Pickup Recommendations

The Pickups tab on the My Team page analyzes your roster and suggests the best available free agents to add, along with which players you should consider dropping.

How It Works

The recommendation engine evaluates every unowned player and scores them based on:

1. Ranking position — higher-ranked players score better. The rank used here is a current-form-blended rank: a player’s consensus ranking eased toward his actual current-season production (relative to your league’s categories), weighted by league format and how much of the season has been played. A ranked-but-slumping player scores lower; a hot start scores higher. Players without enough of a sample fall back to pure consensus.
2. Category fit — players who help your weakest categories score higher
3. Production — a hot current-season stretch in one of your weak categories adds points; a cold stretch subtracts them. Rate stats (AVG, ERA, …) are compared to your league’s average; counting stats (HR, SV, …) are pace-adjusted to a full season and compared to the player’s own preseason projection, so a partial-season total isn’t judged out of context. Applies in both modes, at a lighter weight in Build for Later.
4. Positional need — bonus for positions where your roster is thin
5. Age (dynasty mode) — younger players are preferred in rebuild mode

A small ▲/▼ next to a candidate’s rank flags when his current-season form diverges sharply from his consensus ranking.

Injury & Availability Gate

Recommendations respect each player’s current injury status, synced daily from MLB’s official 40-man roster status:

• Season-ending injuries (60-day IL) are excluded entirely. A player who is out for the rest of the year will never be recommended as a pickup — even if his preseason ranking or full-season projection still looks strong.
• Short-term injuries (7/10/15-day IL) are penalized, not hidden. A stashable injured player can still be a smart add — especially in Build for Later mode — so he stays in the list with a red IL badge and a reduced score. The penalty is heavier in Win Now mode (a contender can’t wait for a return) and lighter in Build for Later mode (a rebuilder can afford to stash the upside).

This gate is identical in both modes — only the short-term-IL penalty weight differs. It also applies to War Room streamer suggestions, which draw from the same pool.

Win Now

Optimized for the current season. Prioritizes:

• Redraft rankings
• Category fit for your weak areas
• Immediate production

This mode is auto-selected if your team is classified as a contender.

Build for Later

Optimized for long-term value. Prioritizes:

• Dynasty rankings
• Player age
• Positional scarcity
• Current-season production (lighter weight than Win Now)

This mode is auto-selected if your team is classified as a rebuilder.

You can always manually switch between modes regardless of the auto-classification.

Team Needs Badges

At the top of the Pickups tab, you’ll see colored badges showing:

• WEAK categories (red) — categories where you rank near the bottom of your league
• Thin positions (blue) — positions where you have limited roster depth

These badges also appear inline with pickup suggestions to show which needs each player addresses.

Best Pickups

The left panel shows the top 5 recommended free agents with:

• Redraft rank — their consensus ranking
• Score — the composite recommendation score (higher is better)
• Info button — hover to see the score breakdown and reasons

You can also search for any free agent using the search box below the list.

Most Droppable

The right panel shows your 5 most droppable roster players, ranked by how replaceable they are. Shows their:

• Roster slot (active position or BN for bench)
• Redraft rank

You can search your full roster using the search box below.

Running a Swap

Select a player to add (left) and a player to drop (right) to open the Swap Simulator panel below. See Swap Simulator for details.