Elly De La Cruz, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Cruz ahead, Cruz #5 and Kurtz #10, and the expert consensus agrees (#8 and #9). The community rates them even, FRV 80.5 and 82.2. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Cruz ahead, #4 to #216.
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 Nick Kurtz (Sep 24, 2026): This ranking should be CJ Abrams' spot, he's done nothing but earn it this year with a 30/30 season. But as the residing president of the Nick Kurtz fan club, it would be irresponsible of me to rank him outside of the top 10 on any dynasty list. I feel like Kurtz is the first player on this list who you can't point to direct production this year to justify their placement in the top 10, which should tell you how I feel about Nick Kurtz's potential. Remember he's only 23 years old and was drafted in 2024 so he has not even entered what should be his prime yet. From this point onward in the rankings, every player is going to have their warts and there is no complete player, so you have to go by upside in a dynasty list like this. Let's talk about his potential upside, he's 98% or greater in the following categories: AVG EV (93.4) Barrel % (18.0%) Hard Hit Rate (57.3%) Bat Speed (78.2 MPH) BB % (18.2%) This profile screams when I hit the ball, I'm absolutely doing damage. I don't think there's a single player in the big leagues outside of maybe Yordan Alvarez and Aaron Judge that have this impressive batted-ball profile, but Nick Kurtz is only 23 years old. Compared to 29 for Yordan and 34 for Judge. The issue is he doesn't always "hit the ball": 32.5% K Rate 36.9% Whiff Rate And both of those stats actually trended worse in 2026 compared to his rookie year, the threat of a low batting average is very real if he doesn't improve on this. If you're at the 10th pick in your dynasty league, all of the surefire bets are gone and everyone has their warts. It's either age, sporadic performance, or some metric in an otherwise reliable skill set that gives you pause. I think Nick Kurtz's combination of youth and upside is the most attractive bet left after the first nine players are spoken for. If your league really values pitching, the Miz is a fine bet at number 10 overall. If you want to put yourself in the best chance to win next year, maybe Yordan is your guy. If you're looking for more of a 30-30 skill set, then I wouldn't fault you for taking CJ Abrams. All I'm saying is don't overlook Kurtz in 2027.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Elly De La Cruz | Nick Kurtz |
|---|---|---|
| Team | CIN | ATH |
| Position | SS | 1B |
| Age | 24 | 23 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #5 | #10 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #8 | #9 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #4 | #216 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 80.5 | 82.2 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 10 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #5–#20 | #7–#17 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $50 | — |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $34 | — |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #5 | — |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 2 spots | Down 1 spot |
| Stat | Elly De La Cruz | Nick Kurtz |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 614 | 434 |
| HR | 29 | 21 |
| R | 97 | 62 |
| RBI | 76 | 69 |
| SB | 29 | 7 |
| AVG | .288 | .256 |
| OBP | .370 | .396 |
| SLG | .521 | .483 |
| OPS | .891 | .879 |
| wOBA | .384 | .381 |
| xwOBA | .378 | .374 |
Price a Elly De La Cruz-for-Nick Kurtz trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer