AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

1. Identify likely free agents and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Estimate how much of your $100 starting free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating grids into the FAAB articles, so users can easily see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

The grids, which are sortable by column (click on the header), include a very basic "player grade" column. This serves as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. Andrew Benintendi would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into an everyday role.

As always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments.

Starting Pitcher

Jose Berrios, Twins: He might have been a bust last season, but that's no reason to give up on Berrios entirely. The 22-year-old was outstanding in his first start at Triple-A, striking out seven over six shutout innings, and perhaps more importantly Adalberto Mejia didn't look major-league ready in his first career start, failing to get out of the second inning. Berrios is still the future for a Twins' rotation that lacks a real ace right now and he has the stuff and upside to fill that role once he gets acclimated to the majors, so if you want to grab him cheaply you'll need to move quickly. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jesse Chavez. Angels: He got profiled last week, but his job security improved a bit with Garrett Richards already developing some new arm trouble, and truth be told I probably underestimated Chavez's first-half appeal anyway. The 33-year-old kicked off 2017 with six K's in a strong outing that just missed being a quality start by one out, and he's notorious for putting up some impressive performances in April and May before wilting in the summer heat. From 2014-16, he compiled a 3.28 ERA before the All-Star break, and a 5.31 ERA after it. If he slipped through the cracks in last week's bidding, Chavez is well worth picking up. Just make sure he isn't still on your roster by July. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Alex Cobb, Rays: Cobb's rough return from Tommy John surgery at the end of last season might have kept him in the free agent pool to start 2017 in shallower formats, but he looked good in his first start of the season against the Yankees, allowing just one run over 5.2 frames with a 4:1 K:BB. Even before blowing out his elbow the 29-year-old wasn't exactly the sturdiest pitcher around, but when he's healthy Cobb's proven he can give you a sub-3.00 ERA, sub-1.20 WHIP and K/9 somewhere in the 8's. Those are roster-worthy numbers in any league. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Mike Fiers, Astros: Collin McHugh's setback with his elbow gives Fiers a lot more job security, as McHugh might not be back in the Astros' rotation until June. Whether Fiers can give you useful numbers over the next couple of months is the bigger question, but at the very least he should be worth streaming against teams like the Twins, who might not be able to take advantage of his homer-prone ways. If the junkballing righty can get back to his 2015 form, he'd go from streaming option to regular rotation member. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Kendall Graveman, Athletics: Fantasy GMs who are aggressive in the early weeks of the season are always walking a tightrope. Is a hot start just a small-sample fluke, or has something actually changed in the player's underlying skill set to make him a better investment? Graveman provides the first real test of the year in the AL. His last two seasons in the A's rotation have been the dictionary definition of mediocre, but he's looked very impressive through his first two starts of 2017, including shutting down the powerful Rangers' offense in Texas on Saturday night. Considering that he's never managed a K/9 of even 6.0 in the majors, his 12:3 K:BB through 13 innings looks highly suspect. On the other hand, the 26-year-old's showing a lot more jump on his fastball, averaging 94.4 mph so far – 1.6 mph faster than last year's average velocity. If he's still available in a competitive league, you'll probably have to take the plunge right now if you want to gamble on Graveman's early April success carrying forward. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Wade Miley, Orioles: The veteran lefty began the season on the DL with the flu, but might already have made his biggest contribution to the Orioles' playoff chances if he's the one who passed the nasty bug onto the Red Sox somehow. Miley won't help your ERA or WHIP, but as a back-end of the rotation bulk compiler of innings, K's and wins, there are times when he will be useful in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jordan Montgomery, Yankees: The Yankees haven't needed a fifth starter yet, but when they do it looks like Montgomery will get first crack at the job. The 24-year-old lefty blossomed as a prospect last season, finishing his year with six starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and posting eye-popping numbers (0.97 ERA, 37:9 K:BB in 37 innings). That small-sample performance perhaps overstates his strikeout potential in the majors, but Montgomery has three quality pitches and pounds the bottom of the strike zone with them, which should keep his walks and homers in check. He's worth a speculative stash now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Relief Pitcher

Dan Altavilla, Mariners: With rotation injuries already beginning to pile up in the junior circuit, it's time to start filling up your reserve lists with high-K relief arms you can plug into your active lineup at a moment's notice. Or, hey, you can destroy your ratios by picking up Ubaldo Jimenez if you want. It's not my team. Altavilla was solid in his big-league debut last year but has come out of the gate in 2017 firing, ringing up a 5:0 K:BB through his first 2.2 innings. They haven't been cheapies, either – Thursday he whiffed Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yulieski Gurriel in the eight inning around a Carlos Beltran single. The setup crew for Edwin Diaz in Seattle still isn't set in stone, but Altavilla's 97 mph heat seems to be demanding a prominent spot, which could give him extra value in holds leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Matt Barnes, Red Sox: Boston manager John Farrell has decided that Barnes will be his eighth-inning guy when he comes off the bereavement list, at least until Tyler Thornburg is healthy, so the fireballing righty suddenly has a lot of appeal in holds leagues. Barnes' full conversion to short relief didn't exactly go smoothly last season as his 4.2 BB/9 suggests, but he should at the very least pile up better than a strikeout an inning. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Matt Bush, Rangers: Ah, early-season closer panic. Sam Dyson's brutal start to the campaign has Texas fans and Dyson investors scrambling for a ninth-inning alternative, and Bush is the option with all the buzz. Of course, the 31-year-old (wait, he's already 31? Jinkies) also served up a homer in his first game of the season, but who am I to pour cold water on a good redemption narrative? Bush has the raw stuff to succeed if he ever does get a chance to close, flashing a 97 mph fastball, and if you grab him now as a spec saves play, at worst you should still get one of the better high-K setup men in the AL. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Santiago Casilla, Athletics: Man, Oakland's bullpen is a mess. The team only has one save so far and Casilla got it, which I suppose makes him their "closer", but there's a non-zero chance that ends up being his only save of the season. My advice is just to stay away from the situation altogether for now or make a tiny early investment in Frankie Montas (profiled last week) as a spec play, but if you are desperate for saves I suppose you have to take a chance on Casilla. He got chased out of San Francisco for a reason, though. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Chris Devenski, Astros: Devenski is something of a dying breed in baseball – the dominant multi-inning reliever. His first outing of the season was an absolute gem (four shutout innings, 7:1 K:BB) and given the track record of some of the names at the back of the Astros' rotation he could work his way into a starting role again before 2017 is over, but even if Devenski just remains in his current role he should have plenty of value in deeper formats, supplying a handful of wins, plenty of Ks and strong ratios over 100 or so frames. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Tommy Hunter, Rays: The veteran righty is staking an early case to be the Rays' eighth-inning guy while Brad Boxberger remains out, posting a 4:1 K:BB through 2.2 innings. Hunter's never been a big strikeout pitcher, typically hovering around a 7.0 K/9 since moving into a short relief role, but he could chip in solid ratios and some holds. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jeremy Jeffress, Rangers: Jeffress is the other obvious closing option for the Rangers should they decide to pull the plug on Dyson, after he saved 27 games for the Brewers last season. However, there are a couple of reasons to like Bush for the job instead. First, Jeffress' start to 2017 hasn't been a whole lot better than Dyson's, as he's been scored upon in two of his three appearances. Second, his fastball hasn't contained its normal juice yet – the 29-year-old's average fastball velocity is down 1.3 mph from last season. Still, as the pitcher in the Texas bullpen with actual closing experience, he might be the next man up, which makes him worth a spec bid. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Yusmeiro Petit, Angels: The 32-year-old swingman's had a solid start to 2017, and could plug into Richards' spot in the rotation this week if the Angels don't decide to run with a four-man rotation. Petit struggled last year with the Nats, but prior to that he was a very effective, and very versatile, arm for the Giants. If he can return to his 2014-15 form, he'll be able to supply some useful bulk innings to your fantasy roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Justin Wilson, Tigers: Detroit's bullpen may not feature the chaos of Oakland's or Texas', but 35-year-old Francisco Rodriguez already has a blown save, is averaging a paltry 87 mph with his fastball and has yet to strike out a batter in two appearances. If this is indeed the end for the veteran closer, the organization has plenty of younger, high-octane options to replace him, from Bruce Rondon in the current major-league 'pen to Joe Jimenez down at Triple-A, but Saturday afternoon it was Wilson who got the call in the ninth. As a lefty, he might be a better fit as a setup man who gets occasional save chances against lefty-heavy lineups, but that role would also give him a path to a handful of saves this season even if Rodriguez doesn't completely lose his grip on the job. That makes him a higher-floor, lower-ceiling alternative to spec save plays like Bush. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Kyle Higashioka, Yankees: Higashioka got called up after Gary Sanchez injured his biceps on an awkward swing Saturday and landed on the DL. At this point Sanchez isn't expected to be out too long, and Austin Romine will be the starter in his place, but Higashioka has a lot more offensive upside than Romine after popping 21 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last year. If Sanchez's injury is more serious than expected, the the 26-year-old could get a chance to contribute. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Austin Romine, Yankees: Sanchez's bicep injury puts Romine in a starting role for the next couple of weeks, but he hasn't been a reliable contributor of offense since his Double-A days back in 2011. Don't expect anything more than bulk at-bats and the occasional run or RBI from the bottom of the order. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Geovany Soto, White Sox: There was some thought coming into the year that Soto might be stuck on the short side of a platoon with Omar Narveaz this season, or at least in a timeshare, but he's now started three straight games after pounding out two homers in his first appearance of the season. Soto's shown some power before, so while he's usually a batting average liability he could be a useful second catcher in deeper formats if he does emerge as the starting catcher for the White Sox. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

First Base

Chris Carter, Yankees: Greg Bird got all the hype thanks to his big spring, but he's struck out seven times in his first 16 at-bats and is now dealing with a bruised ankle. That opens the door for Carter to get some playing time in the short term, and maybe work his way into a more regular spot in the lineup if Bird's struggles continue. The fact that Carter will sabotage your batting average is almost a given, but the dude did hit 41 homers last year. He at least deserves a spot on your bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Logan Morrison, Rays: In spring training this season, prospects Jake Bauers and Casey Gillaspie generated a lot of buzz, and Morrison apparently took the potential threat to his job to heart. Unlike last year, when he hit (for lack of a better word) .100/.156/.133 in April, LoMo's come out of the gates on fire, and already has more hits than he did all of last April. It's little more than a footnote at this point, but once upon a time the 29-year-old was a top prospect for the Marlins and he did hit 23 homers in his first full season in the majors. Morrison wouldn't be the first guy to have a career year after being written off. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Second Base

Marco Hernandez, Red Sox: Here's how bad the flu epidemic sweeping through the Red Sox clubhouse is right now: on Saturday, their play-by-play announcer couldn't finish the game. While Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi are busy throwing up somewhere, Josh Rutledge is still out with a hamstring strain and Jackie Bradley just hurt his knee. That's going to leave a lot of at-bats for the bench in the short term, and as a result Hernandez has started two games in a row this weekend at shortstop. Oh, did I mention Xander Bogaerts was on bereavement leave? He should be back Monday at least, but any BoSox reserve is still worth using next week if you're looking to plug a roster hole. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jed Lowrie, Athletics: Lowrie's a fantasy afterthought at this stage of his career and is basically just keeping second base warm for Franklin Barreto (or Marcus Semien, if Barreto bumps him to the keystone), but lost in all the injuries over the years is the fact that Lowrie can still be useful when he's healthy. Well, he's healthy now, and hitting .381/.458/.619 with five runs scored through six games. Might as well pick him up and take advantage while the situation lasts. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Deven Marrero, Red Sox: See Hernandez above, although Marrero's roster spot in Boston is a little more precarious, as he could be the player sent down when Bogaerts is activated. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Raul Mondesi, Royals: Mondesi didn't officially win the Royals' starting second base job until the end of spring training, although he was always unofficially assumed to be the starter, and a 2-for-15 start with five strikeouts won't build up a lot of job security. What he has done so far, though, is run every chance he's gotten. Mondesi is 3-for-3 in steals already, and after swiping a career-high 33 bases (on 35 attempts!) across four levels last year, the 21-year-old's got plenty of upside in an increasingly scarce fantasy commodity. If he can do just enough damage with his bat to keep his job, his wheels will make him a huge bargain. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Third Base

Chase Headley, Yankees: Headley got off to a quick start this season, slashing .412/.500/.647 so far, but he's 0-for-6 over his last two games so you might already have missed his hot streak. The 31-year-old is never going to match his 31-homer season from 2012, but if he can get his batting average back into the .280 range his modest power will still be playable in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Eduardo Escobar, Twins: Jorge Polanco is the starting shortstop in Minnesota, but manager Paul Molitor has been getting Escobar more work than expected through the first week, starting him for one game each at third base and shortstop while tossing in a DH start for good measure. If the 28-year-old does emerge in a super-utility role rather than being stuck on the bench most of the time, he does have a couple of useful fantasy seasons on his ledger, hitting .275 in 2014 and bopping 12 homers in 2015. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Outfield

Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians: Chisenhall is on track to come off the DL later this week, and he should slot right back in as the Tribe's starting right fielder. He could still platoon with Brandon Guyer, but given his platoon splits (.784 OPS last year vs. RHP, .642 OPS vs. LHP) that might not be the worst thing for Chisenhall's fantasy value. The 28-year-old has a limited ceiling, but should still be productive in a potent Cleveland lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Aaron Hicks, Yankees: Much like Bird at first base, Aaron Judge is off to a poor start in right field for the Yankees, hitting .133 with with no homers and five strikeouts in 15 at-bats. If the rookie flails his way out of the starting lineup, Hicks would be the most obvious beneficiary. The 27-year-old was a bust last year in his first season in pinstripes, but with regular playing time he does still have some power/speed upside, although he likely won't help you in batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Brock Holt, Red Sox: Boston's Swiss Army knife played five different positions last year, and Holt could bounce around the lineup a lot over the next week as the plague running through the Red Sox clubhouse runs its course. As an added bonus, manager John Farrell likes hitting Holt in the leadoff spot against righties when he does write his name on the lineup card, giving an extra boost to his value. Even in shallower formats, his flexibility and solid if low-ceiling bat make him a useful guy to have on your bench. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Colby Rasmus, Rays: Rasmus is eligible to come off the DL on Monday, but it's unclear whether he'll actually be ready by then after an outfield collision with High-A Charlotte on his rehab assignment. When he does finally return, the 30-year-old will slot into the starting left field job for the Rays and supply his usual low-BA slugging. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Steve Selsky, Red Sox: Another Red Sox bench player who could see extra work this week. The fact that the flu and injury epidemic has hit the outfield a little harder than the infield could allow Selsky to stick around over Marrero when Bogaerts is activated from the bereavement list, and his ability to hit for a decent average gives him a little more fantasy appeal anyway. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Steven Souza, Rays: Souza's strikeout issues are a given at this point in his career, but through the early going in 2017 he's making a lot more contact, hitting .409/.500/.545 through 26 plate appearances with a surprising 4:2 BB:K. Is that sustainable? Probably not. Is he a streaky player who can rack up some impressive numbers while he's hot? You betcha. The 27-year-old can give you both power and speed, and in leagues where you can make daily moves and yank him out of your starting lineup as soon as it looks like he's cooled off, he may not even do that much damage to your batting average. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Chris Young, Red Sox: Of all the Red Sox bench players, Young stands to benefit the most from their current predicament, especially if Bradley's knee injury proves to be more than minor. He's started three games in a row, and while too much exposure to right-handed pitching won't do his batting average any favors, with regular playing time the 33-year-old still has the ability to make a contribution in the power categories. He hasn't stolen double-digit bases in a season since 2013, though, so don't expect a sudden windfall there. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3