Later-Round Fantasy Baseball HR Sleepers - Cheap Draft Targets For Home Runs (2026)

March 16, 2026

Andy's later-round fantasy baseball sleepers for home runs (HR) in 2026 drafts. These are cheap power hitters with upside to target in fantasy baseball drafts.

In the later rounds of drafts, managers are typically looking for high-upside plays. However, in category leagues, managers sometimes find themselves falling behind in certain categories, which could reshape their strategy in their last handful of selections.

In this piece, we will spotlight several late-round targets to bolster your home run total using NFBC ADP since February 16. While these players have glaring concerns in other aspects of their profile (primarily batting average), they have the upside to potentially 20+ HRs, making them a worthy target in the later rounds, especially if you choose to fade the power bats in the early rounds.

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Jake Burger, 3B, Texas Rangers

ADP: 252

The first two names we will spotlight are going just outside the top-250 picks in current NFBC drafts. Jake Burger was a high-end power target back in 2023 and 2024 before his disappointing showing last season. In 2023, across 141 games (split between the White Sox and Marlins), Burger launched a career-high 34 long balls with a solid .250 AVG.

In 2024, Burger continued to provide elite power, launching 29 home runs over 137 games with the Marlins with a .250 AVG. However, in 2025, the 29-year-old was a disappointment, posting a .236/.269/.419 line with just 16 long balls over a 103-game stint.

Burger got off to a disastrous start, hitting a .228/.259/.401 line over his first 272 at-bats before the All-Star break. However, following the Midsummer Classic, Burger would look like his typical self, carrying a .262/.300/.476 line with five long balls (over 84 ABs). During this stint, he held a 22.2% K% compared to the 25.5% K% rate in the first half.

Burger dealt with a Triple-A demotion and several injuries, which limited his performance, but the upside he showed down the stretch makes him a worthy target at his surprising discount.

Overall, his .478 xSLG is much higher than his face value .419 SLG. Additionally, he raised his barrel rate to 13.9% from 12.3% the year prior. While his Pull AIR% decreased in 2025, managers should not be overly concerned, given his inconsistent playing time and the fact that he still hits the ball very hard.

While he was going off the board as starting third baseman last season, he can be had as a cheap corner infield with legit 30+ HR upside. ATC projects him to hit 25 HRs while holding a competent .241 AVG. His counting stats should remain solid batting behind Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, and Brandon Nimmo.

Giancarlo Stanton, U, New York Yankees

ADP: 251

Sitting at a very similar ADP is Yankee slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Even though he is "utility-only," his raw power makes his profile intriguing for standard leagues and worth constructing your roster around.

Injuries have plagued his career, but when on the field, Stanton has been very useful for fantasy. Last season, Stanton appeared in just 77 games but launched 24 long balls with a .273/.350/.595 line. Batting in a potent lineup, he tallied 66 RBI and scored 34 runs. The year prior, Stanton launched 27 home runs with a .233 AVG over a slightly larger 114 games.

While managers should not expect him to be a useful asset in batting average, as his .234 xBA suggests his near .280 AVG was quite a fluke, he is a top target for home runs. Under the hood, he generated an elite .520 xSLG, 22.1% barrel rate, and a 55.2% hard-hit rate.

Over the past two seasons, Stanton has posted a hard-hit rate above 55.0%, a barrel rate above 12.0%, and a pull AIR% above 21.0%, all of which are borderline elite.

Managers selecting Stanton at his ADP should bake in several IL stints during the long summer, as he has not eclipsed the 115-game mark since the 2021 campaign. However, when on the field, he is a massive plus in HRs and counting stats. If you bolster your batting average early, Stanton is worth selecting at cost.

Giancarlo Stanton crushes his second home run of the spring: pic.twitter.com/LLoF7duNc4

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 11, 2026

Marcell Ozuna, U, Pittsburgh Pirates

ADP: 332

Marcell Ozuna was one of the safe bets for home runs, but saw his fantasy value plummet last season. In 2025, Ozuna had one of the worst seasons of his career, posting a .232/.355/.400 line with just 21 long balls over a 145-game stint. The year prior, Ozuna launched 39 home runs while carrying an elite .302/.378/.546 line.

Back in 2023, Ozuna was just as dominant, hitting a career-best 40 round-trippers with a .274 AVG.

While the 35-year-old is amid the decline of his career, he can still be a useful fantasy asset, especially at this bargain cost. Despite being a major bust last season, Ozuna still generated a strong .354 xwOBA (84th percentile) with an 11.4% barrel rate. While this was a drop from the .404 xwOBA and 15.5% barrel rate he held the year prior, these marks were still well above average and suggest he still possesses 25+ HR upside.

At the conclusion of the season, it was revealed that Ozuna battled a lingering hip injury for most of the summer, which could have hindered his overall production.

