MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.
2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

They say that good things often come in pairs. Usually, that phrase is used in reference to something like socks, but today, we're going to use it to talk about some Sox... as well as a couple of Giants and Reds (but ironically, only one Twin). In total, four sets of teammates are included in this week's edition of FAAB Factor, and while I believe any one of the 15 players I've listed below could be enough to improve your fantasy squad, you might not want to stop there. Good things do tend to come in pairs, after all...

The number in parentheses represents the player's roster rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

David Peterson, New York Mets (42%)

Peterson has been one of the best pieces of the Mets' rotation this season, and his current 2.79 ERA through 58 innings (10 starts) would be the best mark of his career if it held up for the rest of the year. More recently, the 29-year-old southpaw has allowed only three runs in 13.2 frames over his last two starts, which is especially impressive when you consider those outings coming against the Yankees and Dodgers. Peterson has shown more than enough consistency to be deemed a reliable fantasy asset, and his upcoming matchup against the miserable Rockies offense only sweetens the deal. FAAB: $8

 Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (26%)

I touched on Cameron a few weeks ago after he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning during his MLB debut. We've seen him make three more starts in the bigs since then, and he still has yet to give up more than one earned run in a game or pitch less than six innings. Not bad for a rookie. As dominant as he's been, his strikeout stuff has been rather inconsistent, and there's no guarantee he'll keep his spot in the rotation once Seth Lugo (finger) and Cole Ragans (groin) return from the injured list. Still, I'm optimistic about his future. FAAB: $2

 Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants (18%)

Roupp has been on quite a run since the beginning of May, turning in a 1.73 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 26 innings in his last five starts. His 16-inning scoreless streak was ended by a four-run outburst from the Tigers on Wednesday (only one run was earned), but that doesn't do much to change the fact that his stock has been trending up for quite some time now. It also helps that Roupp's next two starts are expected to come against the Padres and Rockies, who currently rank 11th and 15th, respectively, in the National League in runs scored. FAAB: $1

 Adrian Houser, Chicago White Sox (N/A)

Houser signed with the White Sox on May 20 after lingering in the Rangers' farm system for the first few months of the season. Since then, he's fired 12 shutout innings in two starts, most recently striking out six batters and walking one over six frames against the Mets. It's been four years since Houser finished a campaign with an ERA below 4.00, so I'm not ready to commit to him as a long-term option after only two games, but he has some streaming appeal during his upcoming matchup Sunday against an underperforming Orioles squad. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Camilo Doval, San Francisco Giants (49%)

Following San Francisco's loss to the Tigers on Wednesday, manager Bob Melvin announced that Doval would replace the struggling Ryan Walker as the Giants' closer going forward. It's a decision that wasn't very hard to see coming, as Doval owns a 1.16 ERA and 0.73 WHIP through 23.1 innings on the year and already has plenty of experience as the Giants' go-to ninth-inning arm after accumulating 89 saves from 2022-24. I know I'm pushing the limit a bit by highlighting a player that's rostered in nearly half of all leagues, but if you happen to be in that other half, I would highly recommend investing in Doval. FAAB: $7

 Robert Garcia, Texas Rangers (11%)

The Rangers' closer situation has been hard to navigate all season, but with Luke Jackson struggling and Garcia picking up two saves within the past week, it seems the latter has pulled ahead as Texas' preferred ninth-inning option. Garcia owns a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP alongside a 23:8 K:BB through 24 innings on the year and is a safe bet to at least be used frequently in high-leverage situations, which may be important if your league values holds. FAAB: $2

Catcher

 Carlos Narvaez, Boston Red Sox (7%)

Narvaez has had a great time hitting since the start of May, slashing .375/.452/.563 across 73 plate appearances while slugging two homers, driving in nine RBI and scoring nine runs himself. It's safe to say at this point that he's taken over as the primary backstop in Boston over Connor Wong, and Narvaez's recent eight-game hitting streak is a pretty good indication that he's not at risk of losing that title anytime soon. The 26-year-old never hit more than 12 home runs in a season while in the minor leagues but is on pace to easily surpass that this year, and he should be in a good position to regularly collect RBI and runs as long as he continues batting third or fourth in the BoSox's lineup. FAAB: $4

 Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds (28%)

It took Stephenson a while to get going after he missed the first month-plus of the season with an oblique injury, but he finally seems to be finding his stride at the plate after going 9-for-22 (.409) with two homers, five RBI and an additional run scored over his last six games. There's almost no chance he continues producing at that level for the whole season, but the 28-year-old is still a career .266/.343/.427 hitter and someone you can expect to flirt with the 20-HR mark by the end of the year – especially if his average exit velocity stays around 93.3 mph. FAAB: $3

First Baseman

 Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles (22%)

O'Hearn's batting average rarely strayed away from the .300 mark after the beginning of May... at least it didn't until he began his eight-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 17-for-32 (.551) and elevated his average from .289 to .338. The 31-year-old is also sitting on nine round-trippers with 21 ribbies and 24 runs scored through 46 games this season, putting him on pace to shatter his career records in each of those categories (15 HR, 60 RBI, 60 R). It's not often you see someone with those numbers available in nearly 80 percent of leagues, but something tells me that number is going to start shrinking very fast. Don't miss the bandwagon. FAAB: $9

Second Baseman

 Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (44%)

Lowe earned a spot in last week's article after breaking out of a prolonged slump, though I said his stretch of hot hitting was bound to come to an end at some point. Well, "some point" hasn't arrived just yet, so here he is again. Since we last checked in on him, he's extended his hitting streak from five to 11 games, during which he's slashed .385/.429/.769 with four long balls, six RBI and 10 runs scored. As long as you're not looking for stolen bases, Lowe is probably one of the most desirable players you could see on your league's waiver wire right now. FAAB: $5

 Kody Clemens, Minnesota Twins (3%)

You might be more familiar with Clemens' seven-time Cy Young Award-winning father, but the family's current MLB representative has been impressive in his own right lately. Since he began receiving regular playing time May 11, the 29-year-old utility man owns a .366/.447/.805 batting line with four home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs in 14 games. Although Minnesota's infield unit is now fully healthy, Clemens' hitting has made it nearly impossible for the Twins to take him out of the lineup, so the team is now starting to use him in the corner outfield spots. It remains to be seen whether his usage rate will survive Matt Wallner's impending return from a hamstring injury, but hot bats usually tend to find their way into the starting nine. FAAB: $1

Third Baseman

 Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox (17%)

Another repeat entry from last week, Vargas remains one of the lone bright spots in the White Sox's lineup with eight hits in his previous five games, including two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored. We know from Vargas' time in the Dodgers' farm system that he has the tools to be a capable hitter, but I think the logo you see next to his name right now is causing a lot of fantasy managers to severely underrate him. That only means he's likely available at a lower price. FAAB: $3

Shortstop

 Marcelo Mayer, Boston Red Sox (21%)

One of the top prospects in Boston's system, Mayer was called up from Triple-A over the weekend to fill in at third base for Alex Bregman, who is expected to miss an extended amount of time with a quad injury. Mayer is only five games into his MLB career but has fared well so far, going 5-for-19 with a pair of multi-hit outings. He doesn't project as a player who will stand out in any specific fantasy category, but he's skilled enough to contribute a little bit in every area and figures to have plenty of time to prove he can stick around in the big leagues. FAAB: $4

Outfielder

 TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds (45%)

Logging a base hit in eight of your last nine games is impressive enough, but eight multi-hit efforts in your last nine games? Now you're just showing off. Unfortunately, batting leadoff every day means Friedl's 18-for-40 (.450) stretch has only resulted in two RBI, but he's made up for it by scoring nine runs in that span. The 29-year-old is now batting .301 on the season, and despite playing 32 fewer games, he's only two runs and one steal away from matching his 2024 totals (35 R, nine SB). FAAB: $4

 Alexander Canario, Pittsburgh Pirates (1%)

Canario has been starting regularly in Pittsburgh's outfield since May 9, and since then he's slashed .313/.361/.478 with two long balls, five RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases over 18 games. The Pirates' offense hasn't been dynamic enough for him to be a reliable RBI asset despite him atting fifth/sixth in the lineup every day, but he may be worth a look if you need to make up ground in hits/batting average. FAAB: $1

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!