Fantasy Baseball Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 15)

July 8, 2026

Joey's fantasy baseball buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 15 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy baseball.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of Buy-Low Candidates for Week 15 of the fantasy baseball season. Every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look at struggling star players who are top buy-low candidates.

This week will feature some heavy hitters. All five of these star players are massive buy-lows in Week 15. These players will produce better fantasy numbers moving forward. This list will include an infielder who just returned from the injured list, a few pitchers who haven't looked elite since returning from the IL, and a hitter set to return from the IL very soon.

Let's dive into the five best buy-low candidates right now. All stats are through Tuesday's contests (July 7).

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn't quite gotten going at the plate since returning from the injured list in late June. Lindor spent a little over two months on the 15-day IL due to a calf strain and has not posted his usual elite numbers over the last few weeks. The five-time All-Star is batting just .177 (8-for-45) with two home runs and five RBI in his last 11 games.

FRANCISCO LINDOR HOME RUN!! pic.twitter.com/mkCOVqkSvb

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 30, 2026

However, Lindor's numbers will eventually improve as he continues to work his way back from that calf strain. He already has a hit in four of six games this month, and his metrics suggest that better days are definitely in store. His .265 expected batting average, .348 xwOBA, .450 expected slugging, 49.5% hard-hit rate, and 26.5% squared-up rate all currently rank in the top half of the league.

Lindor is not going to be hitting this poorly for the rest of the season. This is the same hitter who has logged over a .250 batting average with at least 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases in each of the past three years. He is now fully healthy and should return to fantasy dominance soon with some elite underlying metrics.

Considering Lindor's expected batting average is 55 points higher than his actual batting average (.210), and his expected slugging percentage is 95 points higher than his actual slugging percentage (.355), he is due for some positive regression moving forward. That's why he is one of the better hitter buy-low targets in fantasy for Week 15.

Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has not pitched like his All-Star self in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. That's not totally a surprise, considering it takes pitchers some time to get reacclimated to pitching at a high level in Major League games. Cole underwent Tommy John surgery back in March of 2025 and made his 2026 season debut in late May.

Although Cole has had some dominant outings this season, he hasn't looked great recently. The former American League Cy Young winner has a whopping 5.70 ERA over his last six starts. He has allowed multiple runs in each of those six outings and has given up at least four runs in three of his last six starts.

This recent poor stretch, though, makes Cole one of the better buy-low targets in fantasy. His expected ERA (3.34) is 67 points lower than his actual ERA (4.01), and he's throwing his four-seam fastball faster than he did before his Tommy John surgery. The Yankees right-hander is averaging 96.7 mph on his fastball this season, up slightly from the 2024 campaign (95.9 mph).

The thing holding down Cole right now is his low swing-and-miss numbers. He has just a 17.9% whiff rate and a 22.8% strikeout rate across 42 2/3 innings pitched this season. But the six-time All-Star has been much better in the strikeout department lately, as he has a 25.3% strikeout rate over his last three outings.

Hunter Brown, SP, Houston Astros

There is a small buy-low window here for Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown. While it might still be hard to trade for the 2025 All-Star, his fantasy value has certainly dropped a bit since the start of the 2026 season. He spent more than two months on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain earlier in the year and has struggled a bit in his return from that injury.

Brown has a 4.82 ERA, a 21.1% strikeout rate, and a 12.9% walk rate across his four starts since returning from that shoulder injury. In his most recent outing, the Astros right-hander allowed seven runs (six earned runs) on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts across a season-low four innings pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Things certainly haven't been great for Brown over the last few weeks, but his numbers on the mound should eventually even out. His ERA still sits in the 73rd percentile (3.41), his expected batting average against (.192) ranks in the 93rd percentile, and both his average exit velocity (85.2 mph) and barrel rate (5.4%) rank in the top 20% of the league.

Hunter Brown is up to 6 Ks through 3 IP 😤 pic.twitter.com/ieTr3yZSaN

— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2026

Once Browns settles in after missing more than eight weeks, he will return to being that elite fantasy pitcher.

Reid Detmers, RP/SP, Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers has not been a consistent fantasy option over the last few weeks. He has allowed 12 earned runs over his last 16 2/3 innings pitched and has given up five runs in two of his last three starts. In his most recent outing against the Boston Red Sox, Detmers allowed five runs on seven hits across five innings.

Despite some recent rough outings on the mound, positive regression is expected to hit the southpaw's way in the next few weeks. His expected ERA (3.19) is 94 points lower than his actual ERA (4.13), and he currently ranks in the top 25% of the league in expected batting average against (.215), whiff rate (28.8%), and strikeout rate (27.1%).

Detmers has shown his swing-and-miss stuff all season long. That's a big reason why fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into his recent numbers on the mound. He has over a 30% whiff rate on three different pitches (slider, changeup, and curveball), and has a 22.7% whiff rate on his four-seam fastball. His high whiff rate should help improve his numbers moving forward.

There's also a great chance that the Angels left-hander is traded at the deadline next month. If he does get moved, his fantasy value could rise even more. Right now, Detmers is pitching behind a Los Angeles defense that ranks 26th in Team Defensive Runs Saved (-11).

Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

It has no doubt been a disappointing year for Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. He has had two different stints on the IL due to a hamstring strain, and his overall numbers when healthy haven't been out of this world, either. Acuna is slashing .251/.373/.421 with seven home runs, 10 doubles, 22 RBI, and 15 stolen bases across 53 games this season.

However, now is the best time to trade for Acuna in all formats. He is set to go on a rehab assignment sometime next week, which means his return should happen shortly after the All-Star break. Once he officially returns, the former National League MVP has the potential to post elite numbers across the board.

Ronald Acuna Jr. preparing to begin a rehab assignment. He should back in the Braves’ lineup after the All-Star break pic.twitter.com/AysvSszVvN

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 4, 2026

Before his hamstring strain in early June, Acuna was starting to show why he was a first-round pick in fantasy drafts. He batted .317 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and seven stolen bases across an 11-game stretch from May 28 to June 9. Then, the Braves outfielder went on the injured list just one day later on June 10.

Fantasy managers must act quickly to trade for Acuna since his return is on the horizon. With a .378 xwOBA, .489 expected slugging, 13.1% barrel rate, and a 76 mph bat speed on the season, he is a top buy-low target in all formats for this week.

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