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Chandler Simpson 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: High Average and Speed Comes at a Cost, but Still Undervalued
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson had a strong showing in his first season as a big leaguer, although a midseason demotion and a lack of power were some drawbacks for fantasy. The demotion was not a result of poor hitting, as the Georgia Tech product was batting .285 with 19 steals in 35 games prior to being sent back down at the end of May, and in all, he hit .295 with 44 steals in 109 games, tied for second most in all of baseball despite playing just two-thirds of the season in the big leagues. With an 89.8 percent contact rate and 98th percentile K% of 9.8 percent (and a history of strong contact rates in the minors), expect the strong batting average to continue, while fantasy managers who draft the speedster could be getting the likely 2026 stolen base leader, however, it comes at a cost. The 25-year-old owns one career home run, which came in the minors, meaning there is a clear liability in the power categories (HR, RBI). Even so, the left-handed slugger can be had late in many drafts, going around 150 overall per his NFBC ADP, while RotoBaller ranks him much more favorably, at 132 overall.
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