Dynasty Due Diligence: Late July 2026

Series Overview

This series aims to help readers conduct their routine due diligence in their dynasty leagues. It makes use of up-to-date OOPSY Peak projections and my own arbitrary whims to discuss a handful of players, both prospects and major leaguers, who may have seen their perceived value shift recently. Any reference to how a player projects using the FanGraphs auction calculator uses these settings (15-team 5×5 SV 2 C) with OOPSY DC (ROS).

MLB Players

Spencer Jones, Yankees. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 600 PA: 9% BB 34% K 25 HR 20 SB 113 wRC+ -2 DEF 2.9 WAR

Spencer Jones should get an opportunity to play in the short-term with Cody Bellinger on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He has also been featured in trade rumors. If he’s dealt, that would likely help secure his playing time outlook in the medium-term as well. If he’s able to secure everyday playing time, he projects as a 25-homer, 20-steal outfielder with solid defensive skills and a sky-high K%, roughly comparable to a speedier peak Adam Duvall. Typically, successful high-strikeout-rate batters also have a lot of patience and power. Jones is not particularly patient, but he has enough power, speed, and defensive prowess to be an above-average fantasy contributor at peak. I like acquiring him before a potential deadline swap while his price is still on the cheaper side.

Verdict: Jones is a nice discount upside play in medium-sized dynasty leagues. I’d move Tristan Peters or JJ Bleday to land him.

Jackson Holliday, Orioles. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 600 PA: 13% BB 20% K 18 HR 14 SB 125 wRC+ -.4 DEF 3.7 WAR

After a scorching hot July, Holliday looks to be quietly breaking out, with a career best BB% minus K%, a 119 wRC+, five home runs, and five stolen bases across 184 MLB plate appearances in 2026. He’s hitting enough to be playing against most lefties lately as well, bolstering his fantasy value. He’s still only 22 and should continue to improve over the next few years, finally rewarding patient dynasty owners who have held him through ups and (mostly) downs since his 2024 debut. He should be a perennial threat for 20 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a great OBP.

Verdict: Holliday is an intriguing buy-high candidate, as dynasty managers may not yet be giving him enough credit for steps forward in 2026. I’d move Luis García Jr. or Randy Arozarena to land him.

Evan Carter, Rangers. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 600 PA: 12% BB 20% K 18 HR 26 SB 119 wRC+ 4.7 DEF 4 WAR

In his age-23 season, Carter has compiled an ordinary 94 wRC+, but with lots of speed (14 stolen bases), some power (eight home runs), and an excellent 1.6 WAR across 300 plate appearances, driven largely by strong center field defense. He’s still not playing against most lefties, limiting his value in a redraft context. In a dynasty context, his peak projections are too good to keep him platooned over the long-term–but it may take another year or two for him to earn playing time versus lefties.

Verdict: like Holliday, Carter debuted at a young age and has therefore required a lot of patience from dynasty managers. This patience should eventually pay off for managers with a long time horizon but a full breakout may be a better bet for 2027. I’d move Bryan Reynolds to land him.

Luis Robert Jr., Mets. OOPSY Projection Per 600 PA: 8% BB 25% K 22 HR 26 SB 105 wRC+ 3.2 DEF 3 WAR

Robert Jr. has finally returned from a spine injury that has cost him most of the 2026 season. Since he’s returned, his value has been limited by frequent days off in an effort to keep him healthy enough to flip at the trade deadline, which seems quite likely. Per plate appearance, Robert Jr. has continued to show plenty of home run power and speed, with projections forecasting him for 22 home runs and 26 stolen bases over the course of a full season. Accordingly, his fantasy value should rebound considerably after he’s dealt, as he’ll likely play almost everyday for his new team, especially considering he’s still a fine center fielder.

Verdict: It’s a good time to send out a price-check on Robert Jr., as injury-related fatigue and a lack of short-term playing time have depressed his fantasy value. His upside remains tantalizing. I’d move Taylor Ward to land him.

Anthony Volpe, Yankees. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 600 PA: 9% BB 21% K 17 HR 25 SB 105 wRC+ 7.9 DEF 3.4 WAR

Volpe’s fantasy value has bottomed out as he has been splitting time with Jose Caballero at shortstop, making him unstartable in weekly formats. He only has one home run, but otherwise he has been solid on a per plate appearance basis in 2026, with a 96 wRC+ and seven stolen bases in a limited role. His shortstop defense has also rebounded after a rough 2025; he rates as five runs above average by Statcast Fielding Run Value in 2026. His defensive talent should eventually win him back everyday playing time. With everyday playing time driven by his defensive value, he could push 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases at peak.

Verdict: Volpe is a great buy low target for dynasty managers looking beyond 2026. He’s a riskier bet for the remainder of 2026 given inconsistent playing time. I’d move Xavier Edwards or Ernie Clement to land him.

Adrian Morejon, Padres. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 70 IP: 27% K 8% BB 2.66 ERA 2.5 WAR

Morejon is the third best reliever in baseball according to OOPSY, trailing only Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran. His contract expires at the end of the 2026 season and San Diego’s playoff odds are dwindling so he’s a great bet to be dealt before the trade deadline. He’ll very likely be the best reliever on his new club.  Depending on where he’s dealt, he still may not close, but he’ll have another chance to land a closing job in free agency this offseason. Some teams might even entertain the notion of converting him to a starter. Either way, Morejon’s fantasy value could get a big boost over these next few months.

