Elly De La Cruz, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Cruz ahead, Cruz #5 and Abrams #11, and the expert consensus agrees (#20 and #8). The community agrees too, FRV 80.5 to 73.0. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Cruz ahead, #4 to #18, but the rest-of-season engine has Abrams ahead ($62 to $50).
JD on CJ Abrams (Jul 30, 2026): I didn't expect CJ Abrams to be one of the most valuable players in baseball right now, especially after his whole casino saga at the end of last year. Everything in this profile backs up that this is a totally legitimate breakout and he should be a dominant player for a long time in this league. The only thing that confuses me is the fact that he's being floated in trade rumors right now? I'm not sure why the Nationals would trade one of the best assets in baseball (its not like he is a Boras client and isn't able to be signed to a long term deal), so I would be prioritizing locking him in with an extension rather than looking to trade him.
JD on Elly De La Cruz (Sep 24, 2026): Elly has come on like a bat out of hell in the last month, and gone from my 10th-ranked dynasty asset to the 5th-ranked in the process. He is one of the bonafide faces of the MLB at this point, despite being only 24 years old, because he's been around since he 2023 and has performed at an elite level every year. This year he has taken another step forward and improved in basically every measurable category but the two that I find the most compelling are the nearly 3 mph jump in avg exit velocity and the 11% walk rate, despite keeping his swing and miss largely the same compared to 2025. We are one launch angle adjustment away from him being a perennial 40-plus home run threat, but I do love that in general his game seems to be shifting from more of a speed-based profile to a power profile. Another a unique aspect of Elly's profile is that he suddenly became a lefty masher in 2026 after being clearly deficient against lefties for his career. Prior to this year I would have argued that Elly should only hit from the left side but this year he slashed over 1,000 OPS against lefties, with 10 home runs in only 181 PA (vs 18 HR in 428 PA vs righties). I'll be curious to see if this is just an aberration or something that persists on a yearly basis going forward. I don't really have any complaints with Elly. The only reason he's not the top tier for me is the same reason James Wood's isn't: the inflated K rate is going to lead to streakiness and that's not something I can overlook. I can see an argument for taking Elly over James Wood but I don't have him over my top three guys right now.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | CJ Abrams | Elly De La Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| Team | WAS | CIN |
| Position | SS | SS |
| Age | 25 | 24 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #11 | #5 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #20 | #8 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #18 | #4 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 73.0 | 80.5 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #17–#55 | #5–#20 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $62 | $50 |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $38 | $34 |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #3 | #5 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 1 spot | Up 2 spots |
| Stat | CJ Abrams | Elly De La Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 638 | 614 |
| HR | 33 | 29 |
| R | 92 | 97 |
| RBI | 102 | 76 |
| SB | 33 | 29 |
| AVG | .261 | .288 |
| OBP | .335 | .370 |
| SLG | .500 | .521 |
| OPS | .835 | .891 |
| wOBA | .358 | .384 |
| xwOBA | .331 | .378 |
Price a CJ Abrams-for-Elly De La Cruz trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer