Waiver Wire Week 5: Boogie Nights

We’re about a month into the season, and now’s the time to make some moves. I have seen some bizarre drops across many of my leagues, and it’s amazing to watch how every waiver wire plays out differently. You might not know this about me, but I play in over 30 leagues. All of those leagues are different sizes, so it really helps me gauge who to pick up in certain types of leagues.  With that said, there are plenty of options on the waiver wire, so let’s get started by discussing the catchers.

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 4/17. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

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

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Dillon Dingler (DET, 42% Rostership) – I can’t be the only person who sees this name and thinks of Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights. That’s one of my favorite films, and this catcher has been swinging his stick around like Diggler in the opening weeks. He’s been Detroit’s cleanup hitter over the last week, collecting a .367 OBP and .933 OPS so far this season. We’re talking about a guy who had a .369 OBP and .884 OPS between 2023 and 2024 at the minors, so this breakout is no surprise. We also love that he has a seven-game week, and we’ll talk about that more later on!

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Carter Jensen (KC, 36% Rostership), Francisco Alvarez (NYM, 43% Rostership), Samuel Basallo (BAL, 26% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Gary Sanchez (MIL, 4% Rostership) – I can’t believe we’re in 2025 and recommending Gary Sanchez as a waiver wire pickup, but here we are! This former stud prospect for the Yankees has been absent from fantasy relevance for years, but something has changed this year with the Brewers. Sanchez has been hitting cleanup for this shorthanded lineup, posting his best averages since 2019. Sanchez has a .395 OBP, .733 SLG and 1.128 OPS so far this season. That’s absurd from the catcher position, and they really can’t keep him out of the lineup with so many key players injured.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 18% Rostership), JT Realmuto (PHI, 21% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Xander Bogaerts (SS, SD, 38% Rostership) – The youngsters might not realize it, but Bogaerts was a fantasy stud not long ago. An abrasive contract has people forgetting that, but Bogaerts has a .297 AVG, .367 OBP and .830 OPS between 2015 and 2023. He did that while regularly flirting with 20-15 seasons, so the resurgence is far from shocking. Bogaerts has a hit in eight of his last nine outings while generating a .284 AVG and .790 OPS this season. That looks even better when examining this week’s schedule because Bogaerts has a series in Coors and he has the highest OPS against the Rockies among all active players (1.091 OPS).

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Jose Caballero (2B/SS/3B, NYY, 58% Rostership), Josh Bell (1B, MIN, 37% Rostership), Colt Keith (1B/2B/3B, DET, 30% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Ildemaro Vargas (1B/2B, ARI, 6% Rostership) – This guy’s Statcast page is truly absurd. His .399 xwOBA, .372 xBA and .524 xSLG are some of the best in the game. The expected numbers aren’t even too drastic when examining the real statistics, with Vargas amassing a .383 AVG and 1.068 OPS so far this season. Those types of statistics are tough to argue with, and it’s actually forced Arizona to stick him into the leadoff spot just this week. A three-game set against a woeful White Sox rotation should keep him headed in the right direction, especially since he has a 12-game hitting streak through 12 games this year.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Sam Antonacci (CWS, 2B/3B, 11% Rostership), Eduardo Julien (COL, 1B, 2B, 4% Rostership), Dominic Smith (ATL, 1B, 8% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Kerry Carpenter (DET, 51% Rostership) – Carpenter was drafted in nearly every league, but he’s sitting on numerous waiver wires after a slow start. The good news is that this is the week for Carpenter to bounce back. The Motor City Kitties have seven games this week, and six of them are against right-handers. That’s the calling card for Carp, compiling a .269 AVG and .866 OPS against righties over the last three years. He always hits in the heart of their lineup in those circumstances, too, which is encouraging since he’s homered in three of his last nine outings.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Daulton Varsho (TOR, 44% Rostership), Adolis Garcia (PHI, 41% Rostership), Trent Grisham (NYY, 44% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Gavin Sheets (SD, 4% Rostership) – The Padres have a series in Coors Field this week, so the run tally should be high by the end of it. Sheets actually shredded the Rockies just last week, homering twice while posting a 1.154 OPS in that series. That power stroke has been rolling for weeks, though, tallying a .300 AVG, .625 SLG and .958 OPS across his last 11 games. The best part about this is that every opposing pitcher is a right-hander, with Sheets batting fifth in those circumstances while posting a .824 OPS against them.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Luke Raley (SEA, 19% Rostership), Jake Bauers (MIL, 17 % Rostership), Jesus Sanchez (TOR, 4% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Reid Detmers (LAA, 30% Rostership) – Man, this feels like it’ll come back to bite us, but Detmers is a must-add off every waiver wire right now. This southpaw has always showcased some nasty stuff, but some blow-ups have kept him from being fantasy relevant. That’s all changed through the opening month, with Detmers totaling a 3,57 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 rate. We’ve seen four-start stretches like that in the past, but his new-look arsenal has us encouraged for the remainder of the season. A road matchup in KC doesn’t worry us either because the Royals rank 27th in wOBA and 29th in runs scored.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

