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
Ryan Weathers (MIA) – SP (Yahoo – 32%)
I don’t know how the Marlins do it, but they’ve done it again. Weathers continued his strong start to the season with a no-decision against the Padres, bringing his ERA to 1.15 and his K:BB to 15:4. This was his third start after missing the beginning of the season with a forearm injury. It’s no easy feat to handle the 2025 Chicago Cubs in back-to-back starts, but Weathers did exactly that to start his year. He’s throwing his fastball at 97.7 mph with a strong change-up and sweeper to back it up. He’s missing bats and displaying stellar control with a 2.7% BB%.
His fastball and control are the stars of the show, but his secondaries have been better than advertised. The whiff% on the changeup is 28% and 30.8% on the sweeper. The whole package is compelling, and he’s still getting stretched out. It’s a bummer that he’s on the 21-win Marlins, but he’s a complete pitcher and we’re just seeing the start of the breakout.
Chandler Simpson (TBR) – OF (Yahoo – 31%)
Simpson must have been genetically engineered to be the perfect steals-only player, with 99th percentile speed, 94th percentile K%, 1st percentile average exit velocity. He hardly walks, but gets on base with a .295 average and swipes a bag every other game. This speed-first profile doesn’t always work, but he’s contributing RBIs and runs as a part of a solid Rays lineup. He has just four walks to 32 hits, which helps bolster his RBI count. He has one home run in his hundreds of games in the minors, so don’t expect anything in the power department — but he has the tools to be a strong contributor in the other four categories. He’s the perfect solution to balance out a low-average, high-power roster.
Gavin Sheets (SDP) – 1B, OF (Yahoo – 30%)
Sheets has played over 100 games per season since 2022 and is entering his age-29 season, and it seems he’s finally breaking out. He hasn’t had a single season with a wRC+ above 100 until this year, where he’s brought it up to 136. He’s already hit ten home runs, rapidly closing in on his best of 15. His average exit velocity is way up to 92 mph, from 87.8 last year. His .283 average is sure to fall as his 27.2% K% catches up to him, but his power is legit.
Nick Kurtz (ATH) – 1B (Yahoo – 25%)
Kurtz was in the stratosphere last week, going 7 for 21 with four home runs and nine RBIs. He spent the first few weeks of the year similarly demolishing AAA, and I’d expect him to have plenty more weeks just like this. His 33.3% K% is a concern, but he showed a much better approach in the minors. He’s day-to-day with a hip injury, but it doesn’t sound too serious yet. He’s one of the more well-rounded rookie bats and should become less and less streaky as he settles in, all while providing elite power. EDIT: He hit the 10-day IL this morning, but I’m still holding. If he gets dropped in your league and you have the IL space, go after him.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo
Jameson Taillon and Ryan Yarbrough topped yesterday’s list of the most-added players on Yahoo. Both were streamers with good matchups against the Rockies and Angels, and both handled their business. Taillon is the more interesting of the two, but neither is a must-add player. Randy Vásquez was a less successful stream, lasting six innings and giving up four earned runs against the Marlins. He’s an okay choice for innings, and could work for wins if you’re lucky. Brandon Lowe is having his yearly power binge and should be rostered in most leagues. He’s the quintessential high-K% power hitter as long as he’s healthy. Gavin Sheets is in a similar mold and got a full write-up above.
ESPN
Poor Logan Henderson was optioned back to AAA after a string of great starts so the Brewers could bolster their bullpen. He’ll be back soon enough, and I’m holding him on my bench until then. Taylor Ward is one of the few bright spots in the Angels’ lineup and is performing like a premium power bat. He’s up to 85% rostered on Yahoo, and he’ll be at a similar percentage here before long. Will Warren is racking up strikeouts and whiffs and has the Yankees’ bats backing him up. He looks like a legitimate breakout. Taillon was mentioned above and is a solid streamer. Chase Meidroth is an interesting one in Chicago. He has a great plate approach and has swiped eight bags. There’s a risk that he winds up as an empty average bat in a subpar lineup, but he’s contributing right now and could be a Steven Kwan–type.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for breakdowns and recommendations for every start.
Jackson Jobe (DET) – SP (Yahoo: 42%)
Jobe is my streamer pick of the week. He’s had a great May, except for his start at Coors, which is weighing heavily on his ERA. I named Jobe as a priority add last week, and I have a good feeling that he’ll impress in this one.
Speculative Adds
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – SP (Yahoo – 0%)
Ashcraft had a strong 2024 in the upper minors with a 2.84 ERA and 9.49 K/9. He had several stints on the IL to close the year and has struggled to open his 2025 campaign — his ERA on the year sits at 5.03. The Pirates gave him the call yesterday, presumably to help fill out the bullpen. I’d expect them to stretch him out in the majors and eventually slot him into the back half of the rotation. There’s no rush on him in most leagues, but he’s an interesting speculative add in NL-only or super deep leagues.
