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Andy's fantasy baseball cut list rankings, drop candidates for Week 18 waiver wire (2026). Is it time to drop these struggling players for better waiver wire options?
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our updated Cut List Rankings for fantasy baseball for Week 18 of the fantasy baseball season. As we have in weeks past, let's look at some of the most dropped players across all Yahoo leagues and determine if they are safe to drop ahead of the weekend.
This week, we will look at several struggling hitters who have put themselves on the drop radar, including rookie backup Carter Jensen and Dodger outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Let's dig into this list of injured or disappointing players and work through how deserving they are of remaining in your fantasy baseball lineups. Read about our top players to cut for Week 18 of the MLB season. It's time to make some tough calls, RotoBallers!
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Cut List Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Players to Drop?
The top players to consider cutting for fantasy baseball in priority order. Players at the top of the list should be dropped first and replaced on the waiver wire.
| Rank | Player Name | Pos. | Team | % Ros. | Baller Move |
| 1 | Casey Schmitt | 1B/2B/3B/OF | SF | 65 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 2 | Alex Lange | RP | KC | 15 | Drop in All Leagues (unless desperate for saves) |
| 3 | Michael McGreevy | SP | STL | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 4 | Will Warren | SP | NYY | 50 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 5 | Aaron Nola | SP | PHI | 45 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 6 | Bubba Chandler | SP | PIT | 60 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 7 | Shane Bieber | SP | TOR | 50 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 8 | Tatsuya Imai | SP | HOU | 40 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 9 | Davis Martin | SP | CHW | 65 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 10 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | CLE | 40 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 11 | Mauricio Dubon | 2B/3B/SS/OF | ATL | 45 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 12 | Heliot Ramos | OF | SF | 40 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 13 | Keider Montero | SP/RP | DET | 35 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 14 | Framber Valdez | SP | DET | 90 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 15 | Landen Roupp | SP | SF | 50 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 16 | Carter Jensen | C | KC | 60 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 17 | Curtis Mead | 1B/2B/3B | WSH | 40 | Hold in Deeper Leagues (IL Stash) |
| 18 | Spencer Steer | 1B/OF | CIN | 15 | Hold in Deeper Leagues (IL Stash) |
| 19 | Josh Jung | 3B | TEX | 30 | Hold in Deeper Leagues (IL Stash) |
| 20 | Kevin Gausman | SP | TOR | 95 | Hold in All Leagues (but consider benching) |
| 21 | Teoscar Hernandez | OF | LAD | 80 | Hold in All Leagues (but consider benching) |
| 22 | Freddy Peralta | SP | NYM | 80 | Hold in All Leagues (but consider benching) |
| 23 | Austin Riley | 3B | ATL | 85 | Hold in All Leagues (but consider benching) |
| 24 | Jake Bauers | 1B/OF | MIL | 70 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 25 | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | 75 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 26 | Samuel Basallo | C | BAL | 40 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 27 | Brandon Marsh | OF | PHI | 65 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 28 | Christian Yelich | OF | MIL | 95 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 29 | Bryce Miller | SP | SEA | 75 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 30 | Cal Raleigh | C | SEA | 95 | Hold in All Leagues |
Fantasy Baseball Drops: Week 18 Player Outlooks
Curtis Mead, 1B/2B/3B, Boston Red Sox
Cut List Ranking No. 17
Boston Red Sox newly acquired infielder Curtis Mead (wrist) is being placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a fractured left wrist that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in his debut with the team on Monday against the Athletics. It's unclear how long Mead will be sidelined, but he obviously won't be ready to return in 10 days, and he could struggle to return before the end of the 2026 regular season, depending on how his wrist heals.
It's a really tough break for the 25-year-old Aussie and Boston, who just sent left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for Mead over the weekend in the midst of his breakout campaign. Mead has hit .253/.353/.498 with an .851 OPS, a career-high 17 home runs, 48 RBI, 49 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 88 games across 329 plate appearances in his fourth year in the majors.
His previous career high for homers was three last season with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. Mead is now rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues after his unfortunate injury. Anthony Seigler figures to see most of the playing time in Beantown at the keystone moving forward, with Nick Sogard also being an option to pick up starts at the position.
Casey Schmitt, 1B/2B/3B/OF, San Francisco Giants
Cut List Ranking No. 1
The San Francisco Giants announced on Tuesday that they placed infielder/outfielder Casey Schmitt (knee) on the 10-day injured list with a left-knee meniscus tear and selected the contract of infielder Osleivis Basabe from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. The severity of Schmitt's meniscus tear has yet to be revealed, but there's a chance that he'll miss the rest of the 2026 season. The 27-year-old utility man is in the midst of a career year in the Bay Area, so it would be a really tough break for him to be forced to miss the rest of his fourth season in the big leagues.
Schmitt has hit .271/.301/.483 with a .784 OPS, a career-high 21 home runs, 55 RBI, 47 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 98 games across 409 plate appearances. Making him even more attractive in all fantasy leagues is the fact that he's eligible at first base, second base, third base, and the outfield in Yahoo leagues. For the foreseeable future and potentially the rest of the way in the second half, Christian Koss could see most of the playing time at the hot corner in San Fran for the Gigantes. He's starting at third and batting ninth on Tuesday against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson.
Alex Lange, RP, Kansas City Royals
Cut List Ranking No. 2
Royals right-hander Alex Lange blew his third save of the season on Tuesday, continuing a difficult stretch out of the bullpen. Lange allowed two earned runs and one walk while recording just two outs, marking his third blown save in his last five opportunities. The 30-year-old has struggled to protect leads, posting an 11.20 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over his last 15 appearances.
His season numbers have also taken a hit, as he now owns a 6.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. Those recent struggles are likely to cost him ninth-inning opportunities if they continue. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for saves until Lange can regain his form and reestablish himself in high-leverage situations.
Royce Lewis is the #walkoff hero for the Twins! pic.twitter.com/7V9Z03jFEy
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2026
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Articles
Looking to add a player off the waiver wire? After diving into the cut list rankings, read about some waiver wire pickups to consider instead:
Each week, our MLB team puts out a complete array of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pick Up? waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!
In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more throughout the week.
Who Should I Pick Up Fantasy Baseball Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the "Who Should I Pick Up" tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Zac Thornton, Cole Carrigg, Ian Seymour, Heriberto Hernandez, Yoendrys Gomez, Ty France, Luke Keaschall, Jose Caballero, Josh Bell, Christian Scott, Luis Robert Jr., Ryan Jeffers, Merrill Kelly, Braden Montgomery, Grant Taylor, JJ Bleday, Jacob Webb, Tyler Wells. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who to Pick Up? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pick Up? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Pick Up? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who to Pick Up
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pick Up tool for 2026 for players like Zac Thornton, Cole Carrigg, Ian Seymour, Heriberto Hernandez, Yoendrys Gomez, Ty France, Luke Keaschall, Jose Caballero, Josh Bell, Christian Scott, Luis Robert Jr., Ryan Jeffers, Merrill Kelly, Braden Montgomery, Grant Taylor, JJ Bleday, Jacob Webb, Tyler Wells:
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