Author: rb809rb

We’re in the age of advanced metrics, Statcast data and pitcher “stuff” being the top headlines in real-life and fantasy baseball. Fastball velocity has been increasing each season, with an average velocity of 93.6 mph — the highest in the Statcast era (since 2008). We’ve seen fastball velocity gradually rise, averaging over 93 mph for four straight seasons after hovering between 92-93 mph throughout the 2013 to 2021 seasons.

With more “stuff” models and advanced data telling us non-fastballs might be more optimal, we’ve seen the percentage of fastballs fall to 54.8% in 2025, with a consistent decline since 2019. For context, 2019 was the first season where the league-wide fastball usage was below 60%.

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So, what pitch types increased the most over the past few seasons?

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Sweepers and sliders have taken the league by storm, with the usage hovering between 20-22% over the past four seasons (2022-2025). When we filter by sweepers specifically, it went from a 2% usage in 2021 to 4% in 2022, then boomed to 6-7% from 2023 to 2025. Sweepers have been the most significant pitch usage increase, with cutters and splitters being notable for a slight increase of 1-2 percentage points over the past few seasons.

This league-wide data tells us teams continue to chase strikeout skills and stuff. We’re in an era of real-life and fantasy baseball where it’s difficult to rely upon pristine command without the strikeout skills and stuff to sustain value. Teams and players continue to reflect on the data, evolve and make adjustments, as we should in fantasy baseball.

More positional previews

Proactive Starting Pitcher Picks

George Kirby, Mariners (Yahoo ADP 68.4)

George Kirby had been durable before 2025, then dealt with right shoulder inflammation to begin the season. He missed the start of the season and made his 2025 debut in late May. Kirby lowered his arm angle by eight degrees (29 degrees) in 2025 when his arm angle typically sat around 36 degrees. That could be related to the shoulder inflammation coinciding with a more comfortable and lower arm slot:

Kirby’s lower arm angle in 2025 led to the slider sweeping three inches more toward his glove side in 2025 compared to 2024. Besides Kirby’s slider, the four-seamer lost over two inches of induced vertical break while adding nearly an inch of arm-side run. Kirby’s arm angle dropped mainly from the vertical release point tumbling by over 2.5 inches and the horizontal release moving farther from his midline.

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Theoretically, those arm angle changes for Kirby would lead to more horizontal pitch movement as we saw in 2025.

Kirby typically rocked elite control, with a career ball rate at 31%, which jumped to 34% in 2025, likely related to the shoulder injury. He finished the season healthy and saw an increase in his swinging-strike rate (12.4%), mainly via his knuckle curve (19% swinging-strike rate) and splitter (17.9% swinging-strike rate). However, it’s worth noting that Kirby ditched the splitter usage against left-handed hitters in 2025 (3.6%), down from 15.2% in 2024, so we dealt with a smaller sample.

Kirby still possesses high-end skills, with an xERA (3.36) nearly one run below his actual output in 2025. There’s a slightly discounted draft price for Kirby in 2026, and we’ll want to invest in him.

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Kyle Bradish, Orioles (Yahoo ADP 79.6)

Kyle Bradish made it back healthy in late August 2025 after recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. It’s a small sample of six starts, but Bradish performed well with the expected ERA (2.89) and strikeout skills looking near-elite. That’s evident in Bradish’s 15% swinging-strike rate, mainly from the slider (21.7%) and curveball (23.4%) headlining the arsenal. Bradish was one of eight starting pitchers with two or more pitches with a swinging-strike rate above 20% in 2025.

Bradish’s slider and curveball pitch movement profiles in 2025 looked similar to 2024, when he was on the brink of a breakout season before the injury. He has a consistent and optimal attack against right-handed hitters, with three more pitches (slider, sinker, four-seam) allowing a wOBA under .200 in 2025, similar to the outcomes in 2023 and 2024. Bradish weirdly threw more four-seamers (29.6%) to left-handed hitters after lowering the usage in 2024 (17.5%). That’s odd because left-handed hitters have been attacking the four-seamer, with a .457 wOBA (.464 xwOBA) in 2025, .703 wOBA (.612 xwOBA) in 2024, and .397 wOBA (.416 xwOBA) in 2023.

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Expect Bradish to examine the data and adjust the pitch mix against lefties in 2026.

Even if the swinging-strike rate regresses to somewhat between 2025 (15%) and the career average (11.4%), Bradish profiles as an above-average to high-end starting pitcher based on the skills. That’s the type of pitcher to target in fantasy baseball drafts.

Starting Pitcher Fades

Bryan Woo, Mariners (Yahoo ADP 34.7)

It seemed like Bryan Woo’s arm might fall off in 2025, but he led the Mariners in innings, ahead of Luis Castillo. Unfortunately, Woo ended the season injured with a pectoral injury in mid-September. Woo wasn’t on the ALDS roster, then pitched in relief in the ALCS, though he wasn’t sharp in his 4.1 innings of work.

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Woo is a WHIP asset, with 0.90 in 2024 and 0.93 in 2025, as he limits hit rate or BABIP. Meanwhile, Woo maintained near-elite control, with a career 31% ball rate. He has shown an increase in his ability to miss bats, with a 13.2% swinging-strike rate in 2025.

There used to be a narrative around Woo struggling against left-handed hitters. However, Woo has been throwing more changeups against lefties (12.4% in 2025 and 15.9% in 2024). Woo is a command artist, and he peppers the changeup low and away from left-handed hitters, and probably tunnels well with his sinker, which has a similar movement profile.

Woo has shown he can handle a heavy workload, though there’s still some injury risk at the draft cost.

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Brandon Woodruff, Brewers (Yahoo ADP 133.8)

We spoke about Bradish’s small sample success, which might be ironic as we’re mentioning Brandon Woodruff as a starting pitcher fade. Woodruff missed nearly two full seasons after he underwent surgery in October 2023 on his throwing arm for the anterior capsule. The average timeline to return from this surgery was around 16 months for elite baseball players, according to a 2023 Study. It’s worth noting that the sample remains small, but that provides a rough timeline for other players, especially pitchers, who rely on throwing for their profession.

Woodruff found success with an average velocity under 93 mph (92.9 mph) in 2025 after a career average of 95.5 mph. There’s a chance that Woodruff’s velocity increases somewhere between 2025 and the career norms. Woodruff’s changeup was dropping two inches more and losing an inch of arm-side fade, with the lower velocity in 2025. Regardless, Woodruff’s changeup led his arsenal with a 20% swinging-strike rate.

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Besides the lower velocity across the board and consistent changeup whiffs, he added a cutter in 2025; like a harder version of his slider. Woodruff found success with the cutter, especially against right-handed hitters, generating weak contact (.126 wOBA, .118 xwOBA). It could be a pitch classification issue, though Woodruff’s cutter looks like an intentional change to throw a harder slider based on the movement profile and pitch locations.

