Top Targets, Sleepers & Fades

Weâ€ll provide some targetswho will likely improve their value by next offseason, plus some sleepers you should take a shot on before the rest of your league catches up. Then we’ll round out the group with two fades who might be at the peak of their value right now.

Targets

Adley Rutschman, Orioles

After producing a 134 wRC+ in 2022 and 126 in 2023, Rutschman’s next two seasons were disappointing. He dealt with a hand injury in 2024 and two oblique strains in 2025. Now, we’re left to parse through whether that’s natural wear and tear for a catcher, or a series of freak injuries for a player whose skills should not be declining during his peak years as he enters his age-28 season.

Rutschman’s exit velocity data returned to his career norms in 2025 after dipping the previous season. His hard hit rate and barrel rate were identical to his 2023 season. And many of his plate skills actually improved, with a 22.5% o-swing, 91.9% zone contact rate and a 5.4% swinging strike rate. Rutschman also recorded his hardest hit ball in 2025 with a 111.3 mph max EV. Despite the struggles, Rutschman is a worthwhile gamble in fantasy this year. Buy the dip and reap the rewards of the bounceback. [Geoff]

Francisco Alvarez, Mets

While public perception of Alvarez is likely at its nadir, he’s a target for the second consecutive year because his peak projections still hover around a 130 wRC+ with 30 homers per 600 plate appearances. Alvarez has battled through a series of hand and wrist ailments over the last two seasons, including UCL injuries to both of his thumbs, and he needed surgery to repair his right thumb UCL at the end of 2025. He turns 24 in November, so assuming his recent chronic injuries are more bad luck than a long-term concern, he’s a definite target at his current cost. [Dylan]

Sleepers

Tyler Stephenson, Reds

Stephenson has lurked on the periphery of fantasy relevance for five seasons but never put together a top-five season for a catcher, though he finished inside the top 10 in both 2024 and 2021. Now entering his walk year in 2026, the 29-year-old showed tangible changes last year worth buying into.

Stephenson traded some contact for power, posting a career-best 14.4% barrel rate over 88 games. That translated to his highest average exit velocity of his career (90.5 mph) and the highest hard hit rate of his career at 49.2%. He also walked more in 2025 than in any previous season. With his looming free agency, improving power-hitting profile and friendly home park in Cincinnati, Iâ€m buying Stephenson as a potential value in 2026 as he posts his first top-five catcher season. [Geoff]

Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks

Moreno often goes overlooked because both redraft and dynasty fantasy crowds pooh-pooh his barely double-digit home run power. To me, he’s a no-doubt fantasy asset. He enters his age-26 season as an excellent defender, meaning he’ll earn full-time plate appearances, and he’s an above-average hitter who handles all pitch types well. Even with below-average power, a catcher who doesn’t sink batting average or OBP goes a long way in fantasy. It’s much easier to improve your team’s power during the season compared to upping batting average or OBP. [Dylan]

Fades

Hunter Goodman, Rockies

The 2025 season was a true breakout for Goodman, who hit .278/.323/.520 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs. He finished as the No. 2 catcher in 5×5 roto and the No. 41 player overall, per Razzballâ€s Player Rater. So why is he 15th in our catcher rankings? Because we’re skeptical he can repeat his season, even in the BABIP haven that is Coors Field.

Goodman ran a 39.73% o-swing and a 16.32% swinging strike rate. History says itâ€s highly unlikely he sustains both his batting average and home run output with that swing profile. His closest statistical comp is 2021 Salvador Perez, who hit 48 homers with a .273 average. Perez remained valuable in subsequent roto seasons, but he was an OBP liability and less useful in points formats. Other hitters who paired Goodman-like chase and whiff rates include Javy Báez, Nick Castellanos, Ryan Mountcastle and Adolis García. Goodman can absolutely finish as a top-10 fantasy catcher again in 2026, but there are quite a few red flags that give me pause. [Geoff]

Edgar Quero, White Sox

Quero and Kyle Teel entered 2025 primed to battle for the White Sox’s long-term catcher job, but unfortunately for Quero, Teel grabbed the reins. Quero didn’t help his cause by producing the worst framing metrics in the league. Even if that’s less of a factor with the new ABS system, Quero’s ability to control the running game was in the bottom 15th percentile.

Offensively, the 23-year-old has excellent bat-to-ball skills and is better than 97% of the league at avoiding chasing pitches. The issue is his bat speed, which sits in the bottom fifth percentile. Unless something changes—which is very possible—Quero may never hit more than 10-12 homers. Without an injury to Teel, Quero may never log enough volume to carry fantasy value, especially in formats that rely heavily on counting stats. [Dylan]

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