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The Athletic vs. FanRanked: A Breakdown

The Athletic vs. FanRanked: A Breakdown

Published March 02, 2025 (Updated March 29, 2025)
4 min read
News Player Analysis

Why Understanding Different Rankings Matters

Even if you don’t agree with The Athletic’s rankings (link here), they still matter because other managers in your league might be using them. If a manager values a player highly based on The Athletic’s list, it creates a potential trade opportunity where you can leverage their perception of value.

This is why a platform like FanRanked has a key advantage—because it is crowd-sourced, it reflects real market sentiment rather than just one analyst’s opinion. Understanding how the broader fantasy community views a player gives you an edge in negotiations, waiver wire decisions, and draft strategies. Knowing both rankings can help you exploit market inefficiencies and maximize your team’s value.

Players That FanRanked Values Higher Than The Athletic

Several notable players appear significantly higher on FanRanked’s rankings compared to The Athletic’s, suggesting the fantasy community sees more upside in their performances:

  • Adley Rutschman (C, BAL) – FanRanked 36, The Athletic 73 (+37)

  • Lawrence Butler (OF, OAK) – FanRanked 58, The Athletic 89 (+31)

  • Matt McLain (SS, CIN) – FanRanked 69, The Athletic 100 (+31)

  • Matt Olson (1B, ATL) – FanRanked 26, The Athletic 56 (+30)

  • Spencer Schwellenbach (SP, ATL) – FanRanked 53, The Athletic 83 (+30)

  • Hunter Brown (SP, HOU) – FanRanked 61, The Athletic 87 (+26)

  • Brent Rooker (OF, OAK) – FanRanked 65, The Athletic 92 (+26)

  • Jordan Westburg (3B, BAL) – FanRanked 41, The Athletic 63 (+22)

  • Bryce Miller (SP, SEA) – FanRanked 57, The Athletic 78 (+21)

  • William Contreras (C, MIL) – FanRanked 48, The Athletic 67 (+19)

If you believe in these players, you may want to draft or trade for them before their market value catches up. However, if you’re skeptical, this could present an opportunity to sell high.

Biggest FanRanked Risers vs. The Athletic

FanRanked’s users favor some players significantly more than The Athletic’s analysis. Some of the biggest disparities include:

  • Brandon Lowe (2B, TBR) – Ranked 150 on FanRanked but only 371 on The Athletic (+221 spots)

  • Reese Olson (SP, DET) – FanRanked 149, The Athletic 298 (+149)

  • Tyler Soderstrom (C, OAK) – FanRanked 234, The Athletic 382 (+148)

  • Parker Meadows (OF, DET) – FanRanked 119, The Athletic 264 (+145)

  • Luisangel Acuña (SS, NYM) – FanRanked 207, The Athletic 351 (+144)

Keep these values in mind when you are evaluating trades for these players in your league.

Biggest FanRanked Fallers vs. The Athletic

On the flip side, some established stars appear much lower on FanRanked than The Athletic:

  • Pete Alonso (1B, NYM) – FanRanked 92, The Athletic 49 (-43)

  • Ketel Marte (2B, ARI) – FanRanked 56, The Athletic 30 (-26)

  • Gerrit Cole (SP, NYY) – FanRanked 87, The Athletic 61 (-26)

  • Blake Snell (SP, LAD) – FanRanked 82, The Athletic 57 (-25)

  • Jackson Holliday (SS, BAL) – FanRanked 52, The Athletic 32 (-20)

Unranked Players on The Athletic, but Highly Ranked by FanRanked

Perhaps the most surprising trend is the number of players who don’t even appear in The Athletic’s rankings but have notable spots on FanRanked, such as:

  • Sean Manaea (SP, NYM) – FanRanked 219

  • Spencer Arrighetti (SP, HOU) – FanRanked 220

  • Zebby Matthews (SP, MIN) – FanRanked 228

  • Ryan Walker (RP, SFG) – FanRanked 229

These players may be deep-league sleepers worth stashing and are possibly being overlooked by some players following the Athletic's rankings.

 

What These Differences Mean for Dynasty Players

  1. Crowdsourced rankings like FanRanked reflect market sentiment, whereas The Athletic’s rankings represent 1 person's analysis.

  2. If you have a contrarian perspective leveraging The Athletic’s rankings against FanRanked could lead to potential buying opportunities in dynasty trades.

  3. Knowing multiple ranking sources gives you leverage—even if you don’t agree with a ranking, someone in your league might, and that’s information you can use to your advantage.

Ultimately, both rankings provide value, but using them together can help fantasy managers better navigate dynasty baseball’s ever-changing landscape.