More Fantasy Baseball Week 20 Waiver Wire Adds: Zach Neto, Tyler Stephenson, Michael Conforto and More

The weekend is here, which means it’s time for another fantasy baseball waiver wire story.

Let’s take a look at some of the most-added players, according to FantasySP Waiver Wire data. We’ll avoid starting pitchers, as most are streaming options, and FSP’s Daniel Hepner covers those daily.

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Zach Neto Fantasy Outlook

Neto has been hot at the plate of late, which explains his rise in own percentage. He’s rostered in 59% of leagues.

Neto is on a five-game hitting streak and has 10 knocks over that span. He had three homers, two doubles and a triple among the hits, along with 13 RBIs, six runs scored, three walks and three strikeouts.

Neto has been a solid option in deeper leagues for most of the season, but is certainly hitting well enough to consider in standard leagues now too. He’s a pretty well-rounded fantasy asset with some nice potential for the coming years, but certainly could be added and plugged into any starting lineup until he cools off.

Usually, I’m trying to find season-long assets for my standard league teams, but with so few weeks left in the season, my mindset changes and I’m all about adding the hottest hitters. Neto is one of them right now, and available in a good amount of leagues.

Justin Martinez Fantasy Outlook

Martinez is a rare relief pitcher to make the waiver wire story. He’s getting some high-leverage outings of late, which explains why he’s here. Martinez is now rostered in 18% of leagues.

In 43 games overall this season, Martinez is 4-2 with a 1.97 earned run average. He’s allowed 14 runs (11 earned) on 35 hits and 26 walks, while striking out 61 batters.

He’s earned two holds and two saves over his last four outings. Martinez has covered four innings in that span, allowing two hits and three walks, while punching out 10.

I’m not sold that he’s taken over as the team’s closer, but he’s certainly worth watching in case save opportunities keep coming. I like adding him best in deeper leagues. His strikeout work is strong of late, and with high-leverage outings, holds and saves (and maybe wins) are definitely what fantasy owners are looking for. 

Tyler Stephenson Fantasy Outlook

Stephenson is hot at the plate again, which makes him especially valuable at a weak fantasy catcher position. He’s rostered in 40% of fantasy leagues.

Stephenson has hits in four straight games and 12 knocks over the past 10 games, which includes nine starts. He has three homers and two doubles among those hits in that span, along with nine RBIs, eight runs scored, four walks and seven strikeouts.

The fantasy catcher position isn’t a strong one, and you’d probably be surprised to know that Stephenson is seventh at the position in points leagues this season. That means his own percentage should be higher than what it currently is.

I know Stephenson isn’t the biggest name, but he’s producing more than a lot of the big name guys are. He’s doing enough to consider adding in a deeper or standard league depending on your current catcher situation. Don’t keep starting a big-name player if guys like Stephenson are outperforming them.

Michael Conforto Fantasy Outlook

Conforto is another hitter trending up right now, and his own percentage is also on the rise. He’s rostered in 25% of leagues right now.

Conforto is on a six-game hitting streak, with 11 knocks along the way. He had four doubles and two homers among his hits, along with nine RBIs, six runs scored, four walks and just one strikeout.

His .239 season average isn’t great, but you can throw that stuff out the window right now. Again, you want the hottest hitters on your team right now, so adding Conforto isn’t a bad idea.

I like him more in deeper leagues, but could see why someone would add him in a standard league - I personally wouldn’t because there’s so many other fantasy outfielders out there that one of them has to be a better season-long performer than Conforto. Maybe they aren’t as hot at the plate right now, but they will likely still score more than Conforto as the season winds down.

Ernie Clement Fantasy Outlook

Clement has done some good things at the plate recently, which has made him a fantasy option in deeper leagues.

Dating back to July 26, Clement has 17 hits over 13 starts. He’s got four doubles among his hits, along with eight RBIs, four runs scored, two walks and only one strikeout.

The other nice thing with Clement is that he plays all over the field - he primarily plays third, but has also played shortstop, second and left field. He gets in the lineup often, which is a good thing to look for in deeper fantasy leagues.

I like adding Clement in deeper leagues. He can start now and then serve as a versatile depth piece after that. Clement would need another week or so of strong hitting to warrant consideration in standard leagues.

Joc Pederson and Josh Bell Fantasy Outlooks

Pederson and Bell are other hitters heating up at the plate, and with them both playing for Arizona, let’s just cover them together. Pederson is rostered in 50% of leagues, while Bell is at 64%. Bell was also a part of the first waiver wire story of the week.

Pederson is hitless over the past two games he’s played in, but has 12 hits over the past 13 games overall. He’s started nine times in that span.

Pederson has five home runs, a double and a triple among his hits. He’s drove in 12 runs, scored nine times, walked on eight occasions and struck out nine times in that span. 

Normally, I’d say add a hitter as hot as Pederson, but he is a platoon guy, so I’d be hesitant to make the move in a standard league. He could be treated like a starting pitcher streamer, where you add and play him against right-handed starters the Diamondbacks are facing. That’s a ton of work though, and if you have limited roster moves for the day, week or season, I think there’s better players out there to target. 

Pederson should definitely be owned and started (when he starts) in all deeper leagues though.

Bell, on the other hand, is starting regardless of what starting pitcher is on the hill for the other team. Since joining the team at the trade deadline, he’s got seven hits in as many games. He’s up to four homers and a triple, along with five RBIs and runs scored, three walks and four strikeouts.

Bell could see his playing time decrease when Christian Walker is healthy again, but if Bell is hitting well enough, they’ll find a way to get him in the lineup regularly. 

So, I’m for adding Bell to fantasy rosters, whether that be deeper leagues or standard ones. He’s doing enough at the plate to at least start him until he cools off, or his playing time diminishes.