denzel Clarke (OF – ATH)

Clarke fits the classic late-round upside mold. He’s locked into everyday playing time thanks to elite defense, and the power-speed combo is real. A 36-steal minor league season paired with double-digit homer pop gives him a path to 15 HR / 20+ SB. The key here is role certainty. In the late rounds, guaranteed at-bats matter more than polish.
– Joe Orrico

Nasim Nunez (SS – WSH)

While shortstop is really deep at the top, it falls off pretty quickly after the top 300 picks. If you are looking for upside, though, Nasim Nunez is the answer. There is a ton of speed in the profile. He stole 45 bases between Triple-A and the Majors in just 342 plate appearances. He is an elite defender, so he should still play when he struggles offensively. Nunez will not be going this late for very long.
– Justin Mason

Tyler O’Neill (OF – BAL)

With Dylan Beavers dealing with an injury and not performing well, Tyler O’Neill is now projected to be an everyday player in Baltimore. When healthy, O’Neill has been a very good power source and a great defender, which the Orioles seem to prioritize in the outfield. If he can stay on the field, he provides 30-home run upside.
– Justin Mason

Zach Eflin (SP – BAL)

Zach Eflin is coming off a disappointing season where he put up a 5.93 ERA in 71.1 innings, but there are reasons for optimism here. For one, Eflin is only one year removed from a 3.59 ERA in 165.1 innings. That year, the veteran righty put up a respectable 3.97 SIERA. There’s a track record here, as this is an innings-eater with elite control. What’s great about Eflin is that he looks like his former self this spring, where he tossed 7.1 scoreless innings with one walk and 10 strikeouts. Playing for a contending Orioles team, Eflin will be in a position to rack up wins. Pick him up if he’s on your fantasy baseball waiver wire. Take him late if you’re still drafting.
– Frank Ammirante

Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH)

Cavalli is a post-Tommy John breakout candidate. The arsenal is deep, and the stuff metrics back it up. If the strikeouts catch up to the underlying data, he could be a major profit arm.
– Joe Orrico

Max Meyer (SP – MIA)

Max Meyer is a former top prospect who has struggled in his first few seasons in the Majors with injuries and inconsistency. However, the talent has always been there, and Meyer is pitching lights out in spring training, throwing seven innings with a 50% strikeout rate and a 4% walk rate. He pitches in a great park and has already been named in the rotation.
– Justin Mason

Paul Sewald (RP – ARI)

Paul Sewald is the current favorite to become the Diamondbacks’ closer. This is a veteran with 86 career saves under his belt, including 34 back in 2023. D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo recently mentioned that “he loves where Sewald is at” when discussing the team’s plans for the ninth inning. Given the lack of viable options, coupled with Sewald’s experience, it makes sense for him to emerge as the closer. Whether you’re desperate for saves or looking to stack up that category early in the year, Sewald makes sense as a waiver wire pickup or late-round sleeper.
– Frank Ammirante

Kirby Yates (RP – LAA)

With Robert Stephenson having a setback, Kirby Yates appears to be the first man up in the Angels’ bullpen for saves. Yates has closing experience and has looked great in spring training. The only real competition in the bullpen right now is Jordan Romano, but Yates should be the first man to get a shot.
– Justin Mason