Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders: Target Luis Matos And Carlos Cortes

With the recent changes in the standings and player injuries, punters may want to consider betting on emerging outfielders like Luis Matos and Isaac Collins for potential standout performances as they secure more playing time with their respective teams.

Late-season shakeups and injuries are creating fresh opportunities for several under-the-radar outfielders to make a fantasy impact. Whether you're in need of a short-term plug-in or a potential breakout bat, these emerging names could swing your playoff push in deeper formats.

Luis Matos, San Francisco Giants

I could be the most excited fantasy manager after seeing the Giants trade Michael Yastrzemski to Kansas City this week. It should open up a starting opportunity for Matos despite having underwhelming major league stats over three seasons (.219/51/12/52/5 over 488 at-bats). He has been a much better player at AAA (.281 with 77 runs, 26 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 19 steals over 551 at-bats) from 2023 to 2024.

Matos has been challenging to strike out in the minors (12.1%) and majors (14.3%), which is a good sign for his future value for the Giants. He’s only played in 15 games for San Francisco over the past two months (8-for-42 with five runs, two home runs, nine RBIs, and one steal. I expect him to outperform expectation down the stretch, making him a back outfielder in deep formats this week.

Carlos Cortes, Athletics

After a 21-game hitting streak at AAA (36-for-87 with 18 runs, eight home runs, and 31 RBIs), the A’s called Cortes up last week. He only had one at-bat over his first three games before picking up his pace with his bat (.304 over 23 at-bats with four runs, and one RBI) while heading to the dugout with the bat on his neck eight times. Cortes is a player to watch in shallow formats, with chance to help in deeper leagues.

Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays’ offensive structure changed over the last week by acquiring Ty France and Dalton Varsho returning from the injured list. Lukes should continue to get starting at-bats after Toronto placing George Springer on the injured list. Over his last eight games, he hit four home runs with seven runs and nine RBI over 32 at-bats while only batting .219. Lukes falls into the short-term bridge category for now.

Isaac Collins, Milwaukee Brewers

With Jackson Chourio out of action with a hamstring issue, Collins should continue to see starting at-bats. He took advantage of the Sal Frelick injury over his last 12 games (15-for-44 with six runs, one home run, seven RBIs, and two steals) to push up his stats with the Brewers (.274/37/6/30/12 over 237 at-bats). He offers a balanced skill set that should play well in all formats.

Andrew Benintendi, Chicago White Sox

It’s interesting to see Benintendi continue to be in the free agent pool in over 60% of 12-team leagues. Over the past seven weeks, he’s hitting .238 over 122 at-bats while being much more productive in runs (22), home runs (7), and RBIs (19) while taking 13 walks and striking out 18 times. If given 550 at-bats this year, Benintendi would be on pace for 83 runs, 26 home runs, and 83 RBIs. Unfortunately, he missed about a month earlier in the year with two stints on the injured list.

Dylan Beavers, Baltimore Orioles

The recent trades by Baltimore should clear a path for Beavers, but the Orioles didn’t call him up this weekend. Over his 82 games this year at AAA, he hit .306 with 65 runs, 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 294 at-bats. His bat has been productive in July (22-for-74 with 21 runs, six home runs, 13 RBIs, and three steals) while having an excellent approach (20 walks and 14 strikeouts).

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With new opportunities opening up across the league, these outfielders could provide a fantasy baseball boost down the stretch in 12- and 15-team formats.

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