RotoBaller's 2017 points league fantasy baseball rankings for third base. February staff ranks, tiers, auction dollar values, and analysis on ADP values and targets.

Welcome to this series of analyzing our site’s points league rankings, compiled by myself and Kyle Bishop. We’re good people, you should get to know us. Today we're taking a look at our tiered third base rankings for points leagues.

Points leagues abide by different rules, with walks and strikeouts usually being of notable importance compared to typical 5x5 leagues. It’s not as simple as that of course, but we’ll go off of ESPN’s default model. For hitters, it's one point per Total Base, Run Scored, Stolen Base, Walk and RBI, with a point deducted per strikeout. We’ve covered catchers, first and second base and even shortstop! Now, let’s head to the hot corner.

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 Points Rankings: Third Base (February)

Third Base Points Rankings Analysis: The Tiers

Tier One

There’s a new “Core Four” in the game, and it’s the hot corner’s upper crust. Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson are all capable of being the backbone of anyone’s team. The first three names are youngsters who are still working their way up the fantasy food chain (which is terrifying in an awesome way) while Donaldson, who is currently battling a calf injury but should be fine, is still well within his prime at age-31. He should be able to turn in 35 homers with 100+ runs and RBIs with a plus average, an OBP around the high .300s and a modest 17% strikeout rate. He’s also 21-for-22 on steal attempts over the last three seasons, with at least 668 plate appearances in each of his last four seasons. Even if you miss on the big three, you’re happy with all of them.

Tier Two

The second tier yields another fearsome foursome, as Jonathan Villar, Kyle Seager, Adrian Beltre and Matt Carpenter can all provide steady stats without being much of a risk, though Villar clearly stands alone as the truly unproven commodity. It’s not that anyone really suspects he’ll flop, rather that his range of outcomes is quite wide – especially compared to the other three here. Seager, Beltre and Carpenter all noted for their consistency, even Carp’s power is now viewed as pretty bankable. They also all have strikeout rates that are roughly 5% greater than their walk rates. Compare that to Villar, who is the most flashy due to his steals and non-zero power, but that 25.6% K-rate is rough (11.6% BB rate).

Tier Three

You can either go with a veteran in Just Turner, Evan Longoria or Todd Frazier, or go with a youngster in Alex Bregman, Anthony Rendon, Jake Lamb or Jose Ramirez. We’ll highlight Lamb, who has 30-homer pop in Arizona’s power-happy atmosphere. The hurdle is a strikeout rate like Villar’s around the 26% mark (25.9%) that could worsen if he’s truly allowed to regularly start against southpaws. This provides him with a higher ceiling due to the counting stats, of course, but his owners may want to check the matchups until he proves he can handle portsiders.

Tier Four

Miguel Sano’s strikeouts are just utterly terrifying to me. I know the power is real but oh man, last season’s second half has me shook. He had his walk rate fall from 14% to 7.6% while the strikeouts jumped from 33.1% to 39.1%. 39.1%. Coming in second was Randal Grichuk’s 36.8% and then Danny Espinosa’s 33.8%. Inspiring stuff. Mike Moustakas and Ryon Healy are the great values here, especially Moose considering his knee has had ample time to heal and regular playing time will be his. Healy might get juggled a little too much to be a regular starter with so many platoon parts rotating in Oakland, but should prove to be a solid resource. Healy has a history of high BABIPs in the Minors as well as an ISO that should sit in the .180-.200 range, though his walk rate will likely remain around 4%.

Tier Five

The latest news on David Wright strongly points to Jose Reyes getting regular work for the Mets in 2017, making him a nice buy in points leagues with double-digit pop and 20+ steal capabilities. Nick Castellanos is a popular late-round pick considering his breakout last season that was cut short by a hand injury, and thus put a damper on his overall stats and leave him buried a bit on draft boards.

The Rest of the Field

There could be some intriguing types left late in drafts like Yulieski Gurriel, Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Drury. Even Travis Shaw now gets to swing away in hitter-friendly Miller Park. Gurriel recently admitted to being worn down by the end of the 2016 MLB season considering the additional rigor involved on a daily basis compared to the Cuban leagues. Sandoval, whose strikeout rate normally sits around 13.5%, is on his last legs but has been working hard to show he can regain his form from the San Francisco days.