8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Cooper Pratt, Drew Rasmussen, Jordan Walker, More

August 3, 2026

Kipp's fantasy baseball risers, fallers, breakouts for Week 19 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 19 of the 2026 season! Today, I'll check in on players like Cooper Pratt, Drew Rasmussen, Jordan Walker, 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

Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego Padres 

Jackson Merrill has had some ups and downs over the past couple of seasons after bursting onto the scene as a rookie in 2024, but he is currently running hot. Over the previous two weeks, Merrill has been slashing .380/.385/.740 with five HR, 12 RBI, nine R, and two SB.

This stretch has been good enough to rank him seventh overall in Yahoo! leagues. The underlying metrics are also pretty solid. Overall, he ranks in the 70th percentile or better in xSLG, hard-hit rate, and LA Sweet Spot %. He is also firmly above league average with a 10.6% barrel rate and 90 mph average exit velocity.

Merrill is still just 23 years old and has plenty of time to grow into a superstar within this league, but expectations should still be tempered a bit for the remainder of the season. That being said, he should still be a solid producer down the stretch for your fantasy squads.

Two batters later, Jackson Merrill puts the @Padres ahead! https://t.co/a73NOnUeiX pic.twitter.com/79F0R0bIi6

— MLB (@MLB) July 26, 2026

Cooper Pratt, SS, Milwaukee Brewers 

The Brewers called up Cooper Pratt in mid-June, and he has not looked back since. Over the previous two weeks, he has been slashing .406/.487/.625 with two HR, nine RBI, seven R, six BB, and four SB. Quite frankly, he has been an absolute stat stuffer over this stretch and ranks 17th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

What really stands out for Pratt thus far is his BB rate, which currently sits at 13.2%. He has shown a ton of patience for a rookie, which usually bodes well long term. He has shown further patience by posting just a 26.6% chase rate, which has helped his overall line.

Pratt is still rostered in just 16% of Yahoo! leagues and makes for a great waiver wire addition down the stretch. I personally just added him while dropping Jo Adell.

Cooper Pratt slugs his first career homer! pic.twitter.com/g5QgLKGnw6

— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2026

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays 

Drew Rasmussen has been an absolute stud for the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff this season, and he is on another roll. Over the previous two weeks, he has posted a 1.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 24 Ks across 18 IP. Additionally, he has gone 3-0 and ranks fifth overall in Yahoo! leagues.

Rasmussen's metrics are also superb. Overall, he ranks in the 80th percentile or better in xERA, chase rate, walk rate, and hard-hit rate. He is also well above average in almost every metric imaginable, which has translated to his overall line of a 2.91 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 122 Ks across 117 1/3 IP.

If you need pitching depth and can make a move to acquire Rasmussen, I would not hesitate to do so, as he may not be the most well-known quantity in some fantasy leagues. Perhaps you can get a steal for him.

Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox 

While the White Sox just traded for Luis Castillo to bolster their rotation, they actually have a pretty solid arm in Sean Burke currently. Over the previous two weeks, he has posted a ridiculous 0.96 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, and 25 Ks across 18 2/3 IP. He is 1-1 over this span and ranks 13th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

His overall metrics tell us that he ranks in the 70th percentile or better in xERA, xBA, chase rate, and K rate. Overall, he is 7-5 with a 3.04 ERA and 140 Ks across 124 1/3 IP. He is also surprisingly still available in nearly 20% of Yahoo! leagues, so make sure to add him if he is available in your league.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers 

Our first faller today is Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers. Over the previous two weeks, Chourio is slashing .240/.300/.583 with zero HR, three RBI, six R, and two BB. While the slash line is not all that horrendous, the lack of counting stats has him ranked 548th overall in Yahoo! leagues over this span.

I am in no way concerned about Chourio moving forward. Overall, he ranks in the 85th percentile with a 91.8 mph average exit velocity. He also ranks in the 84th percentile with a 12.8% barrel rate, so the hard hitting will pick back up as we progress down the stretch.

If you can find a leaguemate who is down on Chourio due to this recent stretch, now would be the time to pounce and make an offer.

Jackson Chourio extends the Brewers lead with a 2-run shot! pic.twitter.com/DJP94fBXAD

— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2026

Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals 

Jordan Walker should have been expected to be on this list coming off of the Home Run Derby, and that is exactly where he lands this week. Over the previous two weeks, he has been slashing .211/.262/.281 with zero HR, four RBI, five R, and four BB. This line is bad enough to rank him 489th overall in Yahoo! leagues.

We see a lot of players who participate in the Derby slump coming into the second half of the season, and I think that is what is going on with Walker. Overall, he still ranks well above league average in almost every hitting metric imaginable outside of the strikeout metrics.

His average exit velocity still sits at 93.2 mph, which ranks in the 96th percentile. The swing and miss will always be a part of his game, but the home runs more than make up for that. Look for him to find his swing again and get back on track over the next few weeks.

Jordan Walker is SMOKING baseballs with his family watching on 🥹 pic.twitter.com/CZaj2C09MM

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies 

Jesus Luzardo finds himself on the fallers list once again this season, and this was to be expected as he goes through a ton of ups and downs every season. He is currently trending downward, having posted a 4.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 14 Ks across 13 1/3 IP over the previous two weeks.

He has gone 0-1 over this span and ranks 534th in Yahoo! leagues. Overall, his metrics are still very solid, as he ranks above the 80th percentile in xERA, xBA, average exit velocity, whiff rate, K rate, and hard-hit rate. I would not worry about Luzardo overall, but do know that he will have stretches like this.

Sonny Gray, Boston Red Sox 

Sonny Gray was a trade candidate for the Red Sox not too long ago, but they have been scorching hot and are back in the thick of the playoff race and will likely hold onto him. While the Red Sox have been hot, Sonny Gray has not. Over the previous two weeks, he has posted a 5.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and just 13 Ks across 18 IP.

This stretch ranks him 748th overall in Yahoo! leagues despite picking up two wins. Gray's metrics are not all that sharp, as he ranks in just the 58th percentile with a 3.85 xERA. Additionally, his whiff rate and K rate both rank below the 50th percentile.

While I think the previous two weeks will not be the norm moving forward with Gray, I would temper expectations a bit and just rely on him as a steady arm who has the potential to get hit hard from time to time.

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