Fantasy Baseball: Week 8 Waiver Wire Outfielders
The free agent pool in 12-team formats with 30 roster slots leaves fantasy managers with weaker options. Picking up on player trends can lead to finding surprising results, but a fantasy manager must believe in their long-term ceiling.
McCusker played at a high level over the past month at AAA, leading to a .379 batting average over 17 runs, eight home runs, 33 RBIs, and two stolen bases over 103 at-bats. Over his last 159 games between AA and AAA, he hit .302 with 93 runs, 30 home runs, 111 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases over 593 at-bats. McCusker struck out 28.6% of the time. He’ll turn 25 in a week while waiting for his first major league at-bat.
The Twins placed Byron Buxton on the injured list with a concussion issue, giving McCusker his first shot in the majors. His starting window may only last until Matt Wallner returns (starting upping his rehab work over the past week).
The Reds lost Jake Fraley over the past week, creating a starting window for Benson. Over his last seven games, he went 8-for-22 with four runs, three home runs, eight RBIs, and one stolen base. Despite his short-term success, Benson tends to have a massive strikeout rate (39.7 in 2024 with the Reds and 29.0 at AAA this season), inviting job loss risk. Ride him while he’s hot, but have a quick release when the strikeouts start piling up.
The Orioles gave Laureano an uptick in playing time since May 6th. He has 11 hits over his last 30 at-bats with eight runs, two home runs, four RBIs, and one stolen base. His playing time is helped by Tyler O’Neill battling some injuries.
After missing the last six weeks with a broken left thumb, Cowser started his road back to Baltimore by taking batting practice on Saturday. His bat was productive after the All-Star break in 2024, leading to a .268 batting average over 250 at-bats with 45 runs, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, and four stolen bases. On the downside, he struck out 31.7% of the time. The Orioles should have him back in their lineup in a couple of weeks, making him a viable buy-and-hold in shallow formats.
The Diamondbacks’ outfield remains cloudy, leaving a minimal opportunity even if they recall McCarthy. Over 20 games at AAA, he’s hitting .346 with 22 runs, eight RBIs, and five stolen bases over 81 at-bats. More of a follow for fantasy teams looking for potential steals.
Conforto was a complete dog over his first 112 at-bats with the Dodgers (.134/17/2/6/1) while striking out 29.6% of the time. Over the past week, he has had eight hits over 23 at-bats with two runs, hinting at more production at the plate.
The fantasy market kicked Pederson to the curb over the last two weeks due to an unbelievably poor start to the year (.124 over 113 at-bats with seven runs, one home run, and four RBIs). On the positive side, his walk rate (12.2) remained intact while posting a favorable strikeout rate (19.8). On Saturday night, Pederson finally made enough contact for a ball to land in the seats. He has streaky power, and his major resume says a correction is coming.
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