Fantasy Baseball: Top waiver wire targets for Week 1, including Jurickson Profar replacement

Some early season injuries and suspensions could have fantasy owners scrounging for a waiver move.

Colton Cowser of the Baltimore Orioles had his thumb bent all the way back on a slide into first. Jordan Westburg replaced Cowser in the lineup, but this sounds extremely painful, and no timetable for a return has been determined.

Josh Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays has a Grade 2 strain in his right oblique, requiring an extended injury list visit. Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays left his first start of the season with right thumb inflammation, placing him on the injury list. The Blue Jays originally said it was right-lat soreness. Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves is suspended 80 games for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Depending on your league's roster allotment or the amount of bench space you have available, all these players except Profar should be kept. If you are looking for viable options to fill their spots, here are players who are less than 50 percent owned in Yahoo leagues and could significantly contribute to your team.

The below stats are up to date as of the morning of April 2, 2025.

Week One's Top Waiver Wire Additions in Fantasy Baseball

Bryan De La Cruz (OF-Braves)

Cruz looks to be the beneficiary of Profar's suspension. Last season, while with the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, the 28-year-old hit 21 home runs and knocked in 68 runs. He benefits greatly from batting behind the top-five in the order, offering plenty of RBI opportunities.

This Atlanta Braves offense is struggling mightily to start the season, with no one batting above .180. When the offense starts to heat up, then De La Cruz will reap the rewards of being an everyday player. His only competition for playing time is Eli White, unless the Braves bring up the recently signed Alex Verdugo, who is currently playing for Triple-A Gwinnett.

Lars Nootbar (OF-Cardinals)

Nootbar finally gets to start every day and is starting the season off hot. He is hitting leadoff, going 6-13 with five runs scored, two home runs, and five runs batted in. This pace will not last the entire season, but finding a leadoff batter with home run potential is worth the waiver claim.

Nootbar has tons of power behind him in the lineup as well, so he will offer plenty of batting average and run stat possibilities. Durability has been the big question, as the 27-year-old has played more than 117 games in a season just once over his five-year career.

Kyle Manzardo (1B-Guardians)

Manzardo is a tricky player to value in terms of fantasy. He provides massive power, going 5-13 at the plate with two home runs, three runs scored, and six runs batted in to start the season. The problem is that with him being a left-handed hitter, he does not bat much against lefty pitchers very often... though that could change in a hurry.

Last season, the 24-year-old had 19 at-bats against southpaws compared to 129 at-bats against right-handers. However, this season, he has succeeded against left-handed pitching, going 4-6 and hitting both home runs.

He has started one game against a lefty and sat at the start of a game against another before pinch-hitting twice. You will also need to check his position if using a different fantasy platform than Yahoo. Some have him only listed as a utility player.

Brady Singer (SP-Reds)

Singer was outstanding in his first appearance on the season. Facing the high-powered Texas Rangers lineup, Singer threw seven innings, allowed one hit, walked two, and struck out eight.

He has had an up-and-down career, but last season, he posted a 3.71 ERA over 179.2 regular-season innings, and this spring, he posted a 2.55 ERA over 17.2 innings with a 21:7 strikeout:walk ratio.

If he can continue to produce those kinds of numbers, the Reds' high-powered offense will benefit him in wins, boosting his value to fantasy managers.

Seth Halvorsen (RP-Rockies)

Halvorsen looks to be the Colorado Rockies closer this season. He has only one appearance so far this year, but it was a four-out appearance where he earned the save against the Tampa Bay Rays. He struck out one and allowed no base runners.

The 25-year-old throws a fastball and sinker that both averaged 99 mph in the outing to secure the Rockies' first save opportunity. Last season, he was a September call-up, where he threw 12.1 innings and posted a 1.24 ERA. With the previous season's success and a strong outing this season, Halvorsen should be in line for a majority of the save opportunities in Colorado.

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