Austin Riley Features These Top 5 Must-Roster Fantasy Baseball Players in 2026
Certain players in the MLB are undervalued beyond their true value in fantasy baseball. These players may have reason for their current ADP, but they have upside that is as tall as the Burj Khalifa. The reward for said players well outmatches the risk, and thus, they must be circled in bright-green ink on your big board. Our fantasy on SI analysis demands that you must draft these five mid-round assets.
Kyle Stowers, OF (MIA)
Current ADP: 115th
Stowers is 115th in current ADP. This is likely a factor of his injury which has been said to be a 1-2 week ordeal. Stowers batted in a .912 OPS in 2025 and when viewing his Statcast profile, these metrics matchup with a whole bunch of top-50 ADP hitters. If Stowers moves forward even further in 2026, he is honestly going to mark himself as one of the premier hitters in the NL.
Austin Riley, 3B (ATL)
Current ADP: 60th
Riley is back healthy for the first time, seemingly since 2023. There are zero concerns, per the Braves, and Riley's form may return to its elite level. In 2023, Riley batted with an .861 OPS with 37 home runs. If he can get back to this, Riley will be a higher-end batter in the entire National League. As seen on Statcast, Riley still has that bat speed, ranking in the 93rd percentile, plus 91st in exit velocity and 92nd in barrel rate.
Chase Burns, SP (CIN)
Current ADP: 113th
The former 2nd overall draft pick is already rising, being 30/1 to win the Cy Young as a longshot. His 2025 output was technically subpar with an ERA over 4.00 and a 1.32 WHIP. However, Burns commands his fastball, ranking in the 97th percentile at 99 MPH. Once he sets the tone with a first-pitch strike of heat, Burns will set upfirst-pitch domination with his 91 MPH slider and 91 MPH changeup. Better yet, if Burns develops a better fourth pitch, then batters will really have trouble.
Eury Perez, SP (MIA)
Current ADP: 102nd
A full season of Eury Perez is something we have been waiting on for a long time. He is back healthy after Tommy John surgery, and the former top-tier prospect should produce in a big way, still just 22 years old.
In 20 games in 2025, Perez put out a 3.23 xERA, .203 xBA, and 98 MPH fastball velocity. If Perez has his breaking balls at least league average, he will set up batters for failure. They will struggle to chase the fastball and thus be caught off guard by the slider, curveball, and changeup. Perez can dominate the count when ahead.
Raisel Iglesias, CL (ATL)
Current ADP: 112th
Iglesias is a closer with CL1 upside if all goes to plan for the Braves. Despite signing Robert Suarez, the Braves have been adamant that Iglesias remains their full-time closer. Iglesias has a sub-1.00 WHIP and sub-3.00 ERA over the last two seasons combined. He also averages over 30 saves over the past three seasons, including 29 in last year's lost season.
The Braves are meant to be among the MLB's best teams in 2026. That means only more saves for Iglesias. Best-case scenario: Iglesias has 40+ saves in his pocket by October.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.