Welcome to August! There are exactly four weeks left in the fantasy baseball season until the playoffs arrives. How are everyone’s fantasy teams doing? Surely, many are needing to fortify the roster, hoping for a postseason push. At the same time, many just need to do some fine tuning. Whatever the case, getting This week off to a great start would certainly help. Fortunately, that is where this is fantasy baseball week eighteen waivers comes into play.

As always, debate and discussion are strongly encouraged. Let me hear you! Additionally, as is the case every week, all roster percentages are taken from ESPN.

Wade Miley, SP, Milwaukee Brewers, 11.6% Rostered

No question, the Milwaukee Brewers are excited to see Wade Miley take the mound this week. Just as certainly, fantasy managers should be as well. Making his first start in almost a month, Miley faced the Nationals in Washington last Wednesday. In that game, Miley pitched four innings and gave up one earned run on three hits while striking out five and walking two.

Milwaukee only allowed him to pitch four innings, but that would be expected for a start after an injury. Going forward, that shouldn’t be a concern. On the season, Miley is 6-2 with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He isn’t a strikeout pitcher with only 51 in 71.2 innings. However, he checks off every other box.

The best news is that Miley will face the Colorado Rockies at home on Tuesday. Of course, the Rockies leave their bats at the airport when they hit the road. This is an excellent matchup and fantasy managers need to jump up and grab Miley while he’s available.

Jameson Taillon, SP, Chicago Cubs, 15.6% Rostered

Next up for discussion on this fantasy baseball week eighteen waivers comes as a big surprise: Jameson Taillon. Earlier in the season, I wouldn’t have believed if someone told me that Taillon would merit a mention, much less a waiver recommendation, from me. Yet, that is exactly the case this week.

Simply stated, Taillon makes it easy to recommend him right now. In his last five starts, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of them. He has pitched into the sixth inning in four of his last five mound trips. Best of all, that isn’t the end of the good news. Taillon has won his last three starts and has produced double-digit fantasy points in six straight appearances.

As is so often the case, the matchup that Taillon faces on Tuesday firmly places him in the streaming category. That team is the New York Mets. Of course, the Mets have surrendered their season, having traded away much of their overpriced team. If a manager is looking for a streamer this week, Taillon meets every criterion.

Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins, 2.2% Rostered

No question, even after only playing 49 major league games over the past two seasons, Matt Wallner has earned a place in this article. Over the past week, Wallner has been all over the stat sheet. On Saturday, he was 3-5 with two runs and two RBIs. In his last seven games, Wallner is hitting .300 and has two homers and eight RBIs. In points leagues, he has been extremely valuable of late with six or more fantasy points in three of his past five games.

For the season, Wallner is hitting .268-7-16 with a .381/.573/.955 slash line. As impressive as that is, as is the case with the other players on this fantasy baseball week eighteen waivers edition, the matchup in the next three games is key. That opponent happens to be the Tigers.

In the series, Detroit’s starting pitchers after Eduardo Rodriguez have season ERAs of 7.03 and 4.94. At the very least, get Wallner into your starting lineups for those three games and quite possibly, much longer.

Kutter Crawford, SP/RP, Boston Red Sox, 7.9% Rostered

Next on the list is a pitcher that many in the fantasy community aren’t familiar with but need to get to know this week. That pitcher’s name is Kutter Crawford. Over his past two starts, Crawford has pitched 10.2 innings and allowed only a single run on seven hits with 12 strikeouts while issuing one lonely walk. In his last seven starts, Crawford has pitched into the sixth inning four times. For the season, he is 5-5 with a 3.62 ERA and an outstanding 1.09 WHIP.

For those in points leagues, the news gets even better. Over a recent five-start span, Crawford has earned his managers over 20 fantasy points. Last, but not least, his matchup on Tuesday should be full of fantasy gold: the Kansas City Royals. Their recent sweep of the New York Mets says more about the Mets than it does the Royals, as they are a pathetic 36-77 on the season.

Further, there are only two teams in baseball worse on offense than the Royals. Anyone looking for a streamer, Crawford is very available and pitching in a great spot. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Mike Tauchman, OF, Chicago Cubs, 10.9% Rostered

Has anyone noticed that the Chicago Cubs are swinging the hottest bats in baseball at the moment? Of course, we have. One player who hasn’t gotten as much publicity as others on the team is Mike Tauchman. However, of his teammates, Tauchman is one of the most available while swinging almost as hot a bat as any of them. In his last five games, Tauchman has hits in four of them, including two games with two hits.

Additionally, in that span, he has scored four runs and stole a base. In points leagues, Tauchman has positive fantasy points in six of his last seven, including a 14- and eight-point games. For the season, he is hitting .278-6-40 with 43 runs scored. As noted above with his pitching partner Taillon, Tauchman has the Mets up next. The two pitchers New York is sending to the mound have ERAs of 6.60 and 5.56.

The Blue Jays are next after the Mets and the pitchers Toronto are using the first two games of the series are both right-handed. The lefty swinging Tauchman should see plenty of action this week and fantasy managers should get in on the action while he is as available as he is.

Enrique Hernandez, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers, 7.5% Rostered

In my article last week, How Fantasy Baseball Dodger Trades Affects a Fantasy Roster, I was unsure how the Dodgers planned to use Enrigue Hernandez given how their team is constructed. There is no question now, however. Since the trade, Hernandez has appeared in ten of the eleven games the Dodgers have played. As of today, he has started eight straight.

In that period, Hernandez has hits in eight games, with two or more hits in three of those, including six of his last seven. The good news continues, as Hernandez has scored a run in four of five, and currently has an RBI in three straight contests. Those in points leagues have enjoyed six and seven fantasy points in his last two games. With such production, it is clear why Hernandes lands on this fantasy baseball week eighteen waivers edition.

Without question, fantasy managers will notice what Hernandez is doing at the plate and his roster percentage is sure to skyrocket. The Dodgers have one of the best offenses in baseball and Hernandez is hitting high in that lineup. Of course, his position flexibility only helps his case. Just about anyone can use some roster help in the infield or outfield. If that is you, make the move and claim Hernandez today.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball week eighteen waivers edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss! Follow me on Twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!

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