22 Players 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: Players to Avoid

Early-Round Catchers

Experts tend to fade catchers early in shallower fantasy baseball formats given the projected depth at the position. This is specific to shallow, one-catcher leagues.

20	Cal Raleigh	SEA	C1	11	36	20.1	3.8	-6
58	William Contreras	MIL	C2	34	117	61.7	12.3	-4
78	Hunter Goodman	COL	C4	46	162	78	18.5	-5
103	Salvador Perez	KC	C5	73	164	108.8	16.3	-5
109	Drake Baldwin	ATL	C6	74	181	118.8	28	-5
116	Will Smith	LAD	C7	75	167	122.3	21.7	-17

Early-Round Closers & Relievers

In the same vein, experts tend to wait on relievers and closers in standard fantasy baseball drafts (10- and 12-team leagues)

53	Mason Miller	SD	RP1	29	204	56.5	18.7	-10
55	Edwin Diaz	LAD	RP2	28	246	60	24.6	-11
74	Andres Munoz	SEA	RP3	38	211	75.2	25.9	-18
76	Jhoan Duran	PHI	RP4	36	249	76.2	27.5	-15
77	Cade Smith	CLE	RP5	35	144	76.8	27.3	-13
93	Aroldis Chapman	BOS	RP6	55	157	98.2	23.2	-12
99	Devin Williams	NYM	RP7	46	165	101.3	27.4	-6
100	David Bednar	NYY	RP8	52	158	101.5	26.2	-17
128	Raisel Iglesias	ATL	RP9	77	182	133.7	25.5	-13

Here are some other players fantasy baseball experts fade at draft day cost.

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
35	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF11	20	75	36.3	11.8	-4
49	Brice Turang	MIL	2B3	32	113	52.2	10.3	-4
71	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS9	35	145	73.3	12.8	-8
91	Oneil Cruz	PIT	CF3	48	120	95	14.1	-6
112	Spencer Strider	ATL	SP29	58	194	120	35.5	-5
117	Blake Snell	LAD	SP31	29	200	123.3	31.1	-9
119	Jacob Misiorowski	MIL	SP32	90	240	124	25.9	-7

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.