Justin Mason | Mon, Jan 12th 2026, 7:06am EST

10 Fantasy Baseball Draft Mistakes to Avoid (2026)

Every fantasy baseball season, we sit around our draft tables waiting to make picks, but some at the table are going to be more prepared than others for the twists and turns along the way. There are a number of pitfalls that players can fall into that can ruin a season. To avoid that, I have put together a list of common mistakes players make to help you avoid falling victim to those pitfalls.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Knowing Your Rules

This is the first rule of fantasy sports. Whether this is your first year playing or you’re a seasoned vet, knowing your rules can be the difference between winning and losing. There are ways to maximize your ability to win and minimize your way to lose. Knowing your rules will give you the best opportunity to do that. You should know your league constitution like the back of your hand.

2. Being Unprepared

Chances are that if you are reading this in January, you will be prepared come draft day, but I can’t tell you how many times I have seen someone show up to the draft without doing enough prep. If you are the type to print fantasy baseball rankings 10 minutes before the draft as your prep, you are bound to finish in last place.

You should not only have a good understanding of the player pool, but also a strategy for how you want your draft or auction to go. If you are properly prepared, you will have the ability to pivot when things in a draft or auction go sideways. Spend the time it takes to be prepared.

3. Not Having a Backup Plan

As mentioned above, sometimes things won’t go the way you planned, so it is important to have a backup plan. Maybe you wanted to build your team around Corbin Carroll, but someone takes him right before you pick.

You need to be prepared for things to go haywire. I recommend doing a customized snake fantasy baseball mock draft and creating a decision tree that outlines a wide range of possibilities. You should prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

4. Waiting Too Long

This is one we all do. We identify sleepers and then play chicken with average draft position (ADP) and our league mates. We all want to extract as much value as we can by drafting players as late as possible, but if we have must-draft targets, you shouldn’t wait too long.

I would rather spend an 11th-round pick on someone I value as a 16th-round talent than risk him going before my pick, even if he has an ADP in the 14th round. Remember that ADP is a set of data that weighs the good drafters and bad drafts equally. It is a tool to use, but not one to live by. Don’t be afraid to reach on players who are important to you.

5. Drafting “Values”

On the flipside of getting your guys, I often see people draft players who fell because of the perceived value. This is putting too much weight into ADP or rankings. There is nothing wrong with taking a player who fell and you value as a great fit, but people draft them just because they fell. There is often a reason why players fall.

Remember, ADP is built by every player taken in every draft, which means it weighs the teams that are going to finish last as much as the teams that are going to finish first. Judging a player as a value just because he dipped past his ADP is fairly meaningless unless you have determined his value is greater than the pick. If you didn’t like him enough to take him at cost, you probably shouldn’t like him just because he is cheaper.

6. Taking on Injury Risk

There is nothing inherently wrong with taking on an injury-risk player. However, when you spend a high draft pick on one or you compound that risk by taking multiple risky players, you are adding to your overall risk profile. The more a risk-profile your team has, the less likely you are to have a good season. Yes, risky upside players are fun, but choose them wisely and don’t load your team with them, or you will regret it by summer.

7. Too Much Upside Early

A lot of drafters select players with massive upside early and do not think about the risks involved. Obviously, you want league-winners, but in the first few rounds of drafts, you should be thinking about players more likely to return value. In the top 30-40 picks, everyone is a stud for the most part. It is more important to think about who is most likely not be a bust than who is more likely to be the highest-scoring player.

For example, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has the talent to be the top player in fantasy baseball, but he has a ton of risk because of his health. Francisco Lindor is almost guaranteed not to be the top overall player in fantasy, but his floor is super high. I would rather draft the safe player early and take my risks later with players that I am more OK with dropping.

8. Not Trusting Yourself

This is something I struggle with at times. I put a ton of time, sweat, blood and tears into my prep work for drafts and the season, but I still draft hyped players rather than my own targets. If you are like me and put a ton of work into your prep, trust your process and yourself.

9. Not Using Your Own Rankings

This may be blasphemy writing on a site like FantasyPros, but using someone else’s rankings as a fantasy baseball draft cheat sheet is a mistake. Not everyone has the time to create their own rankings, but if you want to be a strong fantasy player, you need your own ranks.

At the bare minimum, you should find a set of rankings from a source you trust and then adjust to your league format or personal tastes. If you are going to just draft off of someone else’s ranks or projections, you’re not drafting your team. That does not often end well.

10. Taking Things Too Seriously

I love fantasy baseball, and I am extremely competitive. I not only want to win every league, but I also want to dominate them. However, in the end, this is a game we play because it is fun. There are going to be ups and downs, and we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we play this game, first and foremost, for enjoyment.

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