The 2026 baseball season is finally here! With that comes one of the most chaotic, frustrating, and opportunity-filled parts of fantasy baseball: the weekly Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) run. This is where leagues can quetly be won. Not just by identifying the right players, but by understanding when to act, how aggressively to act, and essentially trying to predict what your league mates are going to do and how they are going to behave when the bids start flying.
Each week my goal is simply to cut through the noise and give clear, actionable FAAB recommendations rooted in both player evaluation and strategy. Trying to balance your own behavior with the behavior of the rest of the league is the real key here. In a format where every dollar can matter, the difference between getting your favorite available option and missing out comes down to more than just what the numbers say. It’s just as much about your individual approach and process.
At the end of the day, this is unpredictable and much more nuanced than it is a solvable equation. When there are so many variables, it’s good to keep in mind what kind of person you are and what your own tendencies might be. We are all emotional human beings, and embracing that and harnessing it is much better than ignoring the reality of it. If it’s going to make your experience more enjoyable, always spend that extra dollar. Sticking to your gut can be difficult, but if you’re ever on the fence about adding a player, just ask yourself if you’ll be upset if you miss out on a specific player. That’s the time to maybe spend a little extra. Or if it’s a player where you can take it or leave it, spend more conservatively. It’s a much more actionable plan than something cut and dry, so having that self-awareness can give you an advantage here as well!
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help you decide who to target on the waiver wire, as well as how to prioritize who to add. The focus will mainly be on relevant players who are also widely available in all leagues, and will often include players I’ve spent my own FAAB dollars on. Every league is different, so players will not be given an exact dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Let’s spend some FAAB dollars!
Investment Rating System
This week, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants play a full seven-game slate while the 26 other squads are scheduled for just six contests, giving the Diamondbacks, Braves, Mets, and Giants hitters a slight edge when it comes to waiver acquisitions.
SEVEN GAMES: ARI, ATL, NYM, SFG
Batters
Outfielders
Chase DeLauter ($$$$): With DeLauter, it’s already become obvious he needs to be rostered and in your starting lineup as long as he’s on the field and healthy. It may seem early, but just viewing him as a good player seems like a good idea. If his spring didn’t impress you enough, where he homered three times and only struck out four times, he homered in three of his first six plate appearances. We can’t expect him to continue making it look so easy, but with his elite plate discipline and ability to impact the ball with authority, the only thing really stopping DeLauter from producing is his own health. He has an extensive injury history, but if he’s available in your league, it’s likely the best option. Hitting second right in front of Jose Ramirez is a great place for DeLauter to be in the lineup as well.
Justin Crawford ($$$): While it’s unfortunate for his volume that Crawford is batting ninth for the Philadelphia Phillies, it’s still encouraging that he’s playing every day, including against lefties. The hype for Crawford has surprisingly been a bit quiet, but maybe it’s just because of a quiet spring. There is real upside here, as Crawford hit 0.334 at Triple-A last season and stole 46 bases. Crawford also hits the ball hard enough that his skillset is valuable across all formats. His average exit velocity was 89.8, so he’s not just a slap hitter either.
Daylen Lile ($$$): Including Lile, it just happens to be the case that the most impactful options with your FAAB dollars are all outfielders. He ended last season with a lot of excitement surrounding him, because he hit 0.391 with six home runs and seven triples in September alone, yet he’s surprisingly still quite available in fantasy leagues. He should be rostered everywhere and may even be the safest Washington Nationals hitter to roster. He has a good profile and hits a lot of line drives, so as long as he keeps that up, he should continue to hit for a high average. He should also get a lot of RBI opportunities batting cleanup all year.
Infielders
Cole Young (2B – $): Cole Young was gaining a lot of hype after a massive spring training, but it’s definitely cooled off now that the season has started. Young is still a worthy speculative add, especially when you consider how shallow the second base position is. He’s still showing he struggles to make contact, even though the power is clearly there. It’s a profile that starts making you think he can do a pretty good Brandon Lowe impression, though. Not the most exciting comparison, but keep an eye on Young because any sort of power at his position is difficult to come by.
Jordan Lawlar (3B/OF – $$): Lawler is the classic example of a once hyped prospect being ignored once he finally gets his chance. If you hung onto your Lawler stock this whole time, more power to you. Being eligible at third base, Lawler is an intriguing option now that the Diamondbacks are finally giving him a shot. This is also a team that’s had a lot of success with their hitting prospects, so Lawler is worth the gamble when you consider the upside he has at a weak position in fantasy baseball.
Catchers/UT
Carter Jensen ($$$): There are a lot of great catcher options that we’re all excited about, but Jensen is one who seems to fly under the radar. It also looks like he’s going to get every day playing time, splitting between designated hitter and Catcher. If that trend continues, it’s an exciting development for Jensen to be a potential difference maker this season. His playing time will be worth monitoring, but if it continues, he needs to be rostered everywhere.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Brandon Sproat ($$$): Sproat is in a great position, pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers, with a winning ball club and good defense behind him. It makes Sproat a great breakout candidate, and he could be a real difference maker this year if he takes advantage of his opportunity. The fact that he also looked so good for the Brewers in spring training is promising as well. He’s the most widely available starter that you should prioritize the most.
Matthew Liberatore ($$): This is more of a streamer or matchups play, but even last year, Liberatore was productive for most of the first half of last season. He is probably one of the more boring starters to roster, but sometimes that’s exactly what we need. He was the Opening Day starter for the Cardinals, and being the ace of a staff that has that job security is important. He has a favorable schedule for the next few weeks, and then you can decide if you’d like to hang onto him or not.
Brandon Williamson ($$): A lot of the same points made about Liberatore apply to Williamson, except that there’s no real job security here. He’s getting a shot due to injuries to the Cincinnati Reds rotation, but in the short-term he’s a great streaming target. He also has a favorable schedule upcoming, so take advantage of that potential production. He’s also not a starter whose shown he will burn you too badly, either.
Relief Pitchers
Cole Sands ($$$): Since Sands picked up a save tonight for the Minnesota Twins, he deserves to be the prioritized reliever option here. While the Twins may not be very good this year, they still are in a weak division that should provide plenty of close games and save opportunities. Sands may not be the most dominant closer, but he’s plenty effective enough to be a useful closer for fantasy teams.
Paul Sewald ($$): If we had proof yet that Sewald is going to be the closer in Arizona, I’d recommend spending more in order to attain him. Since that hasn’t happened yet and the team hasn’t had a save opportunity in the ninth inning, I must be more conservative. If he is, in fact, their closer, he should have a productive season with a good amount of save opportunities.
