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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 15 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players who are currently struggling and not performing well as of Week 15 (July 6 to July 12). Should fantasy baseball managers drop, hold, or sell these well-known players?
For this week, we will determine what to do with five of the most dropped players in Yahoo! leagues. This list will look at three pitchers and two hitters not performing up to their usual fantasy standards. These players will range from a pitcher who just landed on the injured list, a young hitter in the midst of a slump, and a veteran pitcher not pitching like himself.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's find out.
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Davis Martin, SP, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin was one of the best fantasy starters through the first two months of the season. He had a 2.00 ERA, 2.34 FIP, and a 26.9% strikeout rate in his first 11 starts and was the early-season waiver wire pickup of the year. With these elite numbers, Martin was well on his way to earning his first All-Star selection.
However, his numbers have taken a turn for the worse since then. He has a 5.65 ERA and a 14.1% strikeout rate over his last six starts and is coming off another poor outing his last time out. Martin allowed two runs across 3 1/3 innings pitched with a season-high five walks and no strikeouts against the Guardians. Those zero strikeouts marked the first time in the right-hander's career that he failed to strike out a batter in a start.
There are definitely some major warning signs with Martin moving forward. His strikeout numbers are way down over the last five weeks, and he's not missing as many bats on his offspeed stuff. The whiff rate on his slider (21.2%), changeup (5.6%), and curveball (44%) in June was much different than the whiff rate on his slider (50%), changeup (24.4%), and curveball (63.2%) in May.
Davis Martin, Disappearing 93mph Changeup. 👻 pic.twitter.com/ELAUjJ4jTU
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 10, 2026
For that reason, fantasy managers should be looking to sell Martin in most leagues. His expected batting average against (.261) continues to rise, and his expected ERA (4.10) is 102 points higher than his actual ERA (3.08). That means more negative regression could be headed his way.
Verdict: Sell low in 12+ team formats
Brandon Woodruff, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff was starting to get into a groove on the mound after spending close to two months on the injured list in May/June. Woodruff first landed on the 15-day IL back on May 1 after dealing with a dead arm sensation during his start against the Diamondbacks on April 30.
He eventually returned in late June and looked good in his first two starts off the IL. He threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Reds on June 22 and 5 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts against the Cubs on June 28. But Woodruff has landed back on the injured list after leaving his start early on Saturday against the Diamondbacks again.
The veteran's velocity significantly dropped in that contest. He was hitting 91.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and 82.9 mph on his changeup in the first inning, but his four-seam fastball sat at 86.6 mph, and his changeup was at 76.6 mph by the fourth inning. The Brewers then wasted no time placing him on the 15-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation one day later.
It's not an encouraging sign that Woodruff is dealing with yet another shoulder injury. He missed the entire 2024 season due to a shoulder surgery and missed more than six weeks with another shoulder issue earlier this year. While the Brewers right-hander is a top fantasy pitcher when healthy, he just hasn't been in recent years. He hasn't thrown more than 75 innings in a season since 2022.
If you have an open IL slot, just stick Woodruff in there for the time being. If all of your IL slots are currently full and you need that roster spot, don't lose sleep over dropping him. It could be a while until the 33-year-old returns.
Verdict: Stash in IL, drop if IL is full
Jac Caglianone, OF, Kansas City Royals
It is very surprising that Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone was one of the most dropped hitters in Yahoo! leagues on Sunday. It was just a few weeks ago that Caglianone was one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He slashed .373/.453/.773 with nine home runs, three doubles, 19 RBI, and two stolen bases across a 20-game stretch from June 1 to June 23.
Jac Caglianone belts a 2-run shot! pic.twitter.com/sjXUcSstKm
— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2026
Since then, Caglianone has cooled off a little bit at the plate. He is batting only .118 (4-for-34) with one triple, one RBI, one walk, and 12 strikeouts over his last nine games. His batting average has dropped to .258 on the season, and some fantasy managers seem to have already given up on the young slugger amid a small offensive slump.
Nevertheless, the 23-year-old should be held in every format heading into Week 15 of the fantasy baseball season. Every hitter will go through rough stretches at the plate, and Caglianone's underlying metrics offer plenty of optimism moving forward. His expected slugging (.515), average exit velocity (94 mph), barrel rate (15.8%), and hard-hit rate (58.9%) rank in the top 10% of the league.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
Framber Valdez, SP, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez was one of the most consistent fantasy pitchers in his time with the Houston Astros. He finished with a 2.82 ERA and a 23.5% strikeout rate in 2022, a 3.45 ERA and a 24.8% strikeout rate in 2023, a 2.91 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate in 2024, and a 3.66 ERA and a 23.3% strikeout rate in 2025.
This year, Valdez hasn't shown that same consistency on the mound. He currently owns a 4.29 ERA and a career-worst 17.6% strikeout rate across 100 2/3 innings pitched. The southpaw has given up at least four earned runs in three of his last five starts and just allowed five runs across five innings against a bottom Rangers offense last week.
But despite how poorly Valdez has pitched recently, he should still be held in most formats. He's still inducing a ton of balls on the ground (52.3%), and his chase rate (32.4%) does rank in the 72nd percentile. That above-average chase rate should lead to more strikeouts in the coming weeks. His career-best chase rate and elite groundball rate should help him post better numbers on the mound.
Don't move off the two-time All-Star just yet.
Verdict: Hold in most formats
Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is really slumping at the plate right now. He is batting just .113 with one home run, six RBI, and three stolen bases over his last 16 games dating back to June 17. This recent cold stretch sums up just how disappointing Duran has been in fantasy through the first half of the season.
However, the former All-Star should still be held in almost all 12+ team Roto leagues.
Although the 29-year-0ld is not providing much in the runs scored (39) or batting average (.197) departments, he continues to be a solid source of home runs and stolen bases. Duran currently has 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases across 81 games this season. That puts him on pace for 23 home runs and 26 stolen bases while also driving in 76 runs by the end of the year.
Jarren Duran ties the game for the @RedSox! 💥 pic.twitter.com/YkxwxVcKEj
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2026
Fantasy managers shouldn't be dropping a player who will almost certainly finish with a 20-20 season. Duran has a 66th percentile barrel rate (10.7%) and a 93rd percentile sprint speed (29.1 ft/sec), which suggests that he should continue to post reliable home run and stolen base numbers. It's best to hold onto the 29-year-old in most Roto formats.
Verdict: Hold in Roto 12+ team leagues