The main risk would be volume for Woodruff after missing nearly two seasons before returning in 2025. Most projections have him around 150 to 160 innings after he logged under 70 innings in 2025. If the velocity ticks up in Spring Training, then the injury optimism will rise, though we want to temper expectations on Woodruff returning to a near-elite starter. There is admittedly an upside scenario where Woodruff also evolves with the lower velocity and stuff.

Cam Schlittler, Yankees (Yahoo ADP 124.6)

There was some fortune in Cam Schlittler’s favor with a 3.72 xERA in 2025, nearly one run higher than his actual outcomes. Schlittler had mediocre control, with a 34% ball rate, yet a decent 12.1% swinging-strike rate. Although Schlittler has three pitches with double-digit swinging-strike rates, the four-seam (12.1%), cutter (10.4%) and sinker (11.1%) led the arsenal. That suggests Schlittler’s arsenal might be underwhelming from a whiff standpoint.

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Schlittler’s four-seam possesses mediocre induced vertical break (16.3 inches) and below-average extension (6.4 feet, 39th percentile), which he locates in the upper third of the zone. The curveball generates above-average downward movement and horizontal sweep, a pitch Schlittler weirdly throws often (20.9%) to left-handed hitters with mediocre outcomes (.296 wOBA, .277 xwOBA). Typically, breaking pitches fare better against same-handed hitters.

Meanwhile, Schlittler’s cutter tends to elicit weak contact (.192 wOBA, .202 xwOBA) against right-handed hitters, as he locates it low and away. However, Schlittler’s cutter doesn’t generate whiffs, evidenced by an 11.6% swinging-strike rate to right-handed hitters. He’ll need to find a more consistent approach to both sides of the plate, with only one solid offering to righties and lefties.

The draft market has been valuing Schlittler’s skills higher than the skills suggest, though there’s a chance we’re undervaluing the potential for a step forward. If a pitcher doesn’t have high-end stuff, lacks an above-average fastball and the secondaries don’t have above-average movement profiles to elicit whiffs (or weak contact), I tend to have caution with over-investing in this type of profile.

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Starting Pitcher Sleepers

Kris Bubic, Royals (Yahoo ADP 208.7)

There’s probably some bias as a Kris Bubic truther heading into 2025. Bubic finished the season with a 3.65 xERA, 33% ball rate and 13.5% swinging-strike rate. The skills supported the breakout as a starting pitcher, though Bubic finished the season with a left rotator cuff strain in late July, causing him to miss the rest of the 2025 season. Bubic’s health concern has already been built into the early discounted draft price.

When we talked about Schlittler earlier and what we look for in breakout pitchers, Bubic checks those boxes. Bubic possesses an above-average four-seamer, generating 18.1 inches of induced vertical break, with 16 inches being around average. That, paired with high-end extension (85th percentile) while locating the four-seamer in the upper third of the zone, leads to an optimal combination for a fastball. We hear about those “rising” fastballs, and that’s what Bubic’s four-seamer theoretically does.

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Bubic has a near-elite changeup that he peppers low and away from right-handed hitters, adding four inches of downward movement, which typically aligns with more whiffs from a vertical movement standpoint. Specifically, against right-handed hitters, Bubic’s changeup induced a 21.6% swinging-strike rate in 2025, better than 2024 (19.2%).

Let’s highlight a nerdy note about Bubic’s changeup. The changeup dropped more (four inches) and maintained velocity. How did that happen? Bubic probably threw the changeup with a different grip because the spin rate dropped by over 150 RPM, aligning with the additional inches of downward movement. Theoretically, that leads to more pitch separation between the four-seamer and the changeup, making it more challenging for hitters to cover the zone, as seen in the visual below.

Take a chance on Bubic again in 2026 because there’s enough to like in his pitch movement profiles, approach and strikeout skills to replicate or take a slight step forward. The data supports Bubic’s semi-breakout from 2025 to buy back into him in 2026.

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Ranger Suárez, Red Sox (Yahoo ADP 156)

The Red Sox signed Ranger Suárez in mid-January for five years and $130 million to add depth to their rotation. Suárez hasn’t shown the ability to handle an ace-like workload of 175-200 innings, but that’s not the likely expectation. He typically misses a month or so with an injury each season, though it’s hard to complain about 150 innings for someone who’s somewhat of a quality start machine. Suárez logged a quality start in 48% of his starts over the past four seasons (2022-2025).

Suárez goes deep into games via his heavy groundball approach, evidenced by his career 51% groundball rate, with the sinker leading the arsenal in groundballs (63-64%). Since Suárez pitches to contact, especially weak contact, his strikeout skills have been underwhelming with a 9.8% swinging-strike rate in 2025, identical with his career norm.

Although Suárez’s entire arsenal doesn’t generate whiffs, his changeup has been deadly, eliciting a 17.7% swinging-strike rate in 2025. Suárez’s changeup continues to drop an above-average rate (40-41 inches) over the past two seasons, as he commands the pitch low and away from right-handed hitters. The changeup serves as Suárez’s best pitch against right-handed hitters, allowing a .214 wOBA (.251 xwOBA) in 2025.

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The Red Sox love cutters, throwing them at the second-highest rate in 2025. Suárez has a cutter, but it’s one of his worst pitches from a movement and results (weak contact) standpoint. That’s evident by Suárez’s cutter allowing a .387 wOBA (.305 xwOBA) against right-handed hitters, which he threw 20.7% of the time. Since the Red Sox love cutters, I wonder if they make a tweak to Suárez’s cutter.

From a fantasy roster construction standpoint, Suárez can eat quality innings while providing a solid floor, which we can pair with potential high-upside options at starting pitcher.

4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers

6. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies

You can find our complete starting pitcher rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.

HOUSTON — Shortly after the final buzzer sounded in the Hornets’ 109-99 road triumph over the Rockets on Thursday — their eighth straight win and longest streak since 1999 — the Charlotte conglomerate retreated to its corridors.

One by one, each player marched into the locker room with stoic expressions on their faces. No shouting, no taunting, no celebrating. A number of individuals departed to get some postgame weightlifting in, others hung back to wind down. Had it not been for the soft sounds of high fives being doled out by head coach Charles Lee, one would have assumed they had just suffered an embarrassing loss, not added another chapter into their book of resurgence.

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In this moment the culture shift — the painstaking task Lee has worked tirelessly at for nearly two years since he took the job — was palpable. This Charlotte team is not like the others. Where hopelessness and despair used to reside, there’s now an expectation of efficiency, execution and perfection. Historic winning streaks aside, the Hornets have much larger goals written on their to-do list. They’re trying to rewrite their perception.

“I think they’re playing well,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters prior to Detroit’s narrow 110-104 win in Charlotte on Monday, a heated contest that ended the Hornets’ nine-game winning streak. “I think they go about it in a different way than we do, but you see the confidence and belief growing. They’re capable of winning and beating good teams. The most difficult thing in this league is learning how to win and you can see that whether it’s close games or fourth quarters, they understand what it takes and have guys making plays when they’re needed.”

The Hornets, who were a bleak 11-22 at the beginning of 2026, have turned the page rather quickly, winning 14 of 21 games this month. But it’s what they’ve been able to accomplish in the past couple weeks that is truly remarkable. Since Jan. 22, Charlotte is second in the league in point differential, scoring 121 points per 100 possessions, and is allowing just 108.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass — giving them the league’s No. 2 unit at both ends of the floor.

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And it’s not simply that the Hornets are winning games, it’s who and how they’re blasting through opponents that has the league at attention now. Despite falling to Detroit last night, they’ve won nine out of their last 10, taking down Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers — otherwise known as the top five teams in the Western Conference. We’re talking about a Charlotte team that had a 27.5 win total projection in October, according to BetMGM, folks. They’re now 25-29 as a play-in team and just 5.5 games back of sixth. None of this is normal.

All roads lead back to Lee, the former Bucks and Celtics assistant that arrived in 2024 with a fresh set of ideas and implementation tactics. During the preseason, Lee preached about the changes he wanted to see with his players, reducing individualism and adhering to a collective concept. More player and ball movement, encouraging drive-and-kicks, paint touches and, most importantly, a barrage of 3s.

“You definitely gotta have the groundwork,” guard LaMelo Ball told Yahoo Sports. “For anything to build up to the top, you have to have that bottom row solid and together, you know?”

The proof is in the pudding. The Hornets have effectively eschewed shots at the rim and midrange (26th and 24th, respectively, in rim rate and midrange frequency) in favor of a full-out perimeter pile-on. Of Charlotte’s field goals, 45.2% come from behind the arc, which ranks third in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass.

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“It’s very important that we all trust each other and believe in one another,” Lee said. “Completely committed to trying to do all the right things that are going to help us build winning habits. It’s not just me, it’s my staff, the front office, and I think the players end up carrying it out. They hold each other to a high standard and, collectively, that’s what’s helping us elevate.”

What gives them the edge, though, given their evident offensive profile, is how deliberate the Hornets are. A quick glance at their roster, particularly their starting five, could leave one to assume that this is a fast-paced team that plays to their athleticism. But according to Second Spectrum, Charlotte is just 25th in pace. It’s near-impossible to get them to play at any other speed.

[Get more Hornets news: Charlotte team feed]

The Hornets are 23rd in average time to shoot per InPredictable, a number that drops to 29th after forcing opponent turnovers, 26th after a defensive rebound and dead last on offensive rebounds. This team plays at its own tempo, grinding down the shot clock until the best shot is taken. By the time Charlotte takes a shot — they’re fourth in effective field-goal percentage during this span — opposing defenses are typically worn out having been forced to track a flurry of half-court movement. The Hornets lead the league in distance traveled on offense, up from fourth last season.

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None of this, however, comes as a surprise to Lee. Before arriving in Charlotte, Lee had already built a reputation as one of the brightest minds in the game, obsessed with winning and improving at the margins. It’s not an uncommon sight to see Lee during a timeout yelling with a clipboard in his lap, urging more from a group already on its way to victory. The 40-year-old is never satisfied, having seen what it takes to win — with two championships on his résumé with Milwaukee and Boston. That respect factor extends to Ball, the leader of this young group, and, in turn, the rest of the roster.

It’s difficult to envision many head coaches who could get the buy-in from a team’s star player who has been benched multiple times and removed from the starting lineup altogether on a few occasions. But Lee has proven to be unafraid of tough conversations, and he and Ball have been able to move on from prior frustrations — when Ball’s future was potentially in question after a rough start. They’ve built a stronger bond because of it.

“We all got a good bond,” Ball said. “Me, him, the coaches, the players, everybody. The whole staff. We just feel like one big family for real.”

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That buy-in from Ball has become a top-down effect. Lee’s insistence on sharing the ball has resulted in drops in field-goal attempts from the likes of Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges — and increases in true shooting percentages for the latter two (Ball’s has remained the same). A significant chunk of that is tied to the presence of rookie Kon Kneuppel, the sharpshooting phenom with playmaking and shot creation chops having a historic rookie season, but the Hornets work because everyone touches the ball. They’re not tied to a heliocentric system as they have been in the past. Charlotte is league average in terms of passes and assists per game, but ranks in the top five in secondary assists — the pass before the pass.

The offensive empowerment from Lee distilled to those four creates a system where adding in Moussa Diabate, an elite, athletic, two-way force (who is a terror on the offensive glass) yields a juggernaut. There’s a unique blend of on-ball creation, off-ball relocation, athleticism and floor spacing. According to PBP Stats, that lineup is a monstrous +146 in 230 minutes together on the floor, scoring an eye-popping 143.1 points per 100 possessions while holding opponents to just 109.3 points per 100 possessions. Consider this — of the top 20 five-man groups in on/off differential, the Hornets’ five is the only one that has played at least 300 possessions together. Every other one is operating on a limited sample size. Cohesion and connectivity.

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Miller’s improvement in his third season also cannot be understated as a high-volume wing learning how to create value at both ends of the floor. Charlotte is +6.7 in his minutes, 82nd percentile among wings. Ditto for Diabate, who is swallowing nearly 15% of the Hornets’ missed shots, 91st percentile among bigs. The team corrals around 38% of its own misses with him on the floor — phenomenal.

Given the style of play under Lee and the Hornets’ future flexibility — Charlotte owns all of its first-round picks for the next seven years — it’s not a stretch to suggest that this could become one of the most attractive destinations over the next few years. From a financial standpoint, as an over-the-cap, under-the-tax team, the Hornets also will head into this summer armed with their full mid-level exception and a number of movable contracts — in the event that another superstar (Giannis?) becomes available. Who says small markets have to be boring?

“It feels good,” Lee said. “As an organization trying to build winning habits, be obsessed with daily improvement, it shows that all the work you’re putting in everyday is going towards something. We’re glad that we can start changing the trajectory of where we’ve been before.”

Despite Seattle’s preseason win total of 8.5 (-125 to the under at BetMGM) and the 12th-best odds to make the postseason in the NFC (+170) before the season began, one bettor loved the Seahawks to not only make the playoffs and win the NFC but also win Super Bowl LX.

[Check out all of Yahoo’s sports betting content here in our betting hub]

Yahoo Sports was first to report a Nevada bettor at BetMGM wagered $50,000 on three separate Seahawks-related futures back in August — $150,000 in total.

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The three bets:

• $50,000 on the Seahawks to win Super Bowl 60 at 60-1 odds to win $3 million

• $50,000 on the Seahawks to win the NFC at 28-1 odds to win $1.4 million

• $50,000 on the Seahawks to make the playoffs at +185 odds to win $92,500

The Seahawks clinched a postseason berth a few weeks ago to win the first $50,000 bet and beat the 49ers 13-3 in Week 18 to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

After Seattle’s victory over the Rams on Jan. 25, that bettor cashed his second ticket worth $1.4 million.

