Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 18? (2025)

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 18 of the 2025 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Every week of the fantasy baseball season, we'll look at what to do with slumping players. It could be a hitter currently in a major slump at the plate or a pitcher coming off a few bad outings in a row. 

In this article, we will identify five well-known players who fit under these categories. We will then determine whether these five players are worth holding, dropping, or trading for cheap in Week 18 of the fantasy baseball season. Every player on this list is rostered in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues. 

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Should they drop, hold, or sell them in Week 18 (July 28 to August 3)? Let's dive in and find out!

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Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson was looking like the waiver wire pickup of the year through the first few months. He was batting .372 with eight home runs, 38 RBI, and five stolen bases across his first 63 games. However, Wilson has been an unreliable fantasy option over the past few weeks. 

The rookie is batting just .185 with two home runs, two doubles, and seven RBI in his last 31 games dating back to June 9. Not only has Wilson struggled offensively during this stretch, but he has also dealt with a few injuries. He missed a couple of games due to a hamstring issue earlier this month and recently sat out Sunday's game due to a hand issue.

Jacob Wilson continues to dominate https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39's AL Rookie of the Year Poll 😤 pic.twitter.com/u0bCogdSQG

— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2025

All this has made it tough to hold Wilson in most fantasy leagues. His batting average is starting to dip, and he hasn't stolen a base since June 1. Despite all this, the A's shortstop is worth a hold in most 12-plus team leagues, especially if you need some batting average help in your roto league.

It's not a total surprise to see Wilson's batting average drop significantly in recent weeks. He was never going to finish with a batting average that high, and teams were always going to pitch him differently. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old will still be a good source of batting average in roto leagues. He has an 84th percentile expected batting average (.284) and ranks in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate (7.8%).

Update: With Wilson landing on the 10-day IL due to a fractured forearm, he is a fine drop in most leagues. 

Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

There's no doubt that Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has had some strong starts this season. He threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Giants on June 14, tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Rockies on June 26, and allowed just two runs across six innings against the Brewers on July 8.

Recently, however, Kershaw has struggled to complete five innings. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings against the Brewers on July 20 and allowed four runs across 4 2/3 innings his last time out against the Red Sox. In both of those outings, he only struck out two batters apiece. 

Given the southpaw's two most recent starts, it's best to drop him in most 12-team leagues. None of his metrics suggest that he will emerge as a consistent fantasy pitcher this season, as his strikeout rate (15.7%), hard-hit rate (45.8%), chase rate (25.2%), and expected batting average against (.266) all rank extremely poorly.

So, it might be time to drop the future Hall of Famer in most leagues. The strikeout stuff just isn't there anymore, and he could have a shorter leash moving forward with the rotation starting to get healthier.

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues 

Kris Bubic, RP/SP, Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic has been a dominant fantasy option this season. He has a 2.55 ERA and 116 strikeouts in his first 20 starts, and allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of those 20 outings. However, fantasy managers received some bad news following a rough start from Bubic in his last time out.

After giving up four runs (three earned runs) with four walks across 2 2/3 innings on Saturday against the Guardians, the left-hander expressed some concern that his shoulder wasn't feeling right. Just one day later, the Royals placed the 2025 All-Star on the 15-day injured list due to a rotator cuff strain.

Kris Bubic will miss some time with a left rotator cuff strain pic.twitter.com/Aam2OS5KXY

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 27, 2025

Therefore, fantasy managers might not know what to do with Bubic heading into Week 18. While there is no clear timeline set for when we could expect the southpaw back, there is a good chance he will be out multiple weeks. With the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, it's best to sell him for anything you can get.

There isn't a guarantee that he will return this season, and even if Bubic does, he will likely be limited down the stretch. So, fantasy managers should be looking for anything in return ... even a bag of peanuts.

Update: Bubic will be out for the remainder of the season due to a rotator cuff strain. He should be dropped in every format. 

Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Detroit Tigers

It's not a total surprise to see Detroit Tigers utility specialist Zach McKinstry struggling on offense recently, considering the whole team seems to be in a slump. McKinstry has just two hits over his last 28 at-bats (.071 batting average) to go with one RBI, one stolen base, and one run scored since the All-Star break.

Even though McKinstry does offer incredible position flexibility at second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield, it might be time to cut bait with the All-Star. Outside of his solid 16 stolen bases, the 30-year-old has a below-average eight home runs, 32 RBI, and 49 runs scored. As a result, he isn't worth a roster spot amid this brutal stretch.

There is also very little reason to believe McKinstry will be a strong fantasy option over the final few months. Both his hard-hit rate (31.1%) and expected slugging (.374) rank in the bottom half of the league, and his .320 xwOBA ranks in the 36th percentile. There are just better players to roster at this point in the season.

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues 

Spencer Steer, 1B/OF, Cincinnati Reds

There was a stretch from June 21 to July 10 where Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer was one of the hottest hitters in the game. He hit .361 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases during this stretch, and his roster percentage slowly started to climb in all formats. Since then, it has been challenging to include Steer in fantasy lineups each week.

Tarik Skubal: 2-0, 13 IP, 21 K
Spencer Steer: 12-for-23 (.522 AVG), 3-homer game on 6/27

Your @Chevrolet AL and NL Players of the Week! pic.twitter.com/6Jlft1plNh

— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2025

He is batting just .167 with three RBI and six strikeouts over his last 10 games. The 27-year-old has also sat out two of the team's past four games, as he works through this mini-slump. 

While we shouldn't always overreact to slumps from most hitters, Steer hasn't done enough this year to keep him on rosters in most 12-team leagues. He only has 11 home runs and six stolen bases this year, and those numbers are both down from his 20-home-run, 25-stolen-base season a year ago.

With Steer entering Week 18 with a .229 expected batting average, a .340 expected slugging, and a 5% barrel rate, there isn't much hope that things will drastically turn around for him over the final two months. So, if there are better replacements on the waiver wire, dropping him for a player who is currently on a hot streak at the plate is a fine move in most 12-team leagues.

Verdict: Drop in most 12-team leagues

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