Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to more advanced strategy – like How to Make Custom Fantasy Baseball Rankings with Microsoft Excel – to learn more.

While the delay to the start of the MLB season is hard on everyone, it does allow for deeper dives into different aspects of fantasy baseball. You’ll notice that we’re doing this on a team-by-team and player-by-player basis with a pair of series we’ve put together. Additionally, we’re going to examine fantasy baseball on a round-by-round basis, covering 12 players per article and providing you a plethora of info specific to each fantasy baseball round.

We’ll keep things going with Round 18. You can find the complete series here.

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Round 18 Player List

Expert Analysis*

 
*Value: A total assigned to how the overall fantasy value of the round compares with other rounds relative to ADP/ECR (10 = most value : 1 = least value); Risk: A total assigned to how much potential risk exists compared with other rounds (10 = most risk : 1 = least risk); Studs: the number of potential league-winning players that can be found in the round; Busts: the number of potential busts that can be found in the round.

Q1. Who has the most league-winning potential of any Round 18 fantasy pick?

 
Q2. Who has the biggest bust potential of any Round 18 fantasy pick?

 
Q3. What is your general strategy tip for Round 18?

Hunter Renfroe is extremely intriguing this late in the draft. He has light-tower power, whacking 27 HRs in the first half of last season. When the Rays make a trade for a player, I pay attention. Hunter Dozier is also a player that I believe in the breakout from last year and this is a cheap price for someone who will hit for power with some speed. Senzel is a former top prospect that struggled with injuries, but if healthy he has great upside. I don’t trust Ian Kennedy because the Royals will probably try to find a younger closing option at some point.
– Jarad Evans (@Jarad_Evans)

After preferring the last round’s pitchers, all of this grouping’s value resides in the batter’s box. Cron and Wong are two of my top candidates at the corner and middle infield, respectively. Although neither is a league-winner, they offer nice value beyond the top-200 picks. Crowded depth charts are the main reason Pederson, Renfroe, and Senzel have fallen this far. It’s easy to see one of them staying in the lineup and making this ECR look laughably low.
– Andrew Gould (@AndrewGould4)

Senzel and Dozier bring some nice upside to the table here, and there are some reliable power bats present as well with Cron, Pederson, and Renfroe. This is about the time I am okay with taking a couple of closers, because most of the hitters start looking very similar for the rest of the draft around this time.
– Jon Anderson (@JonPGH)

I’m actually a much bigger fan of this list than the last one, and it’s probably because we are diving into the deepest end of the ‘veteran with value’ pool. Joey Votto is still a viable fantasy baseball option, while Carlos Martinez could be a pleasant surprise. The bonus, here, is that the sleepers also have tremendous potential. Ryan McMahon and Hunter Renfroe are two of the names I’d love at this point if my roster aligns with such a pick.
– Mario Mergola (@MarioMergola)

I’m still focused on needs here. This round is littered with hitters, so that’s likely where my pick is going. I’m happy with Wong as my starting second baseman here. However, if the league I’m in has a corner infield spot and Walker is on the board, I’m gobbling him up every single time. I also love Melancon at this range, making for a solid second closer if you’ve been neglecting the position. This round is also great for homers with Renfroe and Cron.
– Carmen Maiorano (@carmsclubhouse)

After Carlos Martinez, who should be in the Cardinals rotation, this round is ugly. I wouldn’t mind getting Nick Senzel on my roster later in the draft but I’m avoiding every other name listed. Rather, I’ll take whoever falls to me from the prior round or reach for an upside play I love like Rich Hill or Brendan McKay.
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)

This is a round where I’m almost always targeting a bat, and it’s either Christian Walker, Ryan McMahon, Hunter Dozier, or C.J. Cron. None of these players is likely to win your league for you. But they’re the type of solid players who are more often than not found on championship teams. If you can land one of those four this late, you should be extremely satisfied.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Complete Round-by-Round Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis

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