Top fantasy baseball outfield waiver pickups for Week 19

After a dizzying few days, we’re finally starting to recover from the chaos of the 2023 trade deadline. The landscape of the league has shifted dramatically just over the last 48 hours or so: Justin Verlander is an Astro; Max Scherzer (and Jordan Montgomery) is a Ranger; the Dodgers, Rays and Orioles all found themselves a starting pitcher, while the Reds didn’t. The Angels (and Cubs) are all the way in, the Mets are all the way out, and the Twins and Yankees ... apparently did not have cell reception on Tuesday afternoon.

Of course, the real-life game isn’t the only thing that’s been flipped upside down. As it does every year, the trade deadline will have fantasy baseball ramifications that will be felt for the rest of the season, leaving managers with plenty to keep track of as they get their rosters ready for the stretch run. Luckily, our weekly waiver wire recommendations are here to help, with position-by-position looks are players you should consider snagging off the waiver wire as the deadline dust settles. Next up: outfielders.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 19 outfield targets

Mike Tauchman, OF, Chicago Cubs

Roster percentage: 3.5%

Despite the return of Cody Bellinger and the acquisition of Jeimer Candelario, there was Tauchman again, leading off and playing right field on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. He’s far from the biggest name in the Cubs’ star-studded lineup, but he’s been among the most crucial, hitting .358/.426/.623 with three homers and a steal since the All-Star break. He’s at or near the top of the order most of the time against right-handed starters, and while he won’t offer a ton of power, he can contribute just about everywhere else with good speed in front of a strong heart of the order.

Dominic Canzone, OF, Seattle Mariners

Roster percentage: 0.2%

Canzone is among the biggest fantasy winners from the trade deadline, going from an outfield logjam with the Arizona Diamondbacks to a Mariners team that has almost no choice but to play him regularly with Jarred Kelenic out due to injury. Canzone needs to make better swing decisions, but if he does, he could be legit: He hits the ball hard (90.6 average exit velocity, 47.1% hard-hit rate) and in the air (just a 35.3% ground ball rate) and he’s so far striking out just 17.8% of the time at the Major League level. The former eighth-round pick killed it in Triple-A to start the year, slashing .354/.431/.634, and he could be a real difference-maker with regular opportunities.

Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins

Roster percentage: 1.0%

With Alex Kirilloff on the IL and Joey Gallo struggling, expect Wallner to finally get regular run with the Twins over the coming weeks — and for lots of dingers to follow.

At 6’4 and 220 pounds, the big lefty has next-level pop — he hit 11 homers in just 67 games at Triple-A this year — and he’s already got a .262/.377/.538 slash line with five homers and a steal over his first 77 big-league plate appearances. Even more remarkably, Statcast thinks he’s been unlucky not to have even gaudier numbers; his strikeout rate is a bit ugly, but when he makes contact, good things almost always happen. Owners in need of a power boost should scoop him up immediately.

Michael Toglia, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies

Roster percentage: 0.4%

The Rockies shipping C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk to the Angels has pretty much locked Toglia into an every-day role by default; he’s racked up 10 starts over his last 11 games, and anyone playing that regularly at Coors Field deserves a look. Toglia has struggled in limited Major League experience so far, but he was crushing it in the Minors earlier this year, and the former first-round pick has shown some signs of life lately.