We have officially hit that glorious turning point in the summer where your less-dedicated league mates are already starting to print out their fantasy football cheat sheets. Do not let your foot off the gas. While they are busy debating early-round running back ADP, we are out here hunting for league-winning value on the waiver wire – and the board is absolutely loaded this week. We have former top prospects like Curtis Mead and Cade Cavalli finally tapping into elite execution, blistering hot power surges from under-the-radar bats like Heriberto Hernandez, and high-leverage bullpen anchors like Yoendrys Gomez and Jacob Webb quietly racking up saves for pennies on the dollar.

Whether you need a massive second-half shot in the arm for your starting rotation or some reliable pop behind the dish, it's time to cash in on your league's complacency. Let's dive into the best waiver wire targets to grab right now before the rest of your league wakes up.

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 17!

 

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Targets at a Glance

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Curtis Mead, Washington Nationals - 41% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 9-11%)

The former top-50 prospect that was once traded for Cristopher Sanchez is in the midst of a breakout and is arguably the best waiver wire addition of the week. He’s hitting in the middle of the Nationals lineup which ranks at the top of basically every offensive category and hasn’t slowed down at all.

Since May 1st, Curtis Mead has been a plus offensive player as he’s slashed .265/.356/.525 with a .260 ISO, and .380 wOBA. He’s blasted 13 home runs, driven in 35 runs, and scored 34 more. That’s in a 59 game span, might I add. Mead’s already a top-10 fantasy player at third in points leagues and you should look at your current situation and compare them to Mead because there aren’t many better players at the position right now.

Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins - 32% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 5-7%)

Since returning from injury, Ryan Jeffers has started in four of five games and has a hit in all four. He’s belted a home run already and has driven in five runs. It’s great to see the power still there because he’s coming off a hamate bone injury, which is typically something that limits a player's power for a bit.

Jeffers has spent the past four seasons being an above average offensive catcher and those are hard to find. He’s an elite 164 wRC+ player this year and is arguably a top-10 catcher in fantasy for the remainder of the season.

Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants - 22% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 7-9%)

I bring up Bryce Eldridge in my weekly waiver wire column basically every week because his rostership doesn’t make sense. He’s been a plus, plus player, and since his callup on May 4th, Eldridge has a higher OPS than Bobby Witt, Elly De La Cruz, Jordan Walker, and Jackson Chourio.

It’s not stopping anytime soon either. He’s gained first base eligibility and that brings infinitely more value to him in fantasy. The 21-year old is always on base and is live to have a double-digit home run outburst in the second half of the season.

Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets - 19% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 4-6%)

Despite the fact he’s only played in 66 games this year, Francisco Alvarez ranks 10th in home runs amongst ALL catchers this season. June and July has been especially kind to him as he’s hit seven home runs in 29 games, which is an elite pace for a catcher. Injuries have largely derailed him to this point of his career but let’s not overlook the fact that this player hit 25 home runs in 2023 in 123 games. Alvarez is the perfect waiver wire add for someone who drafted/has Cal Raleigh and Will Smith.

Kyle Karros, Colorado Rockies - 29% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 4-5%)

When you play a bad position in fantasy and you start putting up gaudy fantasy numbers, it’s time we take note. Kyle Karros, since June 1st, has hit .319 with six homers, 26 runs scored, and 19 more driven in. In points leagues (per Yahoo! Fantasy scoring), Karros is 14th amongst all fantasy third basemen and because he plays his home games in Coors Field, he has a chance to crack the top-10 sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Luis Robert, New York Mets - 42% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 7-9%)

There is a really high upside player nearly available in 60-percent of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues. He’s expected to be activated on Monday and should be playing every day from here on out. I guess the only change that could occur is if the Mets end up trading him. His ceiling is what is attractive in adding him.

Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers - 22% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 4-6%)

I mean, the strikeouts are simply baked into what Garrett Mitchell is but holy cow he’s on a big-time heater, he’s hitting .343 and his OPS is nearing 1.000. He’s not really running any longer despite plus speed, he’s just hitting. He’s driven in 19 runs and has scored 22 times during that span (37 games) and is hitting in the top half of the lineup daily. With Sal Frelick hitting the injured list, Mitchell should continue to play each and every day no matter what pitching split is on the hill.

So yeah, this is a really good player despite the elevated strikeout rate. Invest in him now while your league mates are gearing up for their fantasy football season.

Heriberto Hernandez, Miami Marlins - 8% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 3-5%)

This is a random one, but there’s no denying the results for Heriberto Hernandez. He’s in the middle of a power surge. Since June 1st (33 games), Hernandez has belted 11 home runs and has a .982 OPS, .375 ISO, and .410 wOBA. Over that span, there are only EIGHT players in the entire league with more homers than Hernandez. 

Who are the eight? 

Pete-Crow Armstrong, Luis Garcia Jr., Junior Caminero, Hunter Goodman, Rafael Devers, Shohei Ohtani, James Wood, Ben Rice.

Look at his company, dawg.

He’s been a plus fantasy addition and with Owen Caissie out, he’s not in nearly the same timeshare he was in earlier in the year. Hernandez also is 85th percentile sprint speed and is up to six steals on the season.

Luis Lara, Milwaukee Brewers - 8% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 2-4%)

With Sal Frelick hitting the 10-day injured list with a serious shoulder strain, it’s Luis Lara’s time to shine. The hyped-up-prospect hasn’t been bad at the major league level; he just hasn’t done anything overly exciting and has been in a timeshare. Lara and his 60-grade speed stole his first bag at the major league level on Saturday and now with regular at-bats incoming, he should begin to show off his upside.

Lane Thomas, Kansas City Royals - 4% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 1-3%)

After homering again on Saturday, Lane Thomas is hitting .340 in July with four home runs, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored. He’s absolutely frying opposing pitching and is hitting in the heart of Kansas City’s lineup daily. 

Thomas is up to a .342 OBP and .765 OPS on the year and is 113 wRC+ player, which is way above average at this point. He has an 88th percentile walk rate and that’s aided by the fact he never chases and rarely swings and misses. Thomas is barely owned across Yahoo! Fantasy leagues and is definitely a good depth piece at this point in the year. 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates - 42% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 8-9%)

You just know when someone is back, right? Like, I mean BACK back. Jared Jones is pitching his A$$ off and is STILL available in over 50% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues. For a third straight game, Jones has struck out at least six batters in three straight games and now has eight and nine over his last two outings. He’s had at least 11 whiffs in all three of the starts I’ve mentioned too. He registered 11 (!!!) pitches of 100 MPH or more in his dominant outing against Cleveland on Saturday and is a must-add moving forward. It’s possible you’re a little more hesitant in quality start leagues because his pitch count wasn’t moved at all coming out of the break.

Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals - 40% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 8-9%)

In standard fantasy formats, elite ratios are only half the battle; you need volume to go with it. Cavalli is delivering exactly that, racking up four quality starts over his last five outings. The most eye-popping indicator of Cavalli’s recent success is an incredible 37:4 K:BB ratio. A striking problem for young power pitchers is often the free pass, but Cavalli has virtually eliminated it over the last month. 

Cavalli’s season-long progression is fully backing up this recent hot streak. His ERA has fallen to a stellar 3.78, and his strikeout rate has vaulted past 26%. He is missing bats at a highly sustainable clip, keeping traffic off the basepaths, and yielding plenty of soft contact. He’s a must-add with the caveat that his next start is in Coors Field.

Shane Drohan, Milwaukee Brewers - 37% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 6-7%)

After another quality performance on Saturday, Shane Drohan is really standing out as a plus fantasy add at this point in time. Brandon Woodruff is done for the year and Kyle Harrison is on the injured list with a forearm issue. He has an open runway at this point.

After six innings, three runs, and nine strikeouts on Saturday, he’s now put together three consecutive quality starts and his nine punchouts was a season-high. He had 12 whiffs on Saturday, 17 the start before, and 17 against the Reds four starts ago. The whiffs are up and so are the strikeouts. He has serious rest of season value as long as he remains in the Brewers rotation and there’s nothing suggesting he’s going anywhere.

Yoendrys Gomez, Minnesota Twins - 30% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 3-5%)

Closer additions on the waiver wire can often be landmines for your ERA and WHIP especially if a pitcher hasn’t had much experience in that role before. Yoendrys Gomez is an exception who is actively helping your ratios right now. Look at his split progressions over the last few weeks/month:

  • Last 30 Games: 1.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11 Saves
  • Last 15 Games: 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8 Saves

The Twins are definitely a team that could be dealing parts away at the deadline and Gomez could be on the move, but as long as he’s in Minnesota he’s the guy getting the call in the ninth inning.

Jacob Webb, Chicago Cubs - 15% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 2-3%)

Jacob Webb isn't just lucking into these saves; he has been completely lights-out for an extended stretch. Since May 1st, he has boasted a spectacular 2.35 ERA paired with a dominant 28.8% strikeout rate. He has a 16.6% SwStr mark over the course of the year so the strikeouts will continue to be there. The Cubs hope Daniel Palencia will be back in mid-August, but all they can do is hope. Nothing there is guaranteed.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta Braves - 14% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 2-4%)

We’re nearing a return for AJ Smith-Shawver as he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in the summer of 2025. He threw 72 pitches in his latest rehab assignment and had 13 whiffs and nearly threw 100 MPH. His rehab assignment closes at the end of July and that means it’s likely he’ll make one or two more minor league starts before he ends up at the major league level. The Braves NEED help as they currently have Smith-Shawver, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Martin Perez, and Joey Wentz on the IL.