The $50,000 wager on Seattle to win Super Bowl 60 carried the largest liability of any reported NFL futures wager at U.S. sportsbooks, after a $50,000 bet at 66-1 odds on the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl 60 came up short when the Bears fell 20-17 to the Rams in overtime at home in the divisional round.

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The Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX 29-13 to cash the third ticket, worth $3 million. It is Seattle’s first championship since Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.

The bettor came back in to Vegas last weekend to hedge his Seahawks Super Bowl bet, wagering $725,000 on the New England money line at +195 odds at BetMGM. That bet would win more than $1.4 million and ensured that the bettor would win roughly $1.5 million on the Super Bowl and be up nearly $3 million on all his wagers — no matter the outcome of the big game.

Yahoo Sports also confirmed Circa Sports in Nevada took two large wagers on the Seahawks at 75-1 odds to win Super Bowl 60 with “seven-figure liability” from a new customer in late August as well.

The fantasy football season ends in Week 17, up to five games before the end of certain player’’ football seasons. For players like Rhamondre Stevenson, that can be 28% of their entire year! Week 18 and the NFL playoffs may not be one-to-one in comparison, but many stats can shift the story for next year’s fantasy drafts. Analyst Joel Smyth goes over his 10 fantasy findings from what’s changed after fantasy champions were decided.

23.4

Fantasy PPG for Kenneth Walker III in the NFL playoffs. The Super Bowl MVP’s end-of-season hot streak continued into the playoffs as the Seahawks counted on him heavily once Zach Charbonnet went down with injury. In his final six games of the season, Walker averaged 128.5 scrimmage yards. If Charbonnet is not fully healthy to begin the 2026 season, Walker can secure a high workload and boost his stock in Seattle once more — that is, if he decides to re-sign with the team in free agency (the team could also choose to franchise-tag the RB).

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3.4

Fantasy PPG for TreVeyon Henderson in his four playoff games. A slight 20 points fewer than Walker’s playoff run in a larger sample. Since Stevenson returned to his full snap share in Week 13, Henderson averaged under 10 fantasy points and saw his volume and snaps decrease. Stevenson is signed in New England long-term, posted great efficiency numbers and is consistently reliable. It’s looking more and more like Henderson will have to fight to receive even half of the Patriots’ RB workload next season.

70.3%

Of snaps played for Stevenson in the NFL playoffs. Rookie snap counts usually rise throughout the season, but with Stevenson being the safe and more productive option, Henderson — the Patriots’ early-round selection in the 2025 draft — saw his snaps drop from the regular season. Stevenson showed that he was not only getting playing time as a reliable role player, but also because of his talent, as he averaged the fifth-best mark in yards after contact per carry.

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1.17

Yards per route run for Luther Burden III in his final three games of 2025. Yards per route has become popular as it’s an accurate indicator of a young player’s future, even noted by NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth during a broadcast due to Burden’s remarkable regular-season number. However, although the rookie posted elite numbers on his limited snaps throughout the season, his end-of-the-year total dropped from third to seventh when including his final three weeks. Still an incredible achievement, but pump the brakes slightly on a team full of talent.

16.5

Fantasy PPG for Colston Loveland in his four games since Week 17. The brakes fully fell off to end the year with the rookie tight end, who ended the fantasy season with a league-winning performance. The Bears TE had a 31% target share in his final month, equalling 48 targets. He can be dangerous in his sophomore season at a position where it’s hard to find true upside. ​

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18.1

Fantasy PPG for Brock Purdy, including his final three games of 2025. After averaging 21.5 points in his eight healthy games during the fantasy season, managers in the fall may picture Purdy as the overall QB2 rather than the borderline QB1 he’s been throughout his career. Adding in Week 18, his NFL playoff run and now an injured George Kittle pushes him back down to his career average.

12

Total carries for Rico Dowdle in his final two games of 2025. It was a rough end to the year for Dowdle, but at least his volume was still there in the regular season. But his RB1 role ended with the end of the fantasy season. With Chuba Hubbard getting healthier, the Panthers shifted focus to their higher-paid RB, as Dowdle scored only once in his final eight games of the year.

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6.9

Fantasy PPG for RJ Harvey in his final three games of the season. Once J.K. Dobbins went down, fantasy managers holding onto Harvey were given hope once more, and he came through with 15.3 fantasy PPG from Weeks 11 to 17 without Dobbins to help boost your starting lineup. The issue for next year is that it wasn’t the full story; when including the final three games, that 15.3 drops to a less exciting 12.5.​

2.72

Yards per route for Zay Flowers with Lamar Jackson this season. Most think of 2025 as a rough year for Flowers, scoring only three touchdowns during the fantasy season and playing several games without his star QB. Adding in Week 18 and isolating only games with Jackson tells a different story. His 2.72 yards per route would rank third among WRs, behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as his dominant Week 18 performance would’ve helped him finish as the fantasy WR13 on the season. A key stat to note for draft season next fall.

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15+

Half-PPR fantasy points in each of the final four games for Jacksonville’s Parker Washington. The young WR came through for fantasy managers when it mattered most in Weeks 16 and 17, but it didn’t stop there. Even with Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. on the field, Washington’s presence was felt the most, as Trevor Lawrence targeted the slot specialist 41 times over the last month of the season, totaling 454 yards and three scores. He’s had mini-spurts of success throughout his career, but none bigger than his final month heading into next season.

Cal Raleigh was the big story at catcher last year. Sixty homers, 125 RBI, a runner-up finish in the AL MVP voting, it was a monstrous year, probably the second-best catcher season of all-time (Mike Piazza, 1997). Raleigh is an early second-round pick in Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues this year, and even with some reasonable regression baked into the story, I can’t say that pick is wrong.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

But let’s not lose the global picture at catcher. The position as a whole was tremendous last year. Sixteen different catcher-eligible players collected offensive WAR of 2.0 or better, and 17 different players got to 400 at-bats. It’s a mild bump over 2024, but a significant lift over what we saw in the previous decade. Compare last year’s haul to that of 2019, when a modest 12 backstops made it to 2.0 oWAR and just nine collected 400 at-bats.

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The position is getting younger. If we look at the 24 catchers with the most at-bats last year, only Salvador Perez (age 35, and a whopping 597 at-bats) and J.T. Realmuto (age 34, 502 at-bats) were past the age of 30. Career/breakout seasons from Raleigh, Shea Langeliers, Hunter Goodman and Ben Rice all made sense — their seasonal ages were 28, 27, 25 and 26, respectively.

Modern managers understand load management better, and often a hitting catcher gets a partial day off through a DH assignment. The 22 busiest catchers last year all saw DH time. This feels like a win-win for everybody — the MLB clubs get to exercise some load management with players at a physically-demanding position, but fantasy managers still get exposure to the offensive stats.

Because of the depth at the position, I’ll probably take my time assembling my catchers this year. In leagues that require multiple backstops, I might choose to be the last manager to fill the C1 slot, but early to the C2 requirement. As always, any strategy can work if you pick the right players.

More positional previews

Proactive Picks

Agustín Ramírez, Marlins

His Yahoo ADP of 126 is 50 picks cheaper than his global ADP, so appreciate the discount for now. Ramírez showed plus power and surprising speed (16 steals in 19 attempts) as a rookie, and his batting average should rise as his plate discipline matures. Miami’s roster is still fairly anonymous, which often leads to a discount on draft day.

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Hunter Goodman, Rockies

The batting average crashed by 59 points on the road, but Goodman also conked 18 road homers and had similar slugging percentages in both columns. The Rockies prioritize him in the lineup, giving him 39 starts at DH. Although the Colorado lineup lacks the depth of past seasons, Goodman at least will be in the top half of the order, where the production is. He’s still a decent value in the mid-80s for Yahoo ADP.

Possible Fades

Adley Rutschman, Orioles

He was a god as a rookie, very good his second year, tailed off in Year 3 and collapsed last season. Okay, oblique injuries were part of the story, but what especially concerns me is that Rutschman’s career arc closely tracks to Matt Wieters; same team, same position. Wieters had his best WAR seasons at age 25 and 26 but was hurt and/or ineffective the rest of his career. I’ll allow my heart to root for a Rutschman turnaround, but I can’t spend fantasy capital on him.

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J.T. Realmuto, Phillies

Realmuto still bats for a credible average, but the power continues to fade — he slugged just .384 last year. He also had a 91 OPS+ in 2025, the first time in a decade he’s been a below-average offensive player. Stepping into his age-35 season, it’s a good time to eschew Realmuto, even with an inexpensive ADP. Player development is not always linear, but player decline almost always is.

Potential Sleepers

Francisco Alvarez, Mets

It feels like he’s been around forever but this is just his age-24 season. Hand and thumb problems — and eventual surgery — held Alvarez back in 2025, but when he could play, the bat was solid (122 OPS+, .447 slugging percentage). He’s a lock to hit 20 homers in a full season and he could hit for a plus average, too. The Mets probably have a top-five offense, and Alvarez is an affordable way (ADP: 196) to grab a share of it.

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Kyle Teel, White Sox

Chicago needs this kid to make it, as he was the key player acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade. Teel looked the part in his first MLB lap, batting for a .273 average and showing more pop than initially expected. Teel already has a keen eye at the plate, ranking well above league average in chase rate and walk rate. He might be athletic and resourceful enough to mix in 6-10 steals.

1. Cal Raleigh, Mariners

2. William Contreras, Brewers

3. Shea Langeliers, Athletics

4. Hunter Goodman, Rockies

5. Ben Rice, Yankees

6. Agustín Ramírez, Marlins

7. Salvador Perez, Royals

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8. Will Smith, Dodgers

9. Drake Baldwin, Braves

10. Iván Herrera, Cardinals

11. Yainer Diaz, Astros

12. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

You can find our complete catcher rankings for 2026 fantasy baseball here.

Although we still haven’t returned to the heyday of first base, the position is starting to look up. The arrival of Nick Kurtz has given the position another superstar, as the youngster still hasn’t played a full season and is already the top first baseman on many draft lists. And the longstanding group of veterans, including the likes of Pete Alonso and Matt Olson, is still going strong.

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But as strong as the first base position is at the top, it drops off just as quickly. Depending on format, there are about a dozen appealing options. Unfortunately, the next tier leaves much to be desired, which is especially a problem in Roto leagues, where many managers will need to secure their corner infielder from the pool of first basemen. Here are some players to target and avoid.

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Proactive picks

Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (Yahoo ADP 33.6)

A second-tier first baseman by ADP, Olson is closer to those in the tier ahead of him than those who trail him on the list. In four years with the Braves, the 31-year-old has hit .261 with an average of 37 homers, 109 RBI and 97 runs scored. Those numbers look an awful lot like the ones that are expected from Kurtz and Alonso, who are both being drafted roughly 15 picks earlier. Olson is boring, productive and the perfect third-round pick for those who have started their draft with a couple of speedy players.

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Ben Rice, New York Yankees (Yahoo ADP 84.7)

Let’s start with the obvious — the best part about drafting Rice is that he is eligible at the catcher position but will not have the physical demands of working behind the plate. And managers who come for the expanded workload will find that they get much more. Rice is an emerging star who last season logged a 95th percentile average exit velocity and 92nd percentile barrel rate. His expected stats were far ahead of his actual marks, which indicates that he could enjoy better batted-ball luck and a major uptick in performance. More volume and better on a per-game basis? Sign me up.

Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox (Yahoo ADP 105.9)

The ceiling was raised for Contreras as soon as he was traded from the Cardinals to the Red Sox. Fenway Park will be the best venue he has called home in his career, and Boston has a lineup that is vastly superior to the one Contreras left behind in St. Louis. Expected to hit out of the cleanup spot with his new team, the 33-year-old could produce 25 homers and 90 RBI across 150 games.

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Fades

Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners (Yahoo ADP 58.5)

No one truly knows what to make of a player with third percentile sprint speed who surprisingly stole 30 bases last season. The guess here is that Naylor’s steals total comes crashing back to Earth now that he is in possession of a long-term contract, and he finishes closer to 10 steals than 20. And when we take away the swipes, Naylor doesn’t look so special as a career .269 hitter who has hit more than 20 homers just once.

Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (Yahoo ADP 52.7)

Let’s take away the name value of Freeman and look at his stats from the past two seasons. Over 2024-25, the Dodgers’ star has averaged 147 games, 23 homers, 81 runs, 89.5 RBI, 7.5 steals and a .289 average. Those are excellent numbers, but they aren’t much better than the production that can be expected from a group of first basemen who have an ADP that is 30-40 picks later than Freeman. Add in his advanced age (36), and there are reasons to let someone else use a premium pick on him.

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Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers (Yahoo ADP 185.4)

Torkelson was one of the biggest busts of 2024, and after getting off to a hot start last season, he compiled just 17 homers and 36 RBI over the final four months of the campaign. The career .227 hitter needs to be a premium home-run hitter to have value in standard leagues. So far, his power stroke has been too inconsistent.

Sleepers

Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto Blue Jays (Yahoo ADP 179.6)

A quick look at Okamoto’s stats from Japan will make fantasy managers excited. The 29-year-old has strong contact skills and posted six 30-homer seasons overseas. He may play multiple positions (which would be great for his fantasy value) and will be a full-time member of Toronto’s lineup. He could also earn a premium lineup spot by getting off to a good start. Late-round picks are best used on players with upside, and Okamoto fits that profile.

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Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals (Yahoo ADP: 184.1)

Burleson improved in several areas last season, including walk rate (7.1%), average exit velocity (91.0 mph) and fly ball rate (42.1%). On a rebuilding Cardinals team, he has virtually no competition to play every day and bat out of a premium lineup spot. He should post a batting average similar to his .290 mark from 2025, while also hitting more than 20 homers and chipping in a few steals.

Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers (Yahoo ADP 219.0)

Vaughn was terrific after joining the Brewers, hitting .308 with nine homers and 46 RBI in 64 games. One of the smartest organizations must be confident in the sustainability of his contributions, as they did not pursue other first-base options in the offseason. Vaughn is going undrafted in most leagues despite his potential to provide a helpful batting average and solid counting stats while playing regularly in one of baseball’s best lineups.

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1. Nick Kurtz, Athletics

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays

3. Pete Alonso, Orioles

4. Bryce Harper, Phillies

5. Matt Olson, Braves

6. Rafael Devers, Giants

7. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers

8. Josh Naylor, Mariners

9. Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics

10.  Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals

11.  Ben Rice, Yankees

12.  Michael Busch, Cubs

You can find our complete first basemen rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.

The first thing to recognize about second base this year is that it’s not deep at the top. A modest six players at the keystone currently have Yahoo ADPs in the top 100, and that’s if we graciously include Jose Altuve and Nico Hoerner, who are percentage points over the cutoff. This makes second base the least bountiful infield slot of the four positions. Third base is the next position of concern, first base is on the upswing, and there are fun shortstops everywhere you look.

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If you don’t land one of the top six at second base, you’ll have to accept some flags from your later picks. Some players are clearly missing a skill or two. Some are talented players coming off poor years or injury-wrecked ones. There are players changing teams. And a few candidates are on the back-nine of their careers, when decline is obviously a risk.

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On the plus side, a lot of these players are versatile, too. Two-thirds of the top-30 second basemen offer multiple positions of eligibility, and several of these players can cover three positions or more. I always prefer being as flexible as possible with my roster builds (allowing me to be positionless when I need fill-ins), and several of these players can help with that goal.

More positional previews

Proactive Picks

Brice Turang, Brewers (Yahoo ADP 54.3)

Bill James told us moons ago that versatile players tend to be underrated, and Turang is one of those guys. He quietly led all second basemen in oWAR last year and yet is just the third keystoner off the board, 2-3 rounds after Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ketel Marte. Even if Turang doesn’t keep last year’s power spike, his plate-discipline skills point to a plus average, and he could easily swipe more than the 24 bags he collected last year (he stole 50 in 2024). Turang also holds a good batting slot, hitting second for a plus Milwaukee offense. The Brewers are a quietly-efficient team (they’ve become the NL’s version of the Rays), and Turang is an eat-your-veggies type of pick.

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Xavier Edwards, Marlins (Yahoo ADP 181.7)

Okay, you’ll have to make up the power elsewhere. But Edwards has a .298 average and .343 OBP since hitting the majors, which marks his territory in the leadoff spot. And with a glittering success rate of 85.1% on steals, Edwards probably has the upside to swipe 40-60 if so inclined. Remember, he stole 31 bags in just 70 games two years ago.

Possible Fades

Jose Altuve, Astros (Yahoo ADP 100.6)

Altuve’s 26 homers last year obscured some leakage elsewhere — he lost 30 points in his batting average and his steals dropped from 22 to 10. And his bat speed has been well under league average ever since Baseball Savant started tracking it. Altuve is a guess hitter at this point in his career, and he’s stepping into his age-36 season. I’d rather be a year early than a year late with a player holding this career arc.

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Ozzie Albies, Braves (Yahoo ADP 124.7)

Albies has been a below-average offensive player (by OPS+) in three of the past four seasons. He continues to swing at too many pitches out of the strike zone, and his batted-ball metrics have been below code for two straight years. The Braves have caught on; Albies will probably open the year in the bottom third of the order.

Marcus Semien, Mets (Yahoo ADP 181)

Semien has long been one of my favorite players, but I can’t ignore that his OPS+ has been merely 100 — that’s exactly league average — for two straight years. He’s now in his age-35 season, and he’ll lose some volume with the Mets, who won’t need him batting first like the Rangers did.

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Sleepers

JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (Yahoo ADP 200.7)

The Cardinals have openings at second base and third base with Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado gone, so Wetherholt should settle in somewhere, assuming he has a decent camp. The team’s No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft (seventh overall), Wetherholt posted a snappy .306/.421/.510 slash between Double-A and Triple-A last year, with 17 homers and 23 steals through just 109 games. He’s already receiving some Rookie of the Year buzz.

Luis García Jr., Nationals (Yahoo ADP 193.2)

It’s encouraging that García had 16 homers and 14 steals in what could fairly be termed an off year — that’s probably his floor. He’s still just 26 and a year removed from a .282 average and .444 slugging percentage. It’s possible García will shift to first base this year and he could fall into a platoon as well — at least it would be the heavier side of the platoon. There’s no reason to jump the line with García’s ADP. But he’s affordably priced for a player who’s already shown the ability to be a top-100 fantasy asset.

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1. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees

2. Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks

3. Maikel Garcia, Royals

4. Brice Turang, Brewers

5. Nico Hoerner, Cubs

6. Jose Altuve, Astros

7. Luke Keaschall, Twins

8. Jordan Westburg, Orioles

9. Ozzie Albies, Braves

10. Xavier Edwards, Marlins

11. Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox

12. Brandon Lowe, Pirates

You can find our complete second basemen rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.

The third base position is going to give fantasy managers plenty of headaches this season. Outside of catcher, this is the weakest positional group, as there are no more than seven players who managers should be excited to have in their lineup.

Drafters will need to make tough choices when handling third base. Some managers may insist on filling the position early, even if that means that they need to reach a few picks during the initial rounds. The opposite approach is also viable — a manager could wait until the final rounds of their draft, knowing that there is plenty of risk in every third baseman who is ranked eighth or lower at the position.

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There is also a lack of diversity within the skill sets at third base, which will be an issue for Roto managers. Aside from José Caballero, every third baseman who is being selected in the majority of leagues past pick 100 has limited speed and therefore draws all of his value from the power and/or batting average categories.

Optimists will see an opportunity to gain an advantage at third base. After all, the weak depth among this group means that managers who correctly determine a late-round sleeper will gain a massive advantage over their competitors.

Here are a few players to either target or avoid.

More positional previews

Proactive picks

Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals (Yahoo ADP 83.0)

Garcia’s 2025 breakout season was well-supported by skill improvements. His strikeout rate (12.6%) and walk rate (9.3%) were career-best marks by a wide margin. Both his average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (5.6%) improved as well. By keeping most of his skill gains, the native Venezuelan could be even more effective this year, thanks to the changes to the outfield walls at Kauffman Stadium. And there is room for his steals total to rebound after it dropped by 14 last year.

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Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox (Yahoo ADP 160.4)

Montgomery showed exciting power potential when he homered 21 times in 71 games during his rookie year. Sure, he isn’t likely to maintain a 45-homer pace during his first full season in the Majors, but he could regress significantly and still justify his current ADP. Montgomery produces oodles of pulled fly balls, which should keep the homers coming while he works on lowering the 29.2% strikeout rate from his rookie year.

