Mick Ciallela | Thu, Mar 5th 2026, 7:19am EST

12 Deep League Targets (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

They say you can’t win your fantasy baseball drafts in the first few rounds. That implies you need to win them later. The way to do so is to make targeted selections in the later rounds, when others are simply filling roster spots or picking whoever sits atop the average draft position (ADP) list.

Below are some players I am targeting towards the end of drafts. These are all players who are currently available outside of the top 300 overall in both expert consensus rankings (ECR) and February ADP. Spoiler alert: not every player on this list will fit the traditional sleeper label.

There won’t be many rookies or non-roster invitees mentioned below. Sometimes, the boring players nobody wants turn out to be the best values once all is said and done.

Fantasy Baseball Deep League Targets

Josh Bell (1B – MIN) | ECR: 303 | ADP: 433

Nobody likes Josh Bell. Analysts don’t like him. We ranked him outside of the top 300 overall. Fantasy managers don’t like him. They are currently drafting him outside of the top 400 overall. Major League Baseball teams don’t like him. Minnesota will be the sixth different team (including two stints in Washington) that Bell has played for since 2022.

Yet, all Bell does is show up every day and perform at a respectable level. Since 2017, Bell has played 91.6% of his team’s games. And while the days of .277-94-37-116 are likely long behind him, here is something to consider: When Bell put up those numbers in 2019, he had a 12.7% barrel rate and 47.2% hard-hit rate. Last year, Bell had a 12% barrel rate and 47% hard-hit rate. Bell is still just 33 years old.

Even if the counting stats never again approach 2019 levels, Bell should remain a solid contributor in 2026. Since 2022, Bell has hit .251 while averaging 20 home runs, 62 runs and 70 RBI. Those numbers are never going to jump off the page. But they are exactly the kind of stabilizing numbers fantasy managers will appreciate come October.

Bell should hit in the middle of Minnesota’s lineup and get a full complement of at-bats. He is a great fit for a corner infield or utility slot once all the big names have been scooped off the board.

Jameson Taillon (SP – CHC) | ECR: 306 | ADP: 325

I try not to draft pitchers who do not strike out many batters. Jameson Taillon is one of those pitchers. Last year, 127 pitchers threw at least 100 innings. Taillon finished 93rd among that group in strikeout rate. However, Taillon provides a late-round edge that very few pitchers can lay claim to. Taillon can be a very effective and low-cost ratio stabilizer.

The veteran’s 1.06 WHIP in 2025 was 19th-best among those 127 pitchers with at least 100 innings. And while the primary reason was his always low walk rate, Taillon was very good at limiting base hits. His .224 batting average allowed was 33rd in this group, two spots higher than Cristopher Sanchez. If you can secure strikeouts earlier in the draft, Taillon is a solid late-round target.

Robert Garcia (RP – TEX) | ECR: 319 | ADP: 339

When you get to this point in a fantasy baseball draft, there are realistically no lockdown closers left. Robert Garcia of the Texas Rangers is one of the few on the board at this stage who should at least begin the 2026 regular season as his team’s primary ninth-inning option.

The Rangers are Garcia’s third MLB team in as many seasons, and he has proven to be a solid reliever. Garcia enters this season with a career 27.2% strikeout rate to go along with a 3.58 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. His earned run indicators (xERA, FIP, xFIP) are slightly more favorable.

The downside is that Garcia lost the closer’s job last season after a rough patch in early August. There is no guarantee he can avoid a similar fate in 2026. Chris Martin and Alexis Diaz appear to be Garcia’s chief competitors for the gig. Martin has never been a primary stopper. Diaz had 65 total saves between 2023 and 2024 before imploding last year. Diaz was so bad that three different teams gave up on him in 2025.

Technically, Diaz elected free agency rather than accept Atlanta’s minor league assignment, but the point remains. He has been just as bad so far this spring. If Garcia can keep Martin at bay, he should be the team’s best option. If you are left holding the bag when it comes to closers, Garcia makes for a solid pick after the more obvious choices are gone.

Willi Castro (2B, 3B, OF – COL) | ECR: 325 | ADP: 403

Willi Castro is about as far from a Statcast darling as you can get. But he does produce some fantasy-worthy numbers when given the chance. In two and a half seasons in Minnesota, Castro hit .250 while averaging 66 runs and 19 stolen bases. He also added 11 homers per year. That number (as well as his batting average) could be in for a slight bump following Castro’s signing with the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies are terrible, but Coors Field is still Coors Field. The hitters haven led all MLB parks with a 113 overall factor. That makes it 13% more hitter-friendly than the average ballpark. Castro’s versatility should find him in the lineup on a nearly everyday basis. It can also benefit fantasy managers who can make the most out of a chess piece like Castro.

Jacob Lopez (SP – ATH) | ECR: 364 | ADP: 457

Jacob Lopez exhibited elite strikeout potential in his first real taste of MLB action last season. Lopez had a 29.3% strikeout rate in 92.2 innings pitched. That put him in the 85th percentile among all pitchers. Better still, Lopez was in the 94th percentile in both hard-hit rate and average exit velocity allowed.

The main reason Lopez sits on this list is that his 2025 season was cut short due to a flexor strain. He began throwing live batting practice last week, but is still behind the curve as spring training ramps up. There is a decent chance he will not be fully ready to contribute come Opening Day.

I suspect the Athletics will not be in any hurry to overextend Lopez early in the season. If you draft Lopez, make sure you have a placeholder for the first few weeks of the season, if necessary.

Chad Patrick (SP – MIL) | ECR: 368 | ADP: 411

Among the 127 pitchers who threw at least 100 Major League innings in 2025, nine averaged at least a strikeout per inning while allowing fewer than one home run per nine innings. Here is the list of those nine pitchers along with their current ADPs:

Am I saying Chad Patrick belongs in the same conversation as those other arms? No, I am not. But he does not have to be to be considered a huge value this late in drafts. Patrick should be able to keep the rotation spot that he earned in his rookie season.

Even if the Milwaukee Brewers lose a few games from last year’s 97-win squad, they will still be an above-average team. That gives Patrick a better chance than most streamers to rack up wins. Patrick should provide solid numbers across the board and costs nothing essentially.

Dylan Beavers (OF – BAL) | ECR: 380 | ADP: 356

Dylan Beavers is the latest Baltimore Orioles prospect to make the ascent to the Majors in recent years. Since being drafted 33rd overall by Baltimore in 2022, Beavers has proven he can be a future star. Over the past three minor league seasons, Beavers averaged 15 home runs and 27 stolen bases in just 113 games per year.

But the skill that will translate the most towards Beavers’ Big League success is his elite eye at the plate. Beavers had a walk rate of over 1 in his MILB career and one-upped that with a 19% mark in 35 games with Baltimore last season. That trait should enable him to avoid many prolonged slumps.

Baltimore has plenty of offensive firepower, which could be seen as a positive or a negative. On one hand, Beavers is no lock for 500-plus plate appearances, given the number of options the Orioles have. The good news is that his pedigree and skill set should keep him in the lineup most of the time.

Beavers can hold his own against left-handed pitching. He posted an on-base percentage (OBP) of .370 or higher in three of his four minor league campaigns against southpaws. That makes his potential much higher than that of your typical platoon player.

And there will be no shortage of opportunities for him to contribute across all five Roto categories when his name is on the lineup card. Dylan Beavers is one of my favorite late-round targets in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.

Tyler O’Neill (OF – BAL) | ECR: 388 | ADP: 489

Draft fatigue is a real thing. Just consider how little the fantasy baseball community wants anything to do with Tyler O’Neill in 2026. We’ve all bought into O’Neill at some point since his Major League debut in 2018. And more often than not, we have been left with a sour taste in our mouths. O’Neill has played in 100+ games just twice in eight Big League seasons.

O’Neill is constantly battling injuries, and Baltimore has no shortage of bats for the 30-year-old to contend with. However, you would be hard-pressed to find many hitters with O’Neill’s power upside at this stage of your drafts. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, O’Neill hit 40 home runs, with 96 runs and 87 RBI in 167 games. He has even chipped in eight stolen bases to boot.

