Justin Mason | Tue, Feb 3rd 2026, 7:09am EST

8 Sleepers & Breakout Players to Draft (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

Every year we enter our drafts with values and ranks ready to do our best. What separates the good and bad draft decisions is the price points. If we can find players that have yet to break out or are being slept on by the market, we can profit immensely. Here are some of my fantasy baseball sleepers and breakouts for 2026.

Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Breakout Players to Draft

Ivan Herrera (C/DH – STL) | NFBC ADP: 176.97

Herrera was fantastic when he was on the field, but he struggled with injury which limited him to just 452 plate appearances. The underlying numbers are fantastic too. He will resume catching at some point which will get him catcher eligibility back, but it may take a while as he recovers from elbow. He will DH in the meantime and that is great because he can rack up a lot of plate appearances before he even crouches behind the plate.

Royce Lewis (3B – MIN) | NFBC ADP: 199.71

Lewis has all the talent in the world, but has yet to stay on the field due to injuries. He was a risky bet last season when his ADP was so high, but now that his ADP is this low he is primed to buy. It will be a risk because he has yet to log more than 403 plate appearances in a single MLB season, but if it hits he could be a 30/20 guy that you got late for your draft.

Jac Caglianone (1B/OF – KC) | NFBC ADP: 225.89

Caglianone is coming off of a bad debut season, hitting .157/.237/.295 with seven home runs and one stolen base. However, the underlying skills were much better. His xBA was .241, his barrel rate was 12% and his max exit velocity was in the top 10 percentile of the league. He makes very good in zone contact, but can swing too much out of the zone. The Royals are also lowering and moving in their fences, so there could be a nice power jump as well.

Kazuma Okamoto (1B/3B – TOR) | NFBC ADP: 260.18

Okamoto is coming over from Japan to play third base for the Blue Jays. He is not your typical third baseman and will be more of a contact first profile. He is going to a great team and could work his way up the lineup after he adjusts to Major League pitching. At worst he will have a pretty safe floor, but at best he could hit .290 with 25+ homers.

Andrew Vaughn (1B – MIL) | NFBC ADP: 292.26

Vaughn has been a disappointment so far in his career after being a top tier prospect, but never lived up to the hype in Chicago. However, after he was traded to the Brewers and called up, he hit nine home runs with a .311/.377/.493 triple slash in 258 plate appearances. The underlying numbers were very good then too. He had a 91.6 mph average exit velocity, a 11% barrel rate, and a 47% hard hit percentage. He will be the starting first baseman from Day 1 and could have a massive season if he can maintain the skills we saw in Milwaukee.

Zebby Matthews (SP – MIN) | NFBC ADP: 303.08

Matthews has amazing stuff that wasn’t reflected in the bad rookie season. However, he had a Stuff+ of 106 and a Location+ of 103. His control was good as well with a 7% walk rate. It will come down to command for Matthews. If he can keep the home run rate at a reasonable level, he could have a massive breakout.

Grayson Rodriguez (SP – LAA) | NFBC ADP: 310.61

Due to injuries, Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since 2024 and has never thrown 125+ Major League innings in a season. However, he is a former top prospect that has shown flashes at the Major League level. It will obviously come down to health, but the talent is not in question if the health is there.

Parker Messick (SP – CLE) | NFBC ADP: 310.66

In a year with a lot of second year starters that are exciting, Messick has been overlooked. He was fantastic in his 39.2 innings at the Majors and in his 98.2 minor league innings. He is being overlooked because he doesn’t have the prospect pedigree of other young starters, but the minor league numbers are very good and the command and control were great in the Majors.

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