Fades

José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians (Yahoo ADP 7.2)

This pick is controversial, as Ramírez is being selected as early as fifth overall in some drafts. I want to be clear that I have no issues with the 33-year-old’s skill set. He’s a legitimate superstar, although I expect some pullback after two consecutive 40-steal seasons. My main issue with drafting Ramírez is my massive distaste for a Guardians lineup that finished 28th in runs scored last year and failed to add significant help in the offseason. I want my Round 1 hitter to be part of an above-average offense.

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Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants (Yahoo ADP 144.5)

While Chapman can be a solid accumulator at his position, he offers little more than the third basemen who rank behind him in ADP. The career .240 hitter will likely be a drain on the batting average category. His homer and RBI totals are more likely to be respectable than great, as he tries to overcome the power-suppressing nature of his home park. And although Chapman has swiped 24 bases in the past two seasons, he tallied 11 swipes in his previous seven campaigns and therefore cannot be considered a reliable base stealer for his age-33 season. There are more exciting options at other positions in his ADP range.

Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays (Yahoo ADP 190.7)

Barger was one of October’s best stories when he hit .367 with a 1.025 OPS during Toronto’s run to the brink of a World Series title. Unfortunately, the longer sample size from the regular season paints a less-exciting picture. Barger slumped in the second half (.679 OPS), and the lefty slugger struggled against southpaws (.607 OPS) throughout the season. On a deep Toronto roster, he’s likely to be a platoon player who leaves fantasy managers disappointed.

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Sleepers

Jorge Polanco, New York Mets (Yahoo ADP 191.8)

Want to wait for a third baseman? This is your guy. Polanco finally stayed healthy, which allowed him to rejuvenate his plate skills and hit .265 with 26 homers and 78 RBI last year. But a bounce-back season isn’t the biggest reason that the 32-year-old tops my sleepers list. By signing a two-year deal with the Mets, Polanco is suddenly locked into one of the best lineup spots in baseball, as his cleanup role behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette could lead to a 100-RBI season.

JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals (Yahoo ADP 200.0)

One of baseball’s most exciting prospects, Wetherholt has an excellent chance to make the Opening Day roster for the rebuilding Cardinals. And after hitting .306 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 minor league games last season, the seventh overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft has proven to have the versatile skill set that fantasy managers covet. Wetherholt is already a favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year award and could be one of this year’s best value picks by producing a 20-20 debut season.

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José Caballero, New York Yankees (Yahoo ADP 201.5)

Caballero is an especially good pick in standard Yahoo Roto leagues. After all, the waiver wire is usually fruitful in these contests, which means that managers can finish their drafts with players who have significant immediate value. Such is the case with Caballero, who should be the Yankees starting shortstop until Anthony Volpe returns from a season-opening IL stint. The speedster needed just 314 at-bats to lead the Majors with 49 steals last season, and he could single-handedly put fantasy teams ahead of the pack in swipes while holding a starting role in April.

Carlos Correa, Houston Astros (Yahoo ADP 198.4)

During his best seasons, Correa was often on my “fades” list. After all, he was highly coveted in drafts despite spending significant time on the IL, stealing zero bases and having good-but-not-great contributions in other categories. But the hate for the 31-year-old has gone too far, as he is now going undrafted in most leagues despite having similar plate skills to his prime years and holding a premium spot in a solid lineup. As a last-round pick at a weak position, Correa could hold down the fort early in the season while his manager looks for breakout players on the waiver wire.

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1. José Ramírez, Guardians

3. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees

12. Colson Montgomery, White Sox

You can find our complete third baseman rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.

Shortstop is the fun zone of fantasy baseball, the donut shop with endless variety. Everything you want is here, just choose your own adventure. A whopping 16 players with shortstop eligibility finished in the top 100 fantasy players last season, assuming a 5×5 scoring system.

In an earlier era, the shortstop position was seen as “glove first, hitting a bonus” situation, but that’s gone the way of the dinosaur now. MLB clubs understand you need offense and defense at this critical spot.

Because the position has so many good options, you don’t really need a specific strategy for filling the shortstop spot. You’re going to draft these guys by accident because you’re focused on getting the offensive stats you need. Take note that if your league requires starting a utility middle in addition to a second baseman and shortstop, that UM player will probably be a shortstop because that position is considerably deeper.

More positional previews

Proactive Picks

Zach Neto, Angels (Yahoo ADP 39.0)

Neto won’t be a screaming bargain, but he’s likely undervalued simply because he missed 36 games last year and it slightly muted his counting stats. Neto has improved his average every season and already has the category juice you demand in the early rounds. Even with a pedestrian Anaheim lineup supporting him, I’ll consider Neto in the second round and pounce on him in the third. You want players on the escalator, and Neto steps into his age-25 season.

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Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks (ADP 62.9)

Perdomo was the No. 11 player in 5×5 value last year but his ADP is nowhere near that for the fresh season. This presents an attractive “regress and win” opportunity where Perdomo can actually give back a significant amount of last year’s stats and still be a fantasy profit. Perdomo is a high-percentage base stealer, just entering his age-26 season, so I’m not worried about that column. And he’s the rare player who had more walks than strikeouts last year, and those players are always attractive targets. Maybe the 20 homers won’t come back, but there’s enough broad profile here to make Perdomo a cornerstone player.

Colson Montgomery, White Sox (ADP 160.9)

It’s fair to worry about the average, which was .239 with the White Sox last year and just .246 during 376 games in the minors. But Montgomery at least does exciting things when he does make contact, conking 21 homers in just 255 at-bats with Chicago. His Baseball Savant page is full of validation, with plus marks in expected slugging, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and bat speed. Montgomery feels like a cinch for 30-plus homers and he’ll get extra volume as the No. 3 hitter in Chicago. Picking him might require some batting average care later, but we can manage that.

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Likely Fades

Mookie Betts, Dodgers (ADP 38.5)

I’ve often stated that you never lose money on a player like Betts, but maybe the loss years are here. It’s his age-33 season. The steals have all but evaporated. He’s playing a more demanding defensive position. His OPS+ last year was merely 104, slightly above the league mean. He’s also coming off his worst season in all three slash columns. Player ascension isn’t always linear, but player decline almost always is. I take no joy in writing any of this, because Betts himself is a joy.

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Corey Seager, Rangers (ADP 65.9)

It hurt me to fade Betts above and the same applies to Seager, one of the best hitters in baseball. Seager’s plate discipline is so perfect that there’s a popular zone-judgment metric that’s named after him. But the reality is that Seager has played just one full season out of the last seven (ignoring the 2020 truncated year) and that’s not a trend to swim against as he turns 32. Seager’s average has dropped into the .270s the last two years and he’s never been interested in stealing bases. I’ll stay open-minded if his price slips in my rooms, but I can’t consider him at current ADP.

Carlos Correa, Astros (ADP 200)

Esteemed colleague Fred Zinkie listed Correa as one of his third base sleepers, and I know from experience that disagreeing with Fred is not a +EV strategy. But I’d like to point out that Correa’s Yahoo ADP is about 60 spots higher than his global ADP, and he’s always going to carry batting-average and injury risk, in addition to the zero you’ll get in the stolen base column. This is also the weakest Houston lineup we’ve seen in a while; the Astros were 21st in runs scored last season.

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Sleepers

Otto Lopez, Marlins (ADP 213.1)

Lopez already showed us category juice last year (15 homers, 15 steals), and his .246 average is somewhat misleading. Lopez gets plus marks for his contact rate and zone discipline, and his expected average based on contact data was a solid .269. The typical Miami discount applies, too; it’s a fairly pedestrian roster, which often makes players like Lopez a few rounds cheaper in drafts than is justified.

Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies (ADP 197.7)

Let’s play some Occam’s Razor with the Tovar case. He plays in Colorado. He was a 26-homer guy two years ago. The 2025 mess is mostly excused by injury. Tovar will swing at just about anything but he’s maintained a career .258 average despite that approach. He also has a reasonable chance at double-digit steals over a full season.

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1. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

2. Elly De La Cruz, Reds

3. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles

4. Francisco Lindor, Mets

5. Zach Neto, Angels

6. Trea Turner, Phillies

7. Mookie Betts, Dodgers

8. Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks

9. Corey Seager, Rangers

10. Jeremy Peña, Astros

11. Bo Bichette, Mets

12. Maikel Garcia, Royals

You can find our complete shortstop rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.

Simple math shows that having a productive outfield group is essential to a winning fantasy lineup. After all, outfielders comprise 30-50% of the hitter lineup spots in a standard Yahoo leagues, depending on how each manager chooses to use their utility spots.

The number of outfield spots is just part of the equation, as the variety of skill sets available from this group provides an appealing amount of flexibility. Fantasy managers who need to make up for skill deficiencies at other positions — whether power, speed or batting average — can find what they need in the outfield at all points in the draft.

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Wise managers will spread out their outfield selections, hitting the position at various points throughout the draft. Getting a couple stars will be hard to resist, especially since there are eight outfielders who have an ADP within the initial 20 picks. But it also makes sense to save a couple outfield spots for the later rounds, especially in head-to-head category and rotisserie leagues, where managers can finish off their active lineup by using the depth at the position to find the exact type of player they need.

More positional previews

Proactive Picks

Kyle Tucker, Dodgers (Yahoo ADP 17.1)

The draft market has not yet adjusted to Tucker’s choice to sign with the Dodgers. Sure, he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness last summer, but Tucker has a long track record of excellence that should override any recent results. The 29-year-old now calls home to a park that maximizes power and will be surrounded by talented hitters. He belongs in the first round and could produce career-best marks in every standard category.

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Cody Bellinger, Yankees (Yahoo ADP 66.1)

Staying with the Yankees on a five-year contract was the best possible outcome for Bellinger. The homer-happy nature of Yankee Stadium raises both his power ceiling and floor, as is evidenced by the fact that he produced 18 of his 29 long balls at home in 2025. And beyond the pure power numbers, his membership in a lineup that led MLB in runs scored last year increases his odds of producing a substantial R+RBI total. His sneaky speed (six seasons with double-digit steals) makes Bellinger a top-50 asset for 2026 drafts.

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Christian Yelich, Brewers (Yahoo ADP 101.0)

Yelich isn’t being given enough credit for his terrific 2025 season. The 34-year-old was a major contributor in homers (29), runs (88) and RBI (103) last year, while also stealing more than 15 bases for the fourth straight season. Working almost exclusively as the DH has reduced his injury risk, and he is well-supported by a strong lineup that ranked third in runs scored last year. Currently being selected in the range of pick 100, Yelich should be drafted at least two rounds earlier.

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Possible Fades

Byron Buxton, Twins (Yahoo ADP 95.2)

Can lightning strike twice? That’s what needs to happen for Buxton to be a major fantasy contributor for a second straight year. There is no doubt that the 32-year-old can excel on a per-game basis. But even in a relatively healthy 2025 season, Buxton still managed to play in just 126 games. Most of his games played totals are two-digit numbers, which means that managers who are expecting another healthy season are probably setting themselves up for disappointment.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox (Yahoo ADP 159.6)

An excellent fielder, Rafaela has tremendous value to the Red Sox. Unfortunately, fantasy managers can’t extract value from his fielding acumen, and his offensive numbers leave something to be desired. Rafaela’s respectable 2025 season was mostly spurred by two good months in June and July, as he logged a sub-.700 OPS in each of the other four months and a lowly .587 OPS in the second half. The Red Sox have a crowded outfield and could reduce the 25-year-old’s playing time if he gets off to a poor start.

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Mike Trout, Angels (Yahoo ADP 167.8)

Trout has some similarities to Buxton, as even though he played in 130 games last year, he is likely to miss significant time in any given season. And with Trout, the ceiling is much lower than that of Buxton. After all, Trout has hit .230 across the past two seasons, and he offers minimal steals contributions. Unfortunately, the reward is no longer worth the risk in standard-sized leagues.

Sleepers

Konnor Griffin, Pirates (Yahoo ADP 207.1)

The consensus best prospect in baseball, Griffin could debut as soon as Opening Day. After all, while the Pirates are traditionally slow to promote their prospects, they are starting to turn the corner in a long rebuild and have a limited window to maximize the talent that surrounds ace right-hander Paul Skenes. Griffin has a fantasy-friendly skill set (.333 BA, 21 HR, 65 SB in 2025) and could be a top-50 player this season. He’s worth stashing in every league.

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Ramón Laureano, Padres (Yahoo ADP 217.3)

Fantasy managers aren’t recognizing Laureano’s terrific 2025 season in which he hit .281 with 24 homers in 132 games. Sure, the memorable campaign mostly came out of nowhere, but this isn’t the 31-year-old’s first strong season, as he hit .288 with 24 long balls and 13 steals way back in 2019. Some regression on a per-game basis will be offset by logging a heavier workload on a Padres team that has some stars but lacks depth.

Daylen Lile, Nationals (Yahoo ADP 216.3)

At the exact moment when most fantasy managers turned their attention to football, Lile decided to break out. He hit .391 with six homers and a 1.212 OPS in September and ranked among the top-10 players in both runs (20) and RBI (19). The memorable finish ensures the 23-year-old a heavy workload and premium lineup spot on the rebuilding Nats, and his Yahoo roster rate should be much higher than its current mark of 54%.

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1. Aaron Judge, Yankees

2. Juan Soto, Mets

3. Kyle Tucker, Dodgers

4. Julio Rodríguez, Mariners

5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

6. Jackson Chourio, Brewers

7. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

8. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

9. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

10. Yordan Alvarez, Astros

11. Brent Rooker, Athletics

12. Jarren Duran, Red Sox

You can find our complete outfield rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.