Waiver Wire Week 25: I Put Mayo On Everything

If you’ve reached this point of the season, you know what the stakes are. Pretty much everybody reading this is in contention for their fantasy championship, and it’s essentially a two-week season at this point. That means draft stock and past statistics really don’t matter. It’s all about getting these players right for the final 10-15 games, with many starters only making 2-3 starts. I’d even say that any pitcher outside the Top-10 is droppable if they have two tough matchups. That’s a difficult thing to do, but making those cuts and capitalizing on the waiver wire can be the difference in one of these final weeks. With that in mind, let’s take a look at this week’s waiver wire!

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 9/10. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!

Also, check out my Streamers article dropping tomorrow. 

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Shea Langeliers (ATH, 66% Rostership) – This is a name I never expected to see in a waiver wire article. In any case, most managers dropped Langeliers after he had “season-ending” surgery, but it sounds like the All-Star is pushing to return for the final two weeks. I’m not sure that’s wise, but Langeliers needs to be rostered in every league if he’s healthy. We’re talking about a guy who has a .271 AVG and .847 OPS since the start of last season. He just started his rehab assignment and might be ready to return next week!

% of Recommended FAAB: 5-10%

QUICK HITS: Mickey Gasper (BOS, 30% Rostership), Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 39% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Kyle Teel (CWS, 6% Rostership) – Teel was also on the IL for a lengthy period, but he just returned to Chicago’s lineup. This key piece to the Garrett Crochet trade has done nothing but produce throughout his career, collecting a .351 OBP and .753 OPS. He’s done that despite numerous injuries and struggles this season, so don’t overlook Teel finishing strong in deeper formats. In addition, we love that Teel has homered in two of his last four fixtures!

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Moises Ballesteros (LAA, 4% Rostership), Leo Bernal (STL, 2% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Tommy Edman (2B/3B, LAD, 41% Rostership) – Edman has been a fantasy-relevant player in the past, and he’s quietly been one of LA’s most valuable players this season. This utility man has been hitting leadoff since the Shohei Ohtani injury, and there aren’t many better lineup spots in baseball with numerous All-Stars behind him. Edman has earned that spot by sporting a .266 AVG and .744 OPS this season while providing a .297 AVG and .796 OPS over his last nine outings.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: TJ Rumfield (1B, COL, 39% Rostership), Zack Gelof (2B/3B, ATH, 54% Rostership), Kody Clemens (2B/3B, MIN, 47% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Coby Mayo (1B/3B, BAL, 17% Rostership) – I actually don’t even like mayonnaise, but I’ll put this Mayo in my sandwich. Coby was once one of the top prospects in baseball, and he’s showing some of that promise right now. Mayo has a career-high 22 homers while maintaining a .278 AVG and .928 OPS across his last 27 outings. That sort of run has moved Mayo up in this lineup, batting either third or fourth over the last few weeks. It’s easy to see why people are sleeping on this guy, but he has post-hype sleeper written all over him.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Jake Burger Hah! (TEX, 1B, 23% Rostership), Travis Bazzana (CLE, 2B, 22% Rostership), Bryce Eldridge (SF, 1B, 24% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ryan O’Hearn (PIT, 39% Rostership) – Bless this man and his Sydney Sweeney wife. O’Hearn has almost as much game on the field as off, providing a breakout campaign in his debut season with Pittsburgh. This outfielder is expected to come off the IL over the next week, tallying a .276 AVG and .788 OPS over the last four seasons. That sustained success is a bit of a surprise, but rejoining one of the hottest teams should keep him headed in the right direction over these final two weeks. We also love O’Hearn’s schedule because he’s projected to face almost all right-handers in the closing games of the season.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Spencer Jones (NYY, 30% Rostership), Joshua Baez (STL, 45% Rostership), Jakob Marsee (MIA, 46% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Cole Carrigg (COL, 14% Rostership) – The Rockies are always a great team to target on the waiver wire when they have a full week of home games. That’s just what we have here, with Colorado projected to score at least five runs in every game at Coors Field. That benefits all of these bats, especially Carrigg. He’s been hitting second or fifth for the Rockies, registering a .262 AVG and .783 OPS throughout his rookie campaign. His home splits are also superb, totaling a .370 OBP and .874 OPS there.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Henry Bolte (ATH, 28% Rostership), Dominic Canzone (SEA, 22% Rostership), Jonah Cox (SF, 9% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jack Flaherty (DET, 58% Rostership) – We have a theme in this article. It’s players coming off the IL for these closing weeks, and Flaherty is another one of them. The season-long statistics are nothing special, but this guy was finding something before the injury. Flaherty had a 2.97 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate in eight starts before that injury. That’s on par with the guy we saw in St. Louis, and it looks like Flaherty should be back for 2-3 starts to close the season.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

Emmet Sheehan (LAD, 50% Rostership) – Sheehan was the apple of many fantasy experts’ eyes in the preseason, but that ended up being a poor decision. In any case, this guy has all the talent in the world, amassing a 2.82 ERA and 0.97 WHIP last season. That’s the guy we saw in Sheehan’s return, striking out 10 batters across 5.2 one-run innings against Cincy. Dave Roberts also said Sheehan should stay in the rotation, and someone with this sort of ability shouldn’t be sitting on any waiver wire.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Walker Buehler (SD, 31% Rostership), Shane Baz (BAL, 57% Rostership), Griffin Jax (TB, 37% Rostership), Corbin Burnes (ARI, 37% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Dustin May (MIL, 25% Rostership) – It’s been a strange season for May, but he’s shown too many flashes to be sitting on any waiver wire. Despite struggling in his first two starts, May had a 2.54 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across his next 12 starts. That sort of run is sensational, and it’s the reason Milwaukee traded for him at the deadline. That is the ideal landing spot for any pitcher right now with the way they’ve developed pitching, and he’s allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last eight starts.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

Sean Manaea (NYM, 21% Rostership) – Manaea is actually pretty similar to May, mixing elite stretches with rough ones. This lefty is in the middle of a rough stretch, but we still trust him in Citi Field. It looks like this southpaw will have two starts there this week, which is the best pitcher’s park in baseball. This is a southpaw who had a 3.48 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 rate between May 1 and August 14, which is close to what we saw just two years ago.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Yusei Kikuchi (LAA, 13% Rostership), Quinn Mathews (STL, 10% Rostership), Gage Jump (ATH, 15% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Kodai Senga (NYM, 27% Rostership) – It’s funny that Senga is the Mets closer, but he’s been effective in this newfound role. He’s taken over for Devin Williams, recording seven saves over his last 12 outings. His forkball has also looked much more effective, producing a 2.03 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate since August 1.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Mason Montgomery (PIT, 36% Rostership), Yoendrys Gomez (MIN, 37% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Jordan Romano (COL, 18% Rostership) – This is disgusting, but saves are saves. The Rockies made Romano their closer for some reason, and he’s been somewhat effective in this role. Romano has 11 saves over his last 20 appearances while posting a 2.89 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in that span. It’s probably not real, but it doesn’t really matter with only two weeks remaining.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Hogan Harris (ATH, 19% Rostership), Jackson Jobe (DET, 17% Rostership)