Dynasty: Ben Rice. Redraft: too close to call. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Rice ahead, Rice #16 and Yamamoto #20, but the expert consensus has Yamamoto ahead (#23 to #27). The community rates them even, FRV 77.1 and 76.2. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has them close, Rice #15 and Yamamoto #14.
JD on Ben Rice (Oct 2, 2026): Ben Rice had the season I expected him to have after the 2025 season, but not in the way I expected him to do it. He went from a statcast monster last year to just a statcast enjoyer, with a notable decrease in his bat speed and exit velocity: 2025: 73.4 mph / 93.3 Avg EV 2026: 72.6 mph / 91.9 Avg EV He had the 34th-largest bat speed decline of any player from last year to this year and I think there are basically two ways to interpret it. Either you think that he is starting to regress and this is a trend that you will continue to see until he no longer is the monster that he is today, or you think that he found his comfort zone and took a bit off to prioritize the right kind of contact instead of bat speed being the priority at the expense of the ideal outcome. As a Ben Rice truther, I actually think it's the latter. One of the frustrations with Rice last year was that the numbers didn't match the expected stats, and I think slightly changing his approach this year really helped him put up a career year. At the end of the day he's a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium in his prime, hitting directly in front of Aaron Judge a majority of the time. He's going to be incredibly valuable for the next couple of years and I wouldn't rule out him continuing to perform at a high level into his mid-30s.
JD on Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Oct 2, 2026): I will always have the utmost respect for Yamamoto for coming in on zero days' rest in Game 7 last year and throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings to get the save and lock down the World Series. It's the same respect I have for Nathan Eovaldi covering 6 innings in extras out of the bullpen in the 2018 WS for the Red Sox after throwing an inning in relief in the previous two games. Seriously, take a moment to watch this highlight video (and especially key in on the dugout after he gave up the walkoff HR in the 18th): https://www.mlb.com/news/nathan-eovaldi-a-red-sox-hero-in-game-3-c299755566 But I digress; Yamamoto is one of the most bankable guys in the big leagues right now and I think he is the safest ace you could have on your team right now. There's really no weak part in his game except the team he is on, as the Dodgers frequently use a 6-man rotation and will never need to push at the end of the regular season with how dominant their roster is, and that makes Yamamoto not as reliable in the fantasy playoffs. If you're in a roto format as opposed to a head-to-head, he's probably more valuable to you because you can bank his stats early. Don't be afraid to sell Yoshi at your league's trade deadline next year if the Dodgers doing their thing - you will probably get a haul back and you won't risk his potential rest interfering with your fantasy championship.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Ben Rice | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
|---|---|---|
| Team | NYY | LAD |
| Position | 1B/C | SP |
| Age | 27 | 28 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #16 | #20 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #27 | #23 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #15 | #14 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 77.1 | 76.2 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #19–#43 | #13–#31 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | — | — |
| $ Earned Year to Date | — | — |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | — | — |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Down 3 spots | Up 2 spots |
| Stat | Ben Rice | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 667 | — |
| HR | 41 | — |
| R | 105 | — |
| RBI | 97 | — |
| SB | 3 | — |
| AVG | .264 | — |
| OBP | .363 | — |
| SLG | .534 | — |
| OPS | .897 | — |
| wOBA | .384 | — |
| xwOBA | .378 | — |
| Stat | Ben Rice | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
|---|---|---|
| IP | — | 185.0 |
| W | — | 14 |
| SV | — | 0 |
| ERA | — | 2.53 |
| WHIP | — | 0.87 |
| K | — | 182 |
| K/9 | — | 8.9 |
Price a Ben Rice-for-Yoshinobu Yamamoto trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer