14 Players the Experts 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

Here are players the experts are avoiding at costs in fantasy baseball drafts.

Fantasy Baseball Experts Avoid Top Closers at Cost

This depends on format, but in general experts take the approach of waiting on reliever.

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
53	Edwin Diaz	LAD	RP1	27	213	58.9	18.7	-10
55	Mason Miller	SD	RP2	28	251	59.7	20	-13
67	Andres Munoz	SEA	RP3	34	206	71.4	19	-13
68	Jhoan Duran	PHI	RP4	35	248	71.8	19.6	-8
82	Cade Smith	CLE	RP5	37	181	84.1	37	-18
101	David Bednar	NYY	RP6	45	250	109.7	46.4	-15
103	Aroldis Chapman	BOS	RP7	54	254	110.6	45.3	-22

Other Players Experts Avoid

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
16	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF7	5	37	17.1	7.8	-6
25	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS5	16	41	26.8	7.8	-5
59	Brice Turang	MIL	2B3	32	162	60.8	15.8	-14
63	Cody Bellinger	NYY	OF16	46	160	62.8	10.5	-7
72	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS9	40	161	75.5	13.7	-10
76	Ben Rice	NYY	1B10	47	168	78.8	24.6	-10
86	Hunter Goodman	COL	C4	44	175	87.3	27.3	-11

Corbin Carroll (OF – ARI)

Corbin Carroll made a noticeable jump in power in 2025, setting career bests with 31 home runs, 84 RBI, a .541 slugging percentage, and a 14.5% barrel rate. The added thump came with a higher strikeout rate (23.8%), but the tradeoff paid off as he still delivered elite all-around production, scoring 107 runs and swiping 32 bases. After an injury-marred 2024, his batting average bounced back from .231 to .259. Heading into his age-25 season, Carroll had been projected to come within striking distance of a rare 30 HR / 100 RBI / 100 R / 30 SB campaign, but a Spring Training injury to his hamate bone could impact his power output, moving him down in drafts and making him riskier than he was before.
– Kelly Kirby

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.