Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers: Reese Olson, Andrew McCutchen, Joel Payamps (2024)

Everybody loves a Mr. Irrelevant. However, the late rounds of fantasy baseball can often appear barren. Below are some names outside of the top 300 players in consensus average draft position (ADP) to target who could be a late-round steal or waiver wire stud.

Sleepers Outside of the Top 300

Charlie Blackmon (OF, DH – COL) — Consensus ADP: 324

Every year, experts predict age will finally catch up to Charlie Blackmon. Yet, the outfielder-turned-designated hitter perseveres. Maybe this will be the year Father Time catches up to the Rockies star, who will turn 38 this season. Youth is not on Blackmon’s side but his track record is. He has an impressive career slash line (.296/.355/.485) that has certainly decreased but remained serviceable in the twilight of his career (.271/.343/.423) from 2021 to 2023. For what it’s worth, the Rockies are confident in Blackmon’s performance, extending their longtime star to a one-year, $13 million deal. Managers should not be drafting Blackmon to be a sleeper MVP but he has a proven history and a shift in recent years to DH should maintain some gas in the tank.

*See also: Andrew McCutchen (400), a similar aging outfielder.

Reese Olson (SP – DET) — Consensus ADP: 351

Tarik Skubal wasn’t the only Tigers pitcher who was lights-out late in the season. In Reese Olson’s final five starts of 2023, he threw 31.1 innings of shutdown 1.44 ERA ball, with 25 strikeouts and only nine walks. It is unreasonable to expect the righty to maintain this level but he has the stuff to perform in the MLB. Olson’s slider and changeup were his punch-out pitches, causing a 41.6% and 35.9% whiff rate, respectively. He also throws a fastball that averages 95 MPH, a curveball with just under 60 inches of vertical movement and a sinker. The young pitcher’s primary downside, though, is the uncertainty surrounding his place in the rotation. After the Tigers added Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty this offseason, Olson may have to earn his spot as a starter.

Joel Payamps (RP – MIL) — Consensus ADP: 424

There is no reason why Joel Payamps should have an ADP this low. The Brewers setup man had a 2.55 ERA, 27 HDs, a 1.047 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 in 70.2 IP (no small sample size). His xERA was 3.23, perhaps contributing to his astonishingly low ADP. Regardless, the 29-year-old has a 3.04 career ERA that reveals a promising history. Payamps is an utter robbery at this price.