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

Outfield Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets for OBP Leagues (2025)

Ian Happ - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Andy's 2025 fantasy baseball outfield sleepers. draft targets for OBP leagues. Draft these fantasy baseball outfielders who excel in OBP (on-base percentage).

In leagues that score on-base percentage (OBP) as a category instead of batting average (AVG), fantasy managers should make a few tweaks to their draft board to ensure that they are set up for success.

For example, several players may produce a poor AVG due to weak contact skills but have an excellent walk rate, which is more valuable in this modified format. These players carry a significant move value in OBP formats compared to standard 5x5 formats. The ADP referenced in this piece is from the NFBC.

In this piece, we will look at five outfielders to push your draft board in OBP formats. Be sure to follow @RotoBallerMLB and me at @A_SMITH_FS on X for league-winning content all offseason. Let's dive in!

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

 

Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

ADP: 114.2

Christian Yelich was enjoying an MVP-caliber campaign in 2024 before suffering a season-ending back injury. Yelich underwent surgery in the offseason and is expected to be a full-go for spring training.

Across 73 contests last summer, the 2018 NL MVP posted a stellar .315/.406/.504 line with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, and 21 stolen bases. He showed an elite eye at the plate with a 12.7 percent walk rate and a strong 18.4 percent strikeout rate.

His .294 xBA in 2024 was his highest mark since his 2019 MVP campaign. While his xBA sharply declined from 2020 through 2023, his walk rate remained constant.

During this stretch, the 33-year-old never saw his walk rate drop below 12.3 percent. He held a 13.0 percent or higher walk rate in three of these seasons, which were all within the 94th percentile among qualified hitters.

While Yelich could return to his MVP-caliber self following his surgery, his bat carries more risk than usual. However, fantasy managers in OBP leagues should confidently target Yelich at his current ADP, as he should continue to post one of the highest walk rates in the sport.

 

Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

ADP: 127.4

Ian Happ posted a modest .243 AVG last season but held an excellent .341 OBP. The left fielder also hit a career-high 25 long balls and swiped 13 bags.

For the second straight season, Happ generated a walk rate of at least 12.0 percent. This past season, he had a 12.2 percent walk rate, a slight drop from the 14.3 percent he had in 2023. Since 2020, the Cincinnati product has only once seen his walk rate drop below 11.6 percent throughout his career.

However, during this span, Happ has only posted a batting average higher than .260 once, further suggesting how much value Happ holds in OBP formats compared to standard leagues.

In addition to his excellent walk rate, Happ has seen his power metrics slowly climb, only adding to his fantasy value. Last summer, the Gold Glover generated a 45.2 percent hard-hit and an 11.7 percent barrel rate, both significantly above the average marks according to Statcast. He also held a 30.4 percent fly-ball rate last summer, the highest of his career.

Lastly, Happ has eclipsed 80 runs and 80 RBI in each of his past two seasons.

Slated as the everyday left fielder in a lineup that welcomes Kyle Tucker, Happ is a must-draft in this format.

 

Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets

ADP: 165.5

Brandon Nimmo saw his batting average drop to a disappointing .224 (second-lowest of his career) last season, but the 31-year-old still had high value in OBP formats thanks to his 11.6 percent walk rate.

While Nimmo's OBP (.327) was a drop from his typical production, fantasy managers should bet confidence on a bounce-back in 2025, given his track record.

In 2022 and 2023, Nimmo posted a .367 and.363 OBP, respectively, which were the seventh and 13th-highest in the National League.

In addition, since his sophomore campaign in 2017, Nimmo has never seen his walk rate drop below 10.5 percent and has held a 14.0 percent or higher rate in five of his previous eight seasons.

Lastly, even though Nimmo had a down year in 2024, he still generated a .261 xBA, suggesting he should return to form in 2025. Take the discount in drafts. Similar to Happ, the Mets will welcome a superstar bat to the lineup in Juan Soto, which will only improve Nimmo's counting stats.

 

Jurickson Profar, Atlanta Braves

ADP: 211.3

Earlier this offseason, the 31-year-old outfielder inked a three-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. Fantasy managers should expect him to be Atlanta's everyday left fielder during the 2025 season.

Last summer, Profar enjoyed a career season. He posted a .280/.380/.459 slash line, 29 doubles, 24 home runs, and 10 stolen bases. He also scored 94 runs and tallied 86 RBI.

However, Profar showed an incredible eye at the plate, with an 11.4 percent walk rate and a 15.1 percent strikeout rate, both within the 88th percentile among qualified hitters.

While fantasy managers could see his 2024 production as an outlier, as he never had a batting average higher than .250 in each of his previous four seasons, his walk rate remained elite. During these four years, Profar has held a walk rate of at least 11 percent in three of these four seasons.

Even if his bat regresses to his typical career marks, fantasy managers should expect his on-base percentage to remain reliable, given his consistent walk rate. In addition, joining a potent lineup, he should provide elite counting stats batting alongside Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, and a healthy Ronald Acuna Jr.

 

Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals

ADP: 267.2

My final outfielder to highlight on your draft boards in OBP leagues is Lars Nootbaar. Over his past three seasons, Nootbaar has never seen his OBP drop below .340. He posted a career-best .367 OBP in 2023. However, during this stretch, his batting average only exceeded .260 on one occasion.

Like many names on this list, the USC product has much higher value in this format due to his ability to draw walks. During these three years, Nootbaar has held a walk rate within the top five percent of qualified batters. In 2022, he posted a career-best 14.7 percent walk rate. During this stretch, Nootbaar has held an overall .352 xwOBA.

While the left fielder possesses elite on-base skills, do not sleep on his bat. Last season, Nootbaar generated a 49.5 percent hard-hit rate (91st percentile) and the highest xSLG (.455) of his career.

Based on the current ADP, Nootbaar is shaping up to be a steal in this format with strong power upside given his underlying metrics.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




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

Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF