Dynasty: Nick Kurtz. Redraft: Ben Rice. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Kurtz ahead, Kurtz #10 and Rice #15, and the expert consensus agrees (#27 and #9). The community agrees too, FRV 82.2 to 77.1. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Rice ahead, #11 to #216.
JD on Ben Rice (Aug 3, 2026): Big news for Ben Rice owners, word is that the Yankees will platoon Golschimdt and Garcia at 1B with Rice splitting time between DH and C. If Rice is able to get 5 starts through the end of the season at catcher, he will be eligible for all of 2027 on Yahoo, and if he van get to 20 starts (which I think is pretty unlikely) he will be universally eligible. If he does end up getting universal catcher eligibility, he will be that much more valuable heading into next season, potentially pushing the top 10 and the very clear #1 overall catcher.
JD on Nick Kurtz (Sep 24, 2026): This ranking should be CJ Abrams' spot, he's done nothing but earn it this year with a 30/30 season. But as the residing president of the Nick Kurtz fan club, it would be irresponsible of me to rank him outside of the top 10 on any dynasty list. I feel like Kurtz is the first player on this list who you can't point to direct production this year to justify their placement in the top 10, which should tell you how I feel about Nick Kurtz's potential. Remember he's only 23 years old and was drafted in 2024 so he has not even entered what should be his prime yet. From this point onward in the rankings, every player is going to have their warts and there is no complete player, so you have to go by upside in a dynasty list like this. Let's talk about his potential upside, he's 98% or greater in the following categories: AVG EV (93.4) Barrel % (18.0%) Hard Hit Rate (57.3%) Bat Speed (78.2 MPH) BB % (18.2%) This profile screams when I hit the ball, I'm absolutely doing damage. I don't think there's a single player in the big leagues outside of maybe Yordan Alvarez and Aaron Judge that have this impressive batted-ball profile, but Nick Kurtz is only 23 years old. Compared to 29 for Yordan and 34 for Judge. The issue is he doesn't always "hit the ball": 32.5% K Rate 36.9% Whiff Rate And both of those stats actually trended worse in 2026 compared to his rookie year, the threat of a low batting average is very real if he doesn't improve on this. If you're at the 10th pick in your dynasty league, all of the surefire bets are gone and everyone has their warts. It's either age, sporadic performance, or some metric in an otherwise reliable skill set that gives you pause. I think Nick Kurtz's combination of youth and upside is the most attractive bet left after the first nine players are spoken for. If your league really values pitching, the Miz is a fine bet at number 10 overall. If you want to put yourself in the best chance to win next year, maybe Yordan is your guy. If you're looking for more of a 30-30 skill set, then I wouldn't fault you for taking CJ Abrams. All I'm saying is don't overlook Kurtz in 2027.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Ben Rice | Nick Kurtz |
|---|---|---|
| Team | NYY | ATH |
| Position | 1B/C | 1B |
| Age | 27 | 23 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #15 | #10 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #27 | #9 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #11 | #216 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 77.1 | 82.2 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 10 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #19–#43 | #7–#17 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $28 | — |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $30 | — |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #25 | — |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Down 4 spots | Down 1 spot |
| Stat | Ben Rice | Nick Kurtz |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 649 | 434 |
| HR | 39 | 21 |
| R | 101 | 62 |
| RBI | 95 | 69 |
| SB | 3 | 7 |
| AVG | .260 | .256 |
| OBP | .359 | .396 |
| SLG | .525 | .483 |
| OPS | .884 | .879 |
| wOBA | .379 | .381 |
| xwOBA | .375 | .374 |
Price a Ben Rice-for-Nick Kurtz trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer