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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Here are all the options to help your lineup this week

The Yahoo! fantasy baseball waiver wire is currently filled with exciting options who can provide either short or long-term help.

No matter what your team needs, I’m confident you will find your answer somewhere within the players listed below.

Danny Jansen (C, Toronto Blue Jays, 11 percent rostered)

Managers who are receiving poor production from the catcher position can consider stashing Jansen, who should return from the IL in the next few days. The Illinois native was dominant in 23 games during the second half of last season (1.165 OPS) and got off to a solid start this season before suffering an oblique strain. The sample sizes are small, but Jansen is worth a shot at fantasy baseball’s weakest position.

Jesus Aguilar (1B, Miami Marlins, 32 percent)

While managers chase the next potential star, Aguilar continues to quietly help fantasy teams by producing plenty of RBIs and solid numbers in home runs and batting average. In fact, his 107 RBIs since the outset of 2021 rank 32nd in baseball. Aguilar won’t be your key to victory, but he is the type of player who should be valued in this offense-deprived landscape.

Josh Rojas (2B/3B/SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks, 19 percent)

Rojas was popular during draft season before becoming a forgotten man when he missed the first month of the campaign with an oblique strain. His four-position eligibility means that the 27-year-old is easy to fit into a lineup, making him a great bench option who can offer diverse production (11 HR, 9 SB in 2021).

Harrison Bader (OF, St. Louis Cardinals, 42 percent)

Sitting fourth in the Majors with seven steals, Bader should be rostered in virtually all roto leagues. The outfielder also has useful power (16 homers across 103 games in 2021) and has cut his strikeout rate in the past two seasons to the point where he should be a batting average asset.

St. Louis Cardinals' Harrison Bader has fantasy intrigue
Harrison Bader has been delivering serious fantasy value of late. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Josh Naylor (OF, Cleveland Guardians, 50 percent)

Naylor put the exclamation point on his coming-out party when he drove in eight runs on Monday. The Canadian outfielder is showing strong contact skills (13.0 percent strikeout rate) and Statcast currently has him assigned with a .323 xBA. Naylor won’t provide steals but is hitting in the heart of the Guardians lineup and should help in all other categories.

Brandon Marsh (OF, Los Angeles Angels, 45 percent)

Marsh should be active in virtually all leagues this weekend, as the productive Angels lineup is set for four games over three days against the lowly Oakland A’s. The club will face four right-handed starters, which should suit the lefty-swinging Marsh, who in his career has compiled a .774 OPS against righties (.514 OPS vs. southpaws).

Alek Thomas (OF, Arizona Diamondbacks, 24 percent)

Yahoo! managers have been slow to add Thomas, perhaps not realizing that he is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 18 prospect in baseball. The rookie is hitting low in the lineup, which limits his initial ceiling, but he could easily rise up the ranks in an Arizona offense that has struggled to find consistent producers. Thomas has a solid blend of power and speed (18 HR, 13 SB in 106 games in 2021), which makes him a potential five-category contributor.

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Tyler Anderson (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers, 40 percent)

Anderson entered last night’s start with a 2.78 ERA before uncharacteristically giving up seven runs across six innings against the Phillies. His ERA is now 4.40, but he also owns a helpful 1.12 WHIP and an impressive 27:5 K:BB ratio. Los Angeles leads the Majors by a wide margin with a 2.48 ERA, and betting on their pitchers is typically a wise move in fantasy circles. I want Anderson in my active lineup as long as he remains a member of the Dodgers rotation.

Josh Winder (SP/RP, Minnesota Twins, 44 percent)

Winder has outstanding career Minor League numbers that include a 2.82 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP across 44 starts. He spent little time in the high Minors before making Minnesota out of Spring Training, and after making three solid relief appearances, he has allowed just three earned runs across three starts. This is the perfect time to give Winder a chance, as his next start is scheduled to take place against an A’s lineup that ranks last in baseball with a .582 OPS.

Michael Lorenzen (SP/RP, Los Angeles Angels, 26 percent)

Speaking of pitchers who are about the face the A’s, Lorenzen is a great streamer for tomorrow’s contest in Oakland. The right-hander has solid win potential and should improve on his respectable ratios (4.13 ERA, 1.16 WHIP).

Jhoan Duran (RP, Minnesota Twins, 39 percent)

Duran is currently sharing the closer’s role with Emilio Pagan but is clearly the better pitcher. In fact, with a 24:3 K:BB ratio, the rookie righty can make a case that he is currently one of the best relievers in baseball. Duran could soon take over the closer’s role and finish the season with nearly 30 saves, or he could remain variable with his usage and end 2021 with 15 saves and more than five wins. Either way, he should be very valuable.