X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ADP Values for Fantasy Baseball: Relief Pitchers

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to another article in our series of early ADP value analysis for fantasy baseball.

Today, we'll cover some undervalued and overvalued relief pitchers, to try and help identify draft targets and avoids based on ADP.

Opening Day is still over a month away, but it's never too soon for draft prep. ADP data from early NFBC rankings can give us a glimpse into what other owners are thinking heading into a new campaign.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Undervalued Relief Pitchers

Jim Johnson, Atlanta Braves (ADP: 219)

Last year, Jim Johnson showed that he may have turned back to a better time in his 11-year career. Recording 20 saves on a 3.06 ERA while striking out just over a batter per inning; Johnson appears to have found success as closer of the Atlanta Braves. Is he a top-10 closer? No, but his recent success paired with the inexperienced relievers he shares the bullpen with provide stability for the 33-year-old veteran as a higher viable selection in fantasy.

Shawn Kelley, Washington Nationals (ADP: 211)

The contending Nationals have an experienced reliever as their closer in Shawn Kelley. An explanation for his appeal at a low 200's ADP stems from Kelley reducing his hits and walks while increasing his strikeouts. Setup relievers Blake Treinen and Koda Glover are talented but likely won't compete with Kelley for the closer job. Veteran former closer Joe Nathan was signed but at 42 years old, he likely will not contend for the closer spot, if he manages to make the major league roster.

Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins (ADP: 285)

The Minnesota Twins are slowly developing pieces for the future. A secure spot on the roster appears to be closer Brandon Kintzler. While he pitched to a 3.15 ERA with just 17 saves, his job appears to be secure. Former closer Glen Perkins is recovering from a significant injury so his likelihood to be ready for the start of the season is slim. Until Perkins proves he's healthy and capable of progressing to high leverage situations, Kintzler is the go-to closer for the Twins. Currently, Kintzler is being drafted after setup relievers. While he does not strike out as many batters as fantasy owners will desire, (5.8 K/9) he will have a stable position as the Twins closer.

Neftali Feliz, Milwaukee Brewers (ADP: 286)

The former closer has had an up-and-down career since 2014 so he will look for consistency in 2017 as the best candidate to close down wins for the Milwaukee Brewers. Entering the season under a rebuilding phase, the Brewers may trade Feliz if his value warrants a desire by other teams over the course of the season. Feliz is a reliable pick for a 3rd closer as long as he stays on the Brewers.

 

Overvalued Relief Pitchers

Wade Davis, Chicago Cubs (ADP: 89)

Statistically, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs have added an elite closer, in Wade Davis, as they look to repeat in 2017. Recent arm-related injuries could keep him from being a top-tier fantasy option. If he can live up to his recent numbers, including a 1.87 ERA with 27 saves and just over a strikeout per inning, Davis will be an outstanding closer for the Cubs and in fantasy. If his injuries present themselves again, Hector Rondon will slide back into the closer's role and owners of Davis will have to search for a replacement. Proceed with caution and backup options if Davis is a top-10 closer in your personal rankings.

Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees (ADP: 54), Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 52), Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles (ADP: 64)

If you're thinking about drafting these guys early, check out Nick Mariano's primer on why you should avoid paying for saves. The three elite closers of the league are standing out in the game and in fantasy. All with ADPs in the first 6 rounds, these three closers are being selected minimum 12 picks ahead of the next best closer available, Mark Melancon. Are Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Zach Britton in a class of their own? Yes, but strictly for their MLB teams. The easiest explanation is the fear of missing out. As fantasy owners are drafting and notice Chapman comes off the board, Jansen is highly sought for and is taken soon after because owners fear they will not have a great closer. These three relievers will put numbers up that stand out among their peers but for fantasy, valuable players who will contribute in more ways will be missed out as fantasy teams are put together without maximizing the value at each pick. Draft these three later, fill other higher contributing positions then find a successful closer that will add enough value to your fantasy team.

