It’s time again for our weekly check-in on the fantasy baseball waiver wire. Last week, Cristian Javier and Tyler Chatwood were the bells of the ball, each registering FAAB bids north of 50%. On the offensive side, Colin Moran and Leury García brought in the highest bids for hitters, with both being over 40%. Remaining budgets are quickly being shaved down, but we will continue to see aggressive bids in this short season. If you’re spending 40% or more of your budget on a player, you better make sure that player is going to provide their worth. If not, it’s OK to place a competitive bid without having to overspend.

Closers continue to be a buzzsaw with each week having at least one person cropping up as the new closer on a team. We know the bidding process for closers is grueling and it isn’t a cheap market. This week is no different with the Angels manager Joe Maddon deeming their situation a committee, removing Hansel Robles from the closer role. Ty Buttrey has been given the save opportunities since. Rafael Montero is off the IL and has already secured two saves for the Rangers while looking magnificent. Prior to Montero’s IL stint, he was being discussed as a potential closer even before José Leclerc was injured. The Cardinals are also back to square one whenever they get the opportunity to play again... Kwang Hyun Kim was moved back into the rotation and Ryan Helsley was placed on the IL. Giovanny Gallegos, Andrew Miller and crew will be the next batch of options.

Schedule

Note: the amount of games played can change due to COVID-19. MLB has been shuffling the schedule around.

  • St. Louis beat reporter Derrick Goold tweeted the Cardinals “brace for additional positive tests, more missed games and the possibility they’ll be sidelined again until virus halts spread through team.”
  • The Cardinals missing games could impact the Pirates, Tigers and White Sox.

Five games

  • Blue Jays, Indians, Marlins, Yankees, Royals

Six games

  • A’s, Angels, Astros, Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Reds, Rockies, Twins, *White Sox

Seven games

  • Brewers, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Padres, *Pirates, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox

Eight games

  • *Cardinals, *Tigers

(*some games very up in the air given the Cardinals COVID-19 situation.)

Now on to the waiver wire advice for the week. Hitters and pitchers are broken into tiers based on their projected budget allocation for Sunday, Aug. 9. Budget allocation and ownership percentages come from the NFBC site. Players mentioned will have an NFBC ownership around 50% or lower.

15-team (sub-50% TGFBI ownership)

Coors Field hosted the San Francisco Giants last week with their offensive players being the flavor of the week. This week, we’re fortunate enough to have two teams visiting Colorado. The Diamondbacks get three games at the beginning of the week, with the Rangers traveling there for the weekend. Make sure to see which hitters on both teams are available as they will likely make for a viable streaming option. 

With the Cardinals’ schedule being in question you will need to act as if they are not playing this upcoming week. This also goes for their opponents (Pirates, Tigers, White Sox). Doing so will ensure your team of not having an empty roster spot if the Cardinals don’t end up playing this week. 

(Want in on everything FTN has to offer? Sign up now!)

Hitters

1-$9: Andrés Giménez, Brian Goodwin, Chadwick Tromp, Edwin Ríos, Jake Lamb, Jarrod Dyson, Jay Bruce, Joey Wendle, Luis Urías, Mitch Moreland, Nick Markakis, Tim Lopes, Tony Wolters, Yan Gomes
1-5%: Ben Gamel, Chris Owings, Jake Cronenworth, José Iglesias, Matt Kemp, Mike Ford, Nick Ahmed, Rio Ruiz, Rowdy Tellez, Ryan O'Hearn, Travis Shaw, Dylan Moore
6-9%: Monte Harrison, Todd Frazier 
16-19%: Mike Tauchman

Pitchers

1-$9: Andre Scrubb, Andrew Miller, Blake Treinen, Enoli Paredes, Felix Peña, Jalen Beeks, Jonathan Hernández, Josh Tomlin, Kris Bubic, Rafael Dolis, Tommy Milone, Yusmeiro Petit
1-5%: Alex Cobb, Asher Wojciechowski, Chad Kuhl, Eric Lauer, Patrick Sandoval, Rick Porcello, Trevor Williams
6-9%: Kyle Freeland, Framber Valdez
10-15%: Touki Toussaint, Ty Buttrey
30-35%: Rafael Montero

12-team (sub-50% NFBC RotoWire Online Championship ownership)

Hitters

1-$9: Adam Frazier, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Eric Thames, Jake Cronenworth, Jake Lamb, Jay Bruce, Jesse Winker, Joey Wendle, José Iglesias, Kevin Kiermaier, Kiké Hernández, Luis Urías, Monte Harrison, Nick Ahmed, Shed Long Jr., Stephen Piscotty, Tony Wolters, Dylan Moore
1-5%: Chris Owings, Ji-Man Choi, Matt Kemp, Mike Ford, Todd Frazier, Travis Shaw
6-9%: Dominic Smith
10-15%: Kole Calhoun, Mike Tauchman
20-25%: Jo Adell

Pitchers

1-$9: Alex Cobb, Elieser Hernandez, Emilio Pagán, Eric Lauer, Jalen Beeks, John Means, Julio Teheran 
1-5%: Asher Wojciechowski, Framber Valdez, Kyle Freeland, Marcus Stroman, Pablo López, Patrick Sandoval
6-9%: Touki Toussaint, Ty Buttrey, Tyler Mahle
20-25%: Rafael Montero 

Two-start pitchers

(Note the players marked with an asterisk whose games are in some heavy question coming into the week.)

Aaron Nola (vs. ATL, vs, NYM)
Alex Cobb (@PHI, vs. WAS)
Adrian Houser (vs. MIN, @CIN)
Dallas Keuchel (@DET, vs. STL)
Dinelson Lamet (@LAD, @AZ)
Dustin May (vs. SD, @LAA)
Dylan Bundy (vs. OAK, vs. LAD)
Elieser Hernandez (@TOR, vs. ATL)
Garrett Richards (@LAD, @AZ)
Jon Gray (vs. AZ, vs. TEX)
Josh Lindblom (vs. MIN, @CHC)
*JT Brubaker (@STL, @CIN)
Julio Teheran (vs. OAK, vs. LAD)
Kenta Maeda (@MIL, vs. KC)
Justin Dunn (@TEX, @HOU)
Kyle Gibson (vs. SEA, @COL)
Lance McCullers Jr. (vs. SF, vs. SEA)
Logan Webb (@HOU, vs. OAK)
Martín Pérez (vs. TB, @NYY)
Max Scherzer (@NYM, @BAL)
Nathan Eovaldi (vs. TB, @ NYY)
Patrick Corbin (@NYM, @BAL)
Randy Dobnak (@MIL, vs. KC)
Rick Porcello (vs. WAS, @PHI)
Robbie Ray (@COL, vs. SD)
Ross Stripling (vs. SD, @LAA)
Ryan Yarbrough (@BOS, @TOR)
Sean Manaea (vs. LAA, @SF)
Sean Newcomb (@PHI, @MIA)
Steven Matz (vs. WAS, @PHI)
Tyler Mahle (vs. KC, vs. PIT)
*Trevor Williams (@STL, @CIN) 
Yu Darvish (@CLE, vs. MIL)
Zach Eflin (vs. BAL, vs. NYM)
Zack Wheeler (vs. BAL, vs. NYM)

This week will bring in bids above 30% as there are closer options available. With Giancarlo Stanton likely headed to the IL (hamstring), the Yankees have more playing time available. Mike Tauchman has recently been starting even with Stanton in the lineup so he should continue to get more burn. Mike Ford is another candidate to get a boost. There are quite a few available two-step pitchers going this week but tread lightly as history indicates those starts can end up imploding on you.

Please feel free to tweet or DM me on Twitter (@_mattywood_) if you ever have any questions about the current FAAB week or any specific player. 

Closers continue to be a buzzsaw with each week having at least one person cropping up as the new closer on a team. We know the bidding process for closers is grueling and it isn’t a cheap market. This week is no different with the Angels manager Joe Maddon deeming their situation a committee, removing Hansel Robles from the closer role. Ty Buttrey has been given the save opportunities since. Rafael Montero is off the IL and has already secured two saves for the Rangers while looking magnificent. Prior to Montero’s IL stint, he was being discussed as a potential closer even before José Leclerc was injured. The Cardinals are also back to square one whenever they get the opportunity to play again... Kwang Hyun Kim was moved back into the rotation and Ryan Helsley was placed on the IL. Giovanny Gallegos, Andrew Miller and crew will be the next batch of options.

Schedule

Note: the amount of games played can change due to COVID-19. MLB has been shuffling the schedule around.

  • St. Louis beat reporter Derrick Goold tweeted the Cardinals “brace for additional positive tests, more missed games and the possibility they’ll be sidelined again until virus halts spread through team.”
  • The Cardinals missing games could impact the Pirates, Tigers and White Sox.

Five games

  • Blue Jays, Indians, Marlins, Yankees, Royals

Six games

  • A’s, Angels, Astros, Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Reds, Rockies, Twins, *White Sox

Seven games

  • Brewers, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Padres, *Pirates, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox

Eight games

  • *Cardinals, *Tigers

(*some games very up in the air given the Cardinals COVID-19 situation.)

Now on to the waiver wire advice for the week. Hitters and pitchers are broken into tiers based on their projected budget allocation for Sunday, Aug. 9. Budget allocation and ownership percentages come from the NFBC site. Players mentioned will have an NFBC ownership around 50% or lower.

15-team (sub-50% TGFBI ownership)

Coors Field hosted the San Francisco Giants last week with their offensive players being the flavor of the week. This week, we’re fortunate enough to have two teams visiting Colorado. The Diamondbacks get three games at the beginning of the week, with the Rangers traveling there for the weekend. Make sure to see which hitters on both teams are available as they will likely make for a viable streaming option. 

With the Cardinals’ schedule being in question you will need to act as if they are not playing this upcoming week. This also goes for their opponents (Pirates, Tigers, White Sox). Doing so will ensure your team of not having an empty roster spot if the Cardinals don’t end up playing this week. 

