🖥 CYBER WEEK - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE CYBER
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

The Waiting Game: 5 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

This article originally appeared on We Talk Fantasy Sports. You can follow Brant on Twitter @BrantChesser.

Fantasy baseball drafts and auctions place owners in difficult situations at various times throughout each day. When should we draft the best player on the board? When should we fill out our roster? Quite a few owners would say that they choose the best player available in the first seven-eight rounds before they start filling needs.

We will explore some draft options that are available on positions that we can wait to fill at pick #200, which correlates to the 14th round in a 15-team league and the 17th-18th round in a 12-team league. Most of these players are worth $6-8 in an auction league.

 

Second Base Draft Value

If we prefer to wait on talent at second base, there is a solid option in the 14th round. Ben Zobrist also qualifies at OF, and NFBC owners are selecting him at #197 ADP. His 88% contact rate and 12% BB% provides a solid foundation for success, especially if we take risks with our earlier picks. As he is aging, his SB success rate has dropped from 67% in 2014 to 43% last year. His consistency to hit double-digit homers as a middle infielder will help roto owners, but he has hit 49% GB the last two seasons.

His .288 BABIP last season falls in line with his .292 career BABIP, and he provides strong value in 61% of his weeks for H2H owners. He provides close to league-average production at 2B in deeper points-leagues with -1% value. As a switch-hitter last year, he hit .252 as a LHB against RHP with 19 doubles and 40 RBI's as a LHB against RHP. He smacked ten of his twelve homers as a LHB, but he hits for a higher average, .329 last year and .290 career, as a RHB against LHP.

While we know the SB's will not return to double-digits, his ability to make contact and take walks will help his BA and runs, especially on a loaded offensive team. He has a good chance to provide $10-15 worth of value in an auction league, and he will be an average 2B in an 18-team league.

 

Outfield Draft Value

There is another NL-option at the OF position that would fill our #3 OF slot. Stephen Piscotty's 77% contact rate and 8% BB% gives hope for the future, especially after he hit .305 with 7 homers in 233 MLB ABs in 2015. Luck aided his BA with a .372 BABIP, and he only stole two bases last summer. He dominated 50% of his 12 MLB weeks for H2H owners, and he will could provide close to league-average production as a #3 OF in points leagues.

Auction owners will want to spend $8-10 for his $14 projection to hit .267 with 16 HR's and 58 RBI's in 2016. At 25 years old, there is more risk in this selection, but he could also turn into a deep-league keeper if he continues to lower his 33.5% of swings outside of the zone when he adjusts to NL pitching.

 

Middle Of the Rotation Draft Value

We can wait on SP, if we take this AL-SP after pick #200. Mike Fiers' 9.0 K/9 the last two seasons and 60% FpK shows his consistency, and his skills should not regress in 2016. Although his 4.04 xFIP hovered above his 3.69 ERA, his .283 BABIP almost mirrors his career .285 BABIP. His AL West team should provide decent run support to allow this SP to reach double-digit wins. His skills improved in the second half, especially when he dominated 69% of his 13 starts. His oOPS rose from .531 in 2014 to .713 last year, but his Fly Ball rate dropped from 47% in 2014 to 42% in 2015.

Even though we can wait to draft this SP, he will provide league-average value as a SP in an 18-team league, and he is 6% more valuable than the average #4 SP. Auction-league owners can hope to spend $7-8 on him and hope that he can earn $11-12 in 2015 if he can win 10-11 games with a 3.70 ERA. He has health on his side, but his BB/9 moved from 2.13 BB/9 in 2014 to 3.19 BB/9 last season.

 

Middle Reliever Draft Value

In shallow leagues, we can turn to an AL RP around pick #200. He can provide $6 of value for our fantasy teams in 2016. H2H owners can draft him in the 14th round and quickly raise their team's strikeout totals. Dellin Betances' 14.0 K/9 last year built on his 13.5 K/9 in 2014, and he has induced 46% GB the last two seasons. His FpK slipped from 66% in 2014 to 59% last year, which resulted in 4.3 BB/9 instead of 2.4 BB/9.

While we should not count on any saves this year, Betances saved 9 games last year, and he threw in 6 wins. His 2.41 xFIP shows that his ERA could rise some this year, especially if his .257 BABIP moves closer to his career .260-.270 BABIP. LHB's hit .134 against him last year, and RHB's hit .174 against him. Draft him and hope that he walks fewer batters in 2016, but we can count on 120-130 K's with a 1.0-1.1 WHIP, which will help most of our teams move up in the standings.

 

Closer Draft Value

If we wait to fill saves, we can take an NL-Closer option near pick #215. We should know that Brad Ziegler has warning signs, especially after his K/9 dropped from 7.3 k/9 in 2014 to a dreadful 4.8 k/9 last season. His 3.48 xFIP towered above his 1.85 ERA, and his .218 BABIP was much higher than his career .277 BABIP, but he has consistently outperformed xFIP most years.

On the positive side, he saved 94% of his games in 2015, and his 73% GB rate keeps the ball in the park with only three homers surrendered and a 14% FB rate. His 2.25 bb/9 helps keep runners off of the bases, and his 79.3% LOB% falls in line with his career 78% LOB%. Several services predict that he will save 30 games this year, which makes him 30% more valuable than the average RP #2 in an 18-team league, even though he loses -16% of value if we compare him to a #1 average Closer. Arizona spent more on their SP this winter so he could see more save chances in 2016 if he can keep his role.

Recap

We can find decent value with some of these players, even in the 14th round in a 15-team league. While Zobrist may return the most value this year, the Piscotty may turn into a keeper, and Ziegler provides 30 valuable saves at this point in the draft. If we choose to wait on SP, then we can find our #3-4 SP, and we can also find pay for an elite MR that will lower our team's WHIP and ERA.

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 


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

Jimmy Butler III

Sidelined Thursday
Jayden Daniels

Practices in Full on Thursday
Jaylen Brown

Ruled Out Thursday Against the Wizards
Lamar Jackson

Expected to Play Against Steelers
Quentin Grimes

Is Ready to Return on Thursday
Deshaun Watson

Not Expected to Play This Year
Paul George

Will Not Play Against the Warriors
Joel Embiid

Upgraded to Questionable for Thursday
CFB

Joe Sloan Expected to be Kentucky's New Offensive Coordinator
Justin Herbert

Chargers "Really Optimistic" That Justin Herbert Will Play on Monday
Michael Porter Jr.

Will Not Play Thursday
CFB

Lane Kiffin Working to Keep Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker at LSU
Noa Essengue

Out for the Season
Mike Evans

has "Real Chance" to Return in Week 14
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Expected To Miss 2-4 Weeks
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Realistic Expectation is for Amon-Ra St. Brown to Return Next Week
Jalen Carter

Won't Play in Week 14 After Having Shoulder Surgeries
Justin Herbert

Expected to Practice Either Thursday or Friday
Mike Evans

Practicing Again Thursday
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Questionable With Rib Contusion
Marcus Smart

Sidelined Thursday Against Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul Set To Part Ways With Clippers
CFB

Brian Daboll a Candidate for Penn State Head-Coaching Job?
Yves Missi

Sidelined vs. Wolves
Quentin Grimes

Uncertain To Play Against Golden State
Bilal Coulibaly

Likely Out Multiple Weeks With Oblique Strain
Karel Vejmelka

Records Impressive Shutout
JJ Peterka

Rocks Ducks With Four-Point Effort
Cole Caufield

Extends Point Streak With Power-Play Assist
Matvei Michkov

Delivers Two Assists Wednesday
Jake Oettinger

Grabs Fourth Consecutive Victory With Shutout
Ryan Leonard

Tallies Four Points in Wednesday's Win
Cam York

Exits Win Early
Jakob Poeltl

to Sit Out Thursday's Game
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Third Straight Game Thursday
Jonathan Kuminga