 

More Undervalued & Overvalued Picks


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brice Turang

Dealing With Pinky Injury
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Tuesday With Right-Foot Bruise
Oneil Cruz

Leaves Tuesday's Game with Apparent Head Injury
Bradley Beal

Feeling Rejuvenated in Los Angeles
Frankie Montas

Moves to Bullpen, Hopes for Reset in Relief Role
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Looking "Incredible"
PIT

Chad Ruhwedel Retires From NHL
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Activated Soon
MIN

Jack Johnson Signs Tryout Deal with Wild
Ryker Evans

Kraken Extend Ryker Evans with Two-Year Deal
Josh Hader

Astros Place Josh Hader on Injured List With Shoulder Strain
Rondale Moore

Out for the Season With Knee Injury
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Won't Return This Year With "Significant" Shoulder Injury
Zach Eflin

to Undergo Back Surgery, Out for the Year
Christian Watson

Likely to Begin Season on PUP List
Jordan Love

Undergoes Procedure on Left Thumb
Bud Cauley

Needs a Big Result in Maryland
Harris English

Confident for BMW Championship
Jason Day

Faces Uphill Battle at BMW Championship
Cameron Young

Hot at the Right Time
J.J. Spaun

Rolls in After Near Miss in Memphis
Brian Harman

is a Longer Shot Heading to Maryland
Corey Conners

Appears Safe This Week in Maryland
Daniel Berger

Must Play Better at BMW Championship
Zach Neto

Homers Twice on Monday
Miami Heat

Kai Jones Works Out for Heat
Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook Likely to Join Kings
Golden State Warriors

Al Horford Expected to Sign with Warriors if He Doesn't Retire
Jonathan Kuminga

Reportedly Leaning Toward Accepting Golden State's Qualifying Offer
Cam Thomas

"Increasingly Interested" in Signing Qualifying Offer
Gustavo Campero

Carted Off Field Monday With Leg Injury
Josh Hader

Unavailable Monday Due To Shoulder Discomfort
Shane McClanahan

has Surgery, Won't Return in 2025
Sepp Straka

Withdraws From BMW Championship
Maverick McNealy

Finishes Tied for 28th at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Third at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For 22nd at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Rory McIlroy

Finishes Tied For Seventh at Open Championship
Ben Griffin

Finishes Tied For Ninth at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Third at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Ninth at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Bobby Witt Jr.

Back in Monday's Lineup
Brandon Aiyuk

Could Return in Week 6
Boston Celtics

Miles Norris Waived by Celtics
Javonte Green

Inks Deal With Pistons
Anthony Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak To Eight
Roman Dolidze

Submitted At UFC Vegas 109
Byron Buxton

Twins Reinstate Byron Buxton From Injured List
Ode' Osbourne

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 109
Steve Erceg

Gets Back In The Win Column
Angela Hill

Outclassed At UFC Vegas 109
Angela Hill

Iasmin Lucindo Dominates Angela Hill
Christian Rodriguez

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Andre Fili

Gets Back in the Win Column
Miles Johns

Drops Split Decision At UFC Vegas 109
Miles Johns

Jean Matsumoto Edges Out Miles Johns To Win Split Decision
Eryk Anders

Suffers First-Round TKO
Christian Leroy Duncan

Scores First-Round TKO Win
Alexander Mattison

Will Miss Entire Season With Neck Injury
Zayne Parekh

Has Sights Set on Making Flames Roster
Hampus Lindholm

Fully Healthy for New Season
NHL

Nathan Bastian Joins Stars on One-Year Contract
Travis Bazzana

Set to Join Triple-A
Christopher Bell

Good Pit Strategy Helps Elevate Christopher Bell to Second
William Byron

Extends Championship Lead with Fourth-Place Finish
Ryan Blaney

Despite Finishing Sixth, Watkins Glen Might've Been Ryan Blaney's Best Road Race
Alex Bowman

