Fantasy Baseball: Time is right to buy low on several struggling Braves stars
Atlanta dealt with numerous injuries and several players underperforming last season, but the Braves have seen anything but regression so far in 2025. The team is a disappointing 20-21 and has a roster filled with players who've failed expectations, presenting possible buy-low opportunities for fantasy baseball managers. The Braves' bad luck is likely to change at some point.
Note: Each player's preseason ADP is listed below along with their current season-long Yahoo Fantasy ranking.
Matt Olson, 1B: ADP = 25 vs. No. 204 fantasy rank
Olson hit 25 fewer homers last season compared to 2023, and he's disappointing fantasy managers yet again. Olson may not return to 50+ home runs, but he's hitting far better than his fantasy rank suggests. Olson's average exit velocity, Barrel%, BB% and expected wOBA are all career highs. The difference between his wOBA and xwOBA is one of the widest among all hitters. Olson has also cut his K% down, but he sports a .252 BABIP. He's also seen his slugging percentage drop almost 200 points with runners in scoring position compared to the bases empty. Major regression is coming for Olson, whom OOPSY projects to be a top 15 fantasy hitter rest of season, hitting 28 homers with 90 RBI and a 136 wRC+.
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Ronald Acuña Jr., OF: ADP = 35 vs. No. 1,312 fantasy rank
Acuña's rank is so low obviously because he's yet to make his 2025 debut while recovering from knee surgery. But he's slated to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, so his return is approaching. Atlanta is being patient in hopes Acuña comes back as close to full strength as possible. THE BAT X projects Acuña to be a top 10 fantasy player while hitting .302 with 18 homers and 30 steals over 90 games rest of season, although it remains to be seen how much he'll run.
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Ozzie Albies, 2B: ADP = 47 vs. No. 330 fantasy rank
Albies is batting just .207 with a 64 wRC+. His .218 BABIP ranks 150th out of 165 qualified hitters, although that's not all bad luck with a Hard-Hit% in the bottom 5% of the league. Albies' slow start has reportedly made his future in Atlanta uncertain. However, he's still on pace to go 20/20, and the 28-year-old is one season removed from going .280-96-33-109-13. Albies is plenty capable of performing far better, and OOPSY still projects him to be fantasy's No. 2 second baseman moving forward.
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Michael Harris II, OF: ADP = 48 vs. No. 274 fantasy rank
Harris is batting just .234/.256/.354 over his first 170 plate appearances this season. Like Albies, Harris' .256 BABIP is well below his career mark (.322) and sure to rise, but it also hasn't been all bad luck; Harris' Hard-Hit% has dropped nearly 10% this year. However, Harris is also similarly capable of performing better, and projection systems remain bullish on the 24-year-old. OOPSY projects Harris to be a top 20 fantasy hitter rest of season.
Marcell Ozuna, OF: ADP = 52 vs. No. 313 fantasy rank
Ozuna's new patient approach has led to a career high BB% and more walks than strikeouts but also less power. Still, he sports a 150 wRC+, and Ozuna's Statcast page reveals mostly the same highly productive hitter he's been over the last two years. More RBI opportunity will come once Acuña is back in Atlanta's lineup, and OOPSY projects Ozuna to be a top 25 fantasy hitter rest of season.
Chris Sale, SP: ADP = 39 vs. No. 478 fantasy rank
Sale's 3.97 ERA comes with a 2.90 SIERA that ranks top 10 among all qualified starters. He also ranks top five in CSW (31.3%), with only Tarik Skubal (2.08 ERA), Logan Webb (2.60 ERA) and Hunter Greene (2.36 ERA) ahead of him. Sale's .392 BABIP is 30+ points higher than the second worst among starters this season. It's also nearly 100 points higher than Sale's career hit rate (.299), so his ERA will continue to decline. Sale's fantasy value has also suffered thanks to him recording just one win after he led MLB with 18 last year.
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Spencer Schwellenbach, SP: ADP = 91 vs. No. 269 fantasy rank
Schwellenbach's also stuck on just one win this season despite producing quality starts in six of eight outings. He owns a 1.08 ERA over his four no-decisions. Atlanta is bottom 10 in runs scored per game, but Fangraphs projects them to be top 10 rest of season (thanks to Acuña returning and so many hitters expected to regress). Better run support will help Schwellenbach (and Sale) win more games.
Spencer Strider, SP: ADP = 120 vs. No. 452 fantasy rank
Strider has been limited to just one MLB start so far this season after returning from elbow surgery and later suffering a hamstring injury. He racked up 27 strikeouts over 13.2 innings during three starts in Triple-A, recording a 1.32 ERA. Strider wasn't overly dominant and averaged 95.5 mph — about 2.0 lower than 2023 — during his lone start with Atlanta this season. But he looked terrific this spring and was baseball's best pitcher when he went down early last season.
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Strider feels 'good to go' and could be activated off the IL later this week if Wednesday's simulated game goes well. OOPSY projects Strider to be fantasy's No. 6 pitcher rest of season.
Raisel Iglesias, RP: ADP = 65 vs. No. 265 fantasy rank
Iglesias' 6.06 ERA is accompanied by a 2.74 SIERA. He entered Monday with a better K% and BB% than last season, when he finished with a 1.95 ERA. Iglesias' 30.0 HR/FB% is the third highest among 188 qualified relievers. His average exit velocity is in the bottom 9% of the league one season after being in the top 3%. Iglesias' velocity is a bit down (94.8 mph), and it's possible he's suddenly become much more hittable at 35 years old, but the likelier bet is regression.
Iglesias is seemingly on a shorter leash after three straight shaky appearances, but manager Brian Snitker has said he plans on sticking with him as Atlanta's closer. Iglesias is one of many buy-low fantasy opportunities in Atlanta.
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