The waiver wire is a place where every team can find diamonds in the rough. Some teams will even need to make some last minute trades to get their players on the field, which means there’s always going to be opportunities for pickups right up until game time. This week’s picks focus mostly on wide receivers and running backs due to bye weeks across all NFL teams.
The waiver wire is a term used to describe the players that are not currently on an NFL team’s active roster. The top 10 waiver wire pickups for Week 2 are listed below.
The fantasy baseball season has officially begun and is picking up speed. We’ve already witnessed a few shocks and disappointments, but fantasy managers should keep in mind that the season is still new. For those who were worried about Shohei Ohtani’s poor start, he has already shown why they should never have given up on him. It’s critical to have faith in the people you drafted.
Working the waiver wire, on the other hand, is an important aspect of fantasy baseball. We’re going through the top ten waiver wire alternatives for Week 2 of the season today. According to ESPN, each of these players will be rostered in 50% of leagues or fewer. Some of them will be exclusively streaming alternatives this week, while others might become long-term fixtures on your lineup.
Here are the top 10 fantasy baseball waiver wire picks for Week 2 without further ado.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2
10. Cubs’ David Robertson, RP
42.2 percent of the population is registered.
David Robertson has been mostly forgotten in recent years He is, however, back in full form as the Cubs’ main closer. On the season, the right-hander has converted all three of his save chances while only allowing one hit and one walk. When you consider that many MLB managers are using a closer-by-committe method, Robertson’s attraction becomes even more. When people learn Robertson is really quite excellent and Chicago’s only closing option, his value is likely to increase.
If you want to see an increase in saves on your squad, get ahead of the curve and add Robertson.
9. Nationals’ Josiah Gray, pitcher
18.4% of the population is registered.
Josiah Gray is a good fit for the Nationals. They feel he has the ability to grow into an All-Star pitcher who will be an important part of their rotation in the future. Gray was supposed to start against the mediocre Diamondbacks at home on Monday. However, owing to weather, the game was postponed and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Gray pitching on Monday would have given him a two-start week, which I would have liked. Gray, on the other hand, might still be on pace for a two-start week unless Washington changes up their rotation. The only change is that instead of Monday and Saturday, he would receive the call on Tuesday and Sunday. He’ll face a harder opponent in the Giants this weekend, but picking Gray off the waiver wire should pay well, even if it’s only for the Diamondbacks’ start. And, with just over 18 percent of leagues rostered, there’s a strong possibility he’ll be available in yours.
8. Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly, pitcher
26.6 percent of the population is registered.
Merrill Kelly will throw in one of the Diamondbacks’ and Nationals’ doubleheaders on Tuesday. Kelly, on the other hand, may be more than a streamer for your fantasy baseball team. The right-hander has always had high potential, and in 2022, he could finally be able to realize it.
He’s off to a great start, having yet to concede a run in his first two appearances. And those games were no walk in the park, since they were played against Houston and San Diego Kelly struck out six batters against the Astros and seven batters against the Padres. He’s gradually increasing his pitch count, and if he performs well again, he may go six innings against the Nationals.
Don’t be afraid to take a chance on Merrill Kelly.
7. Giants’ Joc Pederson, OF
13 percent of the population is registered.
Joc Pederson is the kind of athlete that gets noticed in real life but not in fantasy sports He’s never had a high on-base percentage, and he gets most of his runs off right-handed pitching. Fortunately, he’ll be facing a lot of right-handed pitchers this week.
The Giants will play seven games this week, most of which will be against right-handed pitching. To begin the week, they will face the powerful Mets pitching staff, but Pederson is more than capable of holding his own against right-handed pitchers of any caliber. After that, he’ll play the Nationals in Washington to round out the seven-game schedule. He should be a strong chance to participate in the majority of the games and will almost certainly provide the requisite output to justify his inclusion.
Pederson is cutting for those who are on on the fence about adding the righty masher. Over his last 17 at-bats, he’s hit 400/.444/.765 with two home runs That’ll work.
6. Astros SS Jeremy Pena
32.6 percent of the population is registered.
I’m taking a chance on the young shortstop, who also happens to be in one of baseball’s best lineups. When Carlos Correa signed in Minnesota, Jeremy Pena had big shoes to fill. So far, the 24-year-old has had a decent run. This season, Pena hasn’t had a lot of over-the-fence power. In 29 at-bats, he has only one home run However, he is still hitting.345/.375/.621 with three doubles. But for Pena, it’s not just the figures on the surface that stick out.
The shortstop has a 56 percent hard hit rate. He also only has a 32 percent ground ball rate. He favors the middle of the field over the pull side or opposite field, which is a positive sign for a rookie hitter. Pena has the potential to be a star for Houston. If he continues to smash the ball as hard as he has, there will be more home runs I was expecting for a little more eagerness to steal bases, but it’s still possible. While you still have the opportunity, take a chance on Pena in your fantasy baseball league.
5. Yankees OF Aaron Hicks
5.9% of the population is registered.
Despite his great potential, I had no intention of picking Aaron Hicks due to his injury history. With a very low rostered % and metrics that speak for themselves, Hicks might be worth a waiver wire gamble. This season, the outfielder has led off many times for the Yankees, batting over.330 and getting on base at a.438 clip. Hicks might be a useful source of runs and OBP for New York if he continues to bat near or at the top of the order. He might also be a sly power source.
He has a 13 percent fly ball rate and a 52 percent ground ball rate right now. Hicks might wind up being a 20-25 home run hitter for the Yankees if he can improve his launch angle and elevate some of those ground balls.
4. Rays 1B Ji-Man Choi
24.3 percent of the population is registered.
People underestimate Ji-Man Choi’s significance. People usually believe that Tampa Bay wins games at random, hence he is frequently disregarded. However, such remark is insensitive to athletes like Choi. The Rays would not be where they are now if it weren’t for him.
Choi has always been a solid outfielder. However, he presently leads the league in on-base percentage (.613). In addition, the first baseman has a.846 slugging percentage and is batting over.450. Over 31 plate appearances, he has a 1.477 OPS, which is impressive. Will he be able to keep it up for the whole year? Perhaps not, but fantasy owners should take advantage of the hot hand.
He’s also squaring up almost everything he puts on the table. Choi has a 66.7 percent hard hit rate heading into Week 2.
3. Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes
47.7% of the Rostered
Nestor Cortes is reaching the 50% mark on ESPN fantasy baseball, and he is also rostered in many leagues across multiple sites. Cortes’ great 2021 performance is starting to seem like a fluke, and he’s deserving of a fantasy roster place.
Cortes’ strikeout-to-walk ratio is very impressive. The southpaw has struck out 17 hitters and only walked one man in 9.1 innings of work. In a spectacular outing against the Orioles, he struck out 12 batters. After throwing just under 90 pitches against Baltimore, Cortes is working on increasing his pitch count.
He may be a bargain for a Yankees pitching staff in desperate need of reinforcements. He might be an important part of your fantasy rotation, so add him now before it’s too late.
2. Padres’ Mackenzie Gore, pitcher
36.4 percent of the population is registered.
A left-handed flame-thrower with a lot of potential and nasty shattering stuff? Please add me to the list.
Following Blake Snell’s injury, Gore is now getting his shot, and I feel he has a potential to become a genuine star in the big leagues. Gore pitched 5.1 innings, striking out three batters and allowing two runs in his debut start. However, his pitch mix implies that he has significantly more strikeout potential than he showed in his first MLB appearance.
This week, Gore is expected to face the Reds’ struggling offense, and it may be the game when he breaks out, prompting a rush to get him off the waiver wire. So, while he still has a low rostered %, strike immediately. If Gore lives up to his promise, he may be the best waiver wire choice of the season.
1. Marlins’ Jesus Luzardo, SP
46.2 percent of the population is registered.
Last year, Jesus Luzardo was one of the game’s most intriguing young pitchers until breaking his finger while playing video games in a weird event. The A’s sent Luzardo to the Marlins after an injury and underperformance, and it looked as though the rest of baseball had forgotten about him.
Luzardo, on the other hand, declared his comeback with authority this season in Spring Training. His velocity had increased by 2-3 MPH, and his off-speed pitches looked better than they have in the past. He started the regular season with a career-high 12 strikeouts over 5 innings against the Angels. With 12 strikeouts, the game’s strikeout rate was 66 percent. Luzardo has a potential to be a Cy Young Award winner in Miami, not simply an All-Star pitcher. You may feel secure adding Jesus Luzardo to your fantasy baseball teams as long as he avoids odd incidents.
Related Tags
- fantasy basketball pickups
- fantasy baseball news