The key to winning your fantasy baseball league is not how well you draft, but the players you add off waivers. This is extremely important because securing hidden talent and call-ups could replace those late-round selections, even mid-rounders, that aren’t having the best season. Here at NFS, we provide the best picks for players you should grab off waivers now before it is too late. As always, both opportunity and performance are taken into consideration for these players. All players listed are rostered below 40 percent on ESPN. Learn to think like a NERD!
Hitters
Nicky Lopez, 2B/SS, Kansas City Royals
After being a radar-style of waiver wire pickup last week, Nicky Lopez has taken hitting to a new level and has been able to turn those hits into scored runs. In his last 10 games, Lopez has hit .406/.468/.429, reaching 17 times along with four RBIs and five runs scored. With plenty of upside to improve his game, Lopez has now become a hot pickup on the waiver wire and should be picked up immediately. He had the realistic potential to become a top-tier contact hitter in only a few short years to come.
Patrick Wisdom, 1B/3B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Patrick Wisdom is back to hitting bombs again. After a decent stretch of power hitting, it was unable to last for Wisdom. Now, he’s turned the jets back on as September rolls around. In his last 10 games, Wisdom has hit .265/.342/.882 and a powerful 1.224 OPS. Along that, he’s hit seven homers, 13 RBIs, and 10 runs scored. His next improvement needs to be managing the strikeouts. He has a glaring 17 in those same 10 games. But the homer hitting still makes a quality pickup in the meantime.
Edmundo Sosa, 2B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
After spending all of 2020 at the alternate training site, Edmundo Sosa made major improvements that are now paying off this season. Especially as of late, Sosa has shown himself as a consistent major-league hitter. In his last 10 games, Sosa has hit .435/.567/.826 with an impressive 1.393 OPS. He’s also hit one homer and eight RBIs. Sosa is proving to be a multi-faceted hitter with elite upside at only 25 years old. He’s another quality pickup as he continues to develop his game.
Ian Happ, OF, Chicago Cubs
Once a former top prospect in the minors, Ian Happ has struggled to keep his hitting consistent in the majors. Without power-hitting too, Happ becomes unproductive for winning games. As of late, he’s seemed to find his 2020 form. hitting .324/.378/.706 with three homers and 11 RBIs. Happ still has a long way to go before reclaiming his hype coming into the majors, but these are still encouraging signs. He’s worth watching on radars for now in formats with fewer teams.
Pitchers
Carlos Hernandez, SP/RP, Kansas City Royals
Still only 24 years old, Carlos Hernandez has built a productive arsenal to fast-track him to potential elite pitching prospect in the majors. His last four outings have not only been against difficult lineups such as the Yankees and Astros, but they’ve resulted in encouraging numbers. In those starts, Hernandez has earned a 2.13 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 25 innings. He does a great job at managing runners in scoring positions, but his next step would be to prevent those in general. He’s a great addition to add now that’s not the most popular option on this list.
Daniel Lynch, SP, Kansas City Royals
Also being mentioned as a radar player, Daniel Lynch has made major strides in his recent starts and is setting himself up for a tremendous September. Since his return to the majors in late July, Lynch has managed a 2.23 ERA with 33 strikeouts over 40 innings pitched. His biggest improvement is managing walks. He’s allowed 17 in that same stretch of games. Not only is that too much in general, but it’s also too much when compared to his strikeouts. Nonetheless, the production and upside are clearly there as a top pitching prospect. He’s a perfect underrated pickup on the waiver wire.
Edward Cabrera, SP, Miami Marlins
A cheat code in The Show, Edward Cabrera has finally made his ascension to the majors. His first start shows the work cut out for him. Against the Nationals, Cabrera finished with two strikeouts, three runs allowed, and three batters walked over 6.1 innings pitched. Clearly, the sample size is small. But with name hype, he’s flying off the shelves fast. He’s worth the spot for at least one more start, depending on how it goes on September 5th against the Phillies.
Matt Manning, SP, Detroit Tigers
After being a top 10 selection in 2016, Matt Manning has made his rise to the majors. He’s made back-to-back productive starts after a shaky start to his young career in the majors. In those two starts, he managed a 2.53 ERA over 10 innings pitched. Still only 23, Manning has plenty of room to grow over the next few seasons. But for now, with his upside, he’s worth keeping on the watch list hoping he can improve his consistent outings to end the season on a high note.
Ethan Hartley 