In a make-or-break week, some interesting names were among the most productive performers in Week 24 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season. Headlining that list was Kyle Tucker, who saved the best for last this year. Here’s our penultimate risers & fallers list.
Risers
- OF Randy Arozarena (Mariners)
- SP Taj Bradley (Twins)
- SP Cade Cavalli (Nationals)
- OF Riley Greene (Tigers)
- OF Jake McCarthy (Rockies)
- OF Kyle Tucker (Dodgers)
Welcome back, Kyle Tucker.
Tucker, mired in what has felt like a year-long slump, broke through during the Dodgers’ last road trip. From September 10 through September 18, Tucker batted .407 with four home runs and an MLB-high seven extra-base hits.
For those who held on to him and are still alive, he came through at the biggest time of the year for fantasy players.
It was also a big week for other big-name Major League outfielders. Randy Arozarena and Riley Greene each had 13 hits over that aforementioned time span, good for a tie for third-most in the Majors. Greene had 10 RBI, tied for second-most in the league alongside Tucker and William Contreras.
Jake McCarthy, meanwhile, continued his breakout season. McCarthy had 14 hits, second-most in the Majors from 9/10-9/18, seven RBI, and two stolen bases. Swiping bases has been a speciality of McCarthy for years. Now in Colorado, the whole picture came together.
Moving to the pitchers, Taj Bradley and newly extended Cade Cavalli were two of the best strikeout pitchers over the past week. Both head into 2027 with a lot of helium.
Fallers
- 1B Yandy Diaz (Rays)
- C Ivan Herrera (Cardinals)
- SP Nolan McLean (Mets)
- C Adley Rutschman (Red Sox)
- SP Paul Skenes (Pirates)
- 1B Christian Walker (Astros)
Out of the 226 players with 25+ plate appearances between September 10 and 18, only six had one or fewer hits. Two were Ivan Herrera and Christian Walker, both of whom had very good seasons but bad weeks at the wrong time.
The same could be said for Yandy Diaz, who went 3-for-33 over an eight-game stretch.
Adley Rutschman’s elbow problems are something to watch heading into the real postseason. Rutschman hit 4-for-24 from September 10 through the 18th.
Nolan McLean was very steady for the Mets over the second half. But in his last two starts, the rails started to come off. He did pitch well for much of his outing against Philadelphia on September 16. And yet, he posted a 4.91 ERA and allowed 17 hits over his last two outings.
Paul Skenes, who allowed four home runs over his last two starts, continued to have trouble keeping opposing hitters grounded.
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