Which players are we targeting this year? Is it the young player poised for a breakout year or the consistent veteran who may not be flashy but quietly contributes to several fantasy categories? Or could it be the rookie/prospect who is being overlooked in fantasy circles? The Dynasty Guru writers are happy to share some of the names we’re targeting in drafts and trades.

Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers, (#47)

Bryan Reynolds, Pirates, (#63)

Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., Diamondbacks, (#100)

When you do a dynasty ranking, you look to the future. Some players show up near the top of most lists because the ranker regresses the player’s previous season’s statistics down to the mean, assumes that will be the worst-case scenario, and say, “Hey, not so bad.” Aaron Judge probably won’t be Aaron Judge forever. But Aaron Judge with a modest decline may still be the number one outfielder.

Following that tier is the group of players who we dream on. For instance, in shortstop rankings Konnor Griffin will be ranked ahead of Corey Seager on many lists this offseason, while even in the best-case scenario, JP Crawford will likely hit more home runs and steal more bases this year.

But dynasty analysts are like Orpheus. We don’t look back at the dead. What this Risers column presupposes is, what if we should? What if you could get the fifth, thirteenth, twentieth, and twenty-fourth best outfielders in the game—all after the eighth round?  The players in the table below are all just one year removed from that status and, if they mostly return to form, would significantly outproduce their current redraft and dynasty valuations.

I will be honest. I am giving up Nick Castellanos. I thought he belonged in this group to show that it’s not perfect. Indeed, I am not sure if it is good. But there’s plenty of reason to believe in Hernandez, Reynolds, and Gurriel.

Teoscar’s exit velocity spiked by two miles an hour in 2020 and has been going down steadily since. But the Dodgers are a team where anyone with playing time can stack runs and RBI. Teoscar was still hitting sixth in the last game of the World Series (although he was lifted for a defensive replacement). The Dodgers believe in him, and they certainly know how to keep old hitters going. I expect them to re-sign Chris Taylor through 2045 any day now.

With Reynolds, it is hard to figure out what went wrong. He was still stinging the ball. Reynolds’ strikeout rate went up, but “predictive” stats in 2025 are similar to 2024. For instance, his xwOBA went down by 12 points, which is notable but not a total cratering of value. Reynolds stole 3 bases in 2025, instead of 10 in 2024, but his Baseball Savant Sprint Speed was the same both years. Reynolds is a clear bounce-back candidate.

Lourdes Gurriel is the same story everyone tells in every draft. Lourdes Gurriel will do better this year because he was injured last year. He is going to miss a few months, but the Diamondbacks do not seem to be in a hurry to replace him. Right now, Blaze Alexander is listed as the starting left fielder, and Adrian Del Castillo is listed as the starting designated hitter at Roster Resource.

Other veteran players hoping that 2026 is more like 2024 include Luis Robert, Jr., White Sox, TDG Ranking 33; Tyler O’Neill, Orioles, TDG Ranking 104; I am not sure of a bounceback, but sometimes a riser is a faller who is falling more slowly than the market price.

(Bob Kelly)