Top fantasy baseball catcher waiver pickups for Week 8

Catcher has been a barren position for fantasy baseball for years now, and 2023 is certainly no exception. Unless you were lucky enough to hit on Sean Murphy or Will Smith (or followed our advice in this space a few weeks ago and added Texas Rangers backstop Jonah Heim) there’s likely very little separating your starter from anyone else’s. Which means it’s time to hit the waiver wire — after all, why settle for a guy who’s going to end up at .230 with 15-20 homers when you can ride the hot hand all year long? Here are three catchers who could produce this week.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 8 catcher targets

Yan Gomes, C, Chicago Cubs

Roster percentage: 7.6%

Gomes has bounced back in a major way with Chicago, slashing .324/.354/.581 entering play on Sunday. He hasn’t missed a beat since returning from a concussion last week, and he carries nice counting-stat potential in a solid Cubs lineup. His hard-hit rate is at a career high and his strikeout rate is at a career low, so there’s some evidence to suggest that this is sustainable over the long haul.

Eric Haase, C/OF, Detroit Tigers

Roster percentage: 2.1%

Haase has begun to heat up recently after a slow start to the season, and we’ve seen him show major power before — he hit 36 homers in 732 plate appearances between 2021 and 2022. He also offers outfield eligibility, and the Tigers are going to get him at-bats far more regularly than most catcher-eligible players.

Andrew Knizner, C, St. Louis Cardinals

Roster percentage: 0.2%

The drama surrounding Willson Contreras and whether he will or won’t continue to catch for the Cardinals stands to benefit Knizner, who’s been swinging a solid bat and figures to get a decent amount of playing time in a solid lineup. The floor is low here, but there’s also more upside than usual given the potential to hit his way into regular playing time.