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Mike's top 2026 fantasy baseball sleepers to target in drafts. These undervalued hitters are mid-to-late round picks who should outperform their ADP. His top draft sleepers include Anthony Volpe, Wilyer Abreu, more
The fantasy football championships have been won. You might feel like it is time for a rest, but you are already several weeks behind your fellow fantasy baseball players at this point. It is early January, and drafting is about to kick into high gear.
As we prepare, we should take a look at some players that are mid- to late-round draft targets based on ADP. For purposes of this article, I looked at players being taken in the 15th round or later in 12-team NFBC drafts over the last two weeks in December.
The following are eight players going later than they should be in drafts thus far who could provide cheap sources of category juice for your fantasy team. You will notice this piece covers at least one player at every offensive position. Let's dive in.
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Kyle Teel, C, Chicago White Sox
Recent ADP: 176
Don't be fooled by some pundits believing that Teel is in a timeshare with fellow youngster Edgar Quero. Teel is the better catcher, and Quero will get many at-bats as the designated hitter. Teel will be the starting catcher and get 120 starts behind the plate.
Last year, Teel debuted in early June and seized most of the playing time at catcher. He hit .273 with eight home runs, 35 RBI, 38 runs, and three stolen bases. Four of those homers came in September. More impressively, his OBP was .375, and his wRC+ was 125 in 297 plate appearances.
With health and the starting role, and a likely number two spot in the batting order, Teel could be a huge sleeper at the catcher position this season. The potential for 15 home runs and 10-12 stolen bases is not out of the question. At an ADP of 176, I am willing to take the risk.
Bryson Stott, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies
Recent ADP: 203
Stott is underrated in many fantasy circles because he is not always a great hitter and hits in the lower half of a stacked Philadelphia lineup. The skills growth we like to see has not materialized.
But Stott continues to be a productive player at the tough second base position. The durability has been key; he has played at least 147 games in three consecutive seasons. Over that time period, he has hit .262 and averaged 13 home runs, 62 RBI, 70 runs, and 29 stolen bases.
Below, you can see that Stott doesn't strike out, walks a bunch, and does not swing and miss much. His glove, speed, and baserunning acumen will keep him in the lineup, even though he does not initiate much hard contact. He's a compiler, which I can live with at second base.
In December drafts, Stott is the 12th second baseman off the board, going after players like Ozzie Albies (ADP 153) and Xavier Edwards (ADP 194). I will take Stott over either of those two players, given his potential to contribute to all five categories with high speed upside. It will be interesting to see if his stock rises this spring.
Ramón Laureano, OF, San Diego Padres
Recent ADP: 224
Laureano is a player that I admit I was wrong about over the last year. I believed he was a fourth or fifth outfielder, yet he continues to earn playing time because he's actually good. Laureano barreled the baseball at an elite 13.8%, placing him in the 85th percentile among qualified hitters, and cut down on his strikeout rate (24.4%) in 2025.
The veteran outfielder hit .281 with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, 72 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in 2025. His current ADP of 224 has Laureano being selected in the 19th round. That is late for an outfielder who is this productive.
Below, you can see the monthly results of his 2025 season, with two consistent halves sandwiched around his trade from Baltimore to San Diego in late July. This was good for a 138 wRC+. Currently, he is penciled in for daily at-bats in the San Diego outfield and could hit in the cleanup spot in the order.
Wilyer Abreu, OF, Boston Red Sox
Recent ADP: 243
Abreu is a sleeper to hit 30 home runs this year for the Boston Red Sox. Management has suggested that they plan to work Abreu more against left-handed pitching this season, which may boost his value and lead to more at-bats for the Gold Glove outfielder.
You can see below that the home run numbers have grown each season. Since he's seemingly ranked at his ADP of 243, people see him as a platoon bat. I see a guy who can hit 30 home runs, given the playing time opportunity, and with growth against left-handed pitching.
Last year, Abreu battled an oblique injury and a calf strain that kept him out for several weeks. He hit .247 with 22 home runs, 69 RBI, 53 runs, and even chipped in with six steals across just 115 games. Boston does have many mouths to feed, with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela.
But Abreu's tremendous defense and hard-contact rates will keep him in the daily lineup. This is an excellent price right now for what could be a breakout player.
Caleb Durbin, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Recent ADP: 266
Durbin is a case where many players might look at him and think he's a better baseball player in real life than he is for fantasy purposes. That may be true, but come to that conclusion at your own risk. Durbin is a useful player in the right team construction.
Durbin hit .256 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 60 runs, and 18 steals in 506 plate appearances. He puts the bat on the ball and had a low 9.9% K rate in 2o25, making him a nice target for those in points leagues as well. I know fantasy folks may want power out of their corner infield position.
But Durbin should have a decent batting average, in the .260+ range, and with a full season of at-bats (which seems assured as of this writing), he could steal 25-30 bases. To me, he has a bit of the Maikel Garcia vibe here, and Garcia is going 170 picks before Durbin.
Jake Burger, 1B, Texas Rangers
Recent ADP: 295
Burger had a year of ups and downs in 2025, but he still managed to hit 16 home runs. Burger should slot in as the everyday first baseman in Texas and be in the heart of the batting order.
I am willing to pay this minimal price to see if Burger can rediscover health and his prodigious power stroke. Check out the chart below, which shows Burger's hard-hit percentage over the last five years. Despite injury setbacks, Burger crushes baseballs.
In the two preceding seasons with health and plentiful at-bats, Burger belted 34 and 29 home runs, and drove in over 75 RBI with matching .250 batting averages. You are getting a discount due to injury worries. Take advantage of it and bank 25-30 home runs from your first baseman.
Miguel Vargas, 3B, Chicago White Sox
Recent ADP: 308
Many players will forget about Vargas because he is on a rebuilding team and posted a league-average stat line: .234, 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 80 runs scored, and six stolen bases, good for a perfectly average 101 wRC+.
But...could there be more here? Vargas does not possess one skill that really sets him apart from other players, but at 25, he got his first real shot at playing time with a rebuilding Chicago White Sox team. He makes contact and doesn't chase or swing and miss much.
With the signing of Munetaka Murakami this winter, Vargas should settle in as the everyday third baseman for a rebuilding team. Plenty of at-bats await him, and he should hit in the middle of a better White Sox batting order.
At 26, it is not unreasonable to think skills could grow. Vargas could get to 20 home runs and steal 10-12 bags as well. Note that he also scored 80 runs last year, and with an improving lineup around him, a small step forward could happen. At this price, it will not cost much to find out.
Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees
Recent ADP: 316
It was revealed shortly after the season that Volpe had played the 2025 season with a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery on his labrum. The expectation is that the young shortstop will be ready to play by May. That could be a large reason why his ADP is hovering below 300.
Even though Volpe only hit .212, he compiled 19 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 65 runs. Yet those numbers hide a growth in power metrics for Volpe. He may never hit for a high average, but 20-25 home runs could be in reach if he buys into that aspect.
Getting 20-25 home runs with double-digit steals at this ADP would be a boon. In the box below, you can see some of the gains Volpe made in 2o25. Hard-hit percentage was up 6.5%; barrel percentage was up 6.6%, while launch angle was up four degrees to 12.4. Could this hint at some power gains?
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone both suggest that Volpe is still young at 24 and that his best days are ahead of him. Meanwhile, as fantasy players, we suffer from recency bias and may have made up our minds about a developing player.
The lynchpin here will be his health. If he progresses well through his shoulder rehabilitation and only misses the first month, Volpe could end up being a bargain. As of this writing, the Yankees plan to start veteran Jose Caballero, so if they do not sign another free agent, the spot should be ready for Volpe.
I hope this piece helps break down some later options in drafts. You can follow me @mdrc0508 on Twitter/X. Content will be ramping up soon, and I appreciate you taking the time to read my work each week.
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