Braves Outfielder Among Early Breakout Fantasy Baseball Candidates

Despite a rollercoaster of a season for Atlanta Braves centerfielder Michael Harris II, in which the Georgia native suffered from league-worst production one week and boasted league-high production in the next, CBS Sports is still bought in on him for the fantasy baseball season in 2026.

Chris Towers, who’s a CBS Sports fantasy baseball writer, is confident that Harris, despite dips in production, could very well break out and be a fantasy star in 2026, though he admits that Harris’s inconsistency is a bit of a caveat.

“When you swing at everything, you'll make contact with pitches you're probably better off leaving alone,” Towers said, “and I think that explains why he's been so frustrating over the years. And I don't expect that to change in 2026.”

Despite these issues, though, Towers sees upside in Harris that, though perhaps not comforting to Braves fans, makes the centerfielder a potential game-changer in a fantasy draft.

“Even if all he is is the 2025 version of himself, that's a pretty terrific Fantasy player – the .249 average hurts, but he went 20-20 with 86 RBI,” Towers said. “He left a lot on the table, with his .289 wOBA paling in comparison to his .315 mark – and that .315 mark was the worst of his career, a compelling reason to think a bounceback is in store.”

In an oxymoronic twist, Harris’s inconsistency has caused the former Rookie of the Year to stray from the top spots in a draft, so he could be a steal later on, especially if he’s poised for the breakout year that Towers is proposing.

“A 20-20 floor with room to grow from a 25-year-old with plus athleticism and bat speed is a profile worth betting on when it only costs around the 100th pick,” Towers concluded.

Michael Harris’s fantasy production will almost certainly reflect what Braves fans have seen over the last few years: feast or famine. When he’s on, he’s one of the best players in baseball and could be a league-winner in a fantasy draft. If he’s not able to stay consistent, though, it could be a struggle to justify Harris as even a weekly fantasy starter.

More From Atlanta Braves on SI