🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Relievers (RP)

By Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA (Royals vs. Yankees: 5/26/2015) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Check out RotoBaller's 2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for relief pitcher. Our fantasy baseball experts are getting ahead of the game with their December edition of MLB starting pitcher rankings.

It's 'bout that time, eh chaps? The Winter Meetings have come and gone. With it, some of the biggest offseason dominoes have already fallen. The 2017 fantasy baseball draft board is beginning to come into focus. Now it's time to delve into player rankings. We'll continue with our 2017 relief pitcher fantasy baseball rankings for December.

This first round of rankings features picks from Kyle Bishop, Nick Mariano, Bill Dubiel, and Brad Johnson. I know I've had my initial lists in place since mid-October, and my colleagues here weren't too far behind me.

This year, we'll begin by presenting our rankings then share a few thoughts round table style.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Relievers

Ranking Tier Player Brad Kyle Nick Bill Composite
1 1 Kenley Jansen 2 1 2 2 1.75
2 1 Aroldis Chapman 1 2 1 3 1.75
3 1 Zach Britton 3 3 3 1 2.5
4 2 Craig Kimbrel 4 7 4 5 5
5 2 Seung Hwan Oh 10 4 5 4 5.75
6 2 Edwin Diaz 7 5 6 6 6
7 2 Roberto Osuna 6 6 7 7 6.5
8 2 Andrew Miller 8 11 9 8 9
9 2 Mark Melancon 11 8 8 10 9.25
10 2 Kelvin Herrera 5 9 10 13 9.25
11 3 Dellin Betances 13 13 12 11 12.25
12 3 Cody Allen 9 12 13 9 10.75
13 3 Alex Colome 12 10 14 15 12.75
14 3 Ken Giles 15 14 11 14 13.5
15 3 Wade Davis 17 15 15 12 14.75
16 4 David Robertson 14 16 17 16 15.75
17 4 Francisco Rodriguez 16 17 18 17 17
18 4 Jeurys Familia 19 18 21 18 19
19 4 A.J. Ramos 20 20 16 19 18.75
20 5 Cam Bedrosian 25 19 23 21 22
21 5 Sam Dyson 23 21 22 22 22
22 5 Tony Watson 21 30 20 20 22.75
23 5 Addison Reed 18 24 19 35 24
24 5 Adam Ottavino 22 27 24 23 24
25 5 Brandon Maurer 26 23 26 27 25.5
26 5 Shawn Kelley 24 26 25 29 26
27 6 Felipe Rivero 29 29
28 6 Raisel Iglesias 39 22 39 25 31.25
29 6 Jim Johnson 27 31 29 38 31.25
30 6 Arodys Vizcaino 30 40 30 31 32.75
31 6 Joaquin Benoit 28 25 37 42 33
32 6 Ryan Dull 39 36 24 33
33 6 Brandon Kintzler 34 42 28 28 33
34 6 Glen Perkins 32 32 32 37 33.25
35 6 Sean Doolittle 38 28 35 34 33.75
36 6 Nate Jones 31 33 31 43 34.5
37 6 Fernando Rodney 29 37 27 47 35
38 6 Corey Knebel 35 35
39 7 Carter Capps 33 36 33 39 35.25
40 7 Ryan Madson 43 34 34 36 36.75
41 7 Hector Rondon 44 38 38 30 37.5
42 7 Hector Neris 42 44 40 26 38
43 7 Kyle Barraclough 45 35 41 40 40.25
44 7 Jeanmar Gomez 40 45 43 33 40.25
45 7 Matt Bush 37 41 44 41 40.75
46 7 Andrew Bailey 36 43 47 44 42.5
47 7 Tyler Thornburg 50 47 42 32 42.75
48 7 Keone Kela 47 46 45 46
49 7 Liam Hendricks 46 48 45 46.33
50 7 Huston Street 41 49 49 46.33
51 7 Luke Gregerson 48 50 46 48
52 7 Tony Cingrani 52 46 49 49
53 7 Will Harris 49 50 49.5
54 7 Santiago Casilla 51 48 49.5
55 7 Derek Law 54 48 51
56 7 Brad Ziegler 53 50 51.5
57 7 Trevor Rosenthal 55 55

Are there any picks you want to defend?

Brad: Honestly, I see nothing that merits a defense. I have the fifth through 10th relievers as very comparable in value. So while it looks like I'm down on Oh, that's not really true.

Kyle: There's not a ton of variance in our rankings here, with a few exceptions. I'm the low man on Watson and the only one to rank Rivero. Obviously, I feel Rivero has a pretty good chance of finding his way into the Pirates' closer role at Watson's expense.

Bill: I have Zach Britton as my number one mostly because I think he'll still get enough save opportunities to finish at the top. I certainly am not going to get in a shouting match with my colleagues who took Jansen and Chapman--their upside is perfectly obvious.

Nick: I'll briefly defend having Giles a few spots higher than the rest of y'all, as I'm totally on board with that 2.48 SIERA behind the 4.11 ERA alongside his 19.9% swinging-strike rate. That's 1.3% higher than Aroldis Chapman! Interestingly enough, the only qualified RP with a higher mark was teammate Luke Gregerson (20.1%, maybe I should give him a value next time around). I believe Giles' second-half improvements will be what we see in 2017, as he increased his groundball rate by over 15% with a wild 41.9% strikeout rate. I'll jump a bit to chase the upside.

Which picks by others look overly bullish/pessimistic?

Brad: My colleagues and I have mirrored rankings for Oh and Herrera. They're both very good pitchers and closer in value than my rankings of fifth and 10th imply. I'm just surprised to see so much doubt about Herrera. I also suspect we're all a little too high on Familia. Since Reed is a better pitcher, there's uncertainty as to who will remain closer after Familia's looming suspension.

Kyle: I understand that uncertainty over his role is baked into the rankings, but feel like Nick and Brad are too low on Iglesias. Personally, I expect him to be closing sooner rather than later. If he gets the job outright in spring training, I'd actually bump him up a few spots. Love the talent, especially in a relief role.

Bill: I don't have much to disagree about for now--lots of roles still to be settled. I have absolutely zero faith in Jim Johnson despite his hot finish to 2016. I imagine we'll see someone else closing for the Braves by early June at the latest.

Nick: I know relying on Rodney feels like putting on a wet sock, but he was signed by Arizona to be the closer. He doesn't have any real competition there and the D-backs have established that they have a pretty low bar for the ninth inning. Brad is with me, and even Kyle's ranking is high enough to reflect a current closer. However, Bill's #47 is too low, unless you really believe in Randall Delgado or Enrique Burgos that much more than Rodney. Hating all of them is okay, but opportunity alone should be worth a top-40 spot.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

DK Metcalf

"Moving in the Right Direction" for Week 15
CFB

Bryan Harsin, Justin Wilcox Candidates for Washington State Head Coach Job?
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Agrees to Deal With the Dodgers
Kyle Schwarber

Returning to Phillies on Five-Year Deal
Riley Leonard

Diagnosed With Grade 1 PCL Sprain
Jamison Battle

Unlikely To Suit Up Against Knicks
Derik Queen

Posts Massive Triple-Double In Loss To Spurs
Jacob Toppin

Out For Season After Shoulder Surgery
Ben Sheppard

Out At Least 10 Days With Calf Strain
Miles McBride

Ruled Out With Ankle Sprain Against Raptors
CFB

Ole Miss Hiring John David Baker as Offensive Coordinator
Victor Wembanyama

Travels For NBA Cup Clash Against Lakers
CFB

Ty Howle the Top Target for Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Job
John Gibson

Secures Third Consecutive Win With Shutout
Nazem Kadri

Bags Three Points as Flames Offense Explodes
Joel Eriksson Ek

Ends Dry Spell With Three-Point Effort
Dennis Hildeby

Records First Career Shutout
Dakota Mermis

to be Evaluated Tuesday
Jacob Middleton

Hurt in Monday's Win
Mats Zuccarello

Exits Early Monday
Jamal Shead

Uncertain for Tuesday
Dru Smith

Questionable to Play Tuesday
Pelle Larsson

Listed as Probable for Tuesday
Davion Mitchell

Expected Back Tuesday
Tyler Herro

Likely to Return for Cup Clash Against Magic
RJ Barrett

to Miss at Least One More Week
Karl-Anthony Towns

Iffy for Tuesday
A.J. Brown

Continues Dominant Stretch With 100 Yards in Monday Night Loss
Saquon Barkley

Rips Off Long Touchdown Run in Monday Night Loss
Shohei Ohtani

to be Used More as Traditional Starting Pitcher Next Year
Yordan Alvarez

to Become Full-Time DH in 2026?
Mason Miller

Padres Plan to Keep Mason Miller in the Bullpen
Ranger Suárez

Orioles Interested in Signing Ranger Suarez
Anthony Volpe

Yankees Don't Expect Anthony Volpe to be Ready in April
Gerrit Cole

Targeting a Return in May/June
Riley Leonard

"Week-to-Week" With Strained Knee
NFL

Patriots-Ravens Week 16 Game Flexed to Sunday Night Football
Omarion Hampton

Making his Return on Monday Night
CFB

Heisman Trophy Finalists Announced on Monday
Justin Herbert

Officially Active Against Eagles
Indianapolis Colts

Colts Bringing Philip Rivers in for a Workout
Justin Herbert

Expected to Start on Monday Night
Trey Benson

Cardinals Could Hold Trey Benson Out Another Week
Keegan Murray

Available on Monday
Anthony Edwards

Set to Suit Up Monday
Jack Roslovic

Not Close to Returning
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Sidelined Again on Monday
Jake Walman

to Miss at Least Two More Weeks
Berkly Catton

Out Week-to-Week
Franz Wagner

Likely to Miss 2-4 Weeks
Nils Hoglander

Set for Season Debut Monday
Elias Pettersson

Misses Second Straight Game
Logan Cooley

Out Indefinitely
Brayden Point

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Back for Lightning Monday
CFB

Anthony Hill Jr. Declaring for 2026 NFL Draft
CFB

Ryan Walters a Candidate for Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Job?
Trey Hendrickson

Set for Core-Muscle Surgery, Expected to Miss Around Six Weeks
Drake London

Considered Day-to-Day Going into Thursday Night
Jayden Daniels

No Long-Term Concerns for Jayden Daniels
Zach Ertz

MRI Confirms Season-Ending Torn ACL for Zach Ertz
Tee Higgins

Back in the Concussion Protocol
Riley Leonard

Week 15 Status Uncertain Due to Knee Injury
Mike Evans

Could Return on Thursday Night
De'Von Achane

May Require Rest This Week
Daniel Jones

' Season Over With Torn Achilles
Rory McIlroy

Ends 2025 as the Year's Most Unburdened Player
Aaron Rai

Needs to Figure Out Putting Woes This Offseason
Jordan Spieth

Plays Better on Paper in 2025 Than Results Show
Shedeur Sanders

Will Start for Browns the Rest of the Season
PGA

Chris Gotterup Needs to Find Better Touch and Consistency This Offseason
Hideki Matsuyama

Ends 2025 Season With a Bookend Victory
CFB

Tennessee Fires Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
Scottie Scheffler

Comes Up Just Shy of Hero World Challenge Victory
Jordan Poole

Remains Sidelined on Monday
Merab Dvalishvili

Drops A Decision At UFC 323
Herbert Jones

Tagged as Questionable Against Spurs
Petr Yan

Reclaims Bantamweight Title
Stephon Castle

has a Chance to Return on Monday
Alexandre Pantoja

Era Ends With Gruesome Injury
Joshua Van

Becomes Second-Youngest UFC Champion
Dillon Brooks

Iffy for Monday Night
Brandon Moreno

Suffers His First TKO Loss
Brandon Moreno

Tatsuro Taira Becomes First Fighter To Finish Brandon Moreno
Henry Cejudo

Payton Talbott Retires Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo

Retires After UFC 323 Loss
Jan Blachowicz

Bogdan Guskov Vs. Jan Blachowicz Ends In A Majority Draw
Jan Blachowicz

And Bogdan Guskov Fight To Majority Draw
CFB

Texas RB CJ Baxter Entering Transfer Portal
Mark Stone

Records Two Assists in Sunday's Win
Carter Hart

Defeats Rangers Sunday
Cutter Gauthier

Delivers Two Assists Sunday
Leo Carlsson

Nets Two Goals in Blowout Win
Logan Thompson

Posts First Shutout of the Season
Brayden Schenn

Leads Blues to Victory Sunday
Macklin Celebrini

Bags Three Points in Impressive Road Victory
San Francisco Giants

Jeff Kent Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Ketel Marte

Red Sox Interested in Trading for Ketel Marte
Kyle Schwarber

Pirates Make Four-Year Offer to Kyle Schwarber
CFB

Mississippi State, Rice Accept Bowl Bids as 5-7 Teams
CFB

Auburn, Florida State, Baylor Among Teams to Decline Bowl Bids
CFB

Rob Aurich Set to Become Nebraska's Defensive Coordinator
CFB

Notre Dame Opting Out of Postseason Amid College Football Playoff Exclusion
CFB

Kendal Briles a Candidate for South Carolina Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

James Madison Playoff-Bound After Duke Wins ACC Title?
CFB

Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama on College Football Playoff Bubble
CFB

Brent Pry Could Return to Virginia Tech as Defensive Coordinator
Jose A. Ferrer

Mariners Acquire Jose A. Ferrer from the Nationals
Harry Ford

Traded to the Nationals
Cody Bellinger

Drawing Interest From the Phillies
MacKenzie Gore

Will the Nationals Trade MacKenzie Gore?
Byron Buxton

Twins Not Planning to Trade Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton
Petr Yan

Looks To Reclaim Bantamweight Belt
Merab Dvalishvili

Set For His Fourth Title Defense
Joshua Van

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fifth Title Defense At UFC 323
Tatsuro Taira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Brandon Moreno

Searches For His Third Win In A Row
Payton Talbott

A Favorite At UFC 323
Henry Cejudo

Set For His Retirement Fight
Jan Blachowicz

Set To Open Up UFC 323 Main Card
Bogdan Guskov

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
CFB

Emmett Johnson Leaving Nebraska for 2026 NFL Draft
CFB

Jam Miller Unlikely to Play in SEC Title Game
CFB

Penn State Expected to Hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State
CFB

Arkansas Targeting Ron Roberts for Defensive Coordinator Job
Jhostynxon Garcia

Pirates Acquire Jhostynxon Garcia From Red Sox
Cody Bellinger

Yankees Pushing Hard to Re-Sign Cody Bellinger
CFB

Penn State Eyeing Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell For Coaching Vacancy
Alex Bregman

Cubs Have Renewed Interest in Alex Bregman
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP