25 Players the Experts Draft & Avoid (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable players below.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice

Let’s look at players fantasy baseball experts target and avoid based on comparing our expert consensus rankings to fantasy baseball average draft position.

Players Experts Target at ADP

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
6	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF3	5	13	7.6	2	3
9	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF5	7	11	9.2	1.2	4
14	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	SS3	11	20	14	1.4	5
30	Bryce Harper	PHI	1B4	27	42	32.4	3.1	8
31	Matt Olson	ATL	1B5	25	48	33	5	6
33	Rafael Devers	SF	1B6	26	50	34.6	6.7	8
44	Cole Ragans	KC	SP12	28	62	45.6	5.9	9
53	Austin Riley	ATL	3B4	43	79	56.6	9.1	12
54	Joe Ryan	MIN	SP15	43	86	58.4	6.1	13
56	Cody Bellinger	NYY	OF17	45	73	59.9	5.2	10
58	George Kirby	SEA	SP16	46	84	61.1	6.3	14
63	Spencer Schwellenbach	ATL	SP19	54	84	63.7	5.2	18
64	Dylan Cease	TOR	SP20	46	95	65.8	13.1	11
66	Jesus Luzardo	PHI	SP21	59	93	69.4	4.1	13
68	Corey Seager	TEX	SS10	52	83	71.1	6.6	14

Players Experts Avoid at ADP

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
36	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF10	25	131	36.7	10.3	-6
38	James Wood	WSH	OF11	27	65	37.9	6.9	-5
57	Brice Turang	MIL	2B3	32	101	60	13.1	-12
67	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS9	40	92	69.8	13.2	-7
74	Byron Buxton	MIN	CF2	56	155	77.2	11.5	-6
80	Maikel Garcia	KC	2B4	64	99	80.8	6.4	-7
105	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF23	57	219	110.9	24.9	-12
131	Jacob Misiorowski	MIL	SP40	93	193	131.1	14.1	-10
139	Chase Burns	CIN	SP,RP1	94	193	140.7	24	-19
142	Jackson Holliday	BAL	2B10	116	184	142.3	14.8	-23

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.