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 you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Zac Veen (COL) – OF (Yahoo – 12%)
Not too many rookies are more exciting than Veen, who might be the most impactful call-up this season. Beyond the Coors Effect, he’s a special talent with five-category potential.
Much has been made of Veen’s history, but let’s say that when he was summoned to the Majors last season, he didn’t make the most of it. But he got the off-the-field help he needed, transformed himself physically and mentally, and has been a monster all season. Among his most notable improvements, Veen has lowered his K-rate to a solid 20.4% (he had a career average of 26%) and has 18 steals while being caught just twice. He’s also got great gap power and can be a solid points league contributor with an almost 11% Walk rate.
Veen’s got one weakness: he’s a sucker for the slider, which he swings at way too often and whiffs on 36% of the time. But if he can learn to lay off it, the sky’s the limit.
Griffin Conine (MIA) – OF (Yahoo – 20%)
You probably already know that Jeff Conine is Griffin’s father, who played on two of the Marlins’ World Series teams in ’97 and ’03. But you might not know that Griffin Conine’s OPS ranks third among qualified MLB hitters at .944. He’s knocked thirteen dingers in just 154 at-bats, and the metrics behind this prodigious power output are legit. He’s got a 92.5 mph Average Exit Velocity, an 18% Barrel rate, and 74-mph Bat Speed.
The downside to all that power is a lot of whiffs, and Conine certainly misses more than his share. It’s a major reason why he’s toiled in the minor leagues for so long (he’s already 29 years old). But he’s worked on improving this, and hits the ball hard enough that his .279 batting average is supported by a .278 xBA. According to other advanced metrics, he should be getting on base around 40% of the time.
With Kyle Stowers out again, Conine’s getting everyday reps at first base (he should gain eligibilty there before long), and is batting at the heart of the Miami lineup. If you’re looking for home runs in your lineup, look no further than the son of Mr. Marlin.
Cam Smith (HOU) – OF (Yahoo – 19%)
This week’s theme is power-hitting outfielders (and hard-throwing relievers, as you’ll see below). There’s almost no one who swings as hard as Smith, who has an eye-popping 77.4 mph bat speed. That’s in the 99th percentile, but like Jordan Walker did this season, Smith might want to slow things down just a tad—he’s over-swinging in a lot of cases and that leads to his 29% Whiff rate.
Cam was expected to make strides this season. The 14th pick in the 2024 draft, he made the team out of Spring Training last year with high expectations. While he hasn’t met those expectations yet, there are signs of a breakout brewing. Smith has recently snapped out of a slump (where he hit .143 in July and starting getting benched) and is playing the best baseball of his young career, hitting .412 in August with three homers and a 1.150 OPS. His performance has apparently earned him a starter’s role again and he could be an option if the two names above aren’t available.
Justin Martinez (ARZ) – RP (Yahoo – 8%)
One reason why the Diamondbacks designated Paul Sewald for assignment is the pending arrival of Martinez, who just started a rehab stint in AAA after a long absence due to Tommy John. Like some other pitchers before him, Martinez is showing an increase in velocity after going under the knife, touching 102 mph in his first outing.
While it was initially thought he’d need a couple of weeks in the minors to get his feel back, Martinez is looking good enough that Arizona could accelerate this timeline and bring him up during their current road trip.
He’s got an elite splitter that garnered a 54% Whiff rate back in 2024. The key will be whether he can control it—Martinez had an 18% Walk rate in 2025, which you can probably guess is terrible. But when he’s on, he’s unhittable, so it kind of balances out. I wouldn’t run to the waiver wire just yet, but if he looks good enough to get an accelerated call-up, he’s worth the flier. The Diamondbacks need a closer, and he’d instantly be the best arm in their ‘pen.
Ben Joyce (LAA) – RP (Yahoo – 7%)
Like Martinez, Joyce had to deal with a lengthy absence. It turns out throwing a five-ounce sphere 102+ is not very good for one’s elbow tendons (or in Joyce’s case, one’s labrum). But Joyce has now made four appearances since August 4th and looks spectacular. He’s struck out a batter per inning and only allowed one hit. More importantly, he’s walked just one as well.
Joyce pitched well enough in his first three appearances that he came in as the closer in his last outing, and pitched a clean frame to earn the Save. He should be considered the Angels’ closer going forward, though he might not work consecutive nights for a while.
For now, I would take Joyce over Martinez, but Martinez will be on a team with more save chances and has higher upside. Really, either will work.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Keider Montero should be getting more respect. In 128 innings this season, he is carrying a WHIP of 0.99 and a 3.22 ERA. There are fewer than a dozen other starters with a better WHIP. Sure, Montero doesn’t strike a lot of guys out (his 17.5% K-rate is 14th percentile). But he’s got great command, gets a lot of ground ball outs, and hitters are batting just .185 off his slider and .136 off the changeup. Both are devastating pitches with 30% Whiff rates (and suggest his strikeouts should climb).
Trent Grisham is also a hot name. After hitting 34 dingers last season, Grisham has failed to reproduce the magic in 2026—at least, until now. He’s got a .992 OPS in August with four homers on the month. He’s also got nine extra-base hits in his last 40 plate appearances. The Yankees like to lead him off when he’s clicking, so he should get lots of chances to both score and drive in runs. But the question will be how often he sits once New York’s injured players start coming back.
Walbert Ureña and Roki Sasaki round out the top five, and while both have been popular streamers all season, their ownership has also climbed steadily. Sasaki in particular has leveled up since the All-Star break, posting a 1.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He’s also cut his Walk rate considerably and is striking out more than a batter per inning. He should be a top-150 player next season.
Urena, at just 22 years old, is a gamer in his own right. He’s already over 100 innings (so you wonder a bit how long he’ll go), but batters have just a .299 xSLG against him and his season ERA is now under three. He throws a changeup a third of the time—and it’s absolutely devastating, with just a .159 BAA. If he leans on his sinker a little less and his fastball a little more, he’s a future ace.
ESPN
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for the complete breakdown on every start for the next few days. There are two pitchers to highlight.
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 7%) vs KCR
I might be playing with fire here, but Gray-Rod’s a former top prospect who’s had a lot of bad luck and untimely injuries. He’s too talented to have the stats that he does, and while the Orioles gave up on their first-round pick, I haven’t. Though he’s 0-2 this month, Rodriguez has shown strikeout stuff again with 20 K’s in his last 16 IP (compared with 7 K’s in the 15 innings previous). I think he’s starting to find his feel again, and the results will follow.
Randy Dobnak (KCR) – SP (Yahoo – 9%) @ LAA
I’m kind of surprised Dobnak’s ownership is this high given his 12.4% K-rate and .298 xBA, but he does have a 2.00 ERA after 36 innings pitched. Hitters aren’t missing anything he throws, but they’re not squaring the ball either. Dobnak’s getting barreled just 4% of the time, so while his other metrics are bluer than the Montana sky (meaning they’re very bad), he keeps the ball on the ground and doesn’t make mistakes. Expect regression ahead, but this is a good matchup and I think he keeps defying his projected stats for one more outing.
