AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

1. Identify likely free agents and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Estimate how much of your $100 starting free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating grids into the FAAB articles, so users can easily see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

The grids, which are sortable by column (click on the header), include a very basic "player grade" column. This serves as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. Andrew Benintendi would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into an everyday role.

As always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments.

Starting Pitcher

Paul Blackburn, Athletics: I wrote up Blackburn last week, but two strong starts probably pushes him into mixed consideration so I should probably include him again. Nothing's really changed, though. He still has a classic back-end-of-the-road profile, lacking the dominant raw stuff to collect strikeouts by the bushel and instead relying on his command to limit walks and homers, but he could still prove to be a useful arm in deeper fantasy formats. With Andrew Triggs likely gone for the year and Kendall Graveman struggling to stay on the mound, Blackburn will get a chance to hang onto the fifth starter role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Danny Duffy, Royals: Duffy celebrated his independance from the disabled list Tuesday with two runs over 5.2 innings in a road win over the Mariners. The 28-year-old hasn't consolidated the gains he made last year, and his 2017 numbers so far look very much like his 2015 and 2014 performances, so it's fair to wonder whether he'll be able to turn it up a notch in the second half. If Duffy got cut loose during his DL stint he's worth adding, though, given that his floor is still pretty good even if he doesn't hit his ceiling. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: Owned

Ian Kennedy, Royals: The veteran righty's been on a roll, recording three wins and four quality starts in his last five outings with a 2.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB in 30.1 innings. Kennedy's 4.45 ERA on the year is actually outpacing his FIP (5.27) and xFIP (5.10) thanks to an elevated homer rate, but that's par for the course with him. In shallower formats he's not someone you can rely on to help in the long term, but as a streaming option or ride-em-while-he's-hot staff filler, there's some value here. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Charlie Morton, Astros: After missing six weeks of action, Morton returned to the Houston rotation Friday and delivered a quality start in Toronto. The 33-year-old has proven that last year's velocity increase and resulting spike in his strikeout rate was no fluke, but he's also failed to translate that extra heat into noticeably better numbers. Morton's profile is low enough that he might have been cut loose even in deeper formats, but until he starts posting goose eggs along with big radar gun readings, there's little reason to get too excited over him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Eduardo Rodriguez, Red Sox: Out since the beginning of June with a knee injury, Rodriguez is set to rejoin the Red Sox rotation right after the All-Star break. He remains a somewhat frustrating pitcher to roster in fantasy leagues, as his upside is undeniable (especially considering the team around him) but he can never seem to stay healthy enough to capitalize on it. If he's available and you need help on your staff, though, it's not like the waiver wire will be chock-full of better options. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

CC Sabathia, Yankees: Sabathia made a surprisingly quick return from the DL on Tuesday, but his lack of a rehab assignment may have factored into his lasting only 2.1 innings against the Blue Jays. With the All-Star break coming up the veteran lefty will get some extra rest in, though, so he should be back in form next weekend. Sabathia was putting together a very solid season prior to straining his hamstring, but a 4.24 FIP and 4.34 xFIP suggest his improvement hasn't been quite as drastic as it looks on the surface. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Aaron Sanchez, Blue Jays: The 25-year-old made his return from a long layoff July 7 and got his derriere handed to him by the Astros, coughing up eight runs in 1.2 innings, but on the bright side (?) three of the runs were unearned. There's a disparity between his perceived upside – the dude simply looks like a fantasy ace on the mound when he's locked in – and his actual performance, especially when it comes to strikeouts, but the right-hander has a secure floor and you never know if or when he'll be able to take things to the next level. If Sanchez is available, he's worth rolling the dice on with a big bid despite Friday's disaster. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: Owned

Chris Smith, Athletics: Called up to make a spot start Saturday in place of Jharel Cotton, Smith managed to provide Oakland with a quality start on the road in Seattle. It was the 36-year-old's first career big-league start in 64 appearances scattered over five seasons dating back to 2008, which tells you all you need to know about his upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Zach Britton, Orioles: Britton came off the DL on Wednesday but hasn't exactly been his old self, failing to strike out a batter in two innings and giving up a couple of runs to the Twins in his second appearance. Baltimore won't rush him back into high-leverage work, as Brad Brach has been perfectly fine as their interim closer, but if the left-hander is fully healthy again, he should eventually reclaim the closer job once things are clicking again. 12-team Mixed: $15; 15-team Mixed: $35; 12-team AL: Owned

Matt Bush, Rangers: Well now, this is interesting. Since Bush got bumped from the closer role, no Ranger reliever has managed to record a save, leaving the identity of their ninth-inning man somewhat of a mystery, Meanwhile, the deposed stopper has started off July with four straight scoreless outings, posting a 5:1 K:BB in four innings. It's a small sample, and Texas could keep him in his current role while trying other pitchers in the closer spot once they get a save opportunity to hand to someone, but with Keone Kela still on the shelf, Bush may well be their best option to protect a lead right now. If he got dropped after his demotion, or even before that due to his prior struggles, consider giving him another look. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Keone Kela, Rangers: Kela's currently nursing a sore shoulder and is only playing catch, but he's still expected to be ready to come of the DL coming out of the All-Star break. He's had a strong rebound season that includes a 42:13 K:BB in 30.2 innings, and the right-hander should be considered the nominal favorite to assume closer duties once he's back in action. If his soreness lingers, though, and Bush continues to turn things around, Kela might not get his chance to prove he can handle the ninth inning. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Bud Norris, Angels: Norris came off the DL last Sunday, and the Angels quickly cleared up any confusion about whether he was still their closer as he notched his 12th save Wednesday. The veteran remains a trade candidate with the deadline approaching, but as long as he's in Anaheim he should be a surprisingly solid source of saves. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $17; 12-team AL: $35

Catcher

Miguel Montero, Blue Jays: Kicked to the curb by the Cubs after he had the gall to publicly suggest that maybe the team's starting pitchers weren't so good at that whole "holding runners at first base" thing, Montero wound up in Toronto and, as Russell Martin's backup, will assume a similar role to the one he had in Chicago. As long as he takes Crash Davis' advice for interviews in the future, his fantasy value might even tick up a bit with his new club, but the veteran is still mainly only useful in deep two-catcher formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

First Base

Ji-Man Choi, Yankees: A little-considered side effect of the current home run surge across the majors is its impact on a certain type of player, namely the one-dimensional slugger. Simply put, when everyone is hitting homers, you better be able to do something other than hit homers if you want to hang onto a roster spot. Just ask Chris Carter, now DFA'ed twice by the Yankees, or the two guys listed below, who are being yo-yo'ed between the Show and Triple-A as much as a low-leverage middle reliever. At any rate, Carter's loss is Choi's gain as he gets another chance to prove he's more than a Quad-A guy after posting a .289/.371/.505 line with eight homers in 56 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's taking advantage of that Yankee Stadium short porch, homering twice in three games for New York, but his window to stake out a longer-term role is a small one as he'll probably be sent back down once any of Matt Holliday, Tyler Austin or Greg Bird come off the DL. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

C.J. Cron, Angels: The 27-year-old's back from exile at Salt Lake for the moment, handling the short side of a first-base platoon alongside Luis Valbuena, but he could just as easily head right back to the desert after the break once the Angels decide they need some more bullpen depth again. Cron's in a tough spot right now, as he probably won't get enough playing time to show he's better than his current big-league numbers, and the constant demotions and promotions can't be helping him stay focused. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kennys Vargas, Twins: Vargas' latest Triple-A stint lasted all of four days, as he was sent down Monday and called back up Friday due to Joe Mauer's back issues. The injury gives him a better avenue to short-term value, as he won't be splitting DH at-bats with Robbie Grossman this time around, but Mauer may not be out for long. The 26-year-old switch hitter is still stuck in the same basic roster limbo Cron is in. This is now his third call-up of the year and keep in mind the Twins petitioned the league in the offseason to get a fourth option year for him, too, so they're certainly getting their money's worth out of it even if it might be souring Vargas on the idea of coming back in 2018 given the team's unwillingness to commit to him. Hmm, maybe the Red Sox will be looking for a full-time DH next year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Second Base

Johnny Giavotella, Orioles: Called up Thursday, the journeyman was putting together a nice season at Triple-A Norfolk with a .306/.368/.441 line. Giavotella, the only living professional athlete named Johnny not to have a "Johnny Sportsball" nickname, now has over 1,300 big-league plate appearances to his name and hasn't shown the ability to provide any power or speed, so there's no reason to get too excited here even if there is a narrow path for him to get regular at-bats in Baltimore should the Jonathan Schoop-at-shortstop experiment work out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Deven Marrero, Red Sox: Marrero's put together a nice run at the plate lately, slashing .424/.459/.515 over his last 12 games with two steals, eight RBI and nine runs. It won't last, but he's at least making a case that the Red Sox don't need to bring in a third baseman from outside the organization to man the hot corner, and he should see steady at-bats until they do. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Matt Chapman, Athletics: Activated off the DL on Tuesday, Chapman's seen regular at-bats since but done very little with them, going 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts. The A's are fully committed to a rebuild at this point, so the 24-year-old will likely keep getting trotted out to sink or swim against big-league pitching, but the early returns so far aren't promising. He might get you some homers, but he also might hit under .200 the rest of the way. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Shortstop

Ehire Adrianza, Twins: The 27-year-old utility infielder rejoined the Twins early this week and has collected two hits in five at-bats since, which gives you an idea of how much playing time he's likely to get going forward. Even if Minnesota does something crazy like trade away Brian Dozier, Adrianza isn't the player who would benefit from a starting gig opening up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tzu-Wei Lin, Red Sox: Much like his current platoon-mate at third Marrero, Lin has taken advantage of his recent opportunities by hitting .318/.464/.409 over the last week, although it should be noted that six of his seven hits came in two games. He doesn't offer any power or speed, and once his batting average recedes it'll take any fantasy value with it. Still, he should get regular at-bats in a strong Boston lineup until someone better comes along. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brad Miller, Rays: Miller came off the disabled list on Friday after essentially being out since mid-May and promptly went 3-for-5 with two walks in his first two games back. Tim Beckham took his place on the DL, leaving the starting second base spot open for Miller, and it looks like he'll man it for the time being. In the long term, he could slip back into a super-utility role once Beckham gets healthy, but that likely won't impact his playing time too much. His numbers so far in 2017 have been awful, but the 27-year-old could yet salvage his campaign with a big second half. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Drew Robinson, Rangers: With Rougned Odor turning his season around there's really no obvious route to playing time for Robinson in Texas, which is a shame because he might produce some interesting numbers if given a chance. He's seen action in three games for the Rnagers this season and homered in two of them, and while he might be a batting average risk he's shown plenty of power and speed in the high minors. If you're adding him to your fantasy roster, do so in the hopes he gets traded. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Marcus Semien, Athletics: Out since the second week of April, Semien returned to action Thursday and hasn't looked too rusty, going 3-for-13 with a homer and a steal, which is about what you'd expect from him. He's still only 26 and should have a place in the next phase of the A's never-ending rebuild, although whether it's at shortstop or second base once Franklin Barreto is up for good remains to be seen. If he got dropped and you're not too worried about your standing in batting average, snap him up. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $45

Outfield

Abraham Almonte, Cleveland: With Austin Jackson hurt and Carlos Santana on the paternity list, Almonte jumped right back into the starting lineup when he came off the DL on Wednesday, but with Santana now back he should resume a bench role. He's the kind of hitter who can supply a little value when pressed into regular duty, but his upside isn't high enough to worry about stashing him until he is. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland: Chisenhall's been locked in for nearly a month now, slashing .362/.441/.613 over his last 24 games with five homers and a whopping 27 RBI. The Cleveland offense is good enough to afford him lots of run-producing opportunities even if he isn't in a prime spot in the batting order, but it's not that good. If he's on the waiver wire in shallow leagues, grab him in the hopes he doesn't cool down over the All-Star break, but don't get too attached. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Zack Granite, Twins: Called up this weekend to get his first taste of the majors, Granite has a BABIP-fueled .360/.412/.492 slash line for Triple-A Rochester this year with 14 steals in 59 games. He's one of those prospects that appears to have a fourth-outfielder profile but teases just enough upside to make you think he could be something more. The Twins have also been a factory for this type of player over the years as the likes of Ben Revere and Denard Span got their start in Minnesota, which arguably gives Granite a better chance of hitting his ceiling. Unless they suddenly give up on Byron Buxton, though – and Buxton is over a year younger than Granite despite having more big-league experience to date – there's no obvious path to regular playing time for the future all-Flintstones team member. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Matt Holliday, Yankees: Holliday began his rehab assignment Saturday, going 2-for-4 at Triple-A, and he should return to action right after the break. There are first base at-bats available for the veteran once he's healthy, but the Yankees will likely have him split time between the cold corner and DH to try and avoid getting him hurt. He's been lost in the shuffle a little in New York given all the hype around Aaron Judge but Holliday has quietly been having a very good season with his best OPS since 2013 and 15 homers in 68 games. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

Brock Holt, Red Sox: Holt finally appears on the verge of returning to the big leagues following his concussion, going 6-for-22 with a homer since resuming his rehab assignment at the beginning of July. A return after the break seems likely, at which point he'll be thrown into the mix at third base while spelling Boston's killer B's in the corner outfield spots. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Boog Powell, Mariners: Called up last Sunday, Powell will supply the Mariners with some short-term depth in the outfield. The 24-year-old has essentially played a full season at Triple-A over the last three years, compiling a .280/.362/.386 line with eight homers and 26 steals, but it's unlikely he's going to get enough at-bats in the bigs to capitalize on that speed any time soon. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Alex Presley, Tigers: Presley came off the DL in the middle of the week but has only started one game since, so it looks like the Tigers will stick with Mikie Mahtook in center field for the time being. It's not really a surprise, given that Presley is a 31-year-old big-league vagabond with a career .253/.297/.381 slash line, but he could work his way back into regular playing time at some point given the lack of alternatives in the organization. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Eddie Rosario, Twins: The roller coaster that has been Rosario's fantasy production this season is on another upslope, as he's hitting .386/.433/.627 over his last 24 games with five homers, three steals, 11 RBI and 14 runs. If you pick him up now, be aware that you've probably already missed the chance to skim the cream off that hot streak – three of the homers came in one game on June 13, and while his batting average has held up at .348, he's got zero home runs and only two RBI in his last 12 games. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned