Now that we’ve collected more data, we have a pretty good idea with what and who we should be looking at on the fantasy baseball waiver wire as we head into the fifth week of the 2026 campaign. There are some fun pitching trends in regards to Mick Abel, Reid Detmers, and Bryan Baker and some hitters trending up as Jeremiah Jackson, Josh Jung, and Luke Raley are wreaking havoc on opposing pitchers. Let’s dive into the fantasy baseball week five 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 5!

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Targets at a Glance

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Jeremiah Jackson, Baltimore Orioles

50% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 4-6%

It has been quite the week for Jeremiah Jackson and with how many injuries the Orioles have suffered, there’s no reason to think the playing time goes away anytime soon. Over the last seven days alone, Jackson has belted five home runs and has driven in 13 runs while scoring five more. 

Jackson can be slotted in at three different positions, playing every day and showing off at the dish. There are clear improvements to be made too considering he has a 26% K-rate and has YET TO WALK this season. He doesn't have an elite batters eye, but he walked six-percent of the time during his 48 games in the majors last year. That should correct itself over time and help his on-base percentage tremendously.

Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres

38% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 4-6%

Call me intrigued, Xander Bogaerts. It’s been quite a good start to 2026 for him and things could actually be going much better.

  • .260 BA / .309 xBA
  • .411 SLG / .483 xSLG
  • .332 wOBA / .371 xwOBA

He stole a career-high 20 bases last year and if he can continue to hit and drive in a bunch of runs, there’s a really nice fantasy baseline here. We just need luck to turn to maximize that.

Josh Jung, Texas Rangers

7% Rostered on Yahoo Fantasy

FAAB - 1-2%

After starting off his 2026 campaign with zero hits through his first four games, Josh Jung has given us a reason to believe. He’s absolutely ballin’ out recently and after belting his second home run on Saturday, he’s slashing .303/.361/.500 with two bombs and nine extra-base hits through 18 games and that’s really in just 14 games considering he was hitless in his first four. It’s never been about lack of talent, but Jung has been unable to stay healthy since first bursting onto the scene in 2022. Worth taking a shot on if you’re in need of corner infield help.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

43% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

The Blue Jays don’t seem overly concerned with Daulton Varsho’s knee soreness so I’m not either. Varsho’s power stroke had just started to come too, which is incredibly unfortunate timing. We saw a breakout in terms of power last season and he’s maintained a .200 ISO this season. His strikeout rate is way down while his walks are way up. The Blue Jays have slotted him in mainly near the top of their lineup, which bodes well for Varsho’s fantasy owners.

Luke Raley, Seattle Mariners

22% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 3-5%

It’s definitely possible that Luke Raley is just healthy and we’re getting back to his old form, but this is an entirely different level as to what it’s been. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who’s 90th percentile or better in a LOT of very meaningful categories.

Look at this man go! Now, he’s not playing at all against left-handed pitching, but the majority of players' at-bats come against right-handers, so that works to his benefit. Someone this hot could find himself earning more playing time against lefties over the long term anyways.

Lourdes Gurriel, Arizona Diamondbacks

4% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

The Diamondbacks wasted no time with Lourdes Gurriel as he made his return to their lineup on Saturday and they slotted him in the four hole. Gurriel has been a productive fantasy player year over year and has consistently floated around 20 home runs, 60 runs scored, and 80 runs driven in. He also had his first double-digit stolen base season of his career in 2025 and although that’s not something we should rely on, stolen bases are easier to acquire. Keep that in mind.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Mick Abel, Minnesota Twins

23% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 8-10%

The former first-round pick is off to an elite start as a starting pitcher. He’s tossed 13 consecutive scoreless innings and has 16:3 K:BB ratio over that span. Mick’s been Abel to miss bats at every level he’s pitched at but hasn’t done it in the majors, that is until now. His 12.3% SwStr rate is 28th and higher than the likes of Joe Ryan, Bryan Woo, and Tyler Glasnow. I’m buying stock into Abel being in a much different pressure situation with Minnesota and I believe this start to his season is in fact sustainable.

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros

28% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

We also should take a Colorado Rockies start with a grain of salt, but man Spencer Arrighetti really knows how to pull you right back in. Arrighetti struck out 10 batters and had 20 swings-and-misses. 20. That’s a LOT a lot. He’s always been able to strike people out, we just need the control to be better as he even walked four batters in his first start this year. With how many injuries the Astros have in their rotation, there’s no reason to think Arrighetti won’t stick around so long as he continues to pitch well.

Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels

38% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

It’s early, but Reid Detmers could be the latest starter turned reliever turned back to starter that’s successful. Detmers has always been able to miss bats, but seeing him do it as a starter provides so much fantasy value. He’s pitched to a 3.57 ERA but a 2.53 xERA. He has over 10 K/9 and a robust 13.6% SwStr as well.

Detmers has changed his pitch mix early this season as he’s basically dropped his curveball, which is a negative rated pitch and is throwing more changeups and sliders, two pitches rating out incredibly well. Amongst all pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings, Detmers’ slider ranks ninth and his changeup is 18th. There are 81 pitchers that meet that criteria, so he’s really showing fantastic improvement.

Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox

37% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 6-8%

A lot of things went poorly for Noah Schultz in his debut but he simply couldn’t control the baseball. He ended up with 8.3 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 and there’s no chance those two things should be close to one another. You’re picking Schultz up for the ceiling, because he has that. His fastball velocity was a career-high 97.2 MPH too. There are safer options this week.

Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays

20% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 3-5%

It’s not easy to trust a Tampa Bay relief pitcher, but Bryan Baker has had a really nice start to his 2026 campaign and has been the guy receiving the most save opportunities. There are only eight relievers with more saves than Baker thus far.

There’s a LOT to like about Baker’s start to the year and at the top of the list is how many swings-and-misses he generates. He’s near the top of the league in whiff percentage and yet has just a 24% K-rate. Typically, over the long haul, that amount of whiffs will translate to many more strikeouts.

Brad Keller, Philadelphia Phillies

8% Rostered on Yahoo! Fantasy

FAAB - 1%

This isn’t a long term solution, but Brad Keller should get a bulk of the saves for the Phillies while Jhoan Duran is on the shelf with a strained oblique. The Phillies don’t seem overly concerned with the injury, but they told us it was Keller getting the first crack at saves. Keller had three saves for the Cubs last year and that happened to be the first year he finished over 9.0 K/9. He’s there again this year.