Dynasty: too close to call. Redraft: CJ Abrams. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has them nearly level, Abrams #14 and Merrill #15, and the expert consensus agrees (#19 and #52). The community rates them even, FRV 73.0 and 70.1. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Abrams ahead, #10 to #55.
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 Jackson Merrill (Oct 2, 2026): This might be an ultra aggressive ranking that blows up in my face, or I could be a pioneer who sees reality before everyone else. Here is what I see in Merrill: He is 23 years old He just finished his 3rd year in the major leagues (at 23 years old) He has put up above average offensive stats every season (130 wRC+ in 2024, 115 in 2025, 105 in 2026). He absolutely exploded in the 2nd half and was the 5th best player on our player values (only behind PCA, Elly, FTJ, and Jackson Chourio). HE WILL BE 24 YEARS OLD IN 2027! He is similar in age to prospects like Sorota, Baez, Condon, and Tibbs while having 3 seasons in the big leagues under his belt. Ask yourself this question, if Konnor Griffin put up these 3 seasons of performance from 2026 to 2028, would you consider it a success? How excited would you be by Griffin heading into his age 23 season with this performance to start his career? Because I see no reason to rank a player who is still effectively a "prospect" above someone like Merrill who just put up a near 30/30 season at 23 years old. (For reference, Griffin is 16 in the expert consensus while Merrill is 52(!)) Is Merrill a perfect player? Not at all, he is far from it. He doesn't take enough walks and strikes out more than I would like for someone with his exit velocities. But he barrels the ball a ton, has an ideal launch angle, and is just now starting to enter the age where most players hit their prime. Merrill could be a sneaky 40 HR candidate next year, and if he continues to run like he did this year (27 SB) and manages his K rate, you have all of the makings of a top 5 player for 2027. But sure, continue taking the 20 year old prospect because he might turn into Merrill one day in this spot instead.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | CJ Abrams | Jackson Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Team | WAS | SD |
| Position | SS | OF |
| Age | 25 | 23 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #14 | #15 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #19 | #52 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #10 | #55 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 73.0 | 70.1 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #17–#55 | #15–#87 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | — | $1 |
| $ Earned Year to Date | — | $25 |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | — | #203 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | No move | Up 10 spots |
| Stat | CJ Abrams | Jackson Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 654 | 664 |
| HR | 33 | 26 |
| R | 93 | 86 |
| RBI | 106 | 87 |
| SB | 34 | 27 |
| AVG | .261 | .254 |
| OBP | .336 | .303 |
| SLG | .497 | .440 |
| OPS | .834 | .743 |
| wOBA | .358 | .320 |
| xwOBA | .333 | .347 |
Price a CJ Abrams-for-Jackson Merrill trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer