Dynasty: too close to call. Redraft: Elly De La Cruz. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has them nearly level, Wood #4 and Cruz #5, and the expert consensus agrees (#8 and #5). The community rates them even, FRV 80.5 and 81.4. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Cruz ahead, #4 to #8, and the rest-of-season engine agrees ($50 and $42).
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.
JD on James Wood (Sep 24, 2026): James Wood just missed being in the top tier of dynasty assets for me, because his injury in the second half derailed what otherwise would have been a monumental season for him. At the ASB, he was on a 162 game pace of 47 HR / 25 SB with a .279/.410/.575 slash, which would have made him far and away the most valuable player outside of PCA this year. He also hits the ball much harder than any of the guys in the top 3 (95.3 avg EV), although that comes with a higher K rate at 28.6%. Unfortunately, that oblique strain really torpedoed his second half and clearly has been affecting him since he came back from the injured list. Interestingly enough, it hasn't necessarily tanked his exit velocities as he's actually at 96.4 avg EV in the last 30 days, but instead caused a dramatic reduction in his barrel rate to 7.7%. I think this is the risk with James Wood and why he is not in the top tier for me. When you run K rates close to 30%, you're prone to some intense streakiness that you don't necessarily want to see from your #1 overall player. James Wood is still an elite asset to own and if I had the fourth pick, I would be very happy taking him here but his warts and second-half 2026 performance keep me from really putting him in the top tier of dynasty assets.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Elly De La Cruz | James Wood |
|---|---|---|
| Team | CIN | WAS |
| Position | SS | OF |
| Age | 24 | 24 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #5 | #4 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #8 | #5 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #4 | #8 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 80.5 | 81.4 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #5–#20 | #3–#35 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $50 | $42 |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $34 | $29 |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #5 | #9 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 2 spots | No move |
| Stat | Elly De La Cruz | James Wood |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 614 | 606 |
| HR | 29 | 30 |
| R | 97 | 104 |
| RBI | 76 | 76 |
| SB | 29 | 21 |
| AVG | .288 | .265 |
| OBP | .370 | .388 |
| SLG | .521 | .509 |
| OPS | .891 | .897 |
| wOBA | .384 | .385 |
| xwOBA | .378 | .406 |
Price a Elly De La Cruz-for-James Wood trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer