The 2018 fantasy baseball draft’s first round will be littered with outfielders. Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Charlie Blackmon and Giancarlo Stanton have average draft positions in the first round.
The depth is massive with the outfielder position. You’ll need three outfielders for your lineup, so your sleepers will have to go deep. Here’s three outfielders with sleeper potential in the 2018 fantasy baseball draft.
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
Buxton is on the upswing. That should give him quality value with an ADP of 58th overall and 19th among outfielders.
What I like most about Buxton is that he’s going to give you speed, something not easily attainable in fantasy baseball. He went for 29 stolen bases in 2017, the third-most among outfielders. He chipped in 16 home runs and 51 RBI, which are nice complementary figures for a player who is going to steal bases.
He’s still young, so he has room to grow. He has the capability of starring in at least one fantasy baseball category, and does well enough in the other categories in giving him a stellar chance at being one of the best sleepers among outfielders.
Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
I’ll stick with the fast guys.
Marte is a burner, who didn’t see much action in 2017, thanks to a drug suspension. He’s not going to provide home runs or RBI, but he can be a dominant player in stolen bases, runs and batting average.
Marte has an ADP of 53rd overall, 17th among outfielders, so that offers fantasy baseball owners solid value.
That’s good enough value that he can be your second choice among outfielders, and can provide production similar to a top-10 outfielder.
There is some concern that Marte won’t be the same player he has been in the past, when he was stealing more than 40 bases a year and notching more than 80 runs. He can be that kind of player again, and with that low of an ADP, he offers good enough value for you to consider him for your roster.
Ian Desmond, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies
If you’ve constructed the majority of your lineup and are still looking for an outfielder, Desmond is your best bet for a sleeper.
He offers multiple positions, since he’ll qualify for first base and outfield. And he has an ADP of 125th overall, 35th among outfielders, so that’s going to give you some of the best value of any position player.
Desmond missed much of last season due to injury, so there is a little risk of that hampering his ability to perform on a regular basis in 2018. If he stays on the field, he’s a contributor in several fantasy baseball categories. He’s regularly gone for more than 20 stolen bases in a season, more than 70 runs and more than 80 RBI. And he has a career batting average of .267, which isn’t great, but not bad enough to endanger that category for your team.
He’s in a hitter friendly ballpark and he’s been a major producer in the past. At this ranking, I can’t imagine passing him up. If you need a starting outfielder or if you’re looking for quality depth, Desmond is a must-have for your roster.
