When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable players below.
2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice
| Rank | Player | Team | Positions | Overall | Best | Worst | Avg | Std Dev | ADP | vs. ADP |
| 9 | Zac Gallen | ARI | SP | 42 | 4 | 27 | 11.7 | 5 | 32 | -10 |
| 18 | Max Fried | ATL | SP | 58 | 6 | 29 | 18.3 | 4.2 | 45 | -13 |
| 22 | Blake Snell | SP | 69 | 13 | 42 | 22.9 | 5.4 | 55 | -14 | |
| 45 | Dylan Cease | CWS | SP | 118 | 27 | 78 | 46.4 | 10.6 | 95 | -23 |
| 48 | Cole Ragans | KC | SP,RP | 123 | 37 | 70 | 48.1 | 9.4 | 103 | -20 |
Fantasy Baseball Outlook
Zac Gallen (ARI)
Zac Gallen had a dominant 2023 and finished third in the NL Cy Young race. The 28-year-old tossed 210 innings and struck out 220 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. If we include the postseason, Gallen threw 243 2/3 innings, 60 innings more than his previous high. He gave up a lot of hard contact, and his xERA was 4.16. Gallen’s xFIP was 3.49 on the plus side, and he continued to strike out more than one batter per inning. Gallen is a risky SP1, and his cost (currently in the third round) looks pretty high, given all the red flags heading into 2024.
Blake Snell (FA)
Blake Snell won the 2023 NL Cy Young Award, but will come with plenty of risk in 2024. As of right now, we don’t know where he will be, which is part of the battle, but his 2.25 ERA last year was a mirage. Snell’s xERA was 3.77, and xFIP was 3.62. In the positive column, he struck out 234 batters in 180 innings and was one of only 11 qualified starters with an 11 K/9 or higher. If walks drive you crazy, don’t even consider the 31-year-old, but if you need strikeouts and plan to have ratio help elsewhere, Snell can be a nice SP2.
Dylan Cease (CWS)
Dylan Cease had the letdown in 2023 that many fantasy experts predicted. After being the Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022, the 28-year-old returned and threw 177 innings with an ERA of 4.58 and an ugly 1.42 WHIP. Sure, Cease was snakebit by an unsustainably high BABIP (.330) and a terrible defensive squad behind him (27th in fielding runs above average at -64). He is an intriguing bounceback candidate with an xERA of 4.07 and xFIP of 4.08, but fantasy managers must note that none of his metrics suggest the 2022 version is ever coming back. Cease is best as an SP3/4 on fantasy squads.
More Players to Avoid
- 10 Players Who Won’t Repeat Their 2023 Success
- 10 Hitters to Avoid Drafting
- 10 Pitchers to Avoid Drafting
- 5 Fantasy Baseball Draft Busts to Avoid
What is Fantasy Baseball?
Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.
Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success
1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring
Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.
2. Drafting Your Team Wisely
A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:
- Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
- Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
- High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
- Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.
3. In-Season Management
- Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
- Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
- Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio