Waiver Wire Targets: Week 8

Jon and John talk through some waiver wire targets ahead of the beginning of week eight of the fantasy baseball season

Jon A and John Allen

May 15, 2026

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Shallow League Pitcher Targets

Ryne Nelson, D’Backs - Just in case he got dropped in your league. Fastball usage is down, and he’s been awesome in his last three starts
Ben Brown, Cubs - New sinker could be the fix he always needed
Tyler Mahle, Giants - Weird season for the oft-injured starting pitcher. After an unsustainable 2.18 ERA last season, his 5.18 ERA in 2026 is very unlucky. Over the past 20 days, his 2.70 xERA is 11th in the league.
Jared Jones, Pirates - Should be getting back in the MLB rotation in the next two weeks
Grayson Rodriguez, Angels - The ultimate lottery ticket mixes top prospect hope with long injury history.

Deep League Pitcher Targets

Trevor McDonald, Giants - Heavy sinker, doesn’t allow homers. Everything else is pretty questionable, but he’ll give you some QS in San Fran.
Connor Prielipp, Twins - Another arm that might end back in AAA, but a pretty nice 18% K-BB% so far.
Griffin Jax, Rays - Mixed results as a starter, but he has the goods to succeed in that role
Zebby Matthews, Twins - Shaky control last season and in spring training resulted in this former hot prospect going back to Triple A. In his MLB season debut, he shut down the Marlins, allowing no runs, walking just one, and striking out seven in five innings. He might have a short MLB stint, with Taj Bradley expected back soon, being the only drawback.
Roki Sasaki, Dodgers - Walk rate continues to fall. Pretty decent 14:4 K:BB in the last three while clearing five innings each time

Shallow League Hitter Targets

Sam Antonacci, White Sox (2B/SS) - Speedy guy with a .380 OBP and a sneaky 11.1% Brl% so far.
Luke Raley, Mariners (OF) - Was one of the few Seattle hitters to start off strong in 2026. He back again with five homers in his past eight games.
Ezequiel Duran, Rangers (1B/2B/SS/OF) - Utility man is getting full-time playing time with the injuries in the Texas lineup. The still 26-year-old is playing even better his promising 2023 season (.276/.324/.443 with 14 HR and 8 SB) with a .294/.365/.480 and a walk rate of more than double his career best.
Mark Vientos, Mets (1B/3B) - Really swinging a good bat in May and the Mets have been playing time
Spencer Horwitz, Pirates (1B) - Hitting .286/.404/.468 over his last 94 PAs, points league value add!
AVOID: Nasim Nunez, Nationals - Another owner in your league is going to try to get you to buy this one-trick pony. Don’t. Nunez is second in MLB with 17 stolen bases. But the rest is off the rails — .208 batting average, .233 slugging, and, of course, zero HRs.

Deep League Hitter Targets

Jake McCarthy, Rockies (OF) - He’s hitting for a decent average, and it’s actually better on the road (.292) than at Coors (.281). Can still get stolen bases (7) and occasional power at home (2, both in Coors).
Zack Gelof, Athletics (2B/SS) - Plate discipline gains, handful of homers already for the A’s. May stick in the lineup when Wilson returns.
Austin Martin, Twins (OF) - Benefits in PT with Wallner demotion, OBP machine with some steals
Zach Cole, Astros (OF) - He’s going to strike out a ton, but Houston has no one else in the outfield at the moment, so he will get strong-side platoon playing time. He has speed and pretty good power until the league catches up to him … again.
JP Crawford, Mariners (SS) - Playing daily, more walks than strikeouts, and five homers.
Masyn Winn, Cardinals (SS) - Hitting .293/.333/.404 in last 100 PAs, K% is way down and he can run a bit
Braden Shewmake, Astros (SS/3B)- Former 1st-round pick of the Braves, was plucked off the Yankees’ Triple-A roster after Carlos Correa went down. He is 20th in MLB in wRC+ since his April 20 callup.
Gage Workman, Tigers (3B) - Maybe won’t be a starter, but crushed AAA and has started hot in MLB after the call-up

Last Week’s Waiver Wire Review

Shallow League Hits

Davis Martin, White Sox: The 29-year-old is up to 50 innings of 1.62 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and striking out more than a batter an inning. The breakout is feeling more real, but his JA ERA is less encouraging at 3.61.

Brandon Marsh, Phillies: Hits keep coming with at least one in five of his past six, including a 4-for-4 performance.

Shallow League Misses

Sean Burke, White Sox: Hours after landing on our list he got blasted for six hits (including tw0 homers) that led to six earned runs in 4.1 innings.

Casey Schmitt, Giants: With prospects coming up, Schmitt has been in the lineup five of six games, but he has yet to drive in a run.

Deep League Hits

J.J. Bleday, Reds: Driven in 11 in the past week, and looks to be enjoying playing in Great American “small”Park.

Zack Gelof, Athletics: Continues to take us back to his promising rookie season in 2023. Has hits in 11 of past 12 games, four of those hits being home runs.