Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 1? (2026)

March 30, 2026

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 1 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Should they drop, hold, or sell them in Week 1 (March 30 to April 5)?

Each week, we will look at which players are struggling in fantasy baseball. These players could be a hitter in the midst of a slump, or a pitcher coming off a few bad outings in a row.

For this week, we will go through five players off to poor starts to begin the 2026 season. We will then determine whether these five players are worth holding, dropping, or trading for cheap heading into the first full week of the fantasy baseball season. So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's dive in and find out!

Carlos Estevez, RP, Kansas City Royals

There were major concerns with Kansas City Royals closer Carlos Estevez entering the 2026 season. For starters, he was due for some negative regression after finishing the 2025 season with some poor metrics. His whiff rate (19%), chase rate (23%), strikeout rate (20.1%), and barrel rate (10.6%) all ranked extremely poor last year.

Additionally, his fastball velocity was down throughout the spring. Estevez averaged 95.9 mph on his four-seam fastball last season, but his fastball velocity in the spring was consistently below 90 mph. That made the veteran right-hander one of the biggest fades in fantasy baseball drafts. There was just too much going against him to start the season.

Unsurprisingly, Estevez struggled in his first save opportunity this season. He allowed six runs on four hits with two walks against the Braves on Saturday, and his velocity remained down in that ninth inning. Considering manager Matt Quatraro has already hinted that Estevez could work in lower-leverage situations moving forward, it might be time to cut bait with him.

BRAVES WIN ON A WALK OFF GRAND SLAM FROM DOM SMITH!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0GA6f9CwHP

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 29, 2026

Estevez is also in a walking boot after being hit by a comebacker in that game. That all makes the Royals pitcher a fine drop in some leagues. Lucas Erceg looked solid in that closer role on Sunday, and it could be a while until Estevez earns that ninth-inning job back. He averaged just 91.2 mph on his four-seam fastball in his first game.

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues 

Lawrence Butler, OF, Athletics

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler has gotten off to a rough start this season. He went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in the first game of the season and then proceeded to sit out the team's next two games. He didn't start for the Athletics on both Saturday and Sunday. That should definitely raise some concern for fantasy managers.

However, Butler is still a hold in most formats. He did undergo offseason surgery to repair a partial tibial tendon tear and debridement of chronic scar tissue in his knee, so the Athletics could be bringing him along slowly to start the season. The 25-year-old only played in four Spring Training games and tallied just 12 plate appearances throughout the spring.

Lawrence Butler blasts a three-run shot to bring the A's within two! pic.twitter.com/6uEiE93Yq1

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 3, 2025

He is also a solid all-around player when he is seeing consistent at-bats. Butler hit .234 with 21 home runs, 63 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and 83 runs scored across 152 games last season. Just let the Athletics outfielder get healthy first before dropping him in all formats. He has a good chance to total another 20-home run, 20-stolen base campaign for the second consecutive year.

Verdict: Hold in 10-team leagues 

Noelvi Marte, 3B/OF, Cincinnati Reds

The appeal was there to select Cincinnati Reds outfielder Noelvi Marte in the later rounds. He hit .263 with 14 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 90 games last year, and the expectation was that Marte was going to see consistent plate appearances each week. Unfortunately, things have been really shaky for the 24-year-old to begin the year.

He struck out in his first two at-bats on Opening Day before being replaced by Will Benson in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was not in Cincinnati's starting lineup in the second game of the year and went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in Sunday's contest. With a 0-for-6 start to the year, Marte has been one of the most dropped players in Yahoo! leagues.

Despite the slow start, fantasy managers should hold him for at least another week in 12-plus team leagues. He has the upside to be a solid all-around fantasy player this year, and managers shouldn't overreact to his early-season struggles. Marte has the potential to be a 20-home run, 20-stolen base candidate in 2026. If the consistent at-bats continue to be there, he should get extremely close to both of those numbers.

Verdict: Hold in 12-team leagues, Drop in 10 or fewer team leagues 

Willy Adames, SS, San Francisco Giants

Things aren't great around the San Francisco Giants right now. The team is 0-3 to start the season, new manager Tony Vitello has been heavily criticized early in the year, and the offense has been nonexistent through the first three games. None of the main hitters on this Giants team has done much to begin the season, including nine-year veteran Willy Adames.

Adames is just 1-for-11 with five strikeouts across his first three games. He looked lost at the plate in all three contests against the Yankees, and his roster percentage in Yahoo! leagues has slightly decreased. The Giants' shortstop was dropped by over 1,300 fantasy managers on Sunday. His slow start definitely has managers frustrated by his performance. He has a 33.3% hard-hit rate and a 45.5% strikeout rate in his first 11 plate appearances.

However, there is no way that Adames should be dropped in any league. He has been one of the best shortstops in fantasy in each of the past two years. He hit .251 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases across 161 games in 2024 and then hit .225 with 30 home runs, 87 RBI, and 12 stolen bases across 160 games last year. Those numbers are why managers should be holding on to the 30-year-old in all formats.

Welcome back, Willy 💪

Willy Adames DEMOLISHES the 1st pitch he sees for a homer in his return to Milwaukee! pic.twitter.com/iDggAX5Ttr

— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2025

While he will go through ups and downs throughout the year, he has been proven to be a strong fantasy option in recent years. He will hit close to 30 home runs with double-digit stolen bases and upward of 80 RBI. That's enough reason to keep him on your roster.

Verdict: Hold in all formats 

Griffin Jax, RP, Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Griffin Jax hasn't particularly looked great so far this season. He has already blown two save opportunities and has given up runs in each of his two appearances in 2026. That has resulted in Jax's rostership dropping across all Yahoo! leagues. He was the fifth-most dropped player in Yahoo! leagues on Sunday and will enter the week being owned in 61% of leagues.

Jax's first blown save came on Opening Day when he allowed a two-run home run to Alec Burleson in the sixth inning to give the Cardinals the lead. He then came into the 10th inning on Saturday with a 5-4 lead in extras. Three batters later, rookie JJ Wetherholt brought in two runs to give Jax his second blown save of the season.

Despite those two blown saves, Jax is still worth rostering in some 12-team leagues. He is Tampa Bay's best reliever and has yet to enter a game with no traffic on the basepaths. The Rays' closer job is one that fantasy managers should be monitoring over the next few days, but Jax is worth keeping in your RP spot for the time being.

Verdict: Hold in most 12-team leagues

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