We all head into fantasy seasons with optimism, but sometimes things don't go our way. In redraft leagues, non-contending teams have minimal ways to change their trajectory and can only hope for better years in 2025.
Things are a bit different in keeper leagues, so this edition of our points league column will focus on some potential stashes for non-contending teams that can help them next year. There are a wide range of different keeper league setups, so the recommendations will aim to span different setups in terms of number of keepers and general depth of the league.
Hitters
Injuries
It's been a frustrating season for McLain, as he looked to be in for a breakout in what would have been his first full campaign in the majors. Instead, he's yet to take an official at-bat at any level after undergoing shoulder surgery in March, and he doesn't have enough time to ramp to impact fantasy teams in 2024. In shallower leagues, and particularly ones without IL spots, he could be available. McLain showed his ability to be productive in points leagues as a rookie in 2023, when he averaged 3.4 fantasy points per game.
Unfortunately, Mauricio tore his ACL in the winter, which has caused 2024 to be a lost season. However, he's still very well regarded as a prospect (37th overall in RotoWire's rankings) and is big-league ready. Assuming he's healthy, he should compete to be an everyday player during spring training. Mauricio has
We all head into fantasy seasons with optimism, but sometimes things don't go our way. In redraft leagues, non-contending teams have minimal ways to change their trajectory and can only hope for better years in 2025.
Things are a bit different in keeper leagues, so this edition of our points league column will focus on some potential stashes for non-contending teams that can help them next year. There are a wide range of different keeper league setups, so the recommendations will aim to span different setups in terms of number of keepers and general depth of the league.
Hitters
Injuries
It's been a frustrating season for McLain, as he looked to be in for a breakout in what would have been his first full campaign in the majors. Instead, he's yet to take an official at-bat at any level after undergoing shoulder surgery in March, and he doesn't have enough time to ramp to impact fantasy teams in 2024. In shallower leagues, and particularly ones without IL spots, he could be available. McLain showed his ability to be productive in points leagues as a rookie in 2023, when he averaged 3.4 fantasy points per game.
Unfortunately, Mauricio tore his ACL in the winter, which has caused 2024 to be a lost season. However, he's still very well regarded as a prospect (37th overall in RotoWire's rankings) and is big-league ready. Assuming he's healthy, he should compete to be an everyday player during spring training. Mauricio has the skills to be an excellent points-league contributor due to a relatively low strikeout rate and plenty of pop. It's possible that he runs less due to the injury, but that's more of a concern in 5X5 or category leagues.
Lee is an interesting evaluation. What we saw early in the season was certainly underwhelming overall (.641 OPS, .284 wOBA), but the underlying skills suggest there is upside in points leagues. He was striking out just an 8.2 percent clip while walking 6.3 percent of the time. There won't be a lot of power in his profile, but his .324 xwOBA suggests there's the potential for a productive player, and one with a skillset that would fit well in points leagues – particularly if he can reclaim the leadoff role in 2025. Lee shouldn't be in high demand given that he's out for the season with a shoulder injury and wasn't all that impressive in his debut.
Poor Performance
It's difficult to determine exactly how available Torkelson may be, but there's no doubt it's been a frustrating season for both him and his fantasy managers. He looked to have broken out after a strong second half of 2023 when he delivered a .816 OPS and .347 wOBA. Instead, he's spent a significant chunk of 2024 at Triple-A Toledo. With the Tigers now out of the playoff mix, Tork is getting another shot, and now is the best time to buy low.
Walker had the looks of being the next franchise player in St. Louis, but like Torkelson, he's been stuck in Triple-A this season. He had a brief stint in the majors recently but was limited to a short-side platoon role before being sent back down in short order. Even if he's still rostered, now is the time to buy low on Walker due to the trajectory of the Cardinals' season. They appear destined to miss the playoffs for the second straight year, which is unlikely to sit well with ownership and certainly the fan base. The roster is likely to look quite different in 2025 and developing Walker should be a priority.
Pitchers
Garcia was supposed to be back on the mound at some point this summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. However, he suffered a setback in the midst of a rehab assignment and has been shut down for the rest of the current campaign. The last time we saw him on the mound, he wasn't particularly impressive. That combination of poor performance and injury should have him available, and he's still on track to be ready for spring training in 2025.
May has more name value than Garcia and is likely rostered more widely as a result, but it is worth checking to see if he's available. He hasn't delivered strikeouts at the level of an elite points-league pitcher in his career (22.5 percent in 191.2 innings) and also hasn't been able to pitch more than 56 innings in a big-league season. Nevertheless, he'll still be only 27 entering next season and should have a rotation spot in one of the most consistently competitive teams in the league. Adding someone in free agency or via trade is always a possibility for the Dodgers, but three-fifths of their current rotation may be off the roster by this winter.
It may be hard to remember that the Marlins had one of the best starting rotations in the league last season, a staff they rode to the postseason. The wheels have fallen off this year, but news has recently emerged that the team doesn't plan to trade Alcantara with the expectation that he'll return to his ace status by Opening Day 2025. That could be a bit optimistic given his erratic form in 2023, but assuming he can regain his ability to pitch a high volume of generally strong innings, he'll keep fantasy value in points leagues.
Woodruff is almost certainly the most consistently valuable fantasy pitcher on this list and was excellent in 2023 when he was on the mound. That wasn't often though, and he won't take the mound at all in 2024. I've leaned toward younger players on this list, but Woodruff is the exception. That gives him a bigger risk of not returning to his pre-injury form, but it could also keep the excitement surrounding his return in check.
Cavalli has very little track record in the majors but is still a well-regarded prospect despite missing all of 2023 and most of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He's a lottery ticket, but rebuilding teams need some of those too.
Top Prospects Yet to Debut
(in order of team, not prospect rank)
Roman Anthony 
Kristian Campbell
Marcelo Mayer 
Matt Shaw
James Triantos
Owen Caissie
Rhett Lowder 
Jackson Jobe
Jacob Misiorowski
Bubba Chandler 
Thomas Harrington 
Brady House 
Dylan Crews
