Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Waiver Wire Adds: Daulton Varsho, Kerry Carpenter, Mitchell Parker and More

Discussing the most-added fantasy baseball players heading into week 5 of the fantasy baseball season.

The fifth week of the fantasy baseball season gets underway shortly, so it’s time to dive into some of the top waiver wire options.

Check out the FantasySP Waiver Wire Pickups page for even more options.

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant. Use our fantasy baseball trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios and weekly projections to find the best fantasy options.

Daulton Varsho Fantasy Outlook

Varsho is the top waiver wire option after clubbing three homers over the past couple games for Toronto.

Varsho has always been a power-first hitter, with a career .229 average. He’s hitting .242 this season and already has five home runs. Varsho hit 20 bombs a season ago after 27 in 2022.

Varsho also has four doubles among his 16 total hits this season. He’s drove in 11 runs, scored 14 times, stole two bases, walked six times and struck out 18 times. Varsho’s .306 on-base percentage is slightly above his career .298 mark.

He plays pretty much every day, and aside from the strikeouts and low average, is a pretty solid fantasy option. If your league doesn’t really penalize those two things, Varsho is a good waiver wire add. 

If those stats are utilized and it penalizes a player like Varsho, he’s still a solid option for the next few days to see if he can stay hot at the plate. I wouldn’t go out of my way to add him, but if I had a roster spot to play with, I’d take a short-term gamble on him.

Bryan De La Cruz Fantasy Outlook

De La Cruz hit two home runs over four games this past weekend. He’s got three homers in the team’s past five games.

De La Cruz is now hitting .274 for the season, which is slightly above his .264 career average. His OBP is just .293, which is down from a .309 career mark.

The Marlins’ outfielder/designated hitter has collected 26 hits this season, with five homers and four doubles among those. He’s drove in 14 runs, stole a base and scored 10 times. De La Cruz has just three walks to 28 strikeouts.

He’s a lot like Varsho at the moment, with home run power, but a lot of strikeouts. A bonus for De La Cruz is that his average is a lot higher, so even if these power numbers don’t keep up, he’s a slightly better fantasy hitter than Varsho, at least in my opinion.

He’s another waiver wire option that I wouldn’t go out of my way to add, but if I had a roster spot that wasn’t locked in, De La Cruz is a solid addition, even if it’s until he cools down at the plate a bit.

Travis d'Arnaud Fantasy Outlook

d'Arnaud had a crazy two-game stretch recently for Atlanta. The catcher hit three homers in one game and another in the following game.

d'Arnaud is hitting .255 for the season, up slightly from a career .250 mark. His OBP is .333, a bit better than his .310 career mark. He’s getting extra playing time now with Sean Murphy injured and out. 

dArnaud has 13 total hits this season, with five doubles and four homers among those. He’s posted 12 RBIs, scored 10 runs, walked five times and struck out 11 times.

With Murphy out, this would be a temporary addition for your catcher spot. It’s possible d'Arnaud could work into the lineup as a DH if he really continues to rake at the plate. If you need some temporary help at catcher though, d'Arnaud is a fine option right now.

Kerry Carpenter Fantasy Outlook

Carpenter got off to a bit of a slow start but is now hot at the plate. He’s got a .318 average and .366 OBP right now. His career average is 278, and his OBP is .337.

Among his 21 total hits, four are doubles, three are homers and two are triples. Carpenter has driven in 12 runs, scored seven times, walked three times and struck out 17 times.

Carpenter may still be locked in a platoon, but being a left-handed hitter, Carpenter will draw plenty of starts this season. He’s a solid top fantasy OF backup that can start in your lineup any time he’s in the starting lineup for the Tigers. I’d at least add him to see if he can stay hot at the plate.

Zack Littell Fantasy Outlook

Littell is the top pitcher on the waiver wire, and that’s for a couple reasons. He’s slated to start Monday against the Tigers, and Littell has been great in his first four starts.

Littell has a 1-0 record and a 2.14 earned run average across 21 innings pitched. He’s struck out 22 batters and walked just five. Littell has allowed five runs on 23 hits, but has surrendered just one homer.

Littell has at least four strikeouts in every outing, and walks in just two contests. His hits allowed mark has risen with each start, and he allowed his most runs in a start (three) in his most recent outing. 

I still like the idea of streaming Littell against a Tigers team that ranks among the worst teams in the league in average. If he pitches well again, you could hang on to Littell, unless you need that roster spot for another streaming option.

Mitchell Parker Fantasy Outlook

Washington’s Parker has been spectacular in his first two MLB starts. He’s 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Parker has 12 strikeouts and no walks, while allowing two runs on seven hits.

Parker is the Nationals’ No. 21 prospect, so his two starts have been a bit of a surprise. He faced the Dodgers and Astros, so it wasn’t like his hot start was against bad offenses.

He should be lined up to start against the Marlins this week, who are one of the worst-hitting teams in the league. I’d at least add him as a streaming option for that game, and would hold him as long as he continues to put together strong starts. I don’t envision it lasting forever, but he could be one of the breakout stars of the season.

Reed Garrett Fantasy Outlook

It’s not too often a non-closer gets a lot of waiver wire love, but New York Mets’ Garrett is getting plenty after a great start to the season.

All Garrett has done this season is win three games and not allow an earned run across 10 2/3 innings and six appearances. He’s struck out 21 batters and walked three, while allowing five hits and two unearned runs. 

Edwin Diaz is the team’s full-time closer, but Garrett did earn one save when Diaz was unavailable, and could get more in the future if a similar situation presents itself.

If you’re in a league with deeper rosters, or where relievers can be decent fantasy assets, I absolutely like the idea of adding Garrett. His fantasy ceiling is capped because he won’t likely earn many saves, but he’s pitching in some high-leverage situations, meaning he could get a few more wins.

Speaking of the wins for Garrett, don’t let his fantasy point total fool you. Those three wins bump his numbers up quite a bit, and while he could earn more wins, they likely aren’t going to come as frequently. Still, the heavy usage and strikeout numbers are enough to take a gamble on Garrett.

#waivers #2024-fantasy-baseball