We have officially crossed the midway point of the fantasy season, and Week 15 is all about aggressive roster optimization. Winning your league requires identifying shifting roles and jumping on hot hands before your competition beats you to the punch. In this edition, we’re breaking down a handful of must-watch players who demand your immediate attention. We'll look at the immense ceiling of Bryce Eldridge as he flashes elite power, the sneaky multi-positional value of an overlooked Kody Clemens in Minnesota, and the rising floor of Boston starter Jake Bennett, who continues to look like a legitimate rotation pillar after making his debut earlier this spring. Grab your coffee, check your priority list, and let's get to work. 

Be sure to check out the 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid to run down a list of players that are likely available in your fantasy baseball leagues.

If you want more waiver wire content, head over to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel where Howard Bender and I broke some waiver wire options down for Week 14!

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Targets at a Glance

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Esmerlyn Valdez, Pittsburgh Pirates

48% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 9-10%

If you are hunting for pure power on the waiver wire, look no further than Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez. Over his first 21 games (17 starts), the 22-year-old has taken major league pitching by storm, slashing an incredible .333/.384/.712 with six home runs and 17 RBI. He smashed 22 home runs in Single-A in 2024, followed that up with 26 combined long balls between High-A and Double-A in 2025, and already had 10 homers in Triple-A before his promotion. The 70-grade raw power is entirely real, and his .379 ISO in the majors proves it plays everywhere. 

Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox 

41% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 7-9%

Third base is arguably the worst position in fantasy baseball this season, completely hollowed out by injuries and underperformance. If you are desperately searching for stability and upside at the hot corner, it is time to buy into the Boston Red Sox’s Caleb Durbin. While his overall season numbers might not jump off the page yet, Durbin has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month. Since June 1st, he is sizzling with a .299/.343/.577 slash line, pairing it with seven home runs, 18 runs, 15 RBI, and five stolen bases. A 20-20 pace from your third baseman is a massive competitive advantage and will end up being a top-10 player at the position.

Kody Clemens, Minnesota Twins

32% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy 

FAAB - 6-8%

In most fantasy formats, Clemens possesses eligibility at 1B, 2B, and the outfield. This kind of defensive versatility is invaluable for navigating rest days, doubleheaders, and the inevitable wave of mid-summer injuries. He can slot into your middle infield, corner infield, or active outfield spots seamlessly. Clemens blasted his 16th home run of the season on July 4th against the Yankees, putting him just three shy of his career-high before the All-Star break while flashing a robust .500 slugging percentage. Heading into Sunday, Clemens has homers in three straight and four homers over his last six games.

Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants

27% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy 

FAAB - 6-8%

It feels like some luster has come off Bryce Eldridge as he’s down to just 27% rostership on Yahoo! Fantasy and it shouldn’t. Look at this man's Baseball Savant page; it looks great.

He’s playing against left-handed pitchers too and has a LOT of power upside. Eldridge has seven bombs through his first 46 games along with a .205 ISO. He’s gained 1B eligibility over the past week too and we know the Giants are going to be sellers at the deadline, which puts any doubt on Eldridge’s playing time to the side. The Giants top prospect and 20th prospect in all of baseball has been awesome and nothing suggests that’s going to stop any time soon.

Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

29% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 2-3%

Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio has quietly evolved into a highly productive fantasy asset. For managers who need stolen bases but are terrified of completely cratering their percentages, Rocchio is emerging as a premier target. The 25-year-old switch-hitter is up to 15 stolen bases on the year, matching his speed with a very respectable .738 OPS that keeps him firmly relevant across multiple formats. He’s a solid OBP guy (.346 OBP) as well, so your ratios won’t plummet at all.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Trent Grisham, New York Yankees

46% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

If you have been sleepwalking on New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, it is time to wake up. Since May 1st, Grisham has quietly been one of the most well-rounded outfielders in fantasy, slashing an incredible .294/.376/.493 with five home runs, 28 runs, 21 RBI, and six stolen bases. He is truly doing a little bit of everything, making him an absolute premium priority on the waiver wire. Grisham has power upside as we saw last year and he’s very willing to run this year, which hasn’t been a part of his game since 2023 when he stole 15 bags.

Cole Carrigg, Colorado Rockies

15% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 5-7%

If you are looking to get ahead of a major fantasy baseball breakout, it is time to grab Colorado Rockies rookie outfielder Cole Carrigg. He has quietly been incredibly efficient since his June call-up, slashing .293/.378/.573 with four home runs, 18 runs, and 19 RBI through his first 75 major league at-bats. The raw power and standard category production are great, but the real reason Carrigg is an absolute priority is the massive fantasy ceiling hidden right beneath the surface. 

The stolen base explosion is coming, by the way. While he has only swiped two bags at the major league level so far, elite speed is the foundational bedrock of Carrigg's profile. He tore up the minor leagues on the basepaths, stealing 30 bags in Triple-A earlier this year before his promotion, 46 bags at Double-A in 2025, and 53 bags in High-A back in 2024. 

Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners

16% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 4-6%

If you like the color red, then you’ll love looking at Dominic Canzone’s Baseball Savant page because that’s basically what the entire thing is.

Canzone’s mostly done all of his damage against righties, but he is turning in pretty good results against lefties and is slowly but surely getting more opportunities against the split. He’s hitting .273 with a .994 OPS against lefties thus far.

Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers

10% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 3-5%

Talent has never been an issue with Garrett Mitchell. It’s been health. Now, if a 33% K-rate isn’t your cup of tea I completely understand. Mitchell has been quite good for some time now, slashing .342/.388/.671 with five home runs and 13 RBI over his last 24 games (19 starts). He’s had some really good batted ball luck on his side that we should approach with a little caution, but he’s a decent add for someone looking for outfield power.

Cedric Mullins, Tampa Bay Rays

8% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 2-4%

At this point in time, the 2021 version of Cedric Mullins looks like an outlier compared to the rest of his career, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a valuable fantasy asset. Especially with the way he’s rollin’ of late. Over his last 21 games – 19 starts – Mullins has hit .292 with a .366 OBP and .500 SLG% while belting five bombs and stealing four bags. He’s always been a big-time stolen base threat and flashes some power upside to go with it. He’s hitting in the heart of the Rays offense and is seeing a lot of good pitches to hit.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals

39% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 8-10%

I’ve been screaming from the rooftops how unlucky Cade Cavalli has been this year and the luck is starting to turn. Now, on the field, Cade Cavalli has been really good of late and has really spent a lot of the season missing a ton of bats. He has 102 strikeouts across 90.1 innings (10.2 K/9) and sports a 25.7% K-rate. The unlucky stuff is there as he’s suffered a .340 BABIP this year and features a 3.56 SIERA and 3.61 xFIP. He will eventually be suspended and miss a start, but missing one start isn’t bad for how good the pitcher is.

Jake Bennett, Boston Red Sox

37% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 8-10%

I’m going to include Jake Bennett is this section until he’s over 50% rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy because he’s a must-add moving forward. He’s been awesome and there are a LOT of things suggesting it could get even better.

The thing you can point to for Bennett’s strikeouts to start trending upwards is his 99% chase percentile and his 12.2% SwStr%. Those two things are two big indicators that strikeouts are going to come and that’s really the only thing he’s missing at this point. He’s an elite ground ball artist and doesn’t issue free passes. I really think he’s a must-add moving forward.

Brandon Sproat, Milwaukee Brewers

28% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 5-7%

It’s been an impressive stretch of pitching for Brandon Sproat and it’s time we take notice. He’s still available in over 70% of Yahoo! Fantasy formats and that’s criminal. In a four game stretch, Sproat had to pitch in Great American Ballpark, Coors Field, and in Las Vegas and didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of them. On top of that, he’s struck out at least six batters in three straight starts, raising his K/9 to 9.6 and K-rate to 25.3%. 

Not only was June impressive from a strikeout standpoint, but it was just impressive as a whole. He had 9.7 K/9 and a season-low 2.4 BB/9 while posting a 3.16 xFIP and holding his opponents to a .198 BAA. Sproat continues to pitch well and the team just lost Brandon Woodruff and sent down Robert Gasser, so there should be absolutely zero concern with Sproat’s job security; he’s safe.

Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles

6% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 3-4%

So it looks like Tyler Wells has leap frogged Cano and Garcia as the Orioles closer while Ryan Helsley is out. He picked up two saves this weekend, his first two of the season. Wells has been quite good pitching to a 3.02 ERA this year and has 9.3 K/9 and a 25.9% K-rate. Since June 4th, Wells has allowed just one earned run, which is a 0.63 ERA and he’s held opponents to a .143 AVG. His K-rate is way, way up too, over that span, posting a 32.7% K-rate. Wells could simply pitch well enough to take this job and run and why not just add him while you can. He’s been fantastic on the hill.