Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers. This series assists fantasy managers with lineup and waiver wire decisions by examining recent player performances from a fantasy perspective, both good and not-so-good.
In this week’s edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers, we highlight a Dodgers pitcher who’s worth speculating on in deep leagues. On the flip side, we look at a couple of veteran first basemen whose struggles could cost them roster spots on our fantasy squads. With that, let’s go ahead and take a look at some Week 14 fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
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Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Week 14 stats from 6/23 – 6/29
Risers
Otto Lopez (2B/SS — MIA)
Otto Lopez was one of the week’s top producers. He hit safely in all six games with three multi-hit efforts. Lopez piled up 11 hits, including two doubles and two home runs, and was an RBI machine, tallying a league-leading 13. He also swiped a base for good measure.
After a slow-ish start to 2025, Lopez has come on strong in June. He’s hitting .301/.365/.447 with four dingers and four steals to go with a team-leading 17 runs scored and 22 RBI for the month. Lopez also showcased his strong plate discipline, posting an 8.7% walk rate and 14.8% strikeout rate across 115 plate appearances. Overall, Lopez is flexing a little more pop this season. He has eight home runs on the year, up from the six he swatted across 434 plate appearances in 2024. The increase in homers is a welcome addition, as Lopez now offers 12-15 home run upside to go with 20 steals and a .260 batting average on the year. That plays in both shallow and deep leagues.
Spencer Steer (1B/OF — CIN)
Spencer Steer led the league in hits last week, racking up 12 across 23 at-bats. He also produced across the board, smacking three homers and swiping a base while registering a whopping 1.477 OPS.
Steer has flexed more power in June, posting a .228 ISO for the month to go with five dingers. He’s also slashing .315/.333/.543 across his last 96 plate appearances with a 135 wRC+. His walks have dried up (3.1%), but Steer is still a productive bat. He offers a nice blend of pop and speed, bats in the middle of the order, and plays half of his games in the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park. Steer should be rostered in 12-team leagues while he’s swinging a hot stick.
Jacob Young (OF — WAS)
Jacob Young was one of the rabbits of the week, totaling four swipes across six games. He also went 7-for-22 at the plate with a couple of doubles, four runs scored, and five RBI with a .784 OPS. The strong week is encouraging to see, as it’s been a disappointing season for Young. He led the Nationals with 33 steals in 2024 and was second on the team in runs scored with 75 — a far cry from his nine steals and 21 runs across 60 games this year.
However, Young has been solid since his return from the IL in early June. He has a .314/.364/.373 slash line across his last 59 plate appearances with four steals on eight attempts. His success rate on the basepaths leaves something to be desired, but if you need speed in deeper leagues, Young could come in handy while he’s getting on base at a healthy clip. The Nationals are one of the more aggressive teams on the basepaths. As long as Young is getting the green light, he could provide some oomph in the steals column. Just make sure your team can withstand the hit in power and RBI.
Justin Wrobleski (SP — LAD)
If you’re not familiar with Justin Wrobleski, you should be. He snagged two wins in bulk relief for the Dodgers last week, combining for two earned runs across 11 frames with 13 punchouts.
Wrobleski has been a more than solid addition since re-joining the Dodgers’ rotation in June. He boasts a sparkling 2.73 ERA and 1.06 WHIP — with matching estimators — across his last five appearances (26.1 IP). Additionally, Wrobleski struck out a batter per inning in that stretch while posting an 18.9% K-BB and generating ground balls at a near 50% clip. That’s a lot to like, not to mention the win opportunity Wrobleski brings to the table with the Dodger bats at his back. It’s unclear how the Dodgers will utilize Wrobleski moving forward. But even if he remains a bulk reliever, he’s worth taking a shot on in deeper leagues — and he could be helpful in some shallow formats as well.
Fallers
Christian Walker (1B — HOU)
Christian Walker managed only three hits across 20 at-bats last week and struck out at an elevated 33.3% clip. He also dropped from the heart of the order to hitting sixth or seventh in his last nine games. Walker has struggled mightily since landing in Houston. He has a .213/.278/.357 slash line on the year with 10 home runs and a 79 wRC+ across 335 plate appearances.
The drop in power is surprising, as Walker averaged 32 dingers over the last three seasons. His quality contact metrics are slightly below last year’s numbers. However, they remain consistent with his rates across his previous three seasons. Walker’s plate discipline metrics are another story. His 6.9% walk rate and 27.8% strikeout rate are Walker’s worst marks since he started receiving regular playing time in 2019. Additionally, he’s struggling with fastballs to the tune of a .337 SLG (.413 xSLG) — a 160-point drop from last season’s .498 SLG (.505 xSLG). A turnaround is possible, but until that happens, Walker is tough to roster in shallow formats.
Paul Goldschmidt (1B — NYY)
We’re double-dipping with Paul Goldschmidt, as he was listed as a “faller” last week. However, he’s worth highlighting again as his playing time and performance haven’t improved. Last week, Goldschmidt logged only one hit across 19 at-bats. He also played in only half of the Yankees’ last 12 games against righties. While he hasn’t exclusively fallen into a short-side platoon role, the cut in playing time is worrisome.
Goldschmidt is coming off a terrible June. He posted a .464 OPS with two home runs, four RBI and one steal across 94 plate appearances. He also registered a 29 wRC+ for the month, fifth-worst among qualified hitters. Bad luck certainly played a factor (.167 BABIP). But overall, a drop in Goldschmidt’s power and quality contact metrics this year is concerning. Additionally, his .612 OPS versus righties in 2025 isn’t doing him any favors. Despite his poor play, consider holding Goldschmidt in shallow leagues to see if there’s improvement after the All-Star break. But be prepared to move on if the playing time remains spotty.
Bailey Ober (SP — MIN)
Bailey Ober had a brutal week, allowing seven earned runs in both of his starts. He also coughed up a combined seven long balls with a 12:1 K:BB across 12.2 innings. We can’t complain about the balls and strikes, but that hardly moves the needle here.
The awful week is a continuation of an ugly June for Ober, especially on the home run front. He surrendered 14 long balls across five starts for the month, registering a 4.20 HR/9 in that 30-frame stretch. However, it’s not surprising that Ober couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. He posted a 16.5% barrel and 45.6% hard-hit rate for the month, which didn’t pair well with a near 58% fly ball rate. There could be an injury or mechanical issue at play. But either way, Ober shouldn’t be rostered in most shallow formats. He’s a trickier drop in 15-teamers, and the decision will likely come down to whether you have room to bench Ober until he can turn things around — which may not happen at all.
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