2024 Fantasy Baseball Week 16 Drop List | Nolan Jones | Bobby Miller (2024)

The All-Star break is here, but the fantasy baseball doesn't stop with the 2024 Fantasy Baseball Week 16 Drop List available today.

Just a reminder on the way that these players are chosen. The ownership percentages are based off of Yahoo fantasy baseball rostership rates. In order to be a recommendation, a player has to be owned in over 30% of leagues.

The goal of the drop list is to give you players that you can move on from for a new player from the Waiver Wire. If you're looking for players to add, read our weekly Waiver Wire article. There are typically over 20 players that are mentioned from every position. It's a must read for me each week.

Another must read, is the 2024 Fantasy Baseball Week 16 Drop list. This week's edition has two outfielders and three different pitchers who can be dropped from your fantasy teams.

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Nolan Jones, OF, Colorado Rockies 56% rostered

I try to avoid recommending players on the injured list, but Nolan Jones was placed on the injured list Saturday with what was announced as a lower-back strain. It's not just the injury that makes him a drop though.

The Rockies announced the following moves today:

See Also

What To Do With Injured Fantasy Football WRs: Christian Watson, Tank Dell And MoreFantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Friday's MLB gamesFantasy football rankings for NFL Week 16: Keep your championship hopes aliveFantasy football rankings for Week 14: Do-or-die time for securing playoff spots

- Optioned RHP Tanner Gordon to Triple-A Albuquerque following last night’s game
- Placed OF Nolan Jones on the 10-day IL with a low back strain (retroactive to July 12)
- Recalled OF Sean Bouchard from Triple-A
- Recalled RHP…

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) July 13, 2024

Let's start with that injury. It's the second time this season that he has been placed on the injured list with a back strain. The good news is that with the All-Star break, he may only miss three more games. That doesn't mean you have to have him on your fantasy team when he does return.

Jones was one of the most surprising fantasy performers last season. In 424 plate appearances, he had 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases with a 297 batting average. The average was buoyed by his 401 BABIP, but we also know that Coors Field can boost BABIP. No one who drafted Jones expected a near 300 average again. Even if it dipped to the 240 range, it was supposed to come with counting statistics.

The counting statistics haven't come either. Jones has 19 runs, three home runs, 14 RBI, and three stolen bases over 49 games played. None of the underlying statistics are encouraging either. His barrel rate has dropped from 15.7% to only 4.9%. His average exit velocity has dropped to a career-low of 88.8 miles per hour.

It's possible the back injury is the reason for his struggles. We also know that he is still dealing with that injury. In leagues where you start three outfielders, hopefully, you already found a replacement. If you have to drop him in a five-outfielder league with his injury, there is no reason to hesitate with what he has done.

Daulton Varsho, OF, Toronto Blue Jays 45%

The power and speed combination that Daulton Varsho offers is nice, but we've reached a point of diminishing returns with the batting average.

Varsho has 46 runs, 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and nine stolen bases. He's pacing closely to what we saw last season from him when he finished with 20 home runs and 16 stolen bases. That came with a disappointing 220 batting average. This year, that has fallen to 202.

What if I told you he has been lucky even to hit that mark. His Statcast expected batting average is a mere 180, the lowest of any batter in all of baseball. He also has the worst expected slugging at 308. His popup % is easily the highest in baseball at 22.1% (the next highest is Isaac Paredes at 17.4%). Barring some massive changes, this profile isn't going to get better in the second half of the season.

In any three-outfielder league, move on from Varsho automatically. In five outfielder leagues, we've reached the point in the season where you have to analyze the rotisserie categories and see where you can make up ground. If you can make up ground in batting average, you need to move on from Varsho. He is already hampering that statistic, and it can get worse from here.

James McArthur, RP, Kansas City Royals 58%

There are two reasons to be a drop recommendation. The one that most people think about is underperformance. The other is a change in opportunity or situation. That is why James McArthur finds himself a drop candidate.

McArthur has served as the Royals' closer throughout the first half of the season. In doing so, he was able to accumulate 17 saves for fantasy teams. Those saves are incredibly valuable in a rotisserie league. The 4.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP not so much. His 30 strikeouts in 37 innings are not what fantasy managers were looking for.

Because of a weekend trade, the closer position is no longer solely McArthur's.

Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 14, 2024

The Royals traded prospect Cayden Wallace and a Competitive Balance selection to the Nationals for relief pitcher Hunter Harvey. Harvey was setting up for Kyle Finnegan in Washington. With Kansas City, I expect him to siphon save opportunities from McArthur.

It's understandable if you would prefer to wait and see how the first few saves shake out in Kansas City after the All-Star break. If I had McArthur, I would be dropping him for Harvey if that's an option.

Jordan Hicks, SP, San Francisco Giants 41%

Jordan Hicks signing a free agent deal with the Giants had fantasy managers intrigued. We've seen the Giants have recent success with free agent starting pitchers such as Kevin Gausman and Carlos Rodon. After April, it appeared they had worked their magic again with Hicks.

At the end of April, Hicks had three quality starts of the six he made which helped him to have a 2-0 record. He had pitched 34 innings with a 1.59 ERA. The strikeout rate was already concerning with under a strikeout per inning.

The strikeouts have improved since May began but everything has been a struggle. He has not pitched six innings since April so if you're in a quality start league, you can assume those won't be coming from Hicks. It also makes it extremely difficult for you to earn a win. After his 2-0 start, he has gone 2-6 the rest of the way including his last four decisions. His last win was on May 19. Wins and losses are always fickle, so let's look at his underlying stats.

His ERA is over 5 since the start of May. It's not that he is having bad luck, but rather he is putting too many runners on the bases. He has a WHIP of 1.61 over the period.

That's not cutting it for your fantasy team, so you can cut him from your fantasy team.

Bobby Miller, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers 59%

In one of the more surprising developments this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to the minor leagues. It was surprising given how Miller performed in his rookie season. Last year, he pitched to a 3.76 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with nearly a strikeout per inning. Perhaps it was his injury, but he has looked nothing like that pitcher this season.

The #Dodgers have optioned RHP Bobby Miller to AAA, per @FabianArdaya

Miller, 25, posted a 3.76 ERA over 124 1/3 IP last year and was a trendy breakout pick for 2024, but has struggled mightily this season. pic.twitter.com/NMVAbwWFGq

— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) July 10, 2024

After three starts in early April, Miller went on the injured list with a shoulder injury. He missed over two months with the injury before returning on June 19th. The four starts since he returned went poorly. The final straw was when he surrendered nine earns over four innings against the Phillies.

Comparing what went right last season to what has happened this season there are concerning signs. The most glaring difference is that his walk rate has more than doubled from 6.3% to 13.5%. The strikeouts have dropped as dramatically but they're down from 23.6% to 20.3%. That means that his current K-BB% is an abysmal 6.8%. If he had enough innings to qualify, the only pitcher with a worse mark would be Tyler Anderson at 6.6%.

With all the injuries to the Dodgers rotation, Miller may be back shortly. How could you start him though without some sustained success? In the case of Miller, if you don't know when he is going to pitch and you can't start him when he does, then he can be cut from your roster.

Thanks for reading the 2024 Fantasy Baseball Week 16 Drop List. Be sure to prep for Fantasy Football season with our rankings!

Corey Pieper

My name is Corey Pieper, but many people know me better as CK. I play fantasy sports year-round including baseball, basketball, football, and college football. You can find me here writing baseball and college football articles, or on In This League Fantasy Football podcast talking the NFL draft.