Best Fantasy Baseball Pickups for the Week Ahead

Each week, we’ll look at some of the best fantasy baseball pickups for the week ahead. These could be players who are coming off a hot streak, have favorable matchups, or are simply under-the-radar contributors who could make a difference on your fantasy team

Here are some pickups to consider for the week ahead:

Outfielder Corey Dickerson ( Tampa Bay Rays): Dickerson has been on a tear lately, hitting .385 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games. He’s currently available in nearly 60 percent of ESPN Fantasy leagues and is worth a look as a short-term pickup or depth option in all formats.

Infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez ( Houston Astros): Gonzalez is eligible at both first base and second base in most fantasy leagues, making him a valuable utility player. He’s hitting .342 with four home runs and 15 RBIs so far this season and is available in over 80 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Pitcher Mike Minor ( Texas Rangers): Minor has been lights out lately, posting a 1.03 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in his last three starts. He’s currently available in over 70 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues and is worth a pickup as a spot starter or streaming option in all formats.

Who to Pick Up

With a new week of baseball comes a new batch of Fantasy Baseball waiver wire pickups and potential streamers. As we enter the dog days of summer, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your fantasy baseball team and keep an eye on the waiver wire Every little edge can mean the difference between winning and losing in Fantasy baseball

This week, we’re looking at a couple of Relief pitchers who could be in for some save opportunities, a potential power hitter who’s available in over 50% of ESPN leagues, and a starting pitcher with some solid strikeout upside. Here are four fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups to consider for the week ahead.

waiver wire Pickups

If you’re looking for an edge in your fantasy baseball league you may want to consider picking up some players from the waiver wire. Here are some of the best options for the week ahead:

-Pitcher: Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates Cole has been pitching well lately, with a 2.61 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in his last seven starts. He’s also racked up 57 strikeouts in that span. Cole is available in nearly 60% of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

-Hitter: Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals Merrifield has been on a tear lately, hitting .351 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in his last ten games. He’s also stolen four bases in that span. Merrifield is available in over 70% of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

-Pitcher: Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds Castillo has been pitching well of late, with a 2.38 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in his last seven starts. He’s also struck out 54 batters in that span. Castillo is available in nearly 60% of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues

FAAB Pickups

If you’re looking for an edge in your fantasy baseball league paying attention to the FAAB pickups each week is a good place to start. FAAB, or free agent acquisition budget, is the money each team has to spend on players who are not already on their roster. Here are some of the best players who are available in most fantasy baseball leagues this week:

1. Brad Miller 2B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays Miller has been on a tear lately, hitting .351 with four Home Runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games. He’s eligible at both second base and shortstop, which makes him even more valuable.

2. Chris Taylor, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers Taylor has been hitting leadoff for the Dodgers lately, and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity by hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last 10 games. He’s also eligible at both second base and outfield, so he can help filling multiple spots in your lineup.

3. Wilmer Flores, 1B/3B/SS, New York Mets Flores has been providing a power boost lately, hitting six home runs in his last 10 games while also batting .340 during that stretch. He’s eligible at first base, third base, and shortstop, so he can again help fill multiple spots in your lineup.

These are just a few of the many players who could be available on your waiver wire this week. Paying attention to FAAB pickups can help you stay ahead of the competition and make sure you have the best possible team every week.

Sleeper Pickups

The best time to add a player off the waiver wire is before his big breakout. By definition, that means these pickups are largely going to be unproven, unknown commodities. In order to uncover them, we need to look deep — not just at the box score but also at the underlying numbers that might signal a breakout is coming. It’s more art than science, but with a little help from some expert analysts, we can give you a leg up on your competition.

Each week, our experts will offer their Sleeper Pickups for the week ahead in three different formats:
-Hitter streamers: These are players who are widely available in leagues and who have appealing match-ups in the week ahead. They might be players who are on hot streaks, or who have favorable match-ups that could help them put up big numbers.
-Pitcher streamers: These are pitchers who are widely available in leagues and who have appealing match-ups in the week ahead. They might be pitchers who are on hot streaks, or who have favorable match-ups that could help them put up big numbers.
--two-start pitchers These are pitchers who are scheduled to make two starts in the week ahead. They might be players who are on hot streaks, or who have favorable match-ups that could help them put up big numbers.

Two-Start Pitchers

If you’re in a 12-team league or larger, chances are that you have some depth on your pitching staff. But if you’re like most owners, you probably don’t have enough depth to justify carrying six or seven starters on your roster. That’s where two-start pitchers come in. These are the guys who will make two starts in the upcoming week, giving you a nice boost in the strikeouts and wins categories.

Of course, you can’t just pick up any two-start pitcher and expect him to perform well. You need to look at the matchups and figure out which pitchers are most likely to succeed. With that in mind, here are a few two-start pitchers who should be available in most fantasy baseball leagues and who have favorable matchups during the week of April 6-12.

Streamers

There are a lot of fantasy baseball owners out there who like to stream pitchers. That is, they pick up a different pitcher each week from the waiver wire, based on that pitcher’s matchup for the week. If you’re in a competitive league, it can be tough to find good pitchers to stream each week. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are some pitchers you should consider picking up for the week ahead, all of whom are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Erasmo Ramírez, Tampa Bay Rays Ramírez is set to start twice this week, first against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday and then against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. He’s coming off a strong start against the Boston Red Sox in which he allowed just one run over six innings while striking out seven. He’s also pitched well against both the Blue Jays and Orioles this season, allowing a total of just three runs over 13 innings pitched

Mike Montgomery, Chicago Cubs Montgomery is set to make two starts this week, first against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday and then against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He’s coming off a solid start against the Milwaukee Brewers in which he allowed two runs over six innings while striking out seven. He’s also pitched well against both the Pirates and Reds this season, allowing just four runs over 14 innings pitched.

Trevor Richards, Miami Marlins Richards is set to start twice this week, first against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday and then against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He’s coming off a strong start against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he allowed one run over six innings while striking out eight. He’s also pitched well against both the Pirates and Reds this season, allowing just four runs over 12 innings pitched.

Hitter Streamers

The following hitters are worth consideration for pickup in standard 12-team fantasy baseball leagues. All ownership percentages are taken from ESPN fantasy leagues.

Players to pick up:

Jay Bruce, New York Mets (18.8% owned) – Bruce is hitting cleanup for the powerful Mets offense, and he’s coming off a week in which he hit four home runs with eight RBIs. He’s a must-own in all formats right now.

Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds (14.5% owned) – Suarez is red-hot at the plate right now, hitting .462 with two home runs and 10 RBIs over the last week. He’s currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, and he should be owned in all leagues while he’s this hot.

Tommy Joseph, Philadelphia Phillies (12.9% owned) – Joseph has been one of the best power hitters in baseball over the last week, hitting three home runs with eight RBIs. He’s worth owning in all formats as long as he’s hitting cleanup for the Phillies.

Players to avoid:

Curtis Granderson, New York Mets (43.4% owned) – Granderson is in the midst of a cold stretch at the plate, hitting just .133 over the last week with no home runs or RBIs. He should be avoided until he starts hitting for power again.

Pitcher Streamers

If you’re in need of a pitching streamer for the week ahead, consider adding one of these hurlers to your fantasy baseball roster

Dallas Keuchel, Atlanta Braves Keuchel will take on the Baltimore Orioles at home this week. The O’s have been struggling offensively, ranking near the bottom of the league in runs scored Keuchel has been solid this season, posting a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over nine starts. He’s also racked up 50 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched.

Zack Wheeler, New York Mets Wheeler will start twice this week, first facing the Miami Marlins at home before heading to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates. The Marlins have been one of the worst teams in baseball against right-handed pitchers this season, while the Pirates have also struggled offensively. Wheeler has put up decent numbers this season, going 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 10 starts.

Jake Odorizzi, Minnesota Twins Odorizzi will make two starts at home this week, first taking on the Chicago White Sox before facing the Seattle Mariners The White Sox have been struggle offensively against righties all season, while the Mariners are also near the bottom of the league in runs scored against right-handed pitchers. Odorizzi has been very good this season, posting a 2.58 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 10 starts with 63 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.

DFS Picks

Looking for the best Fantasy baseball pickups for the week ahead? Check out our top DFS picks below!

– Trevor Bauer, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
– Anthony Rizzo 1B, Chicago Cubs
– Ketel Marte, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Best Fantasy Baseball Pickups for the Week Ahead