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.


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