(Want in on everything FTN has to offer? Sign up now!)

Hitters

1-$9: Andrés Giménez, Brian Goodwin, Chadwick Tromp, Edwin Ríos, Jake Lamb, Jarrod Dyson, Jay Bruce, Joey Wendle, Luis Urías, Mitch Moreland, Nick Markakis, Tim Lopes, Tony Wolters, Yan Gomes
1-5%: Ben Gamel, Chris Owings, Jake Cronenworth, José Iglesias, Matt Kemp, Mike Ford, Nick Ahmed, Rio Ruiz, Rowdy Tellez, Ryan O'Hearn, Travis Shaw, Dylan Moore
6-9%: Monte Harrison, Todd Frazier 
16-19%: Mike Tauchman

Pitchers

1-$9: Andre Scrubb, Andrew Miller, Blake Treinen, Enoli Paredes, Felix Peña, Jalen Beeks, Jonathan Hernández, Josh Tomlin, Kris Bubic, Rafael Dolis, Tommy Milone, Yusmeiro Petit
1-5%: Alex Cobb, Asher Wojciechowski, Chad Kuhl, Eric Lauer, Patrick Sandoval, Rick Porcello, Trevor Williams
6-9%: Kyle Freeland, Framber Valdez
10-15%: Touki Toussaint, Ty Buttrey
30-35%: Rafael Montero

12-team (sub-50% NFBC RotoWire Online Championship ownership)

Hitters

1-$9: Adam Frazier, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Eric Thames, Jake Cronenworth, Jake Lamb, Jay Bruce, Jesse Winker, Joey Wendle, José Iglesias, Kevin Kiermaier, Kiké Hernández, Luis Urías, Monte Harrison, Nick Ahmed, Shed Long Jr., Stephen Piscotty, Tony Wolters, Dylan Moore
1-5%: Chris Owings, Ji-Man Choi, Matt Kemp, Mike Ford, Todd Frazier, Travis Shaw
6-9%: Dominic Smith
10-15%: Kole Calhoun, Mike Tauchman
20-25%: Jo Adell

Pitchers

1-$9: Alex Cobb, Elieser Hernandez, Emilio Pagán, Eric Lauer, Jalen Beeks, John Means, Julio Teheran 
1-5%: Asher Wojciechowski, Framber Valdez, Kyle Freeland, Marcus Stroman, Pablo López, Patrick Sandoval
6-9%: Touki Toussaint, Ty Buttrey, Tyler Mahle
20-25%: Rafael Montero 

Two-start pitchers

(Note the players marked with an asterisk whose games are in some heavy question coming into the week.)

Aaron Nola (vs. ATL, vs, NYM)
Alex Cobb (@PHI, vs. WAS)
Adrian Houser (vs. MIN, @CIN)
Dallas Keuchel (@DET, vs. STL)
Dinelson Lamet (@LAD, @AZ)
Dustin May (vs. SD, @LAA)
Dylan Bundy (vs. OAK, vs. LAD)
Elieser Hernandez (@TOR, vs. ATL)
Garrett Richards (@LAD, @AZ)
Jon Gray (vs. AZ, vs. TEX)
Josh Lindblom (vs. MIN, @CHC)
*JT Brubaker (@STL, @CIN)
Julio Teheran (vs. OAK, vs. LAD)
Kenta Maeda (@MIL, vs. KC)
Justin Dunn (@TEX, @HOU)
Kyle Gibson (vs. SEA, @COL)
Lance McCullers Jr. (vs. SF, vs. SEA)
Logan Webb (@HOU, vs. OAK)
Martín Pérez (vs. TB, @NYY)
Max Scherzer (@NYM, @BAL)
Nathan Eovaldi (vs. TB, @ NYY)
Patrick Corbin (@NYM, @BAL)
Randy Dobnak (@MIL, vs. KC)
Rick Porcello (vs. WAS, @PHI)
Robbie Ray (@COL, vs. SD)
Ross Stripling (vs. SD, @LAA)
Ryan Yarbrough (@BOS, @TOR)
Sean Manaea (vs. LAA, @SF)
Sean Newcomb (@PHI, @MIA)
Steven Matz (vs. WAS, @PHI)
Tyler Mahle (vs. KC, vs. PIT)
*Trevor Williams (@STL, @CIN) 
Yu Darvish (@CLE, vs. MIL)
Zach Eflin (vs. BAL, vs. NYM)
Zack Wheeler (vs. BAL, vs. NYM)

This week will bring in bids above 30% as there are closer options available. With Giancarlo Stanton likely headed to the IL (hamstring), the Yankees have more playing time available. Mike Tauchman has recently been starting even with Stanton in the lineup so he should continue to get more burn. Mike Ford is another candidate to get a boost. There are quite a few available two-step pitchers going this week but tread lightly as history indicates those starts can end up imploding on you.

Please feel free to tweet or DM me on Twitter (@_mattywood_) if you ever have any questions about the current FAAB week or any specific player.