Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues: Deep League Pickups to Consider

Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues: Deep League Pickups to Consider

This week's article was inspired by some recent subscriber questions that had the common theme of searching for content geared toward deeper points leagues with a keeper element to them. We'll be digging into players with some very low roster rates, with one group being potential contributors this season and another consisting of potentially relevant assets for future campaigns.

For clarity's sake, the stash candidates will be limited to players who have already made their big-league debut and have at least some role on the big-league roster.

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!

Top Deep-League Fantasy Baseball Pickups

Miguel Andujar – 13% rostered CBS

Andujar's roster rate is a mystery. He has averaged 2.7 fantasy points per game and has drawn 10 consecutive starts (through Thursday). There isn't much upside to his profile, as it's based on consistent contact rather than barrel rate or particularly hard contact. That should be enough to be intriguing in deep leagues, but even better is that Andujar should pick up third base eligibility on all sites in the coming days. We'll have to squint a bit to see the fantasy intrigue for some players on this list, but Andujar isn't one.

Drew Waters – 4% rostered CBS

The Royals continue to search for a consistent source of offense in the outfield, and Waters has found himself a home since the demotion of M.J. Melendez. Waters' 2.0 fantasy points per game (using CBS

This week's article was inspired by some recent subscriber questions that had the common theme of searching for content geared toward deeper points leagues with a keeper element to them. We'll be digging into players with some very low roster rates, with one group being potential contributors this season and another consisting of potentially relevant assets for future campaigns.

For clarity's sake, the stash candidates will be limited to players who have already made their big-league debut and have at least some role on the big-league roster.

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!

Top Deep-League Fantasy Baseball Pickups

Miguel Andujar – 13% rostered CBS

Andujar's roster rate is a mystery. He has averaged 2.7 fantasy points per game and has drawn 10 consecutive starts (through Thursday). There isn't much upside to his profile, as it's based on consistent contact rather than barrel rate or particularly hard contact. That should be enough to be intriguing in deep leagues, but even better is that Andujar should pick up third base eligibility on all sites in the coming days. We'll have to squint a bit to see the fantasy intrigue for some players on this list, but Andujar isn't one.

Drew Waters – 4% rostered CBS

The Royals continue to search for a consistent source of offense in the outfield, and Waters has found himself a home since the demotion of M.J. Melendez. Waters' 2.0 fantasy points per game (using CBS standard scoring) aren't thrilling, and his underlying skills are a mixed bag. He's cut his strikeout rate nearly eight percentage points (23.8 K%), but it has clearly come at the cost of his ability to make consistently hard contact.

The hope would be that Waters is ultimately able to combine his power potential – he had a 10.1 percent barrel rate on 198 events in 2023 – with the improved strikeout rate. Don't expect a full breakout, but consistent playing time and production has value in deep formats, and there's at least mild upside for more.  

Zach Dezenzo – 15% rostered CBS

Dezenzo is the lowest-priority add on the list to this point due to his uncertain role. He has solidified himself on the depth chart above Chas McCormick, but things could get tricky once Yordan Alvarez (hand) is able to return from the injured list. Dezenzo has made his case in recent weeks however, hitting .276 with a .400 on-base percentage in nine May games (3.6 fantasy points per game).

Daniel Schneemann – 28% rostered CBS

Maybe Schneemann is pushing things a bit when it comes to truly deep league availability, but his profile is too intriguing to ignore. Not only has he emerged as Cleveland's primary second baseman, but he's also hitting second in the order on most nights. Schneemann has flashed huge power potential (17.7 percent barrel rate, 111.2 max exit velocity) in a small sample, and it may be worth seeing if he can maintain some of those improvements.

Emerging Fantasy Baseball Stash Candidates

Ben Williamson -7% rostered CBS

The Mariners have been aggressive with Williamson, promoting him after only 60 plate appearances at Triple-A. Predictably, he hasn't had remarkable success during his first taste of the majors, but he combined a decent prospect pedigree with the apparent faith of his team. A deeper dive also unearths some skills to be intrigued by. For example, he's held his own with a 25.8 K% and a league-average 7.2 percent barrel rate. The latter hints at some untapped power, as does his 110.4 mph max exit velocity.

One unique thing that Williamson could provide is stolen bases from a third baseman. He has 75th percentile sprint speed and was 19-for-25 in attempts last season. Lookout Landing recently published a deep dive into his profile and painted a positive picture, so now is a good time to acquire him as a long-term stash.

Tim Tawa – 5% rostered CBS

Tawa is not worth rostering in redraft leagues with no keeper component, but now is the perfect time to acquire him in a deep-keeper or dynasty format. He's shown strong skills in his initial big-league sample (.364 xwOBA, 10.3% barrel rate, 41.4 percent hard-hit rate) and was also kept on the roster even after the return of Ketel Marte and the promotion of Jordan Lawlar. That's a signal as to how Arizona feels about him.

The long-term playing time outlook isn't exactly clear for Tawa because he'll likely be stuck behind Lawlar for opportunities. However, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez will both be free agents at season's end, potentially shaking up the team's lineup.

Luis Matos – 3% rostered CBS

Matos has a 73 wRC+ and a .226/.278/.345 slash line in 473 big-league plate appearances, so it's not difficult to figure out why he has such a low roster rate. He's earned sporadic playing time, but that limited sample has produced intriguing results. Matos has improved his max exit velocity by 2.5 miles per hour and has four barrels on only 50 events. The Giants have had a very productive outfield this season, so there's no imminent increase in playing time coming, but he should remain on the radar for those with the luxury to stash him.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Marcus
Dan started covering fantasy sports in 2015, joining Rotowire in 2018. In addition to Rotowire, Dan has written for Baseball HQ and Rotoballer.
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