Verdict: Morejon is worth aggressively targeting before he is dealt and then again before he signs somewhere in 2027. These opportunities will give him two chances to land a coveted closing job, which would be a major boon to his fantasy value. I’d move Yoendrys Gómez or Clayton Beeter to land him.

Nick Lodolo, Reds. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 198 IP: 22% K 7% BB 3.84 ERA 3.2 WAR

Lodolo has been one of the biggest disappointments of 2026 so far. He strikeouts are down, his walks are up, and he’s somehow once again recovering from a finger blister. His stuff is normal, on the bright side, as evidenced by stable pitch velocity and a steady pitch mix year-over-year. His projections remain good as his 2023 to 2025 performance still weighs heavily in them, and he consistently had strong peripherals pre-2026. His value will still be somewhat limited by Great American Ball Park, and he may have some more short-term growing pains as he adjusts his pitch grips to try and alleviate his blister issues.

Verdict: He should soon be recovered from injury and settle in as a midrotation starter, making him a good buy-low target for dynasty leaguers for the last third of the 2026 season and beyond. I’d move Jake Bennett to land him.

Grayson Rodriguez, Angels. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 198 IP: 22% K 8% BB 4.08 ERA 2.7 WAR

Rodriguez has defied all expectations in 2026, but not always in a good way. He has managed to stay reasonably healthy while displaying similar stuff to what he showed in 2024, the last time he was healthy. At the same time, he has been wholly ineffective, with an ERA of one million (approximately). His preseason projection has come down a lot thanks to his struggles, and owners cannot feel comfortable starting him at this point, if they are still even rostering him at all. His projections remain solid as 2023 and 2024 still get some weight, and he’s probably freely available in many leagues. He finally had a good start the last time out too, giving fantasy baseballers a modicum of hope.

Verdict: Scoop up Grayson Rodriguez off the wire if he was cut, especially in deeper formats. You can also trade for him but he should be cheap as he is far from assured to stay healthy and return to form. I’d move Nick Martinez or Eduardo Rodriguez to land him.

Roki Sasaki, Dodgers. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 198 IP: 23% K 9% BB 3.93 ERA 2.8 WAR

From the perspective of a projector, Sasaki has been one of the most difficult players to handle since he arrived stateside last year. In the NPB, he was incredible, as good as Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, or any of the other top NPB pitchers one could think of. His performance didn’t carry over to MLB at all in 2025, when he posted a 5.53 xFIP. Across his first four starts this year, he was still disappointing, with a 5.28 xFIP. Since then, he’s posted a 3.85 xFIP across 15 starts, with a strong K% minus BB%. His Stuff+ has been elite in July as well, at 115. Projections rate him as a midrotation arm moving forward, which probably underrates his upside. At this point, his legendary NPB career gets very little weight in his projection, but his stuff appears to have returned to peak form, so maybe his NPB career still deserves some weight.

Verdict: Sasaki has been too inconsistent to rely on as a top 30 dynasty starting pitcher, but I’d be comfortable with him as a backend top 50 guy at this point, a ranking that factors in his volatile risk-reward profile. I’d move Troy Melton to land Sasaki.

Brandyn Garcia. Diamondbacks. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 70 IP: 26% K 10% BB 3.29 ERA 1.6 WAR

Justin Martinez. Diamondbacks. OOPSY Peak Projection Per 70 IP: 30% K 11% BB 2.95 ERA 2.1 WAR

Paul Sewald is out as Diamondbacks closer. Brandyn Garcia got the most recent save and has the best projections of anyone healthy in that bullpen by a wide margin. Justin Martinez has even better projections, however, and he is on the rehabilitation trail and should return from elbow surgery sometime in August. The team may prefer Martinez as a long-term closing option after they signed him to a five-year deal last March. Both are worth rostering for now to see how the saves situation shakes out. Juan Morillo is also a solid bullpen arm and he could be a factor in the short-term, but his projections lack the juice of Garcia or Martinez, whom dynasty leaguers should treat as the preferred long-term options. A.J. Puk could also be a factor if he can get healthy again, but he’s currently sidelined with a shoulder strain.

Verdict: Add both of these arms where available until the Diamondbacks closing situation becomes more clear. Martinez is a better bet for the long-term, but Garcia is still well worth rostering in SVH leagues.

MILB Waiver Wire Targets

As this piece is running long, next, I’ll simply highlight five pitching prospects and five hitting prospects that OOPSY Peak likes as top 100 guys that didn’t make the updated FanGraphs Top 100. Each player’s projected peak full season WAR is shown in parentheses. Outside of shallow formats, each is worth considering adding if they’re available.

The following starting pitchers have all cracked OOPSY Peak’s top 30 pitching prospects: Ty Johnson (2.9 WAR), Miguel Sime Jr. (2.3 WAR), Caden Hunter (3 WAR), Yhoiker Fajardo (2.7 WAR), Joseph Dzierwa (2.3 WAR). Note, Johnson appeared out of the bullpen in his last Triple-A appearance. The Rays may be planning to call him up to pitch out of the pen in the playoffs. He should return to starting next year.

The following hitters all fall among OOPSY Peak’s top 50 hitting prospects: Franklin Primera (3.2 WAR), Miguel Hernandez (3.1 WAR), Boston Smith (3.1 WAR), Alejandro Blasco (2.9 WAR), and Juan Martinez (2.9 WAR). Much noise has been made about the recent Curtis Mead for Connelly Early swap, a deal OOPSY Peak liked for the Nationals. The Nationals didn’t get Curtis Mead for free, however, as Boston Smith has had a breakout season for the White Sox. He is a catcher but he also plays some outfield, increasing his fantasy appeal.