8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Kyle Karros, Jesus Luzardo, Francisco Lindor, More

July 13, 2026

Kipp's fantasy baseball risers, fallers, breakouts for Week 16 of 2026. He analyzes hitters and pitchers performing well and poorly to determine future values.

Welcome, everyone, to another edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 16 of the 2026 season! Today, I'll check in on players like Kyle Karros, Jesus Luzardo, Francisco Lindor, and more.

Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component of a successful season, and RotoBaller is here to help fantasy managers! Each week, I will select a few players who have performed well recently and a few who have not, and I will analyze their performances to determine how their future outcomes may be affected.

Following along here every week will give you an edge over your league mates and keep you up to date on who is firing on all cylinders and who is struggling to make ends meet. Every game matters, and there is no time to wait for regression. Let's get into some fantasy risers and fallers who may force some tough decisions.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Risers

Luis García Jr., 1B/2B, Washington Nationals 

Garcia has been on an absolute tear for the better part of a month at this point. Over the previous two weeks, he has been slashing .354/.392/.792 with six HR, 18 RBI, 10 R, and two SB. This stretch ranks him fifth overall in Yahoo! leagues across that span.

Garcia entered June with five home runs and is now up to 20 on the season, so his performance cannot be understated. His metrics look great as well. Overall, he is posting a 47.1% hard-hit rate, which ranks in the 81st percentile.

He also ranks above the 80th percentile in each of xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, whiff, and K rate. He is single-handedly carrying fantasy rosters over the previous month. His roster percentage has ticked up significantly over this span, but he is still available in 15% of leagues.

Luis García Jr. entered the month of June with 5 homers this season.

He has 17 HRs now 🤯 pic.twitter.com/osy65zPFJh

— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2026

Kyle Karros, 3B, Colorado Rockies

Kyle Karros has been rolling along and has been slashing .327/.450/.694 with four HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, and nine BB over the previous two weeks. This ranks him seventh overall in Yahoo! leagues over that span. Karros does not appear to be your typical Rockie, either, as he is posting a very respectable .766 OPS away from Coors Field.

Overall, his metrics suggest he can continue to perform above league average. He currently boasts a 44.3% hard-hit rate, which ranks him in the 67th percentile. Most impressive are his 24.4% chase rate, which ranks him in the 81st percentile, and his BB rate of 12.5%, ranking him in the 84th percentile.

Karros looks to be a player that can help you at third base down the stretch, and he is rostered in just 26% of Yahoo! leagues currently.

Kyle Karros puts the @Rockies ahead with a 3-run homer! pic.twitter.com/Yc6ipBOSt7

— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2026

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies 

Jesus Luzardo is a puzzle, to say the least. He is as inconsistent as they come, but when he is on, he is really on, and he has been on over the previous two weeks. Across that span, he has posted a 1.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and recorded 26 Ks across 18 IP. Additionally, he has racked up two wins over this span, ranking him 13th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

If you can handle the clunkers that Luzardo is prone to over the course of the season, you will be in good shape overall, given his underlying metrics. On the season, he ranks above the 80th percentile in almost every meaningful category aside from BB rate.

The walks are definitely something he is prone to, which is why he gets into trouble in starts, but his strikeout upside is undeniable. Look for him to continue rolling for the remainder of the season, but keep those clunkers in mind, as they will occur from time to time.

Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays

Dylan Cease has really found his groove this season, especially over the past couple of weeks. Over that span, he is posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts across 15 IP. He has also garnered two wins and ranks sixth overall in Yahoo! leagues over that span.

We all know how good Cease can be, as he has now racked up a whopping 148 punchouts across 98 1/3 IP on the season. Overall, he ranks above the 90th percentile in both whiff rate and K rate. Additionally, he ranks above the 90th percentile in xERA, xBA, and average exit velocity.

Fantasy managers should feel very good about drafting him this season, and he should be ready to roll come the second half of the season.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

Francisco Lindor has been a mixed bag since joining the Mets. There are times when he looks like an unequivocal MVP candidate, and there are times when he looks absolutely lost. Over the previous two weeks, and really, over the season as a whole due to injury, he has fallen into the latter category.

Over the previous two weeks, he has been slashing an ugly .182/.265/.318 with two HR, three RBI, six R, and four BB. This has been bad enough to rank him 551st overall in Yahoo! leagues. While he does not qualify for Statcast metrics just yet, his barrel rate is way down thus far, which is not all that reassuring.

That being said, he is posting a solid 50% hard-hit rate and .342 xwOBA. I think once he gets some more ABs under his belt, he will start to perform like the Lindor we expect him to be.

Ian Happ, OF, Chicago Cubs

Ian Happ has been solid overall this season; however, the previous two weeks have not been kind to him. Over that stretch, he has been slashing just .186/.271/.233 with zero HR, one RBI, four R, and four BB. This has been bad enough to rank him an ugly 746th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

Happ's metrics do not look great, but he is posting a barrel rate of 12.5%, which ranks him in the 80th percentile. Additionally, his hard-hit rate of 43.7% ranks him in the 64th percentile. He is also still walking at a solid clip, and his BB rate of 12.5% reinforces that.

Happ is never going to be a high-average guy, so as long as his power metrics and BB rate stay intact, he should continue to provide the value we expect from him.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants

Landen Roupp started 2026 strong, but he has struggled quite a bit recently. Over the previous two weeks, he has posted a 5.91 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and nine Ks across 10 2/3 IP. Additionally, he has gone 1-1 over this span and ranks well outside the top 500 in Yahoo! leagues.

All that being said, Roupp's metrics are not all that awful. He has done a solid job of limiting hard contact this season, as noted by the fact that he ranks in the 80th percentile or better in each of average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard hit rate. This is backed by the fact that he has allowed just seven home runs this season.

Roupp does struggle with the walks, however, as he currently sits with a 10.2% BB rate, which ranks in the 26th percentile. Roupp is a guy that I think can be a decent and steady arm in your rotation for the remainder of the season, especially given the fact that he pitches in a friendly park, but do not expect him to carry a rotation.

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners

Luis Castillo continues to find himself on the fallers list after posting a 4.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and eight strikeouts across his previous 11 IP. He has also gone 0-2 over this span and ranks 638th in Yahoo! leagues.

Castillo's metrics look as bad as his overall line as well. On the season, he ranks below the league average in all but chase rate and walk rate. He is giving up a ton of hard contact, as noted by his 43.6% hard-hit rate, which ranks in the 18th percentile. He has also posted an ugly 9.5% barrel rate, ranking him in the 23rd percentile.

Castillo is not a guy I would trust in your rotation down the stretch, and I would look to include him in any deal before your league's trade deadline.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice