Buy Low, Sell High: August 6th, 2026

Buy Low

Aaron Judge

Yes, really. If there was ever a time to buy Aaron Judge cheap, this might be it.

Here's the honest version: Judge is 34 years old, and for the first time in his career you have to at least ask the question. Is some of this decline real? The injuries have piled up over the last couple of seasons, and when a power hitter his size starts missing time consistently, that's a yellow flag you can't ignore. He's not the untouchable fantasy god he was in 2022 anymore.

But — and this matters — he's still Aaron Judge. Even a slightly diminished Judge is a top-five outfielder. The power doesn't just vanish overnight. The walks are still there. When he's healthy and locked in, he can still carry a fantasy roster for a month.

That's the key word: healthy. Whatever has been keeping him off the field is the real concern, not the age stuff. If his current owners are spooked by another IL stint or a slow return, they might be willing to deal. You're not getting him for pennies. But if you can get him for 80 cents on the dollar compared to his peak value, that's a win. Make the call — just make sure you're getting injury clarity before you pull the trigger.

Austin Riley

Riley is the kind of guy who goes through ugly cold streaks that make his owners want to throw their laptop out a window. When he's cold, he's really cold — strikeouts pile up, the average craters, and suddenly people forget he's capable of 35 home runs and 100 RBI in a full season.

Here's the good news: there are signs he's coming out of it. The bat speed looks back, he's making harder contact, and the strikeout rate has ticked down recently. That's exactly what Riley looks like right before he goes on a three-week tear that makes everyone who sold him feel sick. His owner has been suffering through the slump and might not have noticed the indicators turning.

Third base is thin in most leagues, and Riley at a discount — right when he might be turning the corner — is a legitimate difference-maker down the stretch. Buy the slump, sell the talent.

Sell High

Ryan O'Hearn

O'Hearn is a nice story. But nice stories don't always have happy endings in fantasy, and right now is the time to close the book on this one.

The surface numbers look fine — .271 average, 18 home runs, 67 RBI on the season. Solid. There's a version of this where you look at that line and think you've got a real contributor locked in for the rest of the year. That's exactly the trap. Because if you've been watching him closely lately, the production has started to cool off. The home run pace that carried his first half isn't there anymore. The RBI opportunities are drying up a little. The at-bats that used to end in hard contact are ending in weak grounders.

Here's the thing about O'Hearn: he is who he is. A good complementary bat who can get hot for a stretch. He's not a 30-homer guy. He's not someone who sustains a .271 average over a full season without some regression pulling it back. Other managers in your league are looking at that stat line right now and seeing a buy. You should be looking at it and seeing a sell.

Package him in a deal. Use him as the sweetener that gets you a player with a longer, more reliable track record. The trade value is as high as it's going to get. Don't wait for the slowdown to become obvious to everyone else.

Caleb Durbin

Durbin has been a fun ride. If you grabbed him off the waiver wire earlier this season, good for you — you played it right. Now play the next move right too, which is selling him while the market is hot.

The underlying numbers are what should worry you. His fly ball rate is low — this is not a guy who lifts the ball consistently, which puts a hard ceiling on his power output. You're not getting 20 home runs out of Durbin. The bat speed grades out as below average, which means when he runs into better velocity or gets worked with breaking balls down, he's going to get exposed. And the hard hit rate backs that up — he's getting by on contact quantity more than contact quality. That works for a while. It doesn't work forever, especially as pitchers get more data on him.

He's a versatile middle infielder with speed who can string together some hits, and that profile is genuinely useful — right up until it isn't. These types of players run hot and cold, and the cold streaks come fast when the soft contact stops falling in. His playing time situation can also shift without much warning depending on roster moves and matchups.

If another manager in your league has been watching the counting stats and not digging into the Statcast page, they'll think they're getting a bargain. Let them think that. Move Durbin now for something with a more stable floor — a proven starter, a pitcher on a good run, whatever fills your biggest roster hole. Durbin as trade currency right now is worth more than Durbin in your lineup in three weeks.