Frank Ammirante | Sun, Apr 26th 2026, 7:16am EDT

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups & FAAB Advice (Week 5)

Welcome to our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and FAAB (free agent acquisition budget) report. In this article, I’ll provide fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and recommendations for players to target. There will be suggested bids with an explanation of where to target them.

The focus is on 12- and 15-team National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) leagues. If you’re in shallower formats, bid less than my recommendations below. The best way to use this column is to bid on the high end for your targets. I’ve scoured the waiver wire for three targets for each position to make it easier for you. Note that the recommendations are for a $1,000 budget.

With that in mind, let’s dive into my Week 5 fantasy baseball FAAB recommendations.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups & FAAB Targets

Catchers

Kyle Teel (C – CWS)

$12 in 15-team leagues; $6 in 12-team leagues.
On track for an early May return.

Victor Caratini (C – MIN)

$4 in 15-team leagues; $2 in 12-team leagues.
Every day playing time, nice fill-in at C2.

Bo Naylor (C – CLE)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 12-team leagues
Slow start, but .439 xSLG, deserves better

First Basemen

Kyle Manzardo (1B – CLE)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 12-team leagues
5 RHPs in upcoming week

Josh Bell (1B – MIN)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 12-team leagues
Every day player who hits in the heart of the lineup

Dominic Smith (1B – ATL)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 12-team leagues
6 RHPs up next

Second Basemen

Marcus Semien (2B – NYM)

$12 in 15-team leagues, $6 in 12-team leagues
Worth a look due to track record

Oswald Peraza (2B, 3B – LAA)

$4 in 15-team leagues, $2 in 12-team leagues
Crushing lefties (244 wRC+), gets three this week

Mauricio Dubon (2B, 3B, SS, OF – ATL)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 15-team leagues
Perfect bench bat with multi-positional eligibility

Shortstops

Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY)

$12 in 15-team leagues; $6 in 12-team leagues
Returning to action soon.

Masyn Winn (SS – STL)

$12 in 15-team leagues; $6 in 12-team leagues
Starting to produce at the plate

Brooks Lee (2B, 3B, SS – MIN)

$2 in 15-team leagues, $1 in 12-team leagues
Versatile player worth adding

Third Basemen

Josh Jung (3B – TEX)

$12 in 15-team leagues, $6 in 12-team leagues
Mashing at the plate

Addison Barger (3B, OF – TOR)

$10 in 15-team leagues, $5 in 12-team leagues
Getting closer to returning

Nolan Arenado (3B – ARI)

$4 in 15-team leagues, $2 in 12-team leagues
One-week streamer

Outfielders

Evan Carter (OF – TEX)

$15 in 15-team leagues, $30 in 12-team leagues
Has some staying power

Sal Frelick (OF – MIL)

$10 in 15-team leagues, $5 in 12-team leagues
May have been dropped in your league due to slow start

Justin Crawford (OF – PHI)

$8 in 15-team leagues, $4 in 12-team leagues
Cold start, but speed upside

Starting Pitchers

Payton Tolle (SP – BOS)

$200 in 15-team leagues, $100 in 12-team leagues
Chance to be a major difference-maker

Chase Dollander (SP – COL)

$100 in 15-team leagues, $50 in 12-team leagues
Has been absolutely dominant so far

Davis Martin (SP – CWS)

$12 in 15-team leagues, $6 in 15-team leagues
Off to a fantastic start to the season

Relief Pitchers

Ryan Walker (RP – SFG)

$60 in 15-team leagues, $30 in 12-team leagues.
Pick him up if he was dropped

Tanner Scott (RP – LAD)

$60 in 15-team leagues, $30 in 12-team leagues.
Closer while Edwin Diaz is gone (majority of saves)

Ben Brown (RP – CHC)

$10 in 15-team leagues, $5 in 12-team leagues.
Could be closer with Caleb Thielbar out

Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn

Recent News