Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re on the home stretch, with your playoffs likely about to reach the second round, so keep your foot on the pedal, peeps.

This week, Matt Chapman‘s big year has paid off with a massive contract extension; Anthony Rizzo returned to Wrigley for the first time since getting dealt away three years ago; and Cleveland starter Matt Boyd continued his excellent run.

So while you wonder whether Los Angeles is still the team to beat in the NL (currently +155 to win the NLCS as per FanDuel), let’s get to this week’s…

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks

Casey Mize, SP, Detroit Tigers (ESPN: 2.5 per cent; CBS: 18 per cent): It feels like Mize has been around forever, but it was just two years ago that he graduated from our Top 100 Prospects rankings. Unfortunately, injuries decimated his 2022 campaign, wiped out his 2023 season, and have again limited him this year. After missing two months with a hammy woe, Mize returned at the end of August and has looked rusty so far, but overall he’s pitched better this season and we know what he’s capable of when healthy (see 2021). He’s been efficient with his pitch count since returning, so that’s good news, and as he gets stretched out, he should provide more value over his final few outings. Mize has the size and swing-and-miss stuff (see video below) to be a frontline starter, so don’t sleep on him.

Luke Weaver, RP/SP, New York Yankees (ESPN: 3.9 per cent; CBS: 14 per cent): Weaver graduated from our Top Prospects rankings in 2018, but proved inconsistent and ultimately flamed out as a starter. He’s enjoyed better results (best ERA of any Yankee) pitching exclusively out of the arm barn this year and could very well be the main benefactor of closer Clay Holmes imploding. Former Cardinal Weaver bagged his first save on Friday and more could be coming real soon.

Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN: 0.9 per cent; CBS: 20 per cent): Painter, No. 18 in our Top 100 Prospects rankings this year, is our Dynasty pick this week. He’s nearly recovered from July 2023 TJS, and is now facing live hitters in batting practice. Painter is not an option for this year, but he remains a solid prospect who you do not want to forget about as he’s already throwing 99 mph again.

Jose Leclerc, RP, Texas Rangers (ESPN: 22 per cent; CBS: 14 per cent): When we last checked in on Leclerc he was hurting, but he returned to pitch very well in the second half of 2022 and then even better last year. But any doubt that he’s not exactly closer material disappeared this year. Having said that, if you need an RP who will bag some holds, a few wins and a crapload of Ks, Leclerc is your man. Just be prepared for periodic meltdowns that will hurt your team ERA and the constant threat of him being shifted to a lower-leverage role.

Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins (ESPN: 2.2 per cent; CBS: 28 per cent): Finally, a hitter! Wallner has recently been shifted to the three hole and has responded, delivering a single on Friday and hitting the game-winning home run while also drawing a walk Thursday to follow up his two-hit effort on Wednesday. Strikeouts are an issue, and that’s going to cap his upside, but right now the dude is raking (929 OPS), so grab him while you can.

Fernando Cruz, RP, Cincinnati Reds (ESPN: 1.2 per cent; CBS: 3 per cent): When he came off the IL early last season, we thought Cruz was a bit of a sleeper, and while he improved his command and delivered on the Ks we promised, he didn’t get enough holds or have strong enough bottom line numbers to be useful. This year, Cruz is again piling up the punchouts, but also the holds, and now he’s being employed as an opener. And considering he’s whiffed 14 over six innings in his first three opening assignments, he’s getting more attractive if you are chasing Ks (although Friday’s stumble wasn’t a welcome sight).

Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels (ESPN: 3.6 per cent; CBS: 34 per cent): Heading into last season, we started growing impatient with Adell, only slotting him 130th in our Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings, and he didn’t exactly restore our faith, striking out way too much in the bigs and spending most of his time at Triple-A before missing almost the entire second half with an oblique strain. Yuck. In some ways, Adell’s been even worse this season, but there’s also been a lot of positives in terms of health, PT and the fact that his power-speed game finally emerged. He remains ridiculously inconsistent (great April and August, horrific May and June), but what intrigues us is how hard he hits the ball. Adell is currently tied with Ketel Marte for 20th in the bigs in terms of average exit velocity for his fly balls and line drives. Everyone ahead of Adell on this list is a top notch Fantasy asset, and with his amazing raw tools, we still believe that one of these days it’s all going to come together. Maybe. UPDATE: Adell hurt his oblique again and had to come out early on Friday, so double check his status before adding him. If he’s done, consider this more of a Dynasty recommendation.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

XTC formed in 1972 in Swindon, England. Here’s another track from Drums and Wires, with “That Is the Way,” featuring on flugelhorn Dick Cuthell, known for his work with The Specials.

Expect Worthy to chalk up at least 45 yards in his first game, making him a mid-range WR3/high-end WR4 for the week. He’s not a future star, but should be an average starter at the very least, thanks to elite athleticism that saw him run a 4.21 40-yard dash to set a record at the Combine. That speed should make Worthy a deep ball threat right from the outset, so we’re curious to see how the Chiefs try to take advantage of this weapon. more

Still, it could be a sluggish start for Hill as he was dealing with a thumb woe that has caused him to miss practice the past couple of weeks and had him listed as questionable for the season opener (which is against Jacksonville, who boasts a very strong pass D). He returned to practice on Monday and laid to rest any doubts he’d play in the opener, so it sounds like his absence last week was more precautionary than anything else. more

In his second game since the promotion, all Willems did was spank a pair of dingers. B-More’s eighth round pick in 2021 has a penchant for extra-base pop, but he is very much not built for speed, which is fine, as long as he stays at catcher. more

It’s obvious this kid is a top contender for Offensive ROY honours, but how does he rank as a potential Fantasy asset this year? Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, completed 80 per cent of his 15 passes while adding 16 yards and one TD on the ground this preseason. more