It’s important to get the early rounds of your fantasy drafts right. While the initial picks are certainly important, owners can really separate from the pack with the players they select in the later rounds. Snagging what turns out to be a top-50 player after the picks hit triple digits can distance you from the competition. We’ve asked out writers for the players they are targeting the most outside of the top 100 rankings.
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Which player outside the top 100 ECR are you targeting the most?
Brian Dozier (2B – WAS)
“I’ve already spoken about my love for Ryan Braun and Charlie Morton elsewhere, so I’ll focus here on the merits of one Brian Dozier. Dozier was a top-25 player in standard 5×5 formats in both 2016 and 2017 but is coming off a really rough 2018 season. The main culprit was a .240 BABIP that was much lower than his career average, even though his batted ball profile was basically the same. Dozier also had other circumstances working against him, including playing through a bone bruise and having to adjust to National League pitchers midway through the season. Now healthy and a bit more familiar with NL pitchers, Dozier is a great bounce-back candidate who can provide plenty of power and speed at a position where difference-making talents are hard to find.”
– Andrew Seifter (@andrew_seifter)
Eloy Jimenez (OF – CWS)
“Jimenez is currently listed at 114 according to our expert consensus rankings (ECR), and that’s just too low. Jimenez didn’t have a big spring training the way Ronald Acuna did last year so the hype surrounding him was relatively contained. The 22-year-old was officially reassigned to the minors on March 13th after hitting just .154 (4-for-26) throughout Cactus League play. The quiet spring shouldn’t scare fantasy players. If anything it’ll lower his stock a bit, which could make him even more of a value. Jimenez tore apart minor league pitching last season, posting a triple slash line of .337/.384/.577 with 22 homers in 108 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Were it not for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jimenez would likely be going earlier in drafts. Instead, the young outfielder is somewhat flying under the radar. He has nothing left to prove in Triple-A, which means the White Sox are very likely to call him up in mid-April once his service time date passes. Jimenez should be a top-25 fantasy outfielder right away with the upside for an even bigger ceiling.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)
Miguel Cabrera (1B – DET)
“I had the privilege of talking with Jayson Stark on the FantasyPros Baseball Podcast last week and he confirmed the rumors that Miguel Cabrera has never been in better shape. I was already extremely high on Cabrera, who has got an MVP vote in every single season of his career that he has been healthy. Keep in mind, the last time we saw Cabrera healthy, he swatted 38 homers with 108 RBIs and a .316 batting average. Granted, it was two years ago, but let’s not pretend David Ortiz and Nelson Cruz haven’t posted huge offensive seasons deep into their 30s as DHs. Cabrera could do the same this year for Detroit if he stays healthy.”
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypros)
Mike Moustakas (3B – MIL)
“I explained my affinity for the underrated Moustakas in FantasyPros’ “Third Base Ranking Tiers” a few weeks ago. It bears repeating: The Milwaukee slugger is still in his prime while averaging 33 HR and 90 RBI with a .260-ish average over his past two seasons. Consider that his baseline with room for much more while playing his games in a hitter-friendly ballpark. It doesn’t hurt that the Brewers are surrounding him with capable hitters as well. Moustakas is ranked 120 according to the expert consensus rankings (ECR) with an even higher average draft position (ADP) of 142. He’s a steal at those spots with bankable projections of 30 HRs and 90-100 RBIs. He won’t kill your average either, as most mid-to-late round sluggers often do. It’s a bonus that he’ll gain second base eligibility this season as well.”
– Spencer Limbach (@Spencer_JL)
Ross Stripling (SP – LAD)
“Opportunity was the main factor driving down Stripling’s price, but he’ll open the season in the Dodgers’ rotation with Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler both not ready for Opening Day. The typically cautious club will likely treat both old and young aces with caution, and nobody expects Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, or Kenta Maeda to work more than 150 frames this season. Although he cratered down the stretch, Stripling carried an elite 2.08 ERA and 24.5 BB% into the All-Star break. Despite ending 2018 with a 3.02 ERA, he endured some misfortune in the form of a (still stellar) .309 wOBA well above his sensational .266 xwOBA. No starting pitcher faced a more misfortunate discrepancy. This ace upside — even if just for 120-150 innings — makes him worth the gamble outside the top-150 picks.”
– Andrew Gould (@andrewgould4)
Corey Knebel (RP – MIL)
“If you watched Corey Knebel pitch down the stretch of last season, you saw he was filthy. Knebel finished off the year tossing 16.1 straight scoreless frames, lowering his ERA from 5.08 to 3.58. Yes, he lost his grip on the closing role for the Brewers before this stretch, but that’s exactly what is making him such a bargain in 2019. Knebel’s hamstring injury toward the beginning of the year is what most believe was the cause of his struggles. And even with those struggles, his FIP and xFIP were still 3.03 and 2.40, respectively. There are tons of reasons to believe Knebel will fully bounce back in 2019. Add in the fact that Jeremy Jeffress is likely to start the year on the IL, and this is Knebel’s job, plain and simple. With the stuff he has and the fact he plays for a strong team, Corey Knebel makes for a fantastic value at pick 134 overall in the ECR.”
– Alex Altmix (@altmix_23)
Stephen Piscotty (OF – OAK)
“Piscotty makes for a tremendous OF3 at his current price. Everyone is touting their love for Michael Conforto and his great second half, but Piscotty had a very similar second half, and actually has a prior track record of being fantasy relevant for a full season (see 2016). After his mom sadly passed early in the season, he seemed to right the ship, hitting 16 homers from July through the end of the season. He started hitting the ball harder (up to 44% after 41% in the first half), and hit more fly balls, resulting in a deserved increase in dingers. I’m expecting 30 homers from Piscotty with a combined 190 runs and RBI — shades of 2016.”
– Carmen Maiorano (@cmaiorano3)
Travis Shaw (2B/3B/1B – MIL)
“Not only is Travis Shaw eligible at first base, second base, and third base in most formats, he is being inexplicably undervalued this season and could finish in the top-10 hitters in any of those positions. Despite hitting just .241 thanks to a .242 BABIP, Shaw managed to hit 32 home runs, score 73 runs, and drive in 86 while moving all around the infield and the lineup for the Brewers last season. He also managed to increase his BB% and Hard% while decreasing his K%, so his current ECR of 103 is an absolute steal. I already have a ton of Travis Shaw stock this year, and I plan to add more in my upcoming drafts.”
– Mike Maher (@MikeMaher)
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