Loses Ground Above Playoff Cutline, but Still Pretty Safe
Kyle Larson

Finishes Last After Brake Failure and Spin
Chris Buescher

Scores Another Top-5 Run At Watkins Glen
Ryan Preece

Earns Stage Points, but Loses Ground to the Playoffs At Watkins Glen
William Byron

Keeps the Regular Season Points Lead After Watkins Glen
Chase Briscoe

Continues His Hot Streak With A Top-5 Finish At Watkins Glen
Chase Elliott

Top-20 Streak Ends at Watkins Glen After Pit Struggles
Josh Giddey

Bulls Still Apart In Contract Negotiations
Jeremy Sochan

Expected To Miss EuroBasket With Calf Injury
Trae Young

'Resigned' To Idea Of No Extension This Offseason
Matthew Stafford

Will Return to Practice on Monday
Tyjae Spears

to Miss a Couple of Weeks
Hunter Greene

Expected to Return Wednesday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Dealing With Stiff Back
Rondale Moore

Expected to Miss Season
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen the Heavy Favorite to Win at Watkins Glen
Kyle Larson

Is Kyle Larson a Must-Play in DFS at Watkins Glen?
Chase Elliott

an Easy Pick to Make in DFS at Watkins Glen
Chris Buescher

Trying to Repeat at Watkins Glen
Tyler Reddick

Struggling to Find Speed at Watkins Glen
Michael McDowell

a Legitimate Threat at Watkins Glen
Joey Logano

Has Been Solid at Watkins Glen in Next Gen Car
Todd Gilliland

Has Upside at Watkins Glen
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. has Favorable Watkins Glen Record
Justin Haley

Fastest in Practice at Watkins Glen
Riley Herbst

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play
Julio Rodríguez

Julio Rodriguez Homers Twice in Win
Tyjae Spears

Picks Up High-Ankle Sprain in Loss
Jayden Reed

Wearing Walking Boot
Tyjae Spears

Carted Off on Saturday
New York Knicks

Ben Simmons Drawing Interest from Knicks, Celtics
Rachaad White

Won't Return on Saturday
James Cook

Not Willing to Play During Contract Dispute
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Plans to Practice Saturday
Trea Turner

Homers, Drives in Five in Productive Night
Haywood Highsmith

Undergoes Successful Knee Surgery
NHL

Jakub Vrana Signs Two-Year Deal in Sweden
COL

Avalanche Bring Back Joel Kiviranta on One-Year Deal
Matthew Tkachuk

Could Miss 2-3 Months with Surgery
Edward Cabrera

Punches Out 11 in Victory
Chase Burns

Superb in 10-Strikeout Performance
Chris Olave

Tweaks Ankle at Practice
Najee Harris

' Status for Week 1 Uncertain
Jake Ferguson

Practices on Friday
Ladd McConkey

Returning to Practice on Friday
Tyreek Hill

Sidelined with Oblique Injury
Anthony Richardson Sr.

X-Rays Negative on Anthony Richardson Sr.
Rashee Rice

Chiefs Expect Rashee Rice to be Suspended 4-6 Games
Mason McTavish

Several Teams Keeping Tabs on Mason McTavish
LA

Kyle Clifford Hangs Up Skates
Elias Pettersson

Out for "Revenge" in 2025-26
Roman Dolidze

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Semyon Varlamov

to Start Skating Next Week
Anthony Hernandez

Set For UFC Vegas 109 Main Event
VAN

Vitali Kravtsov Returns to Canucks
Steve Erceg

In Dire Need Of Victory
Iasmin Lucindo

Aims To Bounce Back
Angela Hill

Set For A Main-Card Bout
Christian Rodriguez

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 109
Andre Fili

Set For His 24th UFC Fight
Miles Johns

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jean Matsumoto

Looks To Bounce Back
Payton Pritchard

Eager to Continue Improving
Austin Reaves

Expected to Receive Massive Pay Raise with Next Contract
Jayson Tatum

Out of Walking Boot
San Antonio Spurs

Spurs Bring in Micah Potter for Training Camp
Harrison Ingram

Re-Signs with Spurs

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP