Paul’s Fantasy Baseball FAAB Recommendations – Week 8

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  • By Paul Williamson

    Last Updated on May 17, 2026 1:48 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: May 17, 2026

    12-TEAM LEAGUES (FANTRAX ROSTER%)

    Honorable mentions – I will discuss the players rostered between 50-60% as some of these player’s roster% may have gone up over the week due to daily change leagues but could still be there for you FAAB runs.

    OF – JJ Bleday – CIN – 72% – Daily change leagues have been scooping up him up and if was left alone in your last FAAB run, this is the definite last call on the dude who might be the top waiver wire find of 2026. BID – 8-15%

    OF – NYM – A.J. Ewing – 67% – As I’ve stated in previous FAAB articles, Fantrax has more dynasty leagues than others so he should be available for a lot of FAAB runs this weekend. With LuRob making slow progress in his rehab, Ewing will get the next shot at being the everyday centerfielder. He has a homer and a steal in his first four games with a .250/.400/.563 slash to open his MLB career. He had 17 steals in between AA and AAA this year with a couple of homers. He his a hit over power dude with a line drive approach. He won’t hit a ton of homers but could easily get to 15+ steals with a solid average. BID – 8-15%

    P – Ben Brown – CHC – 62% – Yeah, I’m cheating just a tad here. But he is on the verge of getting to 5+ innings in his path to being a starter again and with the introduction of a sinker to his arsenal, he looks more the part of a starter than just relying on getting Ks with his filthy curve. He lines up for starts against the Brewers and Pirates next week. BID – 5-10%

    1B, 2B – Luis Garcia Jr. – 60% – He has been raking since coming back off the IL with a couple of homers and a .314/.351/.600 slash. In this time he has improved his barrel rate and hard-hit rate. He has been an interesting young player for a little while so maybe this hot streak is the beginning for him. BID – 3-6%

    P – Mike Burrows – HOU – 60% – Yeah, it didn’t work out last time around but he had three strong outings prior to the poor one and he lines up with a two start week against the Twins then in Texas at pitcher-friendling Globe Life. A .342 BABIP is what is fueling his 1.53 WHIP as he has a solid 7.7% BB% and he has induced a 36.5% hard-hit rate. His near 12% SwStr% mean he should start get more Ks than his 20.6% K% suggests. BID – 5-10%

    P – Peter Lambert – HOU – 60% – This is looking like last call on Lambert. He has had two straight 7.0 inning starts, one of which was seven scoreless vs. the Dodgers then he took down the Mariners. He owns a 2.76 ERA (2.99 FIP, 3.42 xERA), 1.13 WHIP and 24.2% K%. He limits damage with a 5.2% barrel rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. BID – 4-8%

    OF – Henry Bolte – ATH – 58% – 12 homers, 17 steals, .467 wOBA and a K% dropping to 22.0% in AAA earned Bolte the call up. He still has a major lift problem with a 58.1% ground ball rate in AAA but if he can find a way to keep that number closer to 50% (or under would be great) then he certainly hits the ball hard enough to produce. With Carlos Cortes falling out of a favor recently, a spot is now open in the A’s outfield. BID – 5-10% 

    2B, SS – Chase Meidroth – CHW – Need cheap MI help in the short term? Well Meidroth has had a hot May so far with a .300 average and a couple of bombs. There isn’t much in the underlying data to say this is sustainable as he is likely still just a high-floor/decent average play, but ride him now while he is hot. BID -2-3%

    P – Aaron Civale – ATH – 57% – He is pitching well enough right now to stream him outside of Sacramento and he gets the lowly Angels in LA next week. BID – 2-3%

    P – Zebby Matthews – MIN – 57% – It was a successful 2026 debut for someone who didn’t exactly set the world on fire in AAA. We saw a slightly different Zebby that had a drop; in velo on his arsenal but much better control as he limited the damage nicely. But he didn’t earn whiffs nor K’s. That limits his initial upside and will make me limit how much I’d spend in FAAB on him. Be warned that he faces the Astros next week and that’s not a start you want in your lineups. But keep an eye on that velocity and whiff as we know that’s in there. BID – 3-6%

    1B, 2B, SS, OF – Ezequiel Duran – TEX – 55% – He is getting a shot with injuries in Texas and has done well. He is slashing .250/.322/.462 slash with a couple homers and a steal in 60 PA in May. He is returning some intruiging quality of contact numbers like a  44.0% hard-hit rate. His metrics look alot like his 2023 season where he hit 14 homers with eight steals in 439 PA with a .276 average.

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    May 17, 2026, 1:48 pm