Your quest for a fantasy baseball championship continues and finding the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups is your No. 1 priority this weekend.

While the rest of your league anxiously awaits the rash of September call-ups set to arrive in a few weeks, it’s important that you try to fill any remaining holes on your rosters and gain as much ground in the various categories as you can. We often talk about being category-specific at this time of year and, hopefully, that stays in the forefront of your mind. Chase the upside when the rush of minor leaguers arrives. Right now, you need regular at-bats on offense. Pitching, it depends on need, but streaming starters routinely becomes the play, unless, of course, you are chasing saves. We’ve got you covered either way.

 

 

 

As always, be sure to check in with last week’s waiver article to see if any names slipped through the cracks. Also look at this week’s Two-Start Pitchers/Streaming Starters article as well. We’ll give you a few options to look at, but Ivar Anderson takes a really nice, in-depth look for you.

**Please keep in mind, these FAAB bids are a guideline, not the gospel. You should be keeping track of how everyone in your league is bidding, so you understand that if you really need the player, you should raise your bid accordingly.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals

There’s not much going on with the backstops on the waiver wire these days, but check it out and see if Ruiz is available in your league as he is owned in less than 50-percent of the leagues on ESPN and Yahoo right now. Regular at-bats are important and right now he’s seeing more action than most catchers available. On top of that , he’s also batting .295 with three home runs and seven RBI over the last two weeks. Most people ignore the catcher position once they settle in on a guy, but if you can make even the slightest of improvements, every little bit counts. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

Ty France, Cincinnati Reds

The move to Cincinnati has been decent for France as he is seeing regular playing time and is bound to go on a big power surge at some point soon. The ballpark dimensions of Great American Smallpark are always helpful, especially after coming from pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park in Seattle. France has never been a big batting average guy, so the .256 average over the past two weeks is right about what you can/should expect. The three doubles, three home runs, three RBI and five runs scored over the past two weeks is solid but we’re also looking ahead to his late-August 10-game homestand. FAAB: 4-6%

LaMonte Wade, San Francisco Giants

If you remember from the early-season MLB DFS Shows that Jon Impemba and I were doing, you know how much he loves using Wade as a bargain play at first base. He’s not exactly tearing it up right now, batting just .206 over the last two weeks, but he’s got some pop in his bat and has eligibility in the outfield as well. He’s a good bench guy to mix into your lineups, especially against a soft upcoming schedule that features the White Sox and Marlins. FAAB: 2-4% 

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

David Hamilton, Boston Red Sox

We’re going retro with the Hamilton nod here. He was a fantastic asset earlier in the season, but he got hurt, struggled in his return and was dropped in nearly 60-percent of the leagues he was owned. Over the past two weeks, though, he’s batting .297 with two home runs, eight RBI and has five stolen bases. If your league has been sleeping recently, he could be available as I see him rostered in fewer than 10-percent of leagues across ESPN and Yahoo. Make that move! FAAB: 6-8% 

Jace Jung, Detroit Tigers

He’s going to be a popular add this week as the Tigers just brought him up and he should have eligibility at both second and third. The 23-year-old lefty-swinging infielder slashed .257/.377/.454 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI over 414 plate appearances this season with Triple-A Toledo and he is expected to serve as the regular third baseman for Detroit, at least against righthanded pitching to start. If he can prove his worth, they’ll try and keep him on the field every day. FAAB: 6-8%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays snuck him up to the majors shortly after fantasy baseball waivers cleared last week, so definitely check to see if he is available in your league. He’s a highly-touted prospect who has been featured throughout the season in our MLB Prospect Report and should garner everyday at-bats now that he’s up. He’s only appeared in three games so far, but he’s got three hits and a stolen base, so keep a watchful eye. We’ve seen him hit for power and average in the minors and could be a major player over the final month and a half of the season. FAAB: 15-18%