I am not suggesting that O’Neill will approach those numbers in 2026. But for as long as he is healthy, he should put up numbers in a potent Orioles lineup. He is an ideal best ball target and could have redraft value as well. O’Neill is the type of player you can grab for free and ride out for as long as he remains healthy. There is virtually no downside at this price point.

Dominic Canzone (OF – SEA) | ECR: 407 | ADP: 387

Sure, it would be nice if every hitter we drafted were guaranteed 600 plate appearances. But that is not the reality in this era of platoons and specialists. Once we have drafted our foundational players, we should seek quality over quantity.

Dominic Canzone was a high-quality player last season. In 2025, there were 389 batters with at least 100 batted ball events. Canzone ranked 11th among those players in batting average. More importantly, his underlying metrics suggest that Canzone can provide even more bang for your buck.

Expected Batting Average: 10th
Expected Slugging Percentage: 18th
Expected Weighted On-Base Average: 16th

The issue (and the reason he is an afterthought in drafts) is that Canzone is basically a platoon player. He is likely to hover around 400 plate appearances in 2026. Seattle has a solid starting outfield and signed Rob Refsnyder to be their primary designated hitter against left-handed pitching.

Still, Canzone should drive in plenty of production when he is in the lineup. He is one of my favorite targets at the end of drafts, especially in formats where you can set lineups more than once per week.

Johan Oviedo (SP – BOS) | ECR: 441 | ADP: 528

Johan Oviedo is far from a lock to make Boston’s starting rotation coming out of camp. Boston has a solid starting quartet, and Payton Tolle and Connelly Early project to make their cases as well. But Oviedo was solid in limited action last year after missing over a year and a half following Tommy John Surgery and suffering a subsequent lat injury.

Oviedo flashed some solid strikeout upside, fanning 24.7% of hitters. Walks will likely always be an issue for the former Pirate. However, if he can hold hitters anywhere near last year’s .181 average (or even his .211 xBA allowed), fantasy managers will probably make that trade, especially at this point in the draft. Keep in mind Oviedo’s most recent spring training outing may bump his draft price up over the next few days.

Heriberto Hernandez (OF – MIA) | ECR: 612 | ADP: 643

Heriberto Hernandez hit 10 home runs in fewer than 300 plate appearances with Miami last year. Those power numbers are in line with his recent minor league output. From 2022 through 2024, Hernandez averaged 20 homers per year despite never reaching 500 plate appearances in any of those seasons. Even more impressive is his eye at the plate.

Hernandez has posted a double-digit walk rate at every stop throughout his professional career. Early playing time may be a question mark, but if Hernandez gets off to a hot start, he can earn more at-bats. If you grabbed one of the outfielders above as a deep league or late-round draft pick, you may not have much of a need for Hernandez. Odds are that he will go undrafted in a large majority of fantasy baseball leagues. However, I believe he is a name to watch during the spring.

Sean Newcomb (RP – CWS) | ECR: 695 | ADP: 707

Anytime you can draft a pitcher on one of the worst teams in baseball who doesn’t have a defined role, you’ve got to do it. I say that in jest. However, I believe there is a real chance Sean Newcomb can earn a spot in the starting rotation for the Chicago White Sox.

First, let’s start with how Newcomb performed after returning to the Athletics following a disappointing stint in Boston to begin last season. From June 1st, 276 pitchers threw at least 40 MLB innings. Newcomb’s 1.88 ERA was 15th-best among that group, and his 1.02 WHIP was 44th.

Newcomb’s underlying metrics were also impressive. He ranked 14th in barrel rate allowed and 27th in hard-hit rate allowed. The White Sox signed Newcomb to a $4.5 million deal for 2026. Newcomb’s guaranteed salary is the seventh-highest among White Sox players this year.

While Newcomb is most likely to settle into a middle reliever role, it is not as if the White Sox are flush with starting pitching. Shane Smith is the only current projected member of Chicago’s rotation with a career xERA below 4.78.

I do not think it’s ridiculous to believe Newcomb could overtake any of Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Anthony Kay or Erick Fedde. At a draft price only reserved for the deepest of leagues, Sean Newcomb is at least worth a flier.

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