Each week, we’ll look at a handful of players who fantasy managers should consider picking up in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Many of these players will have the most value in larger leagues where waiver wire options aren’t as plentiful. Still, they could also occasionally be useful additions in other, more standard-sized leagues, depending on your options at each position.
All roster percentages mentioned in this column are via FantasyPros as of Friday afternoon.
Johan Oviedo – 9%
Oviedo has made an instant impact for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, pitching out of the rotation. The 27-year-old has made six starts at the major league level so far in 2025, throwing 25.2 innings and pitching to a 2.81 ERA and a 3.77 FIP so far for the National League Central club.
And while Oviedo has struggled with walks so far, sporting a 13.0% walk rate, he’s been excellent both at limiting loud contact and missing bats. Opponents have managed just a 3.2% barrel rate and a 34.9% hard-hit rate against the right-hander so far. Elsewhere, the former St. Louis Cardinals hurler has registered a 26.9% strikeout rate and a 32.2% whiff rate this season.
It’s been an extremely encouraging stretch of starts dating back to early August for the right-hander, and while he’s not scheduled to pitch in the Pirates’ series against the Washington Nationals, Oviedo is worth a look as a rest-of-season option in leagues with 14 or more teams, even with a fairly challenging slate of starts. Assuming Pittsburgh’s rotation continues as is without any interruptions, Oviedo will make his next three starts at home against the Chicago Cubs, on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, and on the road in Atlanta.
Still, in deeper leagues with fewer quality pitching options available, he’s very much worth a look for fantasy managers, particularly if the strikeouts and general bat missing metrics continue at this rate.
Tanner Gordon – 1%
Tanner Gordon has struggled at times this season, pitching to a 6.60 ERA and a 4.63 FIP in 60 innings and 12 starts for the Colorado Rockies, posting just a 16.9% strikeout rate compared to a 5.5% walk rate.
However, Gordon’s run-prevention numbers being so high are at least in part due to a three-start stretch spanning late July and early August in which he allowed 23 earned runs in a 10.1 total innings from July 29 through August 10.
And while Gordon likely isn’t a long-term option the rest of the way, he could be worth a look as a streaming option in fantasy leagues with 16 or more teams for his next start against the Marlins. Miami has been more middle of the pack in runs scored in the second half, ranking behind 15 teams in runs scored during that span as of the start of play on Friday, but Gordon has mostly been much more effective as of late following those aforementioned three starts.
He allowed six earned runs in his last start on September 7, but before that, he allowed three or fewer earned runs in four consecutive outings from August 15 to August 31, limiting the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros (on the road), Los Angeles Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks to just seven combined earned runs in 23 innings. All of those teams but Houston rank in the top 10 in runs scored in the league this season.
Victor Vodnik – 9%
Sticking with the Colorado Rockies, right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik could be a solid addition for fantasy managers looking to improve their saves production over the season’s final days and weeks.
Vodnik has pitched to a 2.98 ERA and a 3.81 FIP in 46 relief appearances and 45.1 innings pitched for the Rockies this year, sporting a 23.2% strikeout rate and an 11.6% walk rate while allowing 0.79 home runs per nine innings.
The 25-year-old has also accumulated seven saves, four pitcher wins, and seven holds for Colorado in 2025. Perhaps most crucially for fantasy managers, he has all of the Rockies’ last five saves.
It’s more a question of when the saves will come moving forward. Just one of those saves has come since August 17, and the Rockies have lost six in a row and 17 of the team’s last 20 games entering play on Friday. Furthermore, six of the team’s 15 final games come against likely playoff teams in the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.
Still, Vodnik is doing enough from a run-prevention standpoint to be a solid fantasy option even if he doesn’t register another save this year. The potential that he could log at least a handful of saves in Colorado’s final 15 games makes him a must-add in fantasy leagues with 14 or more teams.
Graphic by Carlos Leano.
