Every year, a new crop of young players emerge as potential superstars and are hyped up by fantasy managers as “must-have” assets in dynasty leagues. Inevitably, some of these prospects do not live up to the lofty goals placed upon them by the industry and the legions of fans following their performance.
It’s easy to lazily assign these players as “busts” as soon as it becomes apparent that they’re not going to be game-changing players. However, some names who are put into that category find another level to their game after their hype dies down and relaunch themselves back into dynasty conversations.
Two examples from 2025 are Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell. Both were cast off and given the “bust” label after not immediately making an impact at the big-league level. Now, both are squarely in the top 250 players going into next season (per NFBC ADP). That may not sound impressive, but they’re ahead of names like Alec Bohm and Carlos Correa.
Finding value in these castoffs can prove to pay dividends for fantasy managers, as they can acquire undervalued assets for below market value before they re-emerge as contributors. Here are eight names to consider buying back in on before they become household names again.
Tier One: MLB Regulars
These players are projected to be in the everyday lineup/rotation on Opening Day. They have the highest price, but also provide the safest production level.
Brooks Lee, INF – Minnesota Twins
I’ll admit that putting Lee in this category is kinda cheating. Lee is far from a “bust”, even if he hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations of being a first-round pick in a draft class that included some franchise cornerstones (see: Jackson Holliday, Zach Neto). Lee still has fewer than 200 games under his belt and is slated to add way more to that in 2026 as a full-time starter. Will that lead to a boost in production? That remains to be seen, but Lee has certainly shown the promise to be a consistent performer (150 MiLB wRC+ in 2024).
His production as a big-leaguer hasn’t been that good, though. Lee’s 75 wRC+ is the ninth-worst mark in the Majors over the last two seasons (min. 700 PA). That production aligns with the underlying numbers. Lee’s average exit velocity (88.6 mph), hard-hit rate (38.5%), and barrel rate (5.8%) are all significantly below league average. It doesn’t seem to be a case of unrealized tools either. Lee’s bat speed (69.5 mph) is in the bottom 15% of the league. All of those factors contributed to Lee’s .285 xwOBA and.362 xSLG.
Even with his flaws, Lee still smacked 16 home runs, good for 15th-best among full-time shortstops. His power numbers aren’t elite (.133 ISO), but they provide an average foundation from which to build, and those numbers could improve with growth in other areas. Despite that power level, Lee is currently the 32nd shortstop off the board in terms of ADP.
The Twins are not going to compete next year, so Lee will have plenty of runway to try to add production to his game. Alongside Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, and the emergent star in Luke Keaschall, Lee makes up an intriguing core of hitters to build around in Minnesota. If Lee can take a step forward in his production, he’s a bargain at his current price.
Kumar Rocker, RHP – Texas Rangers
The former #3 pick was hit hard in 2025. Rocker finished in the bottom fifth percentile (or worse) in xBA (.284), xERA (5.81), Hard Hit rate (47.5%), and average exit velocity (91.2%). It’s a continuation of a trend seen in his brief MLB stint in 2024, when his batted-ball numbers were significantly worse against better competition. Most of that damage came against four seam fastballs (.709 SLG, 20% usage), a pitch that dominated AAA in 2024 (.243 wOBA against). In comparison, his sinker (.342 SLG, 26% usage) and newfound cutter (.228 xBA, 36% whiff, 25% usage) were much better.
Suggesting that a pitcher move away from an offering they throw 20% of the time is drastic (and the Rangers will certainly keep it as a weapon for Rocker), but his repertoire could be optimized or simplified to get back to his 2024 success. In that season, Rocker relied on three pitches (FF, SL, FS) and generated much better results. His slider was particularly dominant in AAA (74% whiff rate). He may not be quite that good as a Major Leaguer, but Rocker undoubtedly has the tools to get big league hitters out. Steamer projections agree. They list Rocker as a 1.6 WAR starter in 2026. That would have put him alongside Zack Littell and Gavin Williams in 2025. Those names may not be among the elite, but they’re valuable pieces to have on a fantasy roster.
There’s still lots of time left for the Rangers to make moves to address their rotation, but as it stands, Rocker is the #4 starter. If he holds that spot, he could serve as an excellent value given his current fantasy price (~pick 620 in NFBC). His injury history and inflated ERA have significantly lowered his price, which pitching-needy teams should cash in on while they can.
Tier Two: Higher-Risk Upside Options
These names have a good chance of getting significant playing time in 2026. What they do with it remains to be seen.
Luis Matos, OF – San Francisco Giants
The 23-year-old outfielder leapt forward in terms of production this season, but a .690 OPS is still below the mark expected of a former top-100 prospect. He posted a .690 OPS and 91 wRC+ in 2025, which were both significantly higher than his marks in 2024. That said, Matos still posted a -0.2 WAR and struggled to assert himself in his 57 games. A large reason for that is Matos’ approach at the plate. He makes a ton of contact (92% Z-Con, 20.1% Whiff), but the quality of that contact is lackluster (37% Hard Hit %).
The simple reason for that is his chase rate (37.7%). Matos makes contact on 63% of the pitches he swings at outside the strike zone, which contributes to his top-30 ground ball rate (46%). Asking a player—especially one with three years of MLB experience—to change their approach is a challenge. That said, it’s a challenge the Giants and Matos must embrace to spring him into fantasy relevance. If he’s able to get back to his near 30% AirPull rate from 2024, more of his 111 max exit velocity power will be displayed. That’s far from an elite mark, but it could propel him into the 15-20 homer range next season.
At his current price (~700 ADP), Matos is worth a flyer given his current standing as a starter in San Francisco. If he’s able to make some approach changes, he could prove to be a bargain.
Alek Thomas, OF – Arizona Diamondbacks
Since being named the 2023 NLCS MVP, Alek Thomas‘ career hasn’t quite had the trajectory that one might expect of a player with that accolade at 23 years old. He struggled to make an impact in 2024 (65 wRC+), but rebounded somewhat last season, providing 0.5 WAR in 143 games. Nine homers, seven steals, and an 81 wRC+ in over 450 plate appearances weren’t enough to lock down a spot for 2026, though, and reports indicate either he or Jake McCarthy will be moved before the start of next season.
That could be a blessing in disguise for Thomas. He has the raw skills to be a productive player, but wasn’t given a consistent role to showcase them throughout his time in the desert. His 2025 numbers were his worst to date. Thomas’ hard hit rate tanked by over 7% to fall below 40%, and his average exit velocity (89.6 mph) dropped by two ticks. If he’s able to regain some of that performance, he could take a step forward in terms of turning more balls in play (85% Z-Con) into base hits. Once he is on base, though, he has the speed to be a factor (75th percentile), even if the production isn’t always there.
As of now, Thomas is being drafted after teammates Tim Tawa and Adrian Del Castillo in redraft. His fantasy price simply could not be any lower. If he’s able to tap into some of his past performances, he could be a bargain depth outfielder for fantasy managers next year.
Tier Three: Long Shots
Bear with me in this section. When I say these guys are long shots for future fantasy production … I mean it.
Ryan Johnson, LHP – Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ 2024 second-round pick already has some name recognition built up, as Los Angeles fast-tracked Johnson to the big leagues after 12 dominant starts in High-A (45 ERA-, 29.7% K). As one would expect, jumping straight to the Majors from there led to lackluster results (7.36 ERA, 5.52 FIP). The silver lining is that Johnson’s expected numbers (3.51 xERA, 3.97 xFIP) were much better, and he kept a good strikeout (22.2%) and walk rate (6.9%). Johnson’s unique repertoire and arm slot have the potential to be optimized into legitimate weapons, but he needs to limit dangerous contact better (29.4% AirPull, 21.1% HR/FB). The Angels’ handling of their pitching prospects has been questionable at best. However, if Johnson is given time to develop his skill set, he could be an underrated pitcher to stash going into 2026.
Orelvis Martinez, INF – Washington Nationals
After mashing 28 home runs in 2023 and posting a 124 wRC+ in AAA in 2024, Orelvis Martinez signed a minor-league deal for next season after an abysmal final season with the Blue Jays (74 wRC+, .176 AVG). His PED-related suspension in mid-2024 seems to have killed the momentum he’d built, and now he’ll have to rebuild it. The Nationals are the perfect organization for him to do that. He joins a young core full of hitters looking to prove themselves. Brady House (56 wRC+, 3 MiLB Options) and Nasim Nuñez (.699 OPS) are Martinez’s direct competitors for playing time, but neither has the spot locked down. Martinez should see Major League playing time in 2026 and has the potential to showcase the power that made him a top-100 prospect in 2024.
Gabriel Rincones Jr. Jr., OF – Philadelphia Phillies
In his first full season of Triple-A baseball, Rincones quietly put together a solid campaign. The 24-year-old hit 18 home runs and stole 21 bases en route to a 115 wRC+ in 119 games. He may not have a standout tool to rely on, but Rincones has a balanced offensive profile that can provide value in several ways. Fangraphs rates his hit tool as a 30 right now, which seems harsh considering his 86% Z-Con and improving SwStr% (11.6%, down from 12.1% last season). In tandem with Rincones’s batted ball metrics (92.3 AVG EV, 45.7%), his AAA production shouldn’t be seen as a fluke. Even with some regression when faced with big league pitching, Rincones has the tools to stick, even if he doesn’t immediately thrive. If the Phillies don’t address the existing holes in their outfield, Rincones could be in line to start the year on the MLB roster.
James Triantos, INF – Chicago Cubs
Triantos is a speed-first (78 SB in last two seasons), contact-heavy (88.9% Z-Con) player with limited power. The 22-year-old already has over 500 Triple-A plate appearances under his belt, but doesn’t have a clear path to playing time with the Cubs. His 76 wRC+ at that level in 2025 hasn’t done him any favors either. He underwent a massive regression last season (.684 OPS in 2025, .735 in ’24), which has tanked his prospect stock. Triantos has the raw tools to rebound to his 2024 production (121 wRC+), even if the power stays in the 7-10 home run range. At his age, with his pedigree as a former top-100 prospect, he’s a solid buy-low, low-risk prospect to stash as his value will likely not get any lower.
