Outfield Fantasy Baseball Draft Values With Upside - 2026 Rebound Candidates

January 24, 2026

Dan's outfield fantasy baseball sleepers, 2026 hitter draft values with sneaky upside. These rebound candidates had poor seasons but are primed to bounce back.

Opening Day for Major League Baseball’s 2026 season is still a couple of months away, but for those of us into fantasy baseball, it’s never too early to start preparing for the season ahead. A fantasy baseball season begins before the first pitch is thrown, with the most highly anticipated event on our calendar — the draft.

There are many ways to go about preparing for a fantasy baseball draft. With so much talent available in the first rounds, it is wise to try to build from the bottom up. Finding value in the later rounds of a draft can inform you on who to select early on and give you a well-rounded team from the jump.

Today, I will be looking at draft sleepers for the outfield positions. Depending on your league format, there will be three to five slots to fill. Trying to fill out the position with top-tier talent will leave you depleted elsewhere, so it is good to know what options are available down the road. To pick out these outfield sleepers, I’m looking at those whose stock this year is driven down by a disappointing 2025, leaving them poised for a rebound in 2026.

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Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates

Fantasy baseball managers who drafted Bryan Reynolds in 2025 likely aren’t looking back at last season with fond memories. Reynolds started the year cold and stayed that way, reaching a nadir in July when he slashed .195/.222/.264. He finished with the fewest runs, home runs, stolen bases, and his lowest batting average over the last five seasons.

Reynolds was by no stretch a sexy option entering 2025, but his consistency from 2021 to 2024 made him a top 100 pick and the 28th outfield-eligible player off the board. Over those four seasons, Reynolds averaged 81.3 runs, 24.8 home runs, and 81 RBI while hitting .276. Respectable numbers, despite being locked into a Pirates lineup that has been one of the least productive offenses over the same time.

None of his 2025 peripherals or swing discipline metrics showed cause for alarm, and in fact, his maximum and average exit velocities reached career highs. Perhaps a pursuit of power set him back to a floor year.

Another year wiser and with better protection in the lineup in the form of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, Reynolds is a fine selection at his current ADP of 198. That slot has him going in the 13th round of 15-teamers and a generous 16th round discount in your more typical 12-team leagues.

Despite getting burned by Reynolds myself in 2025, I’m ready to give him another go in 2026, given his proven track record of success.

Anthony Santander, Toronto Blue Jays

One of the great ironies of the 2025 MLB season was the success of the Toronto Blue Jays despite their big free agent signing having next to nothing to do with it. The Jays signed Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract, but only got six home runs and 18 RBI in return.

Santander’s cold start in 2025 went from bad to worse after crashing into the stands in early May. Santander injured his shoulder in the process and attempted to play through until he was finally placed on the injured list three weeks later. Santander hit just one more home run (his sixth, and final, of the season) and saw his batting average slip to .179.

Santander returned at the end of the regular season, going 1-for-10 over four games, dropping his season-long average to .175.

At an ADP of 217, I’m willing to take a chance on Santander rebounding in 2026. He hit 44 home runs in 2024 with the Orioles and had a combined 61 in the two years before that. It is hard to find someone with the potential for a 30-home run season so late in drafts. For the cost of a 14th-round selection in 15-team leagues, Santander is well worth picking up.

Adolis Garcia, Philadelphia Phillies

Adolis Garcia is another name that is familiar enough not to sneak up on anyone, but he also turned in a disappointing 2025 and has fallen out of favor with fantasy baseball managers. Last season, Garcia failed to reach the 20-home run plateau for the first time since becoming a full-time player, hitting 19 long balls and recording 58 runs, 75 RBI, and a .227 batting average.

If fantasy players were frustrated by Garcia’s spotty production during the spring and early summer, they were no doubt soured by what they saw after the All-Star break. In the second half, Garcia appeared in just 43 games and carried a .212 average while providing a mere 19 RBI.

Garcia will be starting fresh in 2026 after signing a 1-year, $10 million deal with the Phillies in December. He will slot in somewhere behind Philly’s hard-hitting core of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper, giving Garcia ample opportunity to get his RBI totals back up.

His old digs at Globe Life Field were hitter-friendly in their own right, but it helps to know that Garcia is moving on to another bandbox in Citizens Bank Park. Garcia averaged 30.5 home runs per season from 2021 to 2025, and while that mark might be wishful thinking, he is projected for around 25 in the coming season.

Adolis García got all of this pitch for his first home run of 2025 💣 pic.twitter.com/l4N3nNaGGf

— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2025

Add to that his potential to hit double-digits in the steals category, and I like Garcia at his 237 ADP, despite the grief he brought managers last summer.

Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Tommy Edman’s (ankle) production over the last six weeks of the 2024 season and in the playoffs had fantasy managers licking their chops over his potential in a full season in the Dodgers’ lineup. His torrential start in 2025 made good on their high hopes. In the first 30 games of the season, Edman had registered eight home runs, 19 runs, 24 RBI, and three stolen bases, while maintaining a .252 batting average.

Little did we know that those numbers from the first month would represent roughly half of his offensive output for the entire season. An ankle injury at the end of April derailed his hot start and ultimately landed him on the injured list. Minor ankle and toe injuries chipped away at his availability throughout the summer, and in August, an ankle sprain landed him on the IL for nearly five weeks.

After such a promising start to the season, Edman’s bat went ice cold for the rest of 2025, and he finished the year with a career-low .225 batting average. The figure is a shock in itself when compared to his xBA of .274. The difference between Edman’s actual and expected average was the greatest negative differential in MLB among qualified batters last year.

Tommy Edman's 7th home run of the season is of the leadoff variety! 😤 pic.twitter.com/MLICIiRUIm

— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2025

I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for Edman in 2026. I am hopeful that Edman can shake 2025’s abysmal .235 BABIP and play closer to the .265 he sported in five years with St. Louis.

It should be noted that offseason ankle surgery could delay the start of Edman’s 2026 season. If that turns out to be true, we will see Edman’s draft price slip further, and I would be happy to stash him in an IL slot.

Once Edman does return, then he should have enough run-scoring and stolen base potential to make taking a shot on him at his current ADP of 295 worthwhile. Given his defensive versatility, Edman could see time at the keystone and center field, providing him with close to an everyday role in the starting nine.

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