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! – 10%)
Weathers has been sidelined with a lat strain for three months and will make his first start back against the Nationals this Thursday. He’s looked great on his rehab assignment, hitting his usual upper 90’s velocity on the fastball and compiling a 2.00 ERA over 18.0 innings of work. He’ll draw a start in Coors next week and then face the Rangers. Before his injury, Weathers was on the warpath with a 3.28 ERA in five starts. He’s IL-eligible and just 10% rostered; he’s a no-brainer to stash now — even if you play it safe, benching him for his return.
Tyler Wells (BAL) – SP (Yahoo! – 3%)
Wells rejoined the Orioles earlier this month and handled the Padres in his debut. He faces the Pirates this week and should excel. Wells is returning from UCL surgery but has already built up to more or less a full workload. Wells is looking to pick up where he left off in his last full season in 2023, where he compiled a 3.64 ERA across 118 innings. He’ll close out the year against the White Sox and Rays, and you couldn’t ask for a better schedule.
Colson Montgomery (CWS) – 3B, SS (Yahoo! – 48%)
Montgomery has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month: he has 10 home runs and 22 runs and RBIs in that span. His season average sits at .230, but he’s the guy to get if you need power to close out your year.
Drew Gilbert (SFG) – OF (Yahoo! – 5%)
The Giants’ resident weird dude, Gilbert is on a solid hot streak with a .353 average and two home runs in the last 14 days. He’s got some power, a low K%, and enough speed to swipe a few bases. He’s not anything special for fantasy, but he’s hot at the right time and widely available.
Ha-Seong Kim (ATL) – 2B, SS (Yahoo! – 4%)
Kim is six for 20 (.300) with one home run as a Brave. He’s not that far removed from his excellent 2023, when he hit 17 homers and stole 38 bases with a .260 average. I think he’s a good bounce-back candidate next year, and who’s to say that his return to form won’t come a little early?
Jose A. Ferrer (WSN) – RP (Yahoo! – 33%)
Ferrer assumed the closer role for the Nationals in the wake of Kyle Finnegan’s departure. He’s excelled since, earning seven saves in the last month without giving up a run. He has a lock on the closer role and has two full months of lights-out pitching to hang his hat on.
JoJo Romero (STL) – RP (Yahoo! -32%)
Another closer winning the job after the trade deadline and running away with it. Romero has a longer track record than Ferrer, but hasn’t been quite as consistent.
Shawn Armstrong (TEX) – RP (Yahoo! – 19%)
Armstrong seems to have won the closing job for the Rangers. Chris Martin could still be in the mix, but Armstrong should get the bulk of the work. He has three saves in the last two weeks with a 1.29 ERA.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Daylen Lile turned things up after getting a slow start to the season. He put up a .635 OPS in the first half and holds an .877 OPS in the second. He hits for average more than power and brings some speed to the table as well. He’s tied for the fifth most triples this year (eight) with Shohei Ohtani and Mickey Moniak. I don’t know what to do with that information, but I felt the need to share. I don’t love this type of profile, but Lile looks like an acceptable option if you’re desperate for batting average.
A popular streaming pick today, Ryan Bergert fell to the Guardians in his first start of the week, giving up eight earned runs in 3.1 innings. He’s been playing well but has been punching above his weight. Unfortunately, the regression hit him hard in a playoff week. His next start is this Saturday against the Phillies, and I want no part of it.
Jose Quintana fared only a bit better than Bergert, making it 6.1 innings but giving up five earned runs to the Rangers. I fully expect him to bounce back against the Angels next Tuesday.
Bryce Elder fared much better than Bergert and Quintana. Elder earned the win and a quality start after holding the Cubs to one earned run over 6.1 innings. He racked up six strikeouts along the way. This was the fourth good start in a row from Elder, all against good teams. Still, I don’t think I can recommend his next start this Sunday against the Astros.
Cade Cavalli earned the win and not much else in yesterday’s start against the Marlins. He held them to two earned runs in five innings, but notched just one lonely strikeout. He lines up against the Pirates this Saturday if you’re looking to stream a cheap win.
ESPN
I knew Luis Morales would fall eventually, but I’m still sad to see it happen. He failed to make it out of the fifth inning against the Red Sox after giving up five earned runs. I’m running him out there against the Reds this weekend – he needs a chance to redeem himself after this one.
Nolan McLean is continuing his excellent debut. He went 5.1 innings against the Phillies last night, giving up just one earned run but taking the loss. He has another start this weekend at home against the Rangers, and he’s a must-start there.
Trent Grisham just hit the 30-homer mark on the back of his 10-home-run August. He’s having by far the best year of his career and I don’t see any reason to start doubting him now. I’m surprised he’s only 43% rostered.
Ryan Bergert fell to the Guardians in his first start of the week, giving up eight earned runs in 3.1 innings. He’s been playing well but has been punching above his weight. Unfortunately, the regression hit him hard in a playoff week. His next start is this Saturday against the Phillies, and I want no part of it.
Jeremiah Jackson started the year in Double-A and didn’t crack the Orioles’ top ten prospects list. He got the call to the majors in early August and got comfortable in a hurry — he has four homers and an .825 OPS in 32 games. He’s cooling off a bit, going two for his last 12, but he’s still a reasonable add if you need a hot bat.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for breakdowns and recommendations for every start.
Tyler Wells – SP (Yahoo! – 3%)
Wells has an excellent matchup against the Pirates tomorrow. He handled business against the Padres in his first game back from UCL surgery, and this looks like a no-brainer start. He has excellent matchups against the White Sox and Rays in his next few turns; he could be a great pickup down the stretch.