Given that he still possesses an elite eye at the plate (15.9% BB%) and a career .269 AVG, managers should draft him with confidence, expecting him to bounce back. He should see every day at-bat as Pittsburgh's DH and could see his counting stats remaining quite high despite leaving Atlanta, as Pittsburgh is putting together a solid top-half of their lineup with Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O'Hearn, and potentially top prospect Konnor Griffin.

Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins

ADP: 326

After struggling to find a consistent role, Wallner was finally given a "full-time" role in 2025. He logged a career-high 104 games while operating on the strong side of a platoon, hitting 22 home runs with a .202/.311/.464 line. He enjoyed a hot start in April, hitting for a .303 AVG and a .950 OPS, but suffered a hamstring strain that kept him out for a month.

Following the injury, the power production remained steady, but the batting average dropped considerably.

While his .205 xBA suggests managers should expect a low average in 2026, he possesses enough raw power to hit nearly 25 home runs in a full-time role. He placed in the 85th percentile in barrel rate (13.8%) and an elite 76.6 mph average bat speed, which placed him in the 96th percentile among qualified hitters.

Like other names on this list, Wallner excels at pulling the ball, which should keep his power production stable. For the second-straight season, he posted a Pull AIR% of 29.0% or higher, which is among the highest marks in the sport.

Even though the Twins are likely to keep him in a platoon, given his career struggles against southpaws, he should carve out enough playing time to be a steal at this ADP if looking for power.

ATC projects him to have 24 HRs in 2026, which would set a career high.

MATT WALLNER SILENCES THE ROGERS CENTRE WITH A GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN BLAST IN THE NINTH pic.twitter.com/WCcnlugWKU

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 27, 2025

Nolan Gorman, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

ADP: 465

Gorman has flashed immense power upside thorough is young career, but has never been able to carve out an everyday role in the St. Louis infield. However, following the trades that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle and Nolan Arenado to Arizona, Gorman appears to be in store for a career-high in at-bats, which could set him up for a post-hype breakout season.

For most of his career, the left-slugger has been held in a platoon and has enjoyed decent stretches of fantasy value, but has never been a must-start option.

Last season, Gorman appeared in 111 games (second-highest of his career) and held a .205/.296/.370 line with 14 home runs. He had his best season back in 2023, when he hit 27 home runs with a .236 AVG over a 119-game stint.

While managers should not expect a 30+ HR season from the former top prospect, a 20+ HR campaign is quite viable, especially if it begins to see more at-bats. In 2025, Gorman posted 39.3% LA sweet-spot%, which placed him in the 90th percentile among hitters. He also posted an above-average bat speed and drew walks at a career-high 11.7% clip, which is an excellent sign given his hefty K%.

However, Gorman did post a 25.1% Pull AIR% (the second-highest of his career), which is an excellent indicator when projecting home runs. This mark was just 0.9% lower than his career-best 2023 mark. He also lowered his ground-ball rate to 28.3%, setting a career low.

With fewer competition for at-bats on a retooling St. Louis club, Gorman could be well-positioned to return to his 25-HR-caliber play. However, managers should expect him to be a massive detriment to their batting average.

ATC projects him to launch 21 long balls, which would be the second-most of his career.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

ADP: 563

Let's round this out with a deep shoutout. Rhys Hoskins was a free agent for most of the offseason before inking a minor-league contract with the Guardians. However, he is projected to make the MLB roster and should serve as a near-every-day player, splitting time between first base and the DH with Kyle Manzardo.

In 2025, Hoskins appeared in 90 games for the Brewers after missing most of the season with a thumb sprain. However, when on the field, the slugger was quite productive, launching 12 home runs with a .748 OPS. In 2024, Hoskins hit 26 long balls with a .722 OPS.

Under the hood, he generated an elite 39.7% LA sweet-spot% with a strong 10.3% barrel rate and a 46.4% hard-hit rate. His hard-hit rate was actually four points higher than his 2024 mark, while his barrel rate only dropped just 2.4%. However, as we have explained for most names on this list, Hoskins raised his pull AIR% last summer, which is an excellent indicator heading into 2026 when projecting home run totals.

Last summer, the 32-year-old posted an elite 34.5% pull AIR%, which is a career high.

Rhys Hoskins sends his first homer of the season 440 feet 💥 pic.twitter.com/KQ6I3Xsn2k

— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2025

While his batting average projects to remain below-average, for those in on-base leagues, Hoskins holds sneaky upside, given his elite 11.6% BB% last summer and career .344 OBP.

Finding a potential 20-HR bat with solid counting stats at this point of the draft is not easy, and Hoskins fits that bill. For those in deeper 15-team leagues, Hoskins should be on your radar in the final rounds if needing a corner infielder with power.

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