Here is The Game Day’s Week 7 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top Free-Agent Pickups. Set these key Week 7 MLB Pickups for your waiver wire list this weekend, then follow along with our full fantasy baseball tips page all MLB season.
After reading our Week 7 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, make your pick for these Week 7 MLB pickups over at Monkey Knife Fight. Play DFS at MKF and get an Instant First-Time Deposit Bonus of up to $100 with the code “GAMEDAY”.
Week 7 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top Free-Agent Pickups To Target
Week 7 MLB Waiver Wire: Priority Adds
Taijuan Walker, SP, New York Mets (43% rostered on Yahoo!)
The percentage of rosters Walker’s on is going to surge after his gem Thursday afternoon. He held the Cardinals to one unearned run on one hit, striking out eight and lowering his ERA to 2.38. Walker backs his sterling ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 25.7 K%.
He’s walked 11 percent of the batters he’s faced, and his 4.24 SIERA isn’t great, either. Still, the bulk of his walks came in back-to-back starts, and he’s rebounded.
Additionally, Walker’s velocity gains have stuck, and he was pumping 95-plus mph fastballs in the last inning of Thursday’s gem against the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Taijuan Walker Waiver Wire Tip: The cheap buying window for Walker’s slammed shut, but he’s still worth grabbing for 30-35% of your FAAB budget.
Tejay Antone, SP/RP, Cincinnati Reds (42%)
Could Tejay Antone the closer be a thing soon? Maybe! The Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen has been a full-blown disaster this year. Blown saves are a flawed stat, but they’re tied for the fourth-most with seven, and their 5.66 ERA is the second-highest mark, per FanGraphs.
Antone’s been excellent, and he recorded the team’s most recent save, putting out a fire created by Carson Fulmer and Lucas Sims with the game’s final out. He promptly imploded a few days later in his next relief appearance. However, he got back to his dominance with two scoreless innings with zero hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in his latest appearance.
In 10 relief appearances spanning 17.1 innings, Antone’s twirled a 2.60 ERA, 3.19 SIERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 34.3 K%. Further, his 62.5 GB% should help him avoid the pitfalls of homer-friendly Great American “Small" Park.
- Tejay Antone Waiver Wire Tip: Antone’s not a lock to take the closer gig and run with it, but the possibility is within his range of outcomes. At worst, sporadic saves and multi-inning relief appearances in which he helps in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts feels likely, making him worth a FAAB bid in the 30-35% range.
Willie Calhoun is among the best Week 7 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire pickups. Now that he’s playing regularly while showing more patience and power, he could be huge. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
Willie Calhoun, OF, Texas Rangers (13%)
Willie Calhoun’s 2021 campaign didn’t begin until he was activated from the injured list on April 17, but he’s making up for the lost time. He’s reached base in 15 of 16 games ad boasting a robust .328/.397/.492 slash with three homers, an 8.8 BB%, and 14.7 K%.
A high-contact, low-strikeout approach is the norm for Calhoun, but the walks are a welcome addition to his profile. The newfound patience bodes well for him retaining his spot atop the order against right-handed pitchers.
Calhoun’s batted-ball data is quite promising as well. MLB Statcast credits him with a .296 xBA and .475 xSLG.
- Willie Calhoun Waiver Wire Tip: Calhoun is a batting-average and runs-scored asset with enough thump to surpass 20 homers (a feat he accomplished with 21 homers in 337 plate appearances in 2019). He’s worth a FAAB bid of around 25% of your budget.
NEW — Jordan Romano, RP, Toronto Blue Jays (47%)
Rafael Dolis exited Friday’s contest early with a calf strain, and the team’s reportedly treating it “as a day-to-day thing." The path is now clearer for Romano saving games and, potentially, laying claim to the gig if he has success.
He coughed up a run in a non-save situation on Saturday. Still, he’s otherwise pitched well of late, recording four straight scoreless appearances in which he ceded just one hit and zero walks, with three strikeouts in four innings before Saturday’s hiccup.
- Jordan Romano Waiver Tire Tip: Gamers should be willing to spend around 25% of their FAAB budget on securing the services of Romano, a talented reliever with a chance to save games as we advance.
Week 7 MLB Waiver Wire: Sleeper Pickups (6-15% FAAB)
- Tony Gonsolin, SP/RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (35% rostered)
- Robbie Ray, SP, Toronto Blue Jays (41%)
- Jurickson Profar, 2B/OF, San Diego Padres (26%)
- Evan Longoria, 3B, San Francisco Giants (28%)
- NEW -Tyler Rogers, RP, San Francisco Giants (32%)
- Adolis Garcia, OF, Texas Rangers (44%)
Dustin May’s 2020 campaign is over, as he’s going to undergo Tommy John surgery. His bad luck could be Tony Gonsolin’s good fortune. Gonsolin’s on the injured list right now, but ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports Gonsolin “has begun the process of being built back up as a starting pitcher." Be proactive and save yourself some FAAB by scooping him up now.