Andres Chaparro, Washington Nationals

After hitting .328 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI at Triple-A Rochester this season, Chaparro was called up during the week and made a huge splash with three doubles in his debut game. It was only the fourth time since 1901 that a player debuted with three doubles, so he is definitely going to draw some attention this week. He’s only got one hit in his last 10 at-bats, but he should be an intriguing find at the hot corner. FAAB: 8-10%

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

If your league allows you to grab a player who is on the injured list and stash him for a day, then give Edman a look, especially if you’re looking for run scored and maybe some speed. Acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline, Edman has been rehabbing at Triple-A Oklahoma City and is 5-for-15 with one home run and three walks through five games. He might come back as a bench guy at first, but it’s tough to imagine the Dodgers don’t lock him in at the keystone for the stretch run. FAAB: 8-10%

Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels

We haven’t checked in on Neto for a little while, but this latest surge had me looking for ownership numbers and would you look at that – rostered in less than 25-percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo. Hard to imagine your middle infielder is hitting better than .356 with four home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases over the last two weeks. It’s always about striking while the iron is hot and no one is as hot as Neto is right now. Get him into that lineup if you can. FAAB: 6-8%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants

Speaking of striking while the iron is hot, guess who’s waking back up at the plate! Conforto can be streaky, but if you’re looking for a cheap source of power and RBI, he is certainly capable of delivering, even if it’s for a week or two. Over the last 14 days, Conforto is batting a robust .368 with two home runs and 10 RBI. He’s going to sit in the Giants lineup every day and hit near the top part of the order so get that quick boost while you can. FAAB: 6-8%

Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners

He’s cooled off at the plate, batting just .122 over the last two weeks, but Robles has also swiped four bases and continues to play every day in Seattle. The move has been great for him and while yes, the batting average struggles will likely persist, he is a great source for steals this late in the season. See if you can squeeze out some speed before the September call-ups arrive and if the batting average is too tough to take, swap him out. FAAB: 3-5%

Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers

If Carpenter is still available in your league, he’s also a nice, cheap source of power. He’s been heating up at the plate lately, batting .312 with three home runs and five RBI over the last two weeks and should continue to produce at a decent level. Nothing eye-popping, but if you’re trying to climb the standings in home runs and RBI, he’s going to offer you some help. FAAB: 2-4%

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants

It was a rough start to August for the 23-year-old southpaw, allowing six runs to the Reds at Great American, but he’s simmered down nicely with a pair of solid outings against the Nationals and the Braves. The 13:3 K:BB over his last 13.1 innings is also helpful should you be in need of some strikeout help as well. He’s a two-start pitcher next week, squaring off against the hapless White Sox and the strikeout-prone Mariners, so add him for the week if you can. FAAB: 8-10%

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros

Despite a little Friday night stumble on the southside of Chicago, Arrighetti is definitely someone to own if you’re looking to boost your strikeout total. Over his last four starts, Arrighetti has 38 strikeouts with two double-digit efforts against the Red Sox and Rays. You can’t expect him to be some shutdown guy as that’s just not his game, but if you can gain in your strikeouts category with a guy who won’t crush your ratios, then this might be the guy for you. FAAB: 6-8%

Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins

Maybe it was the solid debut against the Royals where he allowed just two runs over five innings with five strikeouts and no walks or maybe it’s because everyone wants to add a guy named Zebby. Either way, he’s going to be a popular add this week. He’s a two-start pitcher this week facing San Diego and St. Louis, so while I don’t expect six shutout innings each start, the numbers should be fairly solid. If he can throw strikes like he did in his debut, then this should be a worthwhile add. FAAB: 5-7%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Closers/Relief Pitchers

As always, I urge you to check out our Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid as well as the Bullpen Report from Joe Gallina. He routinely updates the grid to catch the latest news and trends and every week, he shares his insights to help get you the saves and holds you need. With the information he provides, along with a quick study of what everyone is paying for saves in your league, you should be all set.