Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups & FAAB Advice (Week 18)

Welcome to our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and FAAB (free agent acquisition budget) report. In this article, I’ll provide fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and recommendations for players to target. Suggested bids will include an explanation of where to target them.

The focus is on 12- and 15-team National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) leagues. If you’re in shallower formats, bid less than my recommendations below. The best way to use this column is to bid on the high end for your targets. I’ve scoured the waiver wire for three targets at each position to make it easier for you. Note that the recommendations are for a $1,000 budget.

With that in mind, let’s dive into my Week 18 fantasy baseball FAAB recommendations.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups & FAAB Targets

Catchers

Endy Rodriguez (C, 1B – PIT)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Rare speed at catcher.

Jonah Heim (C – ATH)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Uptick in playing time with Shea Langeliers out for the season.

Luis Campusano (C – SDP)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Primary catcher for the Padres; underrated bat.

First Basemen

Paul Goldschmidt (1B – NYY)

• $4 in 15-team leagues; $2 in 12-team leagues.
• Decent option given Yankees’ injuries.

Ty France (1B – SDP)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Unexpected power surge this season.

Josh Bell (1B – MIN)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Dependable veteran bat.

Second Basemen

Cole Young (2B – SEA)

• $8 in 15-team leagues; $4 in 12-team leagues.
• Leadoff hitter for the Mariners.

Jackson Holliday (2B – BAL)

• $6 in 15-team leagues; $3 in 12-team leagues.
• Slowly heating up at the plate.

Brendan Donovan (2B, 3B – SEA)

• $4 in 15-team leagues; $2 in 15-team leagues.
• Finally back from injury.

Shortstops

Cooper Pratt (SS – MIL)

• $4 in 15-team leagues; $2 in 12-team leagues.
• Young and talented hitter heating up.

David Hamilton (2B, 3B, SS – MIL)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Stream for speed.

Xander Bogaerts (SS – SDP)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Not a bad streamer for batting average.

Third Basemen

Nick Gonzales (2B, 3B – PIT)

• $6 in 15-team leagues; $3 in 12-team leagues.
• Batting average asset.

Nolan Arenado (3B – ARI)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Plays seven games this week.

Alec Bohm (3B – PHI)

• $2 in 15-team leagues; $1 in 12-team leagues.
• Bench depth.