I was skeptical of the Robbie Ray hype train, but I’m aboard it now. He’s throwing more than a tick and a half harder, and he’s fixed his bugaboo. The veteran southpaw has been a walk-machine throughout his career, but he’s whittled his free passes down to a palatable 7.8% this year. He hasn’t issued a walk in his last three starts spanning 18.2 innings, each of which was a quality start.
Jurickson Profar’s positional versatility has netted him basically everyday at-bats. Combined with his steady playing time last year, he’s produced a solid-if-unspectacular .267/.347/.394 slash with eight homers and 12 stolen bases in 320 plate appearances. Profar’s speed is average, but his base-stealing acumen is elite. He’s stolen 31 bases in 33 attempts dating back to 2018.
Evan Longoria was in this space earlier in the season, and he returns this week. His batted-ball data remains superb, and the veteran’s plate discipline has been excellent, too. Longo nursed a hamstring injury that slowed his roll in mid-to-late April, but he’s walked at a 17.9% clip and has a 46.7 Hard-hit% and 13.3 Barrel% in his last 28 plate appearances. This approach should result in him finding his groove again in the heart of the San Francisco Giants order.
NEW - Less than a week ago, colleague Kev Mahserejian highlighted the closer situation for the San Francisco Giants. I’ll piggyback on his analysis and note Tyler Rogers should be scooped up in fantasy baseball leagues for the potential for occasional saves (he’s saved two games this year and saved three last season). He’s made a pair of one-inning, scoreless relief appearances since Kev touted him, and the righty with a submarine delivery sits upon a sparkling 0.92 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched this year. He’s not an asset in strikeouts, but his 67.8 GB% and low walk rate play well in late-inning, high-leverage situations.
Adolis Garcia is a flawed player, but he brings a nifty combo of power and speed supported by his StatCast data. Garcia ranks in the 75th percentile in average exit velocity, 79th percentile in Hard-hit%, 75th percentile in xSLG, 96th percentile in Barrel%, and 89th percentile in sprint speed.
He’s been caught stealing three times compared to only one successful steal, which threatens his opportunities in the future. Regardless, his sprint speed provides hope for double-digit stolen bases along with the power to flirt with 30 homers if his high strikeout rate doesn’t undermine the thump. Be aware he’s even more of a batting-average liability than his already poor .259 average suggests.
Week 7 MLB Waiver Wire: Depth/Streamers (0-5% FAAB)
- Shane McClanahan, RP, Tampa Bay Rays (25% rostered)
- NEW - Tyrone Taylor, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (1%)
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B/OF, Chicago White Sox (19%)
- Mike Tauchman, OF, San Francisco Giants (5%)
- Jonathan Villar, 2B/3B/SS, New York Mets (29%)
The Rays are handling Shane McClanahan with kid gloves, but his triple-digit heater and secondaries are downright filthy. Take a stab at him and hope they loosen his pitch-count restrictions.
NEW - Christian Yelich’s return from the injured list lasted one day, opening the door once again for Tyrone Taylor. I nearly discussed him in this space initially, but I wanted to see how the outfield playing time situation would shake out with a healthy Lorenzo Cain joining the fold. Taylor’s been a lineup mainstay, starting in four of five games. He’s even been elevated to third in the lineup for the team’s last three games to boot! Taylor’s a worthy addition in 14-team mixed leagues or deeper formats based on playing time and lineup spot alone.
Andrew Vaughn’s a bat-first player with a shot at hitting in an RBI-friendly lineup spot in the wake of Luis Robert’s multi-month injury. After a slow start, he’s slashing .306/.386/.408 over his last 57 plate appearances. The righty’s power has manifested itself in a big-league dinger yet, but the scouting grades are a plus, so they should come.
Mike Tauchman’s been freed from the New York Yankees’ crowded outfield, and he has a less daunting path to playing time with the Giants. The sum of his contributions is greater than the individual parts, and while he has only average speed, he’s exceptionally efficient stealing bases. He’s stolen 15 bases without getting caught stealing over the last four years, and he’s swiped 14 bases in limited playing time over the last three seasons.
The New York Mets have a pair of regulars on the injured list in Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis, and Jonathan Villar should see regular playing time in the interim. He’s a viable short-term option for gamers in need of steals. He stole 16 bases in only 52 games and 207 plate appearances last year, and he swiped 40 bases in 2019.
