Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 18

With another week of the fantasy baseball season in the rear-view mirror, following the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees game on Sunday Night Baseball, we're another week closer to the fast-approaching fantasy playoffs.

The talent available on the waiver wire can look pretty thin at this point in the season, but there are still some players available that could give your fantasy team the production it needs to finish Week 18 with a win.

With that in mind, here are five players you should consider picking up off the fantasy baseball waiver wire for Week 18.

1. Seth Lugo, SP/RP, New York Mets

New York's bullpen has been dreadful this season, but Seth Lugo's recent dominance is one of the few things that Mets fans (and fantasy owners) can hang their hat on. The 29-year-old didn't give up an earned run in 12 July appearances while tallying 16 strikeouts, one save and six holds in 12 2/3 innings pitched. He also pitched a clean inning in his only August appearance and could now be in the mix for ninth-inning duties. Available in 77 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues, Lugo is a must-add for those fantasy owners in need of saves.

2. Ender Inciarte, OF, Atlanta Braves

Ender Inciarte has done a bit of everything for the Braves in recent weeks, batting .313 with two homers, nine runs scored, eight RBI and two stolen bases in his last 32 at-bats prior to Sunday's contest. Inciarte is available in 68 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues and could provide his owners with a good source of steals, at the very least, since he's had at least 15 stolen bases in each of his five MLB seasons coming into 2019.

3. Iván Nova, SP, Chicago White Sox

Iván Nova has struggled for the White Sox this season (6-9, 5.10 ERA), but his most recent run of form could make him worth adding for Week 18. The right-hander has been lights out over his last three starts, sporting a 2-0 record with an 0.90 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 13 strikeouts across 20 innings pitched. Nova is available in 91 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues and should be a good streaming option for his Wednesday, Aug. 7, start against the Tigers.

4. J.D. Davis, 1B/3B/OF, New York Mets

J.D. Davis was nowhere near fantasy relevant coming into the 2019 MLB season, but he should be on everyone's radar now that he's found consistent playing time. The 26-year-old has been raking over the past two weeks, batting .344 with a homer, four RBI and a 1.010 OPS in his last 32 at-bats coming into Sunday's game. Davis, who is available in 95 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues, also homered on Sunday and could provide fantasy owners with a quality bat with position flexibility.

5. Austin Nola, 1B/2B, Seattle Mariners

Austin Nola has been excellent at the plate coming into play Sunday, batting .329 with four home runs, 14 runs scored and 10 RBI in 79 at-bats this season. Nola is available in 91 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues and could be a nice addition for anyone in need of infield help.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.