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
Owen Caissie (MIA), OF (Yahoo Rostership 7%)
After finishing off a strong opening weekend with a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday afternoon, Owen Caissie felt like the perfect player to feature here. As a prospect with a strong pedigree who was the main player the Miami Marlins acquired in the Edward Cabrera deal, he’s more than worthy of the spotlight here.
As a player with strikeout issues in the minor leagues, Caissie remains intriguing for the fact he does possess a patient approach with good plate discipline. When that’s the case, I tend to worry much less about the strikeouts. It’s a profile that consistently has succeeded and kind of takes care of the strikeout issues on its own. He is an exciting player who hits the ball hard, and his rostership at only 7% on Yahoo is way too low.
Nolan Schanuel (LAA), 1B (Yahoo Rostership 19%)
It’s typically hard to get excited about a Los Angeles Angels player, but Nolan Schanuel is worth mentioning as a player to keep an eye on who could be on the rise. With an improved bat speed to start the season and a 0.313 average after four games in Houston, maybe he’s turning a corner. Since the Angels have a history of fast-tracking all of their players to the majors, maybe Schanuel is a prospect finally coming into his own. His ability to impact the ball has often left a lot to be desired, but if the bat speed holds, it’s an interesting development for that very reason.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
As highlighted in Nick’s SP Roundup from Saturday’s action, Randy Vasquez is an interesting speculative add option. He had a nice debut to the season against the Detroit Tigers, and has a favorable matchup hosting the Colorado Rockies upcoming in the future as well.
As long as Eric Lauer is making starts for the Toronto Blue Jays, he’s a worthy stream option himself. He pitched well today against a respectable Athletics lineup, and should be a great option for a potential win in his next start against the Chicago White Sox.
This is a pretty simple case where all of these are worthy pickups who have started off strong, including Chase DeLauter, Munetaka Murakami, JJ Wetherholt, and Luis Robert Jr. Jr. DeLauter and Wetherholt were two of my favorites going into the season, and the excitement has only grown after their hot start.
Just like DeLauter, Murakami has homered in each of his first three career regular season games, a feat that had only been accomplished before them by Trevor Story and Kyle Lewis. He has shown more potential than we had expected, so it could turn out to be the case that we were all simply wrong about him. Maybe a change of scenery was all Luis Robert Jr. needed, because he’s off to a scorching start for his new team, the New York Mets.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings, which he releases every day before any games have been played. It’s a great resource to use all season long. Check them all out here.
Max Scherzer (TOR), SP (Yahoo Rostership 12 %)
Mad Max is an easy choice here, since he gets a home date with the Colorado Rockies on Monday. In this spot, he’s a great bet to earn a win, and he’s still showing an ability to produce when he’s able to stay healthy. He’s widely available and primed to pitch well in the right matchups.
Brandon Williamson (CIN), SP (Yahoo Rostership 1%)
This may feel like deep sleeper territory at one percent rostered, but Brandon Williamson is my favorite streamer pick for the next few weeks. His upcoming schedule, in order, includes the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Miami Marlins on the road, and the Los Angeles Angels. While the Marlins are the more respectable offense of the three, it helps that it’s in Miami and not the Great American Ballpark. Those are all matchups I feel comfortable starting Williamson in.
Speculative Adds
Lucas Erceg (KCR), RP (Yahoo Rostership 12%)
After Carlos Estevez allowed six earned runs and the loss on Saturday, the first save opportunity since then went to Lucas Erceg on Sunday. He allowed one hit and struck out one while earning the save for the Kansas City Royals. A lot was made about the velocity drop in Spring for Estevez, and his outing did nothing to dispel those concerns. If you are needing saves, Erceg is a prime candidate to get saves regularly.