Iffy for Thursday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed as Questionable for Thursday
Paul George

Questionable Thursday
Joel Embiid

Unlikely to Play Thursday
Jaylen Brown

Doubtful to Play Thursday
Kyren Williams

Expected to Play in Week 14
Davante Adams

Expected to Play Despite Missing Wednesday's Practice
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Woody Marks

Texans Say Woody Marks Will be Fine
Rasmus Ristolainen

to Miss at Least One More Week
Drew Doughty

Logs Full Practice Wednesday
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal
Jeff Skinner

Remains Sidelined Wednesday
Petr Mrazek

Out 2-3 Weeks
Tyler Seguin

Likely Done for the Season
Neal Pionk

Returns to Jets Lineup
J.J. McCarthy

Practices in Full, on Track to Return in Week 14
Cedric Mullins

Rays Agree on One-Year Deal
Mark Andrews

Agrees to Three-Year Extension With Ravens
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Considering Trading Freddy Peralta
Kyle Schwarber

Reds Serious About Adding Kyle Schwarber in Free Agency?
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Officially Questionable for Thursday Night
Omarion Hampton

"on Track and Looking Good" for Week 14
CFB

Brent Key Signing Five-Year Deal to Remain at Georgia Tech
Joey Bosa

Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Bryce Young

Panthers Expected to Pick Up Bryce Young's Fifth-Year Option
Deshaun Watson

Browns Opening Practice Window for Deshaun Watson
CFB

Brian Hartline Expected to Land USF Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Collin Klein Expected to be Top Target for Kansas State if Head-Coach Job Opens
CFB

Chris Klieman Considering Stepping Down at Kansas State
Aaron Rodgers

Appears to be Healthier Heading into Week 14
Jalen McMillan

Expected to Have his 21-day Practice Window Opened
Alexander Wennberg

a Game-Time Call Wednesday
Michael Callahan

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Tuesday
Michael Rasmussen

Makes Early Exit Tuesday
Scott Wedgewood

Exits Early With Back Problem
Evander Kane

Expected to Be Fine After Skate Cut
Tyler Seguin

Injured Versus Rangers
Sean Monahan

Expected to Play Thursday
Nathan Walker

Out for Eight Weeks
CFB

D.J. Durkin Staying at Auburn Under Alex Golesh
CFB

Charlie Weis Jr. Permitted to Coach Ole Miss Offense in College Football Playoff
CFB

Five-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis Flips Commitment From Georgia to Vanderbilt
CFB

Florida Hiring Brad White as Defensive Coordinator
Kyle Schwarber

Giants Have Checked in on Kyle Schwarber
Willson Contreras

Willing to Waive his Full No-Trade Clause?
Edwin Díaz

Mets Still Interested in Re-Signing Edwin Diaz
Devin Williams

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Mets
Cole Ragans

Red Sox Targeting Cole Ragans in a Trade?
CFB

Kentucky Hires Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein As Head Coach
CFB

Kalani Sitake the Top Target for Penn State Coaching Job
CFB

Josh Heupel Says He's Not a Candidate for Penn State Head Coach Job
CFB

Will Stein, Brian Hartline the Top Candidates for Kentucky Job?
CFB

Nebraska Fires Defensive Coordinator John Butler After One Season
CFB

UCLA Expected to Hire Bob Chesney as Next Head Coach
CFB

Lane Kiffin to Make $13 Million Salary, Ties Kirby Smart
CFB

Buster Faulkner, Joey Halzle Candidates for Florida Offensive Coordinator Job?
CFB

Kentucky Officially Fires Mark Stoops
CFB

Lane Kiffin to be Introduced as LSU's Next Head Coach on Monday
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Ryan Helsley

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Orioles

RANKINGS

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