Jackson Chourio, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Chourio ahead, Chourio #6 and Cruz #21, and the expert consensus agrees (#9 and #48). The community agrees too, FRV 83.5 to 66.6. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Chourio ahead, #11 to #32, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($35.9 and $20.0).
JD on Jackson Chourio (Sep 24, 2026): I think my first five players are more or less run of the mill, in line with what you'd expect to see from any dynasty list. Jackson Chourio might be my first bold take at number 6, but I couldn't justify putting him any lower than this. Chourio debuted at 20 years old and has done nothing but succeed at the major league level. I think the issue is that he hasn't thrived, just merely succeeded, and that's why people overlook him when it comes to the elite players in the league. Everything is trending in the right direction for him: His 2026 xwOBA was the highest of his career. His exit velocity has jumped 2 mph while his launch angle is continuing to improve, and he's hitting .285 while putting up his third straight 20/20 season. My bet isn't that this is Jackson Chourio's final form, but that what we are seeing is just Chourio maturing at the big league level rather than getting his seasoning in the minor leagues. Sometime in the next 3 years, he is going to establish himself as one of the most valuable players in fantasy baseball and put up a 30/30 or knock down the door of a 40/40 season and blow everyone away. Everything I'm seeing tells me that he is trending in the right direction, and if a manager in your league is suffering from Chourio fatigue I think this is the year to jump in and scoop him up. The 2026 offseason might be the last time before he truly establishes himself as a bonafide star in both fantasy baseball and the MLB.
JD on Oneil Cruz (Oct 2, 2026): This is my favorite ranking in all the top 25 and I'm fully ready for it to blow up in my face. In terms of raw talent, there may not be a player in baseball outside of Elly who has as loud of tools as Oneil Cruz. He absolutely demolishes the ball (94.1 average EV last year), has hit the hardest recorded ball in MLB history (122.9 mph) in 2025, and the second-hardest-hit ball in MLB history (122.4 mph). Why is everyone not salivating over him? Is it maybe that he struck out checks notes 33.2% of the time last year? But the exit velos! Being realistic, Oneil Cruz is a high-risk asset and there's going to be a lot of pain associated with holding him. I do think that a lot of his performance has to do with his team dynamic, as the Pirates were garbage last year and you could tell he wasn't in it mentally. 2026 was a lot different as the Pirates put a fun competitive team on the field and he was dominant and healthy, putting up a 20/30 season in only 368 at-bats. If you had to pick one player outside of the top 20 to bet on being the number one fantasy player next year, I think Oneil Cruz is your best bet. He's also a good bet to hit below .200 and start getting benched halfway through the season. Cruz is your guy if you're a risk-taker, if you like a more predictable player, he's not for you.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Jackson Chourio | Oneil Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| Team | MIL | PIT |
| Position | OF | OF |
| Age | 22 | 27 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #6 | #21 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #9 | #48 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #11 | #32 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 83.5 | 66.6 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #4–#67 | #29–#117 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $35.9 | $20.0 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $29.0 | $25.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #5 | #43 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 1 spot | Up 3 spots |
| Stat | Jackson Chourio | Oneil Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 573 | 419 |
| HR | 25 | 20 |
| R | 96 | 65 |
| RBI | 75 | 67 |
| SB | 23 | 30 |
| AVG | .291 | .280 |
| OBP | .351 | .368 |
| SLG | .487 | .486 |
| OPS | .837 | .854 |
| wOBA | .361 | .371 |
| xwOBA | .344 | .352 |
Price a Jackson Chourio-for-Oneil Cruz trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer