The first waiver wire run after the season kicks off is all about overreactions. This player has had a crazy first week! This player looks like they’re breaking out this year! Some of it ends up being real and a lot of it ends up being fake. Remember in 2025 when Andres Gimenez started the year hitting fourth for the Blue Jays? That ended up the same thing at year's end, right? RIGHT? IS THIS THING ON?

Let’s dive into some of this week's top waiver wire targets and some of the players that are lower owned that are widely available as well. There have been some fun breakouts in the wee early stages of the morning such as Taj Bradley, Jordan Romano, and Jake Burger.

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 2!

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Targets at a Glance

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins

43% Rostered on Yahoo Fantasy (FAAB - 7-9%)

It’s always about health when it comes to Royce Lewis and he’s at least starting 2026 with a clean bill of health. He’s already homered and stolen a bag and the stolen bases are something we saw in the second half of last season. In 63 games after the All-Star break he stole 12 bases and before the break, he stole none. He has a truly elite ceiling when he’s going good and stays healthy.

Jake Burger, Texas Rangers

21% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 6-8%)

Through two games, Jake Burger has homered twice and has driven in four runs to boot. The K-rate being up at 44% while still hitting .500 is a good sign because obviously the strikeout rate is going to eventually come down. Burger’s an elite power source that simply had a bad 2025 and yet still had an 80th percentile xSLG at .478. If you’re looking for power on the waiver wire, Burger’s your guy.

Brady House, Washington Nationals

5% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 1-2%)

The Nationals have hit Brady House third against left-handed pitchers and fifth against righties. The lineup does have some thump and he could potentially be hitting with plenty of runners on if he sticks in the middle of it. He’s someone who has flashed some decent power at the minor league level and had a 60/65 raw power grade per Fangraphs. House is going to cost you virtually nothing at this point and he’s worth taking a shot on based on the start he’s off to and where he’s hitting in the lineup.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Carson Benge, New York Mets

40% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 10-12%)

The Mets rookie right fielder is off to a fantastic spot and Carson Benge is a must-own player moving forward. He’s struck out in half of his at-bats and yet he still has a .375 OBP at this point. He’s already shown off his multi-faceted skillset by hitting a home run and stealing a base through two games.

Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies

24% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 6-8%)

I’m going to continue to suggest Justin Crawford as a waiver wire add until he’s over 50-percent rostered because he’s only half of that now. It’s hard to imagine the ownership doesn’t balloon sooner rather than later. There’s not many guys faster around major league baseball and you’re not going to find speed like this on the waiver wire very often.

Owen Caissie, Miami Marlins

6% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 2-3%)

With Kyle Stowers out, it’ll be interesting to see how Owen Caissie’s at-bats come when there is a lefty on the mound. He started Game 1 against Kyle Freeland but is sitting Game 3 against Jose Quintana. He’s off to a good start and it’s a good sign if he’s going to get cracks at left-handed pitchers. Caissie is a highly coveted prospect that has a very high ceiling if he makes enough contact at the major league level.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Brandon Sproat, Milwaukee Brewers 

38% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 6-8%)

After a fantastic spring, Brandon Sproat opened the year as the Brewers number three starter. He missed a lot of bats in the spring, which he didn’t do a lot of over the last two seasons at the minor and major league levels. 

His velocity on both his fastball and sinker were up over one full MPH in the spring, which could be a direct correlation to being a part of the Brewers pitching program. Everything turns to gold in Milwaukee.

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins

4% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 4-6%)

I want it on the ground floor. Again. With Taj Bradley. In Bradley’s first start of the year, he only went 4.1 innings, but he struck out nine Orioles. Not only did he have nine strikeouts, but he generated 17 swings and misses while hitting 99.6 MPH on his fastest pitch of the day.

There won’t be many wins considering what team he’s pitching for, but I’m a sucker for the talent and it was on full display in his first start. Worth taking a shot on Bradley while he’s still available in over 95-percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Jordan Romano, Los Angeles Angels

40% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 4-6%)

After Kirby Yates went on the injured list right before the season began, the writing was on the wall for Jordan Romano to get the first crack at saves in Los Angeles and that’s what happened. He has thrown two innings and pitched in the ninth inning in both outings, notching one save and tossed a clean 1-2-3 in a four-run lead in the other.

The strikeouts are up from the past two years and although it’s early, that’s a great sign. With his primary competition all injured, Romano could run away with the job.

Ryne Stanek, St. Louis Cardinals 

10% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy (FAAB - 2-3%)

If you’re in the market for saves, Ryne Stanek could be an option for you. It was a little bit of a surprise that Stanek was the guy out of their pen getting the first shot at saves and he’s 1-of-2 already. Stanek has always missed a lot of bats and that has been the case at the start of the year, but he needs to get the walks under control. I’m not sure he’s the closer long-term, but if you’re in immediate help of saves, Stanek could help.

 

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