As sample sizes begin to grow and we collect more data, we’re starting to get a really good idea with how players' seasons are going to go and who’s a good add off of the fantasy baseball waiver wire and who’s not. There have been some dominant pitching performances and some breakout offensive players that are over 50% available in Yahoo! Fantasy baseball leagues and we’re going to identify them in this article. Can Andrew Painter keep it up and stick in the Phillies rotation even when Zack Wheeler is back? Is it FINALLY time to buy into Jordan Walker’s breakout? Let’s examine the Week 3 fantasy baseball waiver wire!

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 3!

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Targets at a Glance


 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox

21% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 7-9%

We’re off to a fast start and at 1B and 3B, Miguel Vargas is a solid long-term add. We know he has an elite batters eye, that’s been evident since his first game in the majors and is sporting a 15.6% BB rate thus far while hitting .280. That has helped him notch a robust .406 OBP, which is so elite. The added value to his fantasy game is that he’s already stolen three bags, which is half the number he stole all of last season. His sprint speed checks in at 66th percentile this season per Baseball Savant.

It was 51st percentile last year. So if Vargas continues to be aggressive on the base paths, it’s an unexpected bonus to his fantasy game.

Max Muncy, Athletics

14% Rostered on Yahoo Fantasy

FAAB - 3-5%

It doesn’t hurt Max Muncy that he gets to play his home games at a minor league stadium. Well, this Max Muncy. Athletics Max Muncy. Muncy had a huge spring training and has followed that up by posting a 1.000 OPS through his first 31 at-bats this season. He can be slotted into three infield slots and has upside to hit a bunch of home runs.

Josh Bell, Minnesota Twins

7% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 1-2%

If you look at a lot of the numbers under the hood for Josh Bell’s 2025, it looked really good. Now the start of 2026 also looks really good, as he’ll continue to get every day at-bats in Minnesota. He’s also blasted two homers and has nine runs scored and seven more driven in. He won’t cost much to acquire if you’re looking for a first basemen or corner infielder in 14-plus team leagues.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals

11% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 5-7%

It could be a little bit of a facade, but it’s also possible that Jordan Walker is figuring things out. The reason it could be a little fake is because he’s driven in all eight runs in two games. That being said, his average is up to .296 and we’re seeing the power, speed, and run production. This is the dream we were sold on with Walker originally.

Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers

6% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 3-4%

I was a little skeptical of how good Garrett Mitchell’s start has been until I saw some underlying metrics that say differently (thanks to Baseball Savant).

The oft-injured outfielder is healthy right now and nearly playing every day and the Brewers are down two key members of their lineup in Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn so there’s no reason to think Mitchell loses many at-bats. He’s a really solid fantasy add if he can maintain this type of production and I haven’t even mentioned he’s already stolen three bags. He’s a 70-grade speed guy, so the steals are real.

Cam Smith, Houston Astros

6% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 2-3%

This is a two-parter as we look ahead to the Astros schedule and they follow up their series in Sutter Health Field and head to Coors Field as they face the Rockies. In fact, six of their next nine games are against the Rockies and then face a subpar Cardinals pitching staff after. Cam Smith is off to a good start as he’s belted two home runs and swiped two bags as well. He’s still hitting the ball on the ground too much, which could hurt him long term.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies

49% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 8-10%

I understand it’s one start, but feast your eyes on this beautiful Andrew Painter Baseball Savant page;

We can look together. I’ve already refreshed 10 times just to revisit how great it looks all over again. If you look at Painter’s 2025 minor league campaign, a few things jump out.

Painter's fastball usage was down while his slider and curveball usage was up. In fact, he only threw his slider 10% in ‘25 and threw it over 20% in his major league debut. Painter is an elite prospect and is a very high upside waiver wire add at this point in the year.

Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays

24% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

Taj Bradley has allowed fewer runs (1) than he’s made starts (2) and that’s a great sign. We need consistency out of Bradley and he’s given us that so far. Bradley has a 27.9% K-rate through two starts and over 10 K/9, which would be more in line with his first two seasons after dipping down to 8 K/9 last season. He's an interesting upside option if he can continue to miss bats.

Jordan Romano, Los Angeles Angels

44% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 5-7%

Did Jo Adell save his bacon on Saturday? Sure. He casually robbed his third home run in the ninth inning to preserve a 1-0 lead and Jordan Romano’s scoreless outing streak. A streak that is up to five games to start the year. He’s also at three saves and has seven strikeouts thus far and is still rostered under 50% in Yahoo! Fantasy baseball leagues. Romano is the best option available in over half of Yahoo leagues and is a must-add for those searching for ninth inning relievers. Despite the bad year last year, let’s not forget the pedigree this guy has had in the past in the ninth inning.

Lance McCullers Jr., Houston Astros

33% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 4-6%

Lance McCullers’ season couldn’t possibly start better, but it’s never about the arm talent. It’s about the arm and the pitcher’s glass body. McCullers is always injured, but right now, he’s healthy. Healthy and pitching extremely well. He saw his fastball velocity up from a year ago and he missed a boatload of bats. McCullers generated 17 whiffs and punched out nine Red Sox and he is available in nearly 70% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues.