With three and a half weeks remaining in the regular season, fantasy baseball managers should solely target players who will be in favorable situations during the coming days. The waiver wire tends to be much more fruitful in September, as fantasy football diverts the attention of many managers. Finding the hitters who are about to face the league’s worst pitching staffs and the starters who are set to tangle with light-hitting lineups is the best strategy to put your team over the top.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/OF, Padres, 34%: Although O’Hearn hasn’t been dominant since joining the Padres, he has played well enough to maintain a season-long OPS of .816. The slugger will be in a prime spot for a memorable weekend when the Padres face three right-handed starters at hitter-friendly Coors Field. In his career, O’Hearn has a .760 OPS against righties that is more than 100 points higher than his mark against southpaws.
Matt Shaw, 2B/3B/SS, Cubs, 38%: Shaw is mentioned in this space for the second week in a row, as his play has improved in the second half (.940 OPS). There is a second reason to consider Shaw right now, as the Cubs will spend this weekend facing a Nats pitching staff that ranks 29th in baseball with a 5.28 ERA. Shaw could contribute to fantasy teams in a variety of ways with 11 homers and 16 steals this season.
Iván Herrera, C, Cardinals, 51%: A St. Louis lineup that has been cold of late could get back on track when it faces three starters with an ERA over 4.25 and a Giants bullpen that has lost several key members to trades or injuries. Herrera is arguably the team’s best hitter and will be a terrific catcher streamer for the weekend in shallower leagues.
Cade Cavalli, SP, Nationals, 8%: Cavalli righted the ship after a dismal start in the Bronx, holding the Marlins to two runs across five innings last time out. The single poor performance against the Yankees is heavily impacting the 27-year-old’s ratios, but outside of that start, he has allowed just nine runs across five outings. Cavalli is heading into a two-start week with extremely favorable matchups (Marlins, Pirates), and he could quietly be the best upcoming two-start pitcher who is available in the majority of leagues.
Braxton Ashcraft, SP, Pirates, 17%: Ashcraft has looked great in five starts since joining the rotation, posting a 1.23 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. The righty will be among the best two-start options next week, when he takes on the Orioles and Nationals. Baltimore has hit well of late, but the matchup with Washington is a favorable one, and there are few two-start pitchers next week who have fared as well recently as Ashcraft.
Yu Darvish, SP, Padres, 40%: Managers in shallow leagues should add Darvish, while those in deeper formats can instead pick up his teammate Nestor Cortes Jr. (16%). Both pitchers are scheduled for two home starts next week, against the Reds and Rockies. Getting the Reds away from Great American Ball Park creates a mid-level matchup, and a home start against Colorado is as favorable as a matchup can get. Both Darvish and Cortes have been inconsistent of late, but they are risks worth taking.
Luis Morales, SP, Athletics, 44%: Morales continues to impress in a late-season rotation audition, as he has allowed four runs while logging a 26:5 K:BB ratio in his past four starts. Despite having difficult matchups, he will be a viable two-start option next week when he faces the Red Sox and Reds.
Justin Verlander, SP, Giants, 27%: Verlander is coming off his best month as a member of the Giants, as he logged a 3.62 ERA and 37:9 K:BB ratio during August. The veteran has really turned back the clock in some of his recent outings, having struck out eight batters across seven scoreless innings on August 16 and recording 10 strikeouts in five shutout frames last time out. Verlander is a terrific streamer for a matchup tomorrow against a Cardinals offense that ranks last in runs scored since the All-Star break.
JoJo Romero, RP, Cardinals, 29%: There are several hurlers who have recently recorded multiple saves and remain available in the majority of Yahoo leagues. Such is life late in the season, as rebuilding MLB teams find stopgap solutions for the ninth inning and many fantasy managers are less aggressive on the waiver wire. I chose Romero, who has earned seven saves since August 1, as a placeholder for a large group that includes Shawn Armstrong (14%), Justin Topa (6%) and Calvin Faucher (23%).
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