Spencer Arrighetti (HOU, 27% Rostership) – I had Arrighetti in my streamers article last week, and he’s a must-add off the waiver wire after an impressive debut. Arrighetti struck out 10 batters across six one-run innings in his first start of the year. That’s on par with what we saw in the minors, with Arrighetti accruing a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 12.6 K/9 rate. Those are small sample sizes, but this guy was a beast the last time we saw him healthy. Arrighetti accumulated a 3.08 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate over the final three months of 2024. He also has another favorable matchup, facing a Cleveland team that ranked 29th in wOBA last year.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Noah Schultz (CWS, 39% Rostership), Kodai Senga (NYM, 52% Rostership), Clay Holmes (NYM, 53% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Mick Abel (MIN, 20% Rostership) – It’s hard to believe Abel is only at 20 percent on Yahoo, but he’s one of the best adds off the waiver wire. This former top prospect has been showcasing that prowess recently, throwing 13 scoreless innings over his last two starts. He also struck out 16 batters across those 13 innings, despite facing the Tigers and Red Sox. That’s the guy we saw at Triple-A last season, tallying a 2.20 ERA and 1.11 WHIP while striking out 114 batters across 98.1 innings. This is a rare opportunity to pick up a pitcher who could be a stud a month from now, especially since he has two starts this week.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5-10%

Didier Fuentes (ATL,17% Rostership) – Fuentes has been getting scooped off the waiver wire in many of my leagues this week. Fantasy managers need to make that move before his inevitable promotion because he’s been incredible all season. He threw nine no-hit innings during spring training and has backed that with a 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate through three starts at Triple-A. The goal for Fuentes was to get his pitch count up, and we saw him surpass 80 pitches in his most recent start. It would be hard to imagine Atlanta keeps trotting out Jose Suarez and Martin Perez with a young stud like this ready to roll.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Nick Martinez (TB, 11% Rostership), Jorge Lopez (ATH, 5% Rostership), Brandon Sproat (MIL, 6% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Abner Uribe (MIL, 59% Rostership) – Trevor Megill has looked like a Rockies reliever recently, and it might force him out of the closer’s gig. Megill has two losses and one blown save while posting a 14.40 ERA and 2.20 WHIP across his last six appearances. That’s disastrous with a guy like Uribe pitching in a setup role, registering a 1.67 ERA and 1.04 WHIP last year. Milwaukee also went to Uribe for the save in their most recent opportunity, and he closed the door with a perfect inning. It’s no guarantee that this is Uribe’s gig, but pick him off the waiver wire because of Megill’s struggles.

% of Recommended FAAB: 10%

QUICK HITS: Steven Matz (TB, 41% Rostership), Seranthony Dominguez (CWS, 44% Rostership), Jakob Junis (TEX, 33% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Bryan Baker (TB, 18% Rostership) – I had Baker in this section last week, and it’s likely the last time he’ll be available on your waiver wire. The Rays have been looking for someone to fill the Pete Fairbanks void, and Baker has been the guy in the opening month. Baker has a 3.68 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through eight appearances this season. Most importantly, he has four saves over his last five outings. He also came in with a four-run lead before this stretch of saves, and it’d be hard to imagine anyone else in this pen getting chances unless Baker falters.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5-8%

QUICK HITS: Foster Griffin (WAS, 12% Rostership), Enyel De Los Santos (HOU, 3% Rostership)