FAABwire Week Six

Welcome to the sixth FAABwire series for the 2012 season. This article will cover the top pickups of the week and how much FAAB (Free agent acquisition budget) you should spend. The FAABwire series is mostly catered to twelve and fifteen team mixed league formats. Each week I will mostly focus on players that are owned in under thirty-four percent of CBS leagues. FAAB bids are of course very specific to individual leagues, so I will give you ballpark bids of what it should take to acquire each player based on a one thousand dollar budget. Throughout the week, feel free to tweet players at me that I can discuss is the column. @MarkusPotter

This week as I had previous commitments, so the amazing Michael Pichan of The Fantasy Nomad Show and RotoInfo.com pinch hit for me and provided the content for this weeks FAABwire. A big thank you to @FantasyNomad

Roy Oswalt (Owned: 23%) (FAAB: $ 75)

Another aging veteran possibly ready to make his return to the major leagues in Roy Oswalt. Although Oswalt has not signed with a team yet, CBSsports.com reports that he wants to sign a contract by June, now is a good opportunity for you to acquire Oswalt at a discount. And Like Pettitte, Oswalt should eventually land on a team that should provide good offensive run support.

Joaquin Benoit (Owned: 17%) (FAAB: $ 80)

In recent years, a pattern has seemed to emerge where closers who had an extremely great season the previous year had the tendency to get hurt or falter the following year, thus opening the door for the next man in line. If and when Valverde returns Benoit should be kept, as Valverde's injury could linger and you can benefit from Benoit's career high 14.36 K/9 rate to go along with any saves he gets while Valverde is sidelined.

Felix Doubront (Owned: 37%) (FAAB: $100)

There's the old adage, "One persons junk is another man's treasure." Sometimes the best place to find a player is to view the players dropped by your league mates each week. Coming into week eight, Felix Doubront's ownership was at 34% and slightly rose to 37%, so it may be a slim chance, but if Doubront was dropped last week go after him as he could be this season's version of Ivan Nova, but with a much higher K/9 rate.

Scott Diamond (23% owned) (FAAB: $5)

No this is no "Diamond in the Rough," as Diamond's 1.40 ERA (2.64 xFIP), sub three BB%, and 64 plus percent ground ball rate are all unsustainable, but in the short term Diamond could provide some value as his match ups are very favorable, for the next few weeks.

Alex Cobb (9% owned) (FAAB: $ 35)

Alex Cobb gets the start Saturday against a good offensive team in the Atlanta Braves. If Cobb can hold his own, then his longer-term value increases, as it would make it more likely that he would remain in the starting rotation. Based on Cobb's performance with the Rays last season, in nine starts Cobb went 3-2 with 3.42 ERA and solid supporting peripherals suggesting his success was legitimate and if he can lower his BB% some then I could see improved success this season.

Todd Frazier (7% owned) (FAAB: $40)

A healthy third basemen with power AND average! Frazier is a must add because of his power upside, hitter friendly home ball park, and in 2011 Frazier hit six home runs in 112 AB's, he already has three home runs in only 47 AB's this season to go with a near .300 batting average.

Manny Ramirez (14% owned) (FAAB: $25)

Temper your expectations with Manny Ramirez, but if you can get him cheap he may be worth the risk. Ramirez make's his 2012 debut Saturday with the A's Triple-A affiliate the Sacramento River Cats, if he does well you may want to slightly adjust your bid upward.

Rajai Davis (8% owned) (FAAB: $5)

Don't expect Davis to accumulate steals at the rate he had in previous years, but do expect him to get a few steals here and there, score runs, and if he continues to hit like he has lately, (coming into Saturday's game Davis had hit safely in his last four games, three of which were multi-hit games) Davis could provide balanced, all-around value as he playing time has become more regular. (Sidenote: Don't target Davis' teammate Gomes as his PT will all but be eliminated when Lawrie returns from his suspension).

Elliot Johnson (9% owned) (FAAB: $5)

It is often tough to get much value from shortstops off the waiver wire, so if you can target one that can at least provide some speed then they are worth an add, even if it's in the short run. Fortunately, Elliot Johnson is also on tear at the dish as he has hit safely in ten of his last twelve games, and has four stolen bases during this time.