Elly De La Cruz, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Cruz ahead, Cruz #5 and Abrams #14, and the expert consensus agrees (#19 and #8). The community agrees too, FRV 81.6 to 74.0. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Cruz ahead, #3 to #17, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($33.6 and $43.8).
JD on CJ Abrams (Oct 2, 2026): In full transparency, I originally wrote this blurb thinking I was going to rank him 11th overall. As I thought more and more about it, I just got less comfortable with his 2026 stats and how unreliable they are based on his underlying metrics CJ Abrams might be heading down a path where he is more value in fantasy than in real life, but we are totally OK with that as fantasy diehards right? As of September 25, he has piled up 33 home runs in 34 stolen bases this year, making him on of the 3 players hit 30/30, along with PCA and Elly. (There was actually 7 last year, which was a record I didn’t realize was broken until I was doing research). He’s done that despite a relatively pedestrian underlying Statcast profile and horrible defense (1st percentile in both fielding run value and outs above average). When I see a profile like this, it makes me wonder how long he can perform at the elite level. It was also concerning that the Nationals were shopping him around at the trade deadline, which seems to suggest that maybe teams don't see as much real-life value as his fantasy profile would suggest. I can see an argument for selling high on him right now and maybe trading for a Kevin McGonigle or Sal Stewart type, based on their youth and well-rounded profiles.
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 | #14 | #5 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #19 | #8 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #17 | #3 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 74.0 | 81.6 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #12–#55 | #3–#20 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $33.6 | $43.8 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $37.0 | $33.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #9 | #2 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 1 spot | Down 1 spot |
| Stat | CJ Abrams | Elly De La Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 654 | 636 |
| HR | 33 | 30 |
| R | 93 | 99 |
| RBI | 106 | 79 |
| SB | 34 | 30 |
| AVG | .261 | .283 |
| OBP | .336 | .365 |
| SLG | .497 | .515 |
| OPS | .834 | .880 |
| wOBA | .358 | .380 |
| xwOBA | .333 | .376 |
Price a CJ Abrams-for-Elly De La Cruz trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer