RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball Values and Sleepers for Opening Week (3/28-4/7)

March 26, 2024

Shaun Evans' MLB Best Ball picks for RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball contests for the opening week. See who he is liking to target in drafts and why.

Happy Tuesday RotoBallers, and welcome to our new series covering RIVAL Fantasy Best Ball weekly action for the MLB season! We will be covering some of our favorite value players and sleepers that can help you win your league

MLB best ball is similar to your everyday normal fantasy baseball leagues except you draft your team and don't have to worry about setting lineups. No need to stress over free-agent pickups or trying to make a trade with one of your league mates. You just draft your team, kick back, and enjoy the season.

RIVAL Fantasy does take a 10% rake but each draft type is snake and your timer is 45 seconds. There's no reason to have to wait 7 hours and 22 minutes for Billy to finally take his first pitcher. Quick and easy draft to get through, which ultimately means more drafts to do. Check here for the updated rules and scoring.

RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball Value Players

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF - Boston Red Sox 

Ceddanne Rafaela has made the Opening Day roster and for good reason. Rafaela has played well during spring training. In 62 plate appearances, recorded 16 hits, eight runs, three home runs, and eight RBI. He will be moved from center field to second as Rob Refsnyder will start the season injured. With multi-position eligibility, his ceiling is only raised and we may see him often in daily lineups for Boston.

Brandon Lowe, 2B - Tampa Bay Rays

Brandon Lowe may drop in the draft but is someone to target in Week 1. Lowe is projected nicely by Nick Mariano here with 575 plate appearances, 72 runs, 79 RBI, and 26 home runs for the upcoming season. The Rays second baseman has had a tough spring with just three hits in 23 at-bats. Now, he has recorded two home runs with a pair of RBI. The injuries have plagued him since 2021 but going after his power is a risk I'm willing to take out of the gate.

Trevor Story, SS - Boston Red Sox

Trevor Story will remain a target of mine as he seems to be finding his stride before Opening Day. Story has had at least one hit in six straight games while batting .500. On Monday, he went 2-for-4 with a home run, RBI, and a run scored in a slaughter over the Texas Rangers. His ADP has dipped due to the elbow surgery from last season, but with his recent performances, he seems to have recovered. The base-stealing capabilities of Story are another factor to move him up in your ranks for your weekly contests.

10 pitch at-bat and Trevor Story just smoked his third homer of the spring.

Feels good to see that bat flip in a Red Sox uniform... pic.twitter.com/Vbgjv0vYvJ

— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) March 26, 2024

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RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball Sleepers

Zach Neto, SS - Los Angeles Angels

A lot of eyes might be on Zach Neto, but overall, his ADP still sits high at 352.7. Neto has been cruising along in the Cactus League, showing that his consistent play from 2023 is still going strong. He has recorded two home runs, one double, one triple, and seven RBI with 23 plate appearances. Looking back at Neto's 2023 season where he appeared in 84 games for the majors, he recorded 38 runs, 34 RBI, and nine home runs. He did have 77 strikeouts and finished with a .225 batting average.

Josh Jung, 3B - Texas Rangers

Josh Jung should be someone to target for his power and bringing runners in. ATC has him projected for 81 RBI and 74 runs with 582 plate appearances for this season, which you can find here. Jung is slated to be ready for the Opening Day roster while dealing with a calf injury. Spring training has been nonexistent as he has only had two plate appearances with one hit. This is more of banking on a strong opening week from the third basemen and brings huge risk with high reward.

Henry Davis, OF/C - Pittsburgh Pirates

Sticking with one of the favorites for the best ball season, Henry Davis is someone to look at for your Week 1 draft. Davis has made the Opening Day roster in Miami. He had a solid Grapefruit League stat line in 16 games. Davis hit .310 in 16 games, adding three doubles, four home runs, and 12 RBI. Many have also noted that his defense has improved since his first season. The Pirates did add Yasmani Grandal to the roster, expecting him to take control of the starting catcher position; however, Henry Davis has proved it's his spot to hold as long as his play stays consistent.

The sound Henry’s bat makes when it connects with a baseball is unmatched 🤤 https://t.co/3ONeIBaQWU

— Bucs Dugout (@BucsDugout) March 5, 2024

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