When it comes to ADP (average draft position), most platforms tend to have their overvalued favorites – and Yahoo is no different. Yahoo’s been a popular site for many casual fans over the years and this season they are heavily favoring closers.

I have a love-hate relationship with closers when it comes to drafting. For me, they are usually the toughest position to fill. I often just wait and end up grabbing a few second or third-tier guys later in the draft. This strategy has both worked and backfired for me in the past. But with so much turnover at the position and new closers popping up on a week-to-week basis, I feel better about not paying up on the top-tier guys.

You also have to be aware of how your draft is playing out. If suddenly a wave of closers is being selected early, you may have to join the crowd if you’re going to obtain anyone halfway decent. In Yahoo leagues, this may come earlier than desired. On average most premiere closers on the site are going a few rounds earlier than on the consensus ADP.

That said, there are still a handful of guys who are going far beyond their value. Even if your competition starts a feeding frenzy on closers, these next few aren’t worth reaching for. I’ve included a couple of other players as well who for one reason or another are also being overvalued in Yahoo leagues.

Lastly, this report isn’t meant to say avoid these guys, just don’t draft them at their current overvalued average draft position (ADP). So without further ado, here are five guys who are being drafted earlier than they should be in Yahoo fantasy leagues.

All average draft positions (ADP) are roto league-based. CBS ADP is listed first followed by the Consensus ADP. The Consensus FantasyPros ADP is created by taking the average ADP between Yahoo, Fantrax, RTSports, and NFC leagues.

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Overvalued Players to Avoid 

Tanner Scott (RP- LAD) | ADP: 102/151

Scott is an excellent relief pitcher and now plays for the best team in baseball. However, Dave Roberts’ bullpen is full of capable arms to close out a game. The knock against Scott is that among the Dodgers’ projected top-five relievers, he is the only southpaw of the bunch. Which begs the question, if the Dodgers have to face some of the league’s best left-handed hitters in the seventh or eighth inning, will Roberts still hold out Scott for the ninth?

Kirby Yates is the first name that comes to mind who could share closing duties. The crafty righty finished with a minuscule 1.17 ERA to go along with 33 saves last year. He was basically unhittable for Texas, surrendering just 23 hits from the 237 batters he faced. With that kind of weapon stashed away in the bullpen, along with a few others like it, the ninth-inning duties could likely be a committee type.

Furthermore, Scott wasn’t great when he left Miami for more meaningful games in San Diego last year. After collecting 18 saves with a 1.18 ERA for the Fish, Scott produced just four saves with an unsightly 1.329 WHIP for the Padres in the pressure-filled second half (he worked mainly as a set-up guy).

While I do like Scott to rack up a significant amount of K’s and reach somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 25 saves, being drafted at nearly 100th overall is too rich for my blood. He’s going closer to 150 on other platforms which feels more appropriate.

Luis Arraez (1B, 2B – SDP) | ADP: 135/160

Unless Arraez is going to hit .350 again then his value is quite middling. He’s not going to reach 10 home runs or 10 stolen bases, and his RBI total will be lucky if it surpasses 60. The former batting champ will score some runs, and if he stays healthy 95 to 100 is within reach. But to spend an early mid-round selection on a two-category player feels like an act of desperation. If you did, indeed, draft power-heavy early on and you’re targeting a boost in batting average then Arraez isn’t such a bad pick. But if your team is balanced, I wouldn’t go drafting the man with the slowest bat speed in baseball before Round 16.

Pete Fairbanks (RP -TB) | ADP: 151/193

Fairbanks throws gas but he can’t miss bats if he’s in the trainer’s room. Healthy for the moment, Fairbanks has never pitched more than 45 games in a season and has missed time every year since his rookie campaign.

The flame thrower from Wisconsin was also a bit rocky at times last year, especially after returning from injury. It seems like every time Fairbanks returns from the injured list, he becomes slightly less productive. While the 6-foot-6 righty did secure 23 saves last year, his strikeouts were way down. The 8.7 K/9 Fairbanks finished was a bit alarming after registering 13.5 K/9 and 14.3 K/9 the previous two seasons. Not surprisingly, his ERA also jumped to an unimpressive 3.57. The Rays are also likely to finish last in the division (sorry Rays’ fans), limiting the amount of save opportunities.

While Fairbanks is an above-average closer, he comes with a massive amount of risk. His numbers were down last year as was his velocity. The Rays will also continue to be cautious with their slender fireballer further limiting his value. If closers start flying off the board early, you may have to reach for him but he’s just not worth gambling on at 150th overall. Let him fall closer to 190 before you take a stab at him.

David Bednar (RP – PIT) | ADP: 163/199

Bednar is a prime candidate to have a bounce-back season but last year’s numbers have to create some pause. Bednar was so bad at times last year, that the Pirates removed him from the closer role for a bit just to give him a breather.

Bednar’s numbers were down drastically in just about every category last season. His walks rose over 3% from previous seasons up to 10.7% and his strikeouts nosedived down to just 22%. His ground ball rate wasn’t good either at just 37% and his barrel rate ballooned to nearly 10%. These numbers are hardly closer-esque, but the Pirates are likely to stick by their man, at least to begin the season.

It wasn’t that long ago that Bednar was one of the top closers in the game and he’s still only 30 years old. Still, the leash might be shorter than in the past. If Bednar doesn’t prove he’s regained his control, he may find himself in middle relief before long. The burly reliever is decent as a low-end number two, just don’t overpay for him like so many other Yahoo managers have.

Carlos Estevez (RP – KC) | ADP: 168/232

There’s a good chance Estevez doesn’t even end up as the Royals’ closer. Lucas Erceg was lights out for the club last year, earning 11 saves over the last two months. Estevez also dealt with a back injury earlier in camp slowing his progress.

The Royals did sign Estevez to a closer type contract and even if he starts the year in a setup role, he could eventually take over. But Erceg has given little reason to move him down in the pecking order. My guess is, that they’ll end up splitting time throughout the season – while one takes the lion’s share one month, the other will the following month.

Another issue for Esteves is that he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. While he did cut his free passes down to below two per nine innings, his strikeouts also dropped to less than one per inning.

Without a defined role and a history of inconsistent results, Esteves in his new digs should be considered no better than a late-round selection in standard leagues.

Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.

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