Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates: Players Losing Value Early in 2026

We just went over another round of fantasy baseball waiver wire/streaming options, and now are going to get into some droppable players.

More droppable player data can be located on the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. 

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Luke Raley - Seattle Mariners

Raley is rostered in 18% of fantasy baseball leagues right now. He was over 30% earlier in the regular season.

Raley started the regular season hot, but has cooled since then. In 11 games and 37 plate appearances overall, he has a .235 average and .297 on-base percentage. He has three homers and a double among his eight knocks, while also tallying six RBIs, four runs scored, two walks and 15 strikeouts.

He's a career .232 hitter with a .319 OBP, and he's trending toward that level of production again in 2026. His hot start wasn't sustainable, and he's showing why he was always a better deep-league asset.

Raley isn't even worth rostering in all deeper leagues, because he simply isn't doing enough. Add in that he's not starting against left-handed pitchers and is likely eligible at first base and the outfield (two loaded fantasy spots), and there's probably better fantasy options out there to try instead.

Stream him when he's hot at the plate, but bench/drop him when he's not providing much.

Michael Harris II - Atlanta Braves

Harris is down to 91% owned after being nearly at 100% to kick off the regular season.

In 13 games and over 49 plate appearances, Harris has a .213 average and .245 OBP. He has 10 hits, including one double and one homer, plus five RBIs, four runs scored, a stolen base, two walks and nine strikeouts.

He's a career .272 hitter with a .306 OBP, so he's noticeably down from those marks to kick off 2026. Being an outfielder, there's better options available right now, and that's why Harris is being dropped.

I'm fine dropping him, especially if you need a more productive fantasy player in a standard league. He should still be owned in most standard leagues though, as better days are ahead. Stash him on your bench until his bat heats up, and maybe look into buying him low in a trade, as the cost won't be very much at all.

Brenton Doyle - Colorado Rockies

Doyle is rostered in just 31% of leagues now. He sat at about 70% when the regular season started.

In 12 games and 39 plate appearances, Doyle has a .139 average and .205 OBP. He has a double among his five hits, plus no RBIs, five runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks and 15 strikeouts.

Those are putrid numbers, and don't give fantasy owners much hope after he also struggled mightily in 2025. He's not worth holding in any standard leagues, and is droppable in some deeper leagues too.

His numbers will heat up, and he'll be a decent deep-league option for most of 2026 though, so don't write him off for good. Just avoid him for the time being.

Brandon Lowe - Pittsburgh Pirates

Lowe is owned in about 86% of fantasy leagues at this moment. He has been over 90% this regular season.

In 11 games and over 48 plate appearances, Lowe has a .220 average and .333 OBP. He has nine hits, including three home runs and two doubles. Lowe has four RBIs, four runs scored, seven walks and 10 strikeouts as well.

He started the year hot, but has cooled off in a big way since. Lowe is still starting daily and hitting second, so his fantasy outlook is still strong.

Lowe's career's marks are better than the ones he's posting now, so expect better results moving forward. I get dropping him in some standard leagues, but at a weaker fantasy 2B spot, I'm not in a rush to drop him. He can be a high-end performer at the position when healthy, so keep watching him.

Lowe should be held in deeper leagues, and that shouldn't change, unless he gets hurt or struggles mightily for a month plus.

Samuel Basallo - Baltimore Orioles

Basallo is down to 42% rostered - he started the season over 60% owned.

Across eight games and 34 plate appearances, Basallo has a .167 average and .265 OBP. He has a homer among his five hits, plus an RBI, four runs scored, four walks and 13 strikeouts.

He should be eligible at catcher and first base at some point in 2026, which is a plus for the young hitter. Basallo has only started two of the past five games though, and that's a major issue. If he isn't playing, he cannot be a fantasy asset.

Basallo isn't worth rostering in standard leagues for the time being, but I wouldn't count the highly-touted youngster from getting in those leagues at some point in 2026 yet. I'd do my best to stash him in deeper leagues, at least for a bit longer, as I think better days are ahead.