After a dreary Week 2 saddened by an abundance of injury reports, many of us will spend extra time scouring the waiver wires. Perhaps you lost an early draft pick like Spencer Strider, or your faith in a bounceback season from Trevor Story just went flat. Nevertheless, we’ll get through the challenges together.
Since we have barely taken the lid off this season, Week 3’s player evaluations will be skewed toward playing time and role with the teams. Give it some time before many underlying metrics stabilize and help understand a player’s outcomes.
In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are excellent sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines. This weekly article targets leagues that utilize daily waivers.
Here are some enticing players available in 60% or fewer Yahoo leagues that managers should consider acquiring this week.
Catcher
Travis d’Arnaud (C – ATL) 12% Rostered
After Sean Murphy hit the IL, the incumbent backup backstop d’Arnaud got a boost in playing time. However, in his 22 plate appearances, he’s only putting up a .200/.273/.263 slash line; so why should we consider d’Arnaud?
Beyond grabbing a batter in the mega-productive Atlanta offense, d’Arnaud lackluster performance isn’t entirely due to a total loss of ability. In fact, he’s judging the zone pretty well and striking out less than 20% while walking at a 9.1% clip. Additionally, when he’s making contact, it’s to the tune of a .378 xwoBACON. Unfortunately, his batted balls simply aren’t finding enough holes in the defense yet and the .250 BABIP is stifling production.
Give him a chance in Week 3, as Atlanta draws seven games this week and there will be plenty of chances for production to tilt back in his favor.
Honorable Mention: Mitch Garver (58%), Tyler Stephenson (10%), Elias Díaz (15%)
Middle Infield
Brice Turang (2B/SS – MIL) 54% Rostered
Turang was abysmal in 2023, keeping him off everyone’s radar. However, if you have the need for speed, Turang might help you catch up in that department. If you’ve been following Turang’s career since the minor leagues, this shouldn’t be a surprise.
- 2024(MLB) / 26 PA – 6 SB
- 2023(AAA-MLB) / 448 PA – 28 SB
- 2022(AAA) / 603 PA – 34 SB
- 2021(AA-AAA) / 496 PA – 20 SB
However, if you’re looking for power, this is not the way to go. Rather, Turang is more of an all-fields slap hitter who lets his legs do the work. Luckily, the stout defense has him locked into the lineup nearly every day, and he’ll look to rack up stats in Week 3 with seven games on the docket.
Honorable Mention: Ceddanne Rafaela (47% rostered), José Caballero (11% rostered), Orlando Arcia (17% rostered)
Corner Infield
Ryan McMahon (3B/2B – COL) 38% Rostered
By and large, McMahon has swung a loud bat for several years, boasting 20-plus HR in each season (2020 excluded). Additionally, he’s been a mainstay on the field with over 150 games played each of the last three seasons.
Any time a week comes through and the Rockies get games at home, you have to take notice. Even though Colorado only sees six games this week, the opening series is at Coors Field. The effect from Coors has always added higher BABIPs while supporting an abundance in scoring and power.
On top of the park factor helping, McMahon is nearly cutting his K% (2023: 31% / 2024: 18%) in half and keeping the double-digit barrel% we’re accustomed to seeing. Sure, it’s still early, and while we noted not all underlying metrics have stabilized, the gains could stick and this would be a terrific week to keep an eye on him.
Honorable Mention: Anthony Rizzo (49% rostered), J.D. Davis (16% rostered), Ryan O’Hearn (3% rostered)
Outfield
Will Benson (OF- CIN) 32% rostered
After putting up an 11 HR/19 SB season in only 329 plate appearances, Benson should’ve received more attention on draft day. Sure, many suspected the Reds’ offense would be too crowded and he might wind up a platoon bat. But baseball calamity ensued and, viola, Benson is far more viable than some anticipated.
If you’re not following along closely, you may miss that Benson has become a fixture in the Reds lineups. Additionally, he’s getting a cozy two-hole spot in the lineup any time a right-handed pitcher toes the rubber, and this week he’ll have the benefit of a four-game series at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark
If he can keep the pesky strikeouts at bay (38.2% K rate), and elevate the ball a touch more (22.2% fly ball rate), we could see him pop off in the opening series.
Honorable Mention: Ceddanne Rafaela (47% rostered), Jose Siri (40%), Josh Smith (1% rostered)
Starting Pitcher
Jared Jones (SP – PIT) 54% rostered
IT’S AN ABSOLUTE CRIME THAT JONES IS ONLY ROSTERED IN 54% OF LEAGUES!
Jones has been a master at getting whiffs, which are propelling his 35.4% K rate. Let’s start with his bread and butter…the fastball and slider. These two pitches do the heavy lifting for Jones and should carry him to many outstanding starts. The fastball sits 97 mph and is thrown with a 57% HiLoc. Terrific velocity plus upstairs placement are showing this as a 5.73 PLV offering.
The slider, earning a 5.40 PLV, generates a 47.5% whiff rate (!!). Furthermore, the pitch gets swung at 58% of the time it’s thrown.
Strong stuff and a plan of attack should make Jones a must-roster SP.
Honorable Mention: Tanner Houck (37% rostered), Spencer Turnbull (3% rostered), Ronel Blanco (40% rostered)
Relief Pitcher
Chad Green (RP – TOR) 7% rostered
The Blue Jays’ bullpen started this year with two of their highest-leverage reliever arms on the IL. Since then, they’ve struggled to pinpoint who will secure the final three outs of a game. With not many lockdown options, Chad Green should get your attention.
First, he’s been a viable arm for quite some time. In his 284.1 IP, he’s touted a 3.32 ERA and 1.o5 WHIP. Furthermore, in that stretch, he’s been handed the ball in the 9th inning a few times (12 career saves). Most notably, the ballclub’s recent save opportunity went to Green.
While he is not a prototypical-looking closer, he does possess a 95 mph fastball and 18.8 IBV(94th percentile).
There isn’t a plethora of options on the wire for saves. However, Green should tick enough boxes to get any save chances until Jordan Romano returns.
Honorable Mention: Yennier Cano (30% rostered), Ryan Pressly (55% rostered), Jason Adam (33% rostered)
Would you roster any of you suggested MI’s over Jeff McNeil?