Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Shane Bieber (TOR) – SP (Yahoo! – 56%)
Bieber is slated to make his Blue Jays debut this Friday. He’s been on the shelf since early last year, so this first start is sure to be shaky. But Toronto will want their Cy Young winner fully stretched out for the playoffs. Bieber is an elite arm when fully healthy. The question for him this season will be when he can return to form. His rehab results have been excellent, with a 1.86 ERA and 11.48 K/9 across 29 innings in the minors. He’ll face the Marlins later this week, and without Kyle Stowers, you could hardly ask for a better landing pad.
Bieber’s path towards success this season may be smoother than most rehabbing pitchers. He needs his command more than he needs stuff, and he’s shown that the command is there in his rehab. I’d still leave him on the IL for his first start, but he should be alright either way. Bieber was lights out to begin his short 2024 campaign. He threw 12 scoreless innings across two starts and racked up a 15.00 K/9. He’s a must-roster player if his debut looks anything like his 2024 numbers, and this will be your last chance to add him.
Jo Adell (LAA) – OF (Yahoo! – 35%)
Adell has been right on the cusp all season. He’s making great contact and generating tons of power. His 91.5 miles per hour average exit velocity is a career best, and it’s translated to a career high 26 home runs. The missing piece has been his plate discipline. His K% is at 25.8% on the season, and his BB% doesn’t make up for it at just 6.2%. Kyle Schwarber, the ideal high-power, high K% slugger, pairs his 27.3% K% with an elite (96th percentile) BB% of 14.7%. Adell will be a streaky hitter as long as he chases at this rate. His best month of the season came in July, when he batted .293 with 11 homers and seven walks. His power is there this month, with five homers, but his average is lagging at .193. I suspect that he’s on the upswing after a strong streak, batting .239 with four home runs in the last 14 days. He’s the type of player you want to catch just ahead of the surge, and now seems like the perfect moment.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Dustin May got a write-up in Kyle McCarthy’s column earlier this week. His results in Boston have been impressive after making some tweaks, but I’m still hesitant to buy all the way in.
Brady Singer has been excellent in August, and he kept it rolling last night against the Angels. He’s been too shaky this season for me to go all in, but he looks like a solid add for the time being.
Samuel Basallo was a priority add in Jeremy Heist’s article yesterday. He’s one of baseball’s top prospects, and the Orioles have finally let him off the leash. He’s started as the designated hitter and at catcher already, and the O’s have no reason to hold him back. Expect big things from him this year, and huge things in the years to come.
Nestor Cortes took the loss against the Giants yesterday. He should be better than this down the stretch, and is a solid add in deeper leagues. I wouldn’t rush after him in 10-team leagues.
Cade Horton was pulled from his start after running into issues with a blister. He may need to miss a turn or two through the rotation.
ESPN
Hurston Waldrep was a priority pick in Kyle McCarthy’s Waiver Wire Picks earlier this week. He’s changed his approach and achieved immediate results. He’s a priority add in leagues of all sizes, but I wouldn’t hold on too tightly if things go south.
Jacob Lopez is putting up a string of good results. He has a tough home ballpark, but he’s made it work so far. Like Waldrep, he’s not a must hold if things start falling apart.
Ernie Clement is a premium utility bat. He’s hitting well with a .281 average, but he’s been a bit worse since the All-Star break. He’s in a great lineup, but doesn’t have the power to shine as a fantasy bat.
Miguel Andujar is another surprising name shooting up the roster percentage charts. His tenure with the Reds has been excellent, with a 1.073 OPS in 13 games. He’s a good source of cheap power while he’s hitting. His OPS was only .765 in 60 games with the A’s this year, so take his current performance with a grain of salt.
Nolan McLean is an exciting pitcher fresh off his debut. He’s an elite prospect, and he has one great MLB start under his belt already. It’s safe to assume that he’ll have a blow-up start or two, but McLean is very much the type of arm you want to chase. Jeremy Heist wrote about him at greater length in yesterday’s waiver wire column
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for breakdowns and recommendations for every start.
Hurston Waldrep (ATL) – SP (Yahoo! – 45%)
Waldrep draws a start against the White Sox tomorrow, and you couldn’t ask for a better test of his new-and-improved pitch mix.
Speculative Adds
Ryan Weathers (MIA) – SP (Yahoo! – 5%)
Weathers should be starting a rehab assignment soon, putting him in line for a few starts in September. He pitched to a 3.28 ERA in five starts at the beginning of the year and is widely available. If you’re bound for the fantasy playoffs, now is the time to stash Weathers in an IL spot.
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