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After a week of exciting baseball, fantasy owners have a pretty good idea of where there team stands at the moment. With that being said, there are always guys out there on the waiver wire that must be targeted if you are serious in your attempts to reach fantasy dominance. A handful of guys have showcased that they can be relevant in fantasy land, and they are featured in edition two of “The Waiver Wire.”
Related: 2013 Fantasy Baseball: OF Justin Upton Showing Power Early in Year
Paul Maholm, Atlanta Braves: Maholm has been one of the breakout candidates in the pitching department for many heading into 2013 and he is proving people right thus far. On Monday night, Maholm cruised to his second win of the season, striking out seven and allowing just one hit. Pitching in a rather weak hitting division with scorching hot Justin Upton and company providing him with run support, there is no reason why Maholm can’t continue to see success here in 2013.
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John Buck, New York Mets: What an awesome start to the season for Buck. Through eight games, the 32-year old has smashed four home runs, 14 RBI (1st in NL) and is batting .375. Oh wait, what’s that? He also hit a home run tonight against the Phillies, so make that five dingers and 16 runs batted in. Buck has been the perfect candidate to fill in for guys like Carlos Ruiz or Brian McCann, who are out of action, but he is making his own case as a starting fantasy catcher. His high strikeout rate should force him to see his average decrease, but I believe he has legitimate 20-home run power, which is great for a catcher. Despite his red hot start, Buck is currently owned in just 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so get him while you still can.
Jim Henderson, Milwaukee Brewers: Because original closer John Axford is god awful right now, Henderson becomes fantasy relevant as the new Brewers’ closer. His first stint with the new job wasn’t smooth sailing, but he did manage to record his first save of the season, something Axford couldn’t do in three games. Obviously, if you are looking for saves, Henderson should be owned in all formats, and people realize this, as he is currently the number one added player in Yahoo! leagues (16,554).
Kyuji Fujikawa, Chicago Cubs: Same story, different team. Original closer Carlos Marmol is bad. The fans know it, the team knows it, fantasy owners sure know it. Now, the Cubs have decided to give the closing job to Fujikawa, a guy who was on many fantasy radars coming into the season, assuming Marmol eventually lost his job. Well, the time has come for Fujikawa to show the world what he can do and of course, any closer with a starting job that can give you the opportunity for saves must be owned in all formats.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
