16 Fantasy Baseball Draft Deep Sleepers Experts Love (2024)

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	Best	Worst	Avg	Std Dev	ADP	vs. ADP
200	Byron Buxton	MIN	DH	171	243	205.6	18.9	225	25
205	Tyler O’Neill	BOS	LF	165	250	208.7	19.1	232	27
206	Ryan Mountcastle	BAL	1B,DH	141	254	209.4	22.7	241	35
211	Jeremy Pena	HOU	SS	149	296	214.4	29.9	239	28
212	Matt Chapman	SF	3B	145	282	216.2	25.9	271	59
217	Taylor Ward	LAA	LF	145	324	219.9	21.1	244	27
220	Jorge Polanco	SEA	2B	114	342	221.8	36.4	246	26
223	Jack Suwinski	PIT	CF,RF	119	295	224	26.1	274	51
224	Andrew Vaughn	CWS	1B	155	255	213.3	22.6	267	43
225	Brandon Lowe	TB	2B	158	309	230	30.2	289	64
228	Ryan McMahon	COL	2B,3B	176	290	235.8	26.6	259	31
234	Josh Bell	MIA	1B,DH	188	290	241.6	20.7	279	45
243	Eugenio Suarez	ARI	3B	174	411	246.4	44.3	277	34
244	Max Kepler	MIN	RF	180	310	247.7	28.9	286	42
248	Taj Bradley	TB	SP	113	352	244.9	38.8	273	25
249	Emmet Sheehan	LAD	SP	147	362	270.4	35.3	322	73

Jack Suwinski (PIT)

Jack Suwinski is an extremely late-round pick who offers power in the 25-homer range and can get on base at an above-average clip. He is a liability in batting average and any league in which strikeouts count against you. (He has a K% of 32.2.) There aren’t many guys with this type of power near his current ADP of 292, which is where his value lies.

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.