Fantasy Baseball 2026: Winners & Losers: Week 3 Review (4/13-4/19)
The novelty of the season is wearing off and the real fantasy baseball grind has begun. While some statlines are cartoonishly good (and bad) so far, we are settling in to regular at-bats, playing time, and opportunities for players.
Some late-round darts are paying off while a few high-draft picks have raised real red flags. The early-season waiver wire is as hot as Coors Field is cold. Before the week 4 lineups lock, here is a look at players who gained or lost the most value this week.
Standout Hitters Who Won Week 3
Contact Machines and Power Surges
Jeremiah Jackson, 2B, Orioles – Jackson, who is holding second base warm for the injured, Jackson Holliday, launched 4 HRs with 11 RBI this week. His week 3 is truly a snapshot, but when you look closer, even in a good week he failed to walk once, he struck out 29.6 percent of the time. The 26-year-old is a career free-swinger, so there will be up weeks and very down weeks. But he can also play the OF so he can be useful – if he keeps making hard contact.
Oswald Peraza, 3B, Angels – The Halos had a big week in the Bronx and had the Yankees on their heels. You know Mike Trout had a big week, but we assume he's on a roster, so we are looking at former Yankee Peraza, who collected 3 HR, 6 RBI, and 2 SB this week, while hitting .348. Peraza is a "hot hand" play at this point for 12+ team leagues. He's never played in more than 108 games in any season, so even if you speculatively add him, he will need constant watching.
Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers – The 28-year-old Jung is a forgotten man after a few "meh" seasons when many expected more. His week 3 (2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 Runs, .429 average) is what many fantasy baseball owners expected in previous seasons. But is he worth another look? So far, his bat speed, exit velo and hard hit rates are all up. He's hitting more line drives but also fewer fly balls and more ground balls, so he is a wait-and-see player. Jung might be worth a stash to see if Week 4 is positive or more of the same.
Established Stars Who Lost Ground
Red Flags in Plate Discipline and Exit Velocity
It's not panic time yet, but Week 3 exposed some cracks in veterans' plate approaches that we must keep a close eye on. If they persist you might want to sell high.
Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros – The 35-year-old Altuve owns a career 13.2 percent K rate, though it's climbed 2-3 ticks in recent years. So far in 2026 he is striking out 20.2 percent of the time (25 percent in Week 3). With 1 HR and that sole RBI, plus a .231 average he is at least maintaining his bat speed and barrel rate, which are low by MLB standards. If he has a good Week 4 but continues to whiff, I would sell high on him at a weak position.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers – It might be nitpicky to find any fault with the Dodgers right now, but Freeman's Week 3 was, well, weak. He hit just .190 with no HR. Normally a 20.4 percent K rate would be impressive, but against his career 13.8 percent mark we noticed. His exit velocity (85.6 mph) is down more by more than 3 mph. He's also walking less. Freeman will continue to hit with men on base, so obviously results can improve in a dime, but we're watching.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Cubs – Yes, Bregman is slugging .588 so far this season, but his barrel percentage is just 4.2 percent (career 9.1 percent), his 87.2 exit velo is down by 2.8 mph. In addition his sweet spot percentage (Percentage of batted balls with launch angle of 8°-50°, optimal for line drives/fly balls) has fallen to 28 percent from 35 percent in his career. His Week 3 (3-for-13 with 1 HR) made us look deeper and we don't like what we see. He's not a four-alarm-fire but we are at least making sure the batteries in the smoke detector are new.
Roster Moves You Must Make Now
Waiver Adds, Trade Targets, and Sell-High Candidates
Jeremiah Jackson and Oswald Peraza are waiver wire targets. They probably are not full-time, rest-of-season players, but at least you can ride their hot hand and hope for some medium-term success. Jung is worth either a longer look or a stash. But we've believed that before so we are a little gun shy
STOLEN BASE #3
— MLB 40/40 Tracker (@4040Tracker) April 19, 2026
Oswald Peraza (LAA) - 4 HR, 3 SB
Projecting 32 HR / 24 SB
40/40 probability: 0.1%
1 player currently on pace for 40/40#MLB#4040Watch#LAApic.twitter.com/qXAMPSqUkB
If you own Bregman, Altuve or Freeman, you can trade them to help plug holes on your fantasy team. We're more optimistic on Freeman because of the lineup he's in, but we don't love what we've seen so far and we'd hate for any of these guys to become dead spots on your roster.
If you're looking for a player to trade for, Wyatt Langford, the Rangers OF, might be your guy. He missed three games with a minor quad injury this week and he's not off to a roaring start. But he's a talent we like a lot over here so maybe even a Bregman-for-Langford swap might upgrade your team.
Injury losers this week include Nick Pivetta, who went on the IL with elbow discomfort, which is never encouraging, and Christian Yelich, also on the IL with a groin strain. Initial indications are their IL stays are not going to be long, but don't most teams always say that?
We also feel bad for Nolan McLean. He keeps spinning amazing pitches and showing us just flat-out-filthy stuff, but surrendering even one run can be a death sentence for a Mets pitcher these days.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Week 3 Questions, Answered
Q: Who were the biggest winners in the 2026 fantasy baseball winners and losers week 3?
A: Several low-ownership hitters posted elite contact rates and power numbers that demand immediate roster attention.
Q: Which players raised the biggest red flags in Week 3 of 2026?
A: A handful of established stars showed concerning plate-discipline issues and reduced hard-contact rates.
Q: What roster moves should managers make after the 2026 fantasy baseball winners and losers week 3?
A: Prioritize waiver adds on the proven breakout hitters while monitoring sell-high windows on the early disappointments.
Q: Do Week 3 results in 2026 affect dynasty or keeper strategy?
A: Yes. Early performance has already created clear buy-low and sell-high windows for dynasty managers.
Q: How sustainable are the Week 3 hot streaks in 2026 fantasy baseball?
A: Only when backed by Statcast data. Contact rate, exit velocity, and barrel percentage matter more than raw counting stats this early.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 8:46 PM.