We pride ourselves here at We Know Fantasy with our waiver wire suggestions across all sports. Nate has brought you success previously in both fantasy football and most recently, fantasy basketball. He’s not stopping there as some of his Week 3 fantasy baseball suggestions went off. The likes of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Eduardo Escobar and Colin Moran really could have helped someone win their week. Our streaming catcher option didn’t pan out and we didn’t do the best with our pitching, but we’ll look to bounce back in those respective positions in Week 4.
Each week, Nate will field a hypothetical fantasy baseball lineup consisting of players owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. There will be no goal points to reach as the lineup will not be a complete fantasy baseball lineup as Nate will use and suggest one C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, SP and RP. He will compete with himself week-to-week to see how he performs. You can find the most previous week’s results below in future editions and then previous weeks at the bottom of the article.
Pedro Severino came down to earth after a hot start to the season. Moran really saw the ball well this week, reaching first six times and recording two extra base hits. Chisholm Jr. is a superstar in the making and it was easy to tell that through the first week of the season. It’s easier to see that now after having a week where he slashed three homers. I warned everyone that Escobar was a professional hitter and his slow start to the season wasn’t something to buy into. He had four homers, six runs batted in and eight runs on the week. Willi Castro was serviceable but we’d like to see more out of him. Cedric Mullins was another bright spot on our list, hitting over .333 on the week. Tarik Skubal did not record a win and allowed seven earned runs over eight innings on the week. Corey Knebel worked 2.2 innings over the last seven days. He didn’t pick up a save but did get a win.
Week 3 Results
Pedro Severino, C, Baltimore Orioles - 2/17, 2 1B & 1 BB (7.8 points)
Colin Moran, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates - 8/26, 3 R, 6 1B, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI & 4 BB (58.7 points)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Miami Marlins - 9/20, 5 R, 4 1B, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB & 4 BB (88.2 points)
Eduardo Escobar, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks - 9/28, 8 R, 4 1B, 1 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI & 2 BB (89 points)
Willi Castro, SS, Detroit Tigers - 4/28, 1 R, 2 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI & 2 BB (29.1 points)
Cedric Mullins, OF, Baltimore Orioles - 9/28, 3 R, 5 1B, 4 2B, 3 RBI, 1 SB & 4 BB (59.8 points)
Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers - 8 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 7 BB & 8 K (8.8 points)
Corey Knebel, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers - 2.2 IP, 1 W, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB & 3 K (13.8 points)
Total: 355.2 points
Week 4 Suggestions
Catcher
Carson Kelly, C, Arizona Diamondbacks - Owned in 24% of Yahoo and 21.2% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (3) @CIN & (3) @ATL
This Diamondbacks' offense got off to a slow start to the season but is finally taking shape. We had Escobar in this series a week ago and he had a crazy week. Now, we’ll direct our attention to the Diamondbacks’ backstop. Kelly is hitting 8-for-23 over the last two weeks and has hit two homers and five RBIs in that same time span. He’s also seeing the ball well and walking a lot. He’s walked seven times over the last two weeks. He’s going to hit for a good average, give a few homers here-and-there and drive up your walk category.
First Base
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds - Owned in 20% of Yahoo and 31.7% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (3) vs. ARI & (3) @STL
I remember a time when Joey Votto was a very early fantasy baseball drafted player. He’s slowed down production in recent years but he’s still getting it done currently in this blistering hot Reds’ offense. Over the back week alone, Votto has three homeruns and five RBIs. These were Votto’s first three homers of the season. He’s starting to get the bat behind the ball and hits third in one of the league’s most dangerous offenses right now. Votto is a must add.
Second Base
Jurickson Profar, 2B/OF, San Diego Padres - Owned in 23% of Yahoo and 38.3% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (3) vs. MIL & (4) @LAD
Profar is producing for the Padres’ no matter where he’s hitting in the lineup. He’s hit as early as second, as late as seventh and anywhere in between thus far this season. While doing so, he’s still hitting the ball and getting on base. Over the last two weeks he has 10 singles, three extra base hits, seven runs and has even stolen three bases. He’s got two position eligibility on both Yahoo and ESPN. He’s a guy that is going to cost you nothing to plug into the middle of your infield and will give you production.
Third Base
Travis Shaw, 3B/1B, Milwaukee Brewers - Owned in 24% of Yahoo and 29.7% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (3) @SDP & (3) @CHC
If you’re in need of a productive corner infielder, look no further. Shaw has 12 RBIs on the season already and is routinely hitting in the heart of the Brewers’ lineup. He’s hitting .267 on the season as well. Shaw has three homers as well with two coming in the last seven days. When it comes to corner outfielders I always preach about finding homeruns and RBIs. Well, here’s your guy.
Shortstop
Freddy Galvis, SS/2B, Baltimore Orioles - Owned in 2% of Yahoo and 4.3% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (2) @MIA & (3) vs. OAK
If you need shortstop help this week, you may be out of luck. The best I can come up with is Freddy Galvis. Galvis is hitting .265 on the season despite hitting late in the Orioles’ lineup. He does have eight runs, six singles, three extra base hits and a few RBIs to show for it. Again, there isn’t really a shortstop suggestion I’d go after this week but if you’re forced, Galvis could suffice.
Outfield
Adam Duvall, OF, Miami Marlins - Owned in 33% of Yahoo and 33.4% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (2) vs. BAL & (4) @SFG
If you haven’t been paying attention to the Marlins (and if you haven’t I don’t blame you) you would have overlooked Jazz Chisholm Jr. who is going to have a very good career in the MLB, and also overlooked what Adam Duvall has been doing. Over the past week, he’s driven in 10 runs. That’s insane. He’s the veteran bat in the middle of a young lineup and he’s producing. There are a few other players I’d like to suggest here but they don’t fall into the parameters of the series. J.D. Davis (New York Mets), Zach McKinstry (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Ramiel Tapia (Colorado Rockies.)
Starting Pitcher
JT Brubaker, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates - Owned in 15% of Yahoo and 11.9% of ESPN leagues
Next Start: April 22 @DET
Brubaker has been a nice surprise to what we believed to be the league’s worst rotation going into the season. Over three starts, Brubaker has gone 15.1 innings, allowed just three earned runs and now has a 1.76 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP. He does also have two wins on the season, which helps with fantasy relevance. He does pitch for the Pirates though so he can throw the ball well yet not pick up a decision. I still like what he’s doing and has a pretty nice matchup this week with the Tigers.
Relief Pitcher
Rafael Dolis, RP, Toronto Blue Jays - Owned in 16% of Yahoo and 10.1% of ESPN leagues
Week 4 Games: (2) @BOS & (3) @TB
Again, finding saves on the waiver wire weekly is nearly impossible. If someone is to emerge, they’re swept right up in your league almost immediately. Due to a long list of injuries, we can expect Dolis to close games in Toronto for at least the foreseeable future. Of course, we haven’t seen how this will play out with the injuries so I can't give you a 100-percent answer, but signs do point towards Dolis closing for now.