8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Bryson Stott, Gavin Williams, Jacob deGrom, More

August 10, 2026

Kipp's fantasy baseball risers, fallers, breakouts for Week 20 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 20 of the 2026 season! Today, I'll check in on players like Bryson Stott, Gavin Williams, Jacob deGrom, 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

Bryson Stott, 2B/3B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies 

Bryson Stott has been on a roll lately, slashing .398/.558/.684 with one HR, 10 RBI, 10 R, 14 BB, and four SB over the previous two weeks. This stretch ranks him second overall in Yahoo! leagues. The 14 BB and .558 OBP really stand out, as he was sitting with just 27 BB up to this point.

Overall, his metrics are somewhat solid, as he ranks in the 65th percentile in xwOBA with a mark of .333. Additionally, he has a very respectable .272 xBA, which ranks him in the 78th percentile. While it is nice to see Stott on a heater, I would not expect this level of production for the remainder of the season.

Yes, he still has plenty of opportunities to produce in a potent Phillies lineup; however, he is frequently hitting near the bottom of the lineup, which caps this production. That being said, he is still available in 45% of Yahoo! leagues and makes for a nice utility player down the stretch, given his position flexibility.

A solo shot from Bryson Stott 💪 pic.twitter.com/PiVa7cly6R

— MLB (@MLB) July 26, 2026

Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B/OF, Boston Red Sox 

Ceddanne Rafaela has been on everyone's breakout list for several years now, and he is finally putting together a nice stretch for the white-hot Boston Red Sox. Over the previous two weeks, he has been slashing .345/.367/.655 with five HR, 15 RBI, 11 R, and three SB. This ranks him fourth overall in Yahoo! leagues.

Rafaela has also had a nice season overall, which is what makes his metrics so surprising. Overall, he ranks below average in every important metric; most notably, he ranks below the 30th percentile in each of xwOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel rate, chase rate, and walk rate.

Looking at these metrics, I am quite surprised he has had the success he has thus far, but he hits near the top of a potent Red Sox lineup, so he should have plenty of value down the stretch, despite the lackluster metrics.

Ceddanne Rafaela makes it THREE straight games with a homer! pic.twitter.com/x76FbXgeIA

— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2026

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians 

Any time I get to toss one of my Guardians in here, I will do it! Gavin Williams is more than deserving, as he has posted a 1.96 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, and 29 Ks across 18 1/3 IP over the previous two weeks. He is also 1-1 over that span and ranks 22nd overall in Yahoo! leagues.

Williams is an absolute horse, averaging over six IP per start. His metrics are also terrific, as he ranks above the 80th percentile in each of chase rate, whiff rate, and K rate. He has also posted a respectable 7.2% BB rate, which ranks in the 69th percentile.

Williams is a guy that fantasy managers and Guardians fans alike should have confidence in down the stretch, especially if you consider he pitches in the AL Central, which has some lackluster offenses in the Royals and Tigers. His strikeout upside is also something that should make fantasy managers feel good.

Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals 

I was high on Noah Cameron coming into the season and ended up cutting him loose, as he was struggling quite a bit early on. He has since turned it around, posting a 0.56 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, and 16 Ks across 16 IP over the previous two weeks. This ranks him 24th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

While I love what I have seen over the previous two weeks, encompassing three starts, I still cannot trust the results given the metrics. The only metrics where he ranks above average are whiff rate, BB rate, and hard-hit rate. Also, while I say he ranks above average, he is barely above the 50th percentile in each of these.

Ride the wave while you can, and only look to deploy him against weaker offenses, as he is going to have some more blowups down the stretch, and you will want to be sure he was left on your bench when he does.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

William Contreras, C, Milwaukee Brewers 

William Contreras has been struggling lately, slashing .209/.277/.395 with one HR, two RBI, six R, and three BB. This ranks him 58th overall in Yahoo! leagues. Contreras has been a solid component of this Brewers' offense this season, however, posting 11 HR and 59 RBI from the catcher position.

His metrics are also pretty solid and suggest this recent stretch is just a blip on the radar. Overall, he ranks in the 70th percentile with a .262 xBA. He also ranks in the 89th percentile with a 32.1% squared-up rate. His 43.1% hard-hit rate also suggests there are some more home runs coming.

Continue to roll Contreras out there as you have done all season, as he should start to turn it back around very soon.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers 

If I am not worried about Contreras above, then I am certainly not going to worry about Freddie Freeman despite his .348/.362/.370 slash line over the previous two weeks. You may ask how it is possible to have that slash line and still rank 602nd in Yahoo! leagues, and that would be fair.

The problem with Freeman is that the Dodgers have run into a slew of left-handed pitching over the previous two weeks, and they were struggling quite a bit against them until recently. This is why Freeman has just four RBI and one R scored despite the slash line.

His metrics are still great, as he ranks in the 95th percentile with a .379 xwOBA, and in the 99th percentile with a .300 xBA. He will be fine down the stretch, and the Dodgers should start coming back to life, which will allow Freeman's counting stats to get back on track as well.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

Robbie Ray, San Diego Padres 

Robbie Ray is rostered on my high-stakes team, so I have been taking a beating with him recently as well. Over the previous two weeks, he has posted a 4.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and just eight Ks across 11 IP. While I like his new home in San Diego, he is not getting much of an upgrade due to pitching at Petco Park.

Ray has always been a pitcher that has big ups and downs throughout the season, and we are just going through a down cycle currently. That being said, the metrics are way down this season, as he ranks below average in each of whiff rate, chase rate, and K rate, all metrics he usually performs well in.

I do not have the highest of hopes for Ray down the stretch, but I will continue to run him out there versus weaker offenses and teams with high K rates, as he has still shown an ability to thrive in these situations this season.

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

Jacob deGrom is getting up there in age, but he has still pitched very well in 2026, posting a 3.87 ERA and 144 Ks across 118 2/3 IP. That being said, the previous two weeks have not been kind, as he has posted a 4.73 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 16 Ks across 13 1/3 IP.

Looking at deGrom's metrics, we can see that the strikeout stuff is still there, as noted by his 33.3% whiff rate and 34.9% chase rate. He also still ranks in the 90th percentile with a 97.3 mph fastball velocity. That being said, he is being hit hard to the tune of allowing a 45.5% hard-hit rate.

He still has plenty of value in your rotation, to be clear, but the days of him being an absolutely dominant force on the mound are past us. He should turn it back around and be reliable for your team down the stretch and should still be started against any opponent.

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