Players that Shouldn't Be on Your Waiver Wire

Grabbing emerging players off the waiver wire is one of the most important aspects of having a championship team in your fantasy league. You need to be on top of all the news around the league in the first month and be the first one to pickup these players. Last year, I won my league and a good reason was getting Ryan Braun for free off the waiver wire. This season, Braun was a 1st round pick in most leagues and those are the quality of players that can be had for practically nothing.

In a Head to Head league pitchers are very important because if you can dominate those categories it can go a long way to being on top of the league. Therefore, I was paying close attention to them at the beginning of the season and if these players I picked up are still available in your league, stop reading now and get them!

Johnny Cueto - Cincinnati Reds
2008 - 1 Win, 29 Ks, 3.42 ERA, 0.72 WHIP
- Cueto started off really hot and had one mediocre start and another quality start since.

Brian Bannister - Kansas City Royals
2008 - 3 Wins, 14 Ks, 2.42 ERA, 0,96 WHIP
- Bannister isn't quite as sexy as Cueto because of the lower strikeouts but he is a good source for wins and the other important statistics while likely to be more consistent.

Rich Harden - Oakland Athletics
2008 - 1 Win, 15 Ks, 0.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
- Harden has compiled these numbers in only two games because he has been on the DL for most of the season. Once he is healthy though expect him to continue with a strong season and helping your team.

Finding batters to add some pop to your lineup is a little more difficult because GMs tend to be on top of the offensive players a little more. I found one diamond in the rough this season and if he is somehow available then your league sucks.

Nate McLouth - Pittsburgh Pirates
2008 - 15 Runs, 16 RBIs, 2 SBs, .382 AVG
- In my Yahoo league McLouth is ranked 9th right now and as you can expect by his numbers and he is on a 18 game hitting streak as well.

Keep an eye out for these types of players and congratulations if they are actually available in your league. I hope they continue to pay dividends for my time throughout the season.