Welcome to the first installment of Nate’s Fantasy Baseball weekly waiver wire article. Each week, he will present his must add players for the upcoming week. There will be no specific amount of one position each week, but at least one pitcher, one corner and middle infielder and one outfield will be included. To qualify for this series, players must be owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. This series will drop every Sunday night on our website (www.weknowfantasy.com.) In future weeks, we will highlight how our previous week's suggestions performed.
Please note that the percentages owned written below were pulled at the time of publication.
Week 1 Suggestions
Chris Taylor, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers - Owned in 36% of Yahoo and 23.3% of ESPN leagues - I love players that can play more than one position, especially if they are outfield eligible. Taylor has started two of the Dodgers’ first three games. We all know the Dodgers love to play with their lineups and have the firepower to change things day-in-and-day-out. What intrigues me about Taylor is his defensive versatility. Although we can’t be sure about the Dodgers’ lineup each game, Taylor’s ability to play across the diamond gives him more opportunities to be featured in arguably the best team in baseball. He has gone 4-for-8 with an RBI thus far. Anyone that’s a regular in the Dodgers’ lineup needs to be rostered in most leagues.
Brady Singer, SP, Kansas City Royals - Owned in 24% of Yahoo and 10.8% of ESPN leagues - Singer saw his first career start on Saturday where he went five innings, striking out seven Cleveland Indians and allowing just two earned runs. If Singer is to remain in the number two spot in the Royal’ rotation, he’ll see the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs in his next two outings. Playing central only teams is a little daunting, but Singer’s first outing against a quality Indians team has me positive he’s going to be a great option moving forward.
Austin Riley, OF, Atlanta Braves - Owned in 28% of Yahoo and 27.9% of ESPN leagues - Austin Riley has now started two of the Braves’ first three games at third-base, so eligibility for third-base will come in terms of fantasy options. He played left-field in his other start. On opening day, Riley belted a homer, but at the time of writing this article he’s just 2/9 on the season. Don’t worry, he carries plenty of power to make those hits that he does get worth it. The swing-and-miss concern is there, don’t get me wrong, but this is a young player who now will play nearly everyday due the designated rules in the National League in a loaded lineup with Atlanta.
Ian Happ, 2B/3B/OF, Chicago Cubs - Owned in 40% of Yahoo and 13.7% of ESPN leagues - Ian Happ is one of the safeetest waiver wire options out there. Happ will be splitting time with Jason Kipnis at second base but due to his versatility, he will get time in the outfield and as a designated hitter. He has two home runs, five RBIs and has drawn a walk across the Cubs’ first three games. Happ is probably the player I would add first of anyone.
Yoshi Tsutsugo, 3B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays - Owned in 20% of Yahoo and 13% of ESPN leagues - Yoshi Tsutsugo burst onto our radar with a two-run shot against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Tsutsugo has played professional baseball in Japan for the past four years where he averaged 39 home-runs per 150 games with a 15.2% walk rate. This would put him on pace for 16 homeruns in this shortened 60-game season. He brings a lot of power to the Rays’ lineup but his patience is just as quality. Thus far, he has batted third and fourth in the Rays lineup across the first team games while not starting the third.