With just a few weeks left in the MiLB season and about six weeks left in the Major League regular season, it’s time to start our look ahead to 2027 and how things are trending in dynasty. It’s been a very interesting year, as several new superstars have emerged, while former Top 50 players have fallen by the wayside. I guess that’s how it always goes, but it just feels like things were a little extra volatile in 2026. As usual, we’re seeing big shifts in the rankings as the next generation of top fantasy assets rise and become our new stars. Behind them is a very similar, yet fading, crop of former fantasy stalwarts, and a bunch of highly skilled prospects. Here are the latest Dynasty 400 Rankings for August.
Stats entering play on 8/24
NOTABLE RISERS
Payton Tolle, SP, BOS
In a year when the Red Sox lost their ace Garrett Crochet for most of the season, Tolle stepped up and became their stopper. The 23-year-old left-hander has been brilliant in his first full season as an MLB starter, posting a 3.08 ERA over 120 innings. Among pitchers with at least 120IP, Tolle ranks inside the Top 20 in nearly every category, including a 27.7% strikeout rate, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 20.9% K-BB rate. Tolle’s stuff has just been so good this season, specifically his four-seam fastball, which is missing bats at a 16.2% clip. He gets well over seven feet of extension on the heater, which also averages over 96mph from the left side. For me, Tolle is a no-brainer Top 20 SP in dynasty and should be valued as such moving forward.
Braxton Ashcraft, SP, PIT
For as good as Tolle has been, Ashcraft isn’t too far behind. With Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler struggling, and Jared Jones still working his way back from injury, Ashcraft has been the most reliable starter in their rotation over the past few months. The 26-year-old right-hander has tallied a career-best 13 wins this season on the strength of a 20.9% K-BB rate, cutting his walk rate to just 5.5% for the season. His command has been outstanding, and the stuff is taking a big step forward, as well. Over his last two starts, he’s logged 17 innings with two ER, 14 strikeouts, and just one walk, including the first complete game of his career. As Nick pointed out in his SP roundup, Ashcraft was able to regain his advantage over left-handed hitters with his curveball making a dramatic return in his 85-pitch Maddux against the Marlins. I’m not ready to move Ashcraft all the way into the Top 40 SPs, but he’s on the periphery with a very high probability of making that jump in 2027.
Sam Antonacci, 2B/OF, CHW
In a year that has seen breakout rookie performances from Kevin McGonigle and Sal Stewart, White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci has quietly been a calming force in their lineup and has put together a very solid campaign. The 23-year-old owns a .268/.365/.390 slash line with eight homers and 16 SB over his first 110 MLB games. His runs total (68) is just fine at this point, but hitting atop the lineup has kept his RBI numbers well below average. I do expect those to tick up in year two and beyond as the White Sox continue to shape their future lineup. Antonacci consistently puts together quality at-bats and puts the ball in play, making contact at an 87% clip with very little chase and above-average swing decisions. When you dig in a bit, his batted-ball metrics are below average, but he’s also running a 50% groundball rate, which he struggled with early in his MiLB career but has since cut into as he found more power. Antonacci has a clear path to multiple seasons with a .270+ average and 15+ and 20+ steals in the future. When you factor in the multi-position eligibility and the expected improvements in his counting stats, he’s a borderline Top 150 player in dynasty.
Logan Henderson, SP, MIL
Injury concerns in 2025 that carried over to 2026 have kept Henderson in that perceived ‘danger zone’ of pitchers in fantasy. But when you look up, he’s been a very, very good MLB pitcher since his debut. In his second pro season, the 24-year-old has made 13 starts, pitching to a 2.60 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, albeit in a 69-inning sample. Henderson does everything well, throwing strikes at a high rate, regularly missing bats, suppressing hard contact, and recently starting deeper into games, including four straight quality starts. It’s a simple three-pitch mix for Henderson, featuring a four-seamer, cutter, and changeup with an occasional slider mixed in. I guess you could desire a consistent presence of a breaking pitch, but at this point, why mess with a good thing? I’ve got Henderson and Ashcraft back-to-back in my rankings, just outside the Top 150 overall.
NOTABLE FALLERS
Henry Bolte, OF, ATH
Whew, that was a close one. I almost fell into the hype train surrounding Bolte following his call-up. The ingredients are still there for a potentially elite fantasy option, but the profile still has the same red flags I was worried about all along. The plate skills are slightly improved, but he’s still chasing almost 30% of the time with a sub-70% overall contact rate. When he is making contact, it’s hard (90.9mph avg EV), but it’s also coming on the ground almost 64% of the time. His launch angle is .6-degrees; how in the world can you hit 25+ homers with that LA? Bolte’s speed checks out, posting an elite SprintSpeed of 30.5 feet per second, 100th percentile among qualified hitters. Don’t be fooled by his .270 average either. It comes with a .369 BABIP and isn’t supported by expected stats, which indicate a .239 xBA. You don’t have to squint to see a very valuable fantasy asset, but as currently constructed, it’s not happening.
Jarren Duran, OF, BOS
Cue the Spider-Man meme. Duran and Bolte aren’t all that dissimilar. After all, Duran can easily go 20-40 annually and be a high-end fantasy asset, as he was in 2024 and parts of 2025. But the same red flags exist, at least within his contract profile. Duran’s plate skills have taken a huge step back in 2026, as his chase rate has spiked to almost 35% and his swinging-strike rate has risen 4% to just over 15%. As a result, the 27-year-old looks a lot like he did when he debuted, striking out almost 28% of the time but still flashing that power/speed combination that we all covet. Duran isn’t getting on base much either, with his OBP down 60 points to .265 in 2026, largely due to a big drop in contact and an increase in Ks. For those of us who see Duran daily, he’s now firmly in a strong side platoon in the outfield, opposite of Jahmani Jones (yuck). As much as I want to keep pushing his 17 homers and 18 steals inside the Top 250 overall, the risks are heavily outweighing the rewards right now.
Bo Bichette, 3B, NYM
We talk so much about Vlad Guerrero Jr. and his outlier 2021 season, but not enough about Bichette’s. That season, split between Dunedin and Buffalo, Bo racked up 29 homers and 25 steals, career highs in both categories while playing in MiLB ballparks. Bichette’s dynasty value began to slip in 2023 when he stopped running as often, then dipped again with injuries in 2024. Some of the excitement returned last season as Bo hit .311 with 18 homers and respectable counting stats, but in a vacuum, nobody trusted the profile. As 2026 winds down, Bichette is leaning on a .929 OPS in August to crest the .700 mark for the season barely. Bichette is batting .266 with 16 homers and a steal. His counting stats are fine considering how bad he’s been, but the dynasty value is at an all-time low and doesn’t look to be salvageable. I kept Bo at #300 overall, but I feel very dirty doing so.
