Are Austin Hays and Chandler Simpson Must-Add Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets?

After looking at some possible fantasy baseball waiver wire options by looking at weekly projections, let's go over some waiver wire options from FantasySP's list.

We'll cover hitters in this story. Check back soon for a writeup on pitchers.

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Should You Add Austin Hays?

Hays is the top fantasy baseball waiver wire add going into the new week. He's up 8.19% and is now rostered in 29.65% of leagues overall.

Hays just got off the injured list, so his total numbers aren't going to look super impressive yet. He's played six games and gotten 30 plate appearances so far.

Hays has 12 hits, including three home runs and one double. He also has eight RBIs, two walks, seven runs scored and six strikeouts.

He had four knocks in the Reds' 24-2 win over the Orioles on Sunday. Hays has eight hits over his past three games and has definitely given the offense a bit of a jumpstart.

Hays is a career .264 hitter with a .315 on-base percentage, which are pretty solid marks. He flew under the radar coming into the season because he was on his third team in the past two years.

He only got in 85 games with the Orioles and Phillies in 2024. Playing for the Reds is not the best for his fantasy outlook, but at the same time, he'll have a better chance at sticking in the lineup, which can sometimes be the best thing for a fantasy hitter.

Hays is a great deep-league option right now, and is someone who should remain a pretty good option in those leagues for the duration of the fantasy season. At the worst, he's a good secondary outfielder in deeper leagues. Pick him up before it's too late.

Hays will have stretches where he's usable in standard leagues, and now is one of those times. He's not a must-add waiver player, and probably should only be added in standard leagues if you have a roster spot to play with. With as hot as he is at the plate right now though, I'd be OK giving Hays a short-term spot in standard leagues.

Should You Add Dylan Moore?

Moore continues to mash, which is surprising given his career numbers. He's now owned in 67.29% of fantasy leagues after another 4.32% increase today.

In 19 games and across 62 plate appearances so far, Moore has a .316 average and .371 OBP. He's got five home runs and a double among his 18 total knocks. Moore also has seven RBIs, four stolen bases, 12 runs scored, five walks and 14 strikeouts.

Moore is a career .211 hitter with a .318 OBP, so his continued early-season success is really surprising to a ton of people. What makes him an even more appealing fantasy asset is that he's a versatile fantasy player who you can start at several different positions.

In 2024, Moore played first, second and third base, shortstop, along with time in left and center field. It'd be easier to say he only didn't appear at catcher and right field. This year, he's been in right field and at first, second and third base, along with a game at shortstop.

He should be eligible to start at several fantasy positions, which is massive, especially when he's hitting this well. I figured he'd top out as a deep-league option, and while I still think that'll be the case most of the season, Moore is definitely usable in standard leagues right now.

Don't look to him to be a long-term solution, but he should be in the starting lineup every day in some fashion, and he can be started until he cools off a bit at the plate.

Moore should remain a pretty solid deep-league option all season. He might not be startable all season, but at the very least, he's a great bench option in deeper leagues.

Should You Add Gavin Lux?

Lux is up 3.74% today, bringing his overall mark to 11.76%.

He's really been good of late, and his season-long numbers also look fantastic now. Lux has played in 21 games and gotten 82 plate appearances.

He has five doubles among his 22 total knocks. Lux has nine RBIs, a stolen base, 13 walks, nine runs scored and 19 strikeouts.

Lux is a career .255 hitter with a .331 OBP, so he's bound to regress from his current marks quite a bit. At the same time, he's just 27 years old and with a new team, so he simply might be more comfortable than he was in the past and can maybe remain a pretty solid fantasy option all season.

He's not a big power guy, but he's filling the box scores up pretty well otherwise. Lux deserves more deep-league fantasy love.

Lux isn't starting against left-handed starting pitchers, so that's going to cap him as a fantasy player, and likely keep him out of standard leagues all season. He can still be a good fantasy asset in deeper leagues.

He's mostly played second base in the past, but has 14 games played in left field already this season. That gives Lux some extra fantasy appeal in deeper leagues, and I'd add him if you are in need of second base or left field/outfield help. He's at least someone to play while he's going well at the plate.

Should You Add Chandler Simpson?

Simpson got called up over the weekend, and he's seen his own percentage skyrocket since then. He's up to 43.23% rostered after a 2.19% increase today.

Simpson has appeared in two games and gotten eight plate appearances so far. He has a double among his two hits, along with an RBI, stolen base and run scored. Simpson has struck out once.

Simpson has caught people's eyes with his game-breaking speed. In the minor leagues, he's racked up 214 stolen bases in 250 games played. He swiped 104 bases across 110 games in 2024, while having 94 stolen bases in 115 games in 2023.

Simpson was the Rays' leadoff hitter against a right-handed starting pitcher on Saturday, and then he hit ninth against a lefty on Sunday. In either case, Simpson will be able to use his speed to affect the game. If he keeps delivering at the plate, he'll likely stick toward the top of the lineup, and because teams face more righties than lefties, his fantasy outlook is really high going forward.

I'd be all for adding Simpson in deeper leagues right now. He can be started right away too, and should always be a good/great deep-league option.

If I had a roster spot to play with in a standard league, Simpson would be high on my target list, if not the top guy. His speed and stolen base numbers could lead the MLB the rest of the season, and that makes him a daily fantasy option.

I know there's a ton of fantasy outfielders you could add, but Simpson just seems like one of those can't-miss pickups. At the very least, I'd add and roster him for a couple weeks.

If Simpson cannot continually get on base, then he could be dropped from standard leagues, but I think Simpson is going to be a fantasy baseball dream for the remainder of the season. Don't miss out on this youngster!