8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Fernando Tatis Jr, Rafael Devers, Kyle Leahy, More

July 23, 2026

Frank analyzes 8 fantasy baseball risers, fallers, breakouts for hitters and pitchers in Week 17 of 2026. He discusses buy/sell candidates for fantasy baseball.

Welcome to another midweek edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers for Week 17 of the 2026 season! In this piece, I’ll take a look at Fernando Tatis Jr., Rafael Devers, Kyle Leahy, and more.

We're now in the stretch run, as the second half has begun. We're starting to see struggling stars with strong track records finally start to regain their form. We're also seeing some surprise starting pitchers take their game to the next level. Staying up to speed with who's trending up and who's trending down is essential to winning your fantasy baseball league.

In this article, we'll look at four risers and four fallers for hitters and pitchers. Some of these hitters will be universally rostered, but you can use this information to try to trade for them or sell if they're struggling. Others are still available on the waiver wire, so the time to pounce is now.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Risers

Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, San Diego Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr. came into Wednesday's action as one of the most disappointing hitters in baseball, slashing .286/.349/.403 with eight home runs in 439 plate appearances. However, he still has an 11.3% barrel rate and 53.2% hard-hit rate, so there were reasons for optimism. This is a hitter with a lengthy track record, which gives him some leeway. Patient managers who didn't sell low are starting to reap the rewards.

There are no-doubters, and then there are no-doubters. pic.twitter.com/jTjerdX6Uq

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 22, 2026

In the last seven days, Tatis has a .602 xwOBA, which ranks 1st in MLB. Heading into Wednesday night, he had homered in three of his last four games. It appears that he's finally found his power stroke, so it's wheels up for the rest of the season. It wasn't that long ago that we were in shock that Tatis had zero home runs so late in the season. He now has eight. It wouldn't surprise me to see him finish with 20+ homers.

Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves

Austin Riley was one of my favorite targets coming into the season, but he's been a major disappointment, slashing .213/.294/.355 with 12 home runs in 405 plate appearances. With that said, he's still hitting the ball relatively hard, putting up an 11.4% barrel rate, so there are reasons to be hopeful for a strong second half.

In the last seven days, Riley has a .584 xwOBA, which ranks 2nd in MLB. Coming into Wednesday's action, Riley had three home runs in his last five games. It's taken quite a while, but it looks like Riley has finally found his groove at the plate. There's still time to buy low, as Riley's season-long slash line is still underwhelming, so make the move before it's too late.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles

Trevor Rogers had an unbelievable run for the Orioles in the second half last season, which made him a popular target coming into this year. After a slow start, Rogers has gotten into a nice rhythm on the mound. Since June 4th, Rogers has a 1.69 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP with a 20.6% strikeout rate and a 7.4% walk rate in eight starts, spanning 48 innings.

BAA Leaders, Last 30 Days (Qualified SP)

1. Troy Melton .111
2. Dylan Cease .129
3. Trey Yesavage .133
4. Trevor Rogers .157
5. Kyle Bradish .158pic.twitter.com/OYuslpj366

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) July 17, 2026

He's starting to look like the pitcher that caught fire last season. The Orioles are finally starting to play to their potential, as they're one of the hottest teams in MLB, so Rogers should have plenty of opportunities for wins moving forward. If you're able to swing a deal for Rogers right now, I'd make the move, as he seems to have gotten over his early-season struggles.

Kyle Leahy, St. Louis Cardinals

Kyle Leahy was one of my favorite sleepers coming into the season. So far, he's putting up a 3.59 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP with a 19.4% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. While those numbers don't jump off the page at all, you have to like what Leahy has been able to do lately. In his last five starts, Leahy has an 0.71 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP with a 21.5% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate in 25.1 innings.

You have to like the bump in strikeout rate. The hot streak is supported by the underlying metrics as well, as highlighted by a 2.73 xERA. While it remains to be seen if Leahy has the staying power to stick on your roster in the long run, you have to hop on board this freight train right now and see where it takes you.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

Rafael Devers, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Rafael Devers is currently slashing .241/.310/.466 with 20 home runs in 429 plate appearances. His barrel rate has fallen from 16.0% to 11.2%, while his strikeout rate has increased from 26.3% to 28.2%. Devers has been a nice source of power, but his low batting average definitely hurts your fantasy team.

The high strikeout rate means that we can see prolonged slumps, as is the case now. In the last seven days, Devers has a .161 xwOBA, which is the second-worst in baseball during this stretch. He came into Wednesday's action on a 2-for-30 stretch, making him worth leaving on your bench until he gets back on track.

Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Fernando Tatis Jr. came into Wednesday's action as one of the most disappointing hitters in baseball, slashing .286/.349/.403 with eight home runs in 439 plate appearances. However, he still has an 11.3% barrel rate and 53.2% hard-hit rate, so there were reasons for optimism. This is a hitter with a lengthy track record, which gives him some leeway. Patient managers who didn't sell low are starting to reap the rewards.

In the last seven days, Tatis has a .602 xwOBA, which ranks 1st in MLB. Heading into Wednesday night, he had homered in three of his last four games. It appears that he's finally found his power stroke, so it's wheels up for the rest of the season. It wasn't that long ago that we were in shock that Tatis had zero home runs so late in the season. He now has eight. It wouldn't surprise me to see him finish with 20+ homers.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros

Spencer Arrighetti had a nice start to the season, but he's completely fallen apart lately. In his last eight starts, Arrighetti has a 7.88 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP with a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 12.3% walk rate in 40 innings. During this stretch, he has three starts with six or more earned runs, including two where he gave up eight runs.

The good news is that in two of his last three starts, he's allowed only one earned run in each of those outings. But that's sandwiched by an eight-run outing. Until Arrighetti shows more consistency, you need to leave him on the wire. Don't even pick him up if the matchup looks good on paper, as we've seen teams like the Tigers and Guardians hit him hard this year.

Gage Jump, Athletics

Gage Jump is an intriguing prospect who showed some upside for the A's when first called up, but he's hit a rookie wall right now. Jump just gave up six runs in 4.2 innings against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He's now allowed a combined 20 earned runs in his last five starts, spanning 21.2 innings.

It wasn't long ago that Jump went 6+ innings in three of four starts, but there's no way that you can trust him right now. There's a chance that he needs some more seasoning in the minors at this point.

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