6 Fantasy Baseball Deep League Targets: Pitchers (2026)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.