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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 16 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 16 (July 13 to July 19). Should fantasy baseball managers drop, hold, or sell these well-known players?
This week's edition will look at five of the most dropped players heading into the All-Star break. This list will look at three hitters and two pitchers not performing up to their usual fantasy standards. These five star players are all rostered in over 80% of Yahoo! leagues, but their rostership is slowly starting to decline ahead of Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's find out.
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Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has not looked great at the plate since returning from his hamstring strain. Hernandez is batting just .090 with one home run, five RBI, and 18 strikeouts over his last 13 games. He is hitless in his last 17 at-bats entering the All-Star break and hasn't looked like his usual self at the plate.
However, Hernandez is still a hold in most leagues at this point in the season. His metrics are right around where it was last year, and fantasy managers should be patient with the Dodgers slugger as he just came back from a month-long injury. It's going to take some time for the two-time All-Star to get back into a rhythm offensively.
TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/283nOp7XvS
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 4, 2026
It is encouraging, though, that Hernandez still owns a .428 expected slugging, a 90 mph average exit velocity, a 45.2% hard-hit rate, and .329 xwOBA. Considering his expected slugging is 41 points higher than his actual slugging percentage (.387), better power days should be ahead for the veteran outfielder. It's too soon to drop him after he just returned to Los Angeles' lineup on June 29.
Verdict: Hold in most 12+ team formats
Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
There was a lot of optimism that Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley would be a strong fantasy option in 2026. He was a top-60 pick in most drafts and was finally healthy after missing over 50 games due to a sports hernia injury in 2025. Unfortunately, Riley has been the opposite of a strong fantasy pick this season.
The two-time Silver Slugger is slashing only .207/.288/.329 with nine home runs, 13 doubles, 42 RBI, and six stolen bases across 95 games. Riley has no doubt been one of the biggest fantasy busts in the first half of the season, and he's batting just .203 with one home run and 10 RBI over his last 35 games since the beginning of May.
While the potential is always there for Riley to turn it around, it's hard to really believe that will happen in the second half. He ranks in the fourth percentile in expected batting average (.202), 12th percentile in xwOBA (.287), 25th percentile in expected slugging (.363), 18th percentile in launch angle sweet spot rate (31%), and 12th percentile in squared-up rate (19.6%).
Those poor metrics mean that fantasy managers should be looking to sell Riley for cheap in Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season. There isn't much optimism that the 29-year-old third baseman can magically return to his All-Star form.
Verdict: Sell low in all formats
Bo Bichette, 3B/SS, New York Mets
New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette hasn't quite lived up to his massive contract with his new team. Bichette is slashing just .255/.300/.376 with 10 home runs, 14 doubles, one triple, 51 RBI, and one stolen base across 96 games this season. That's a massive difference from his 2025 numbers, as he batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBI, and four stolen bases across 139 games with the Blue Jays.
While Bichette's numbers have been a bit better over the last few weeks, fantasy managers are starting to become impatient with the former All-Star. He missed the team's final three games before the All-Star break due to leg soreness, and that dropped his rostership by 2% in Yahoo! leagues last week. Those missed games, combined with his mediocre season numbers, have led to his rostership dropping below 95%.
No doubt about it 👊 pic.twitter.com/GUixmsWqxo
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 25, 2026
But Bichette is an easy hold in all formats.
The leg injury isn't expected to sideline him for a long period of time, and he should be back in the lineup in New York's first game back from the All-Star break. His underlying metrics also suggest that he could post strong numbers in the second half. The 28-year-old has a 91st percentile expected batting average (.285), a 70th percentile average exit velocity (90.3 mph), and a 70th percentile squared-up rate (36.2%).
Even his expected slugging percentage (.429) is 53 points higher than his actual slugging percentage (.376). Those metrics should all help Bichette return to his 2025 form down the stretch.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
Devin Williams, RP, New York Mets
New York Mets closer Devin Williams has struggled so far in the month of July. He has allowed five runs (four earned runs) with three walks and three strikeouts across 3 1/3 innings. Williams has blown two saves in his first four appearances this month, which included blowing Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox after he allowed two runs (one earned run) in the ninth inning.
Despite these recent struggles, Williams should still be held in most Roto formats in Week 16. The Mets are not considering moving the right-hander out of the closer role for the time being, and as long as Williams is still the closer in New York, he should be rostered in all Roto formats.
The good news for the two-time All-Star is that some positive regression is likely headed his way in the second half. His expected ERA (3.16) is 167 points lower than his actual ERA (4.83), and he ranks in the top 10% of the league in chase rate (38.5%), whiff rate (35.7%), strikeout rate (31%), and hard-hit rate (30.9%).
Given the fact that Williams is still displaying elite swing-and-miss stuff on the mound, he should not be dropped in any 12-team Roto formats. He should continue to be a nice source of saves and strikeouts moving forward.
Verdict: Hold in most Roto formats
MacKenzie Gore, SP, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore will not enter the All-Star on a high note. Gore allowed five runs on seven hits across five innings against the Cleveland Guardians on July 1, gave up seven runs on nine hits across five innings against the Los Angeles Angels on July 8, and recently threw four innings of one-run ball in an abbreviated start against the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Gore hasn't really been a consistent fantasy option for most of the 2026 campaign. He has a 5.56 ERA in eight starts since June 1, and has a season ERA of 4.63 across 105 innings. However, the southpaw is clearly a hold in most 12+ team Roto formats heading into Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season.
Outstanding performance from MacKenzie Gore. Dude showed a lot of heart taking the ball today when the Rangers badly needed an arm.
Retired nine in a row in one stretch, with 4 strikeouts, and allowed just 1 ER in 4 IP.
Not much more you could ask for on three days rest. pic.twitter.com/LkLLhzXBdM
— Right on Rangers (@RightOnRangers) July 12, 2026
Gore has pitched a bit better than his numbers suggest in the first half. He has a 3.96 expected ERA and a strong 25.6% strikeout rate this season while also carrying a league-average whiff rate (25.7%) and expected batting average against (.240). Even his FIP (3.56) over his last eight starts is well below his ERA (5.56) during this timeframe.
That's more than enough reason to hold Gore in all formats.
Verdict: Hold in Roto 12+ team leagues
