👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Points Leagues Third Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

Most fantasy baseball analysis is geared toward rotisserie and head-to-head formats. Given the popularity of those setups, that's understandable. But plenty of folks out there play in points leagues, and player values can change quite a bit in that format compared to the more mainstream variants. This series is aimed at identifying some of the players whose valuations move most, in either direction.

All week, I’ll be offering my thoughts on potential points league bargains and busts at every position.

Today, we're looking at some potential third base sleepers and busts, or draft targets and avoids in points leagues.

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

 

Overvalued for Points Leagues

Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins

Whether or not you believe the market has properly recalibrated Sano's value based on his coming off a major leg injury and/or the likely impending suspension (I don't), he's a tough sell in points leagues. Sano has now logged over 1,300 plate appearances in the majors, and his strikeout rate sits at an absurd 35.8%. Unsurprisingly, that's the worst mark in baseball during that time. You'll also note that Sano has missed significant chunks of the last two seasons with a variety of injuries. The power is awe-inspiring, he draws lots of walks, and when he does make contact, it's usually of the loud variety...but there are just too many reasons to stay away.

Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks

As with Sano, there's plenty to like about Lamb. He hits for power, draws plenty of walks, and he keeps his strikeout rate at a manageable level. Unfortunately, the flaws are real and fairly glaring. The 27-year-old has cratered after the All-Star break in each of the last two seasons, and unlike in 2016, there wasn't an injury to pin as the obvious culprit. Lamb has also been one of the worst hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching over that time - only Max Kepler and Billy Hamilton have produced a worse wRC+ versus southpaws. The news that Arizona will install a humidor at Chase Field will also likely ding Lamb's production, at least a little.

 

Undervalued for Points Leagues

Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

Rendon has managed to stay healthy in three of the last four seasons, largely allaying fears about his injury proneness. There was never much question about his ability, as evidenced by his excellent work in those healthy seasons. Throwing out the injury-truncated 2015 campaign, Rendon has produced a .286-22-94-89-12 average line since breaking out in 2014. While his stolen base totals (both successes and attempts) have fallen during that time and he may be tapped out in terms of power, the Nationals’ overlooked star is still one of the better all-around contributors in fantasy. Rendon’s always been a high-quality hitter, but last season he was just one of five qualified batters to walk more often than he struck out. The others: Joey Votto, Mike Trout, Anthony Rizzo, and Justin Turner. Pretty great company, eh?

Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

Beltre will be 39 in April, and he failed to play in at least 100 games last season for the first time since his rookie year all the way back in 1998(!). When he wasn't dealing with multiple leg injuries, he was excellent as usual: .312/.383/.532 with 17 HR and 71 RBI in only 94 contests. The ageless wonder posted the best walk rate of his career, while maintaining his typically low strikeout rate. Time is, of course, undefeated; eventually Beltre will stop being awesome. There's little reason to believe the bottom will fall out this year, though, given the remarkable steadiness of Beltre's peripherals. Also, I would like to note that Beltre has stolen exactly one base in each of the last seven years - this is barely relevant to his value in points or any other format, it's just my current favorite random stat.

Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds

Suarez quietly put together a solid season in 2017, hitting .260 with 26 HR, 87 R, 82 RBI, and 4 SB. That wasn’t far behind Lamb (whose ADP is 75 picks earlier) and was better than Kyle Seager (55 picks earlier). Suarez isn’t flashy, but he can turn a nice little profit for you in the middle rounds. He may also pick up shortstop eligibility depending on how the Reds end up making room for Nick Senzel. Most intriguingly for our purposes here, Suarez bumped his walk rate up from eight to 13 percent last season,

 

More Points Leagues Analysis & Draft Values




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jordan Walker

to Run More in 2026?
Mitch Spence

Royals Acquire Mitch Spence From A's
Tylor Megill

Moves to 60-Day Injured List
Christian Encarnacion-Strand

May Miss First Few Spring Games
Seth Lugo

Throws a Bullpen on Thursday
Keibert Ruiz

Cleared From Concussion Restrictions
Ryan Bliss

Back in Action at Spring Training
Lars Nootbaar

Will be Delayed in Reporting to Camp
Nabil Crismatt

to Have Elbow Surgery
Agustín Ramírez

Agustin Ramirez Working to Improve his Defense
Nathan Lukes

Davis Schneider Likely to Platoon in Left Field
Jordan Binnington

Records 26-Save Shutout Against Czechia
Connor McDavid

Ties Canadian Record With Three Assists in Olympic Debut
Addison Barger

Moving to Outfield Full Time?
Josh Morrissey

Hurt in Olympic Opener
Robert Williams III

Will Not Play Against Utah
Braxton Garrett

Reaches 95 MPH During Live BP
Deni Avdija

Sidelined vs. Jazz
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Multiple Weeks
Naji Marshall

Gets Upgraded to Probable
Ian Anderson

to Miss All of 2026 After Shoulder Surgery
Myles Turner

Will Not Play Thursday
Caleb Martin

is Downgraded to Doubtful
Gunnar Henderson

Leaves Camp Due to Personal Matter
Noelvi Marte

to Work in Center Field in Camp
New York Knicks

Jeremy Sochan Heading to New York
Sal Stewart

Drops Weight Heading into First Full MLB Season
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Eligible for 2026 Season
Kyle Kuzma

Cleared to Play Against Thunder
Ryan Rollins

Remains Sidelined Against Thunder
Keston Hiura

Dodgers Sign Keston Hiura to a Minor-League Deal
Shaedon Sharpe

Sidelined Against Utah
Nick Castellanos

Drawing "a Lot of Interest"
Hunter Dobbins

Not Running or Fielding Yet
Jeff Criswell

to Open 2026 Season on 60-Day Injured List
Scoot Henderson

Available Again on Thursday
Deandre Ayton

Ruled Out on Thursday
Isaiah Hartenstein

Resting on Thursday
Jalen Williams

Will Not Play Thursday Against the Bucks
Deni Avdija

Listed As Questionable on Thursday
Lauri Markkanen

Will Rest on Thursday Against Portland
Keyonte George

Will Not Play Thursday
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Will Likely Miss the Rest of the Season
CFB

BYU's Parker Kingston Charged with Felony Rape
Joel Embiid

to Be Re-Evaluated After All-Star Break
Caleb Martin

Iffy for Thursday's Game
Naji Marshall

Uncertain to Face Lakers
Cameron Young

Looking for Pebble Beach Success
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Turn Things Around at Pebble Beach
Collin Morikawa

Eyes Turnaround at Pebble Beach
Jake Knapp

Brings Hot Form to Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor

in Good Form Going into Pebble Beach Event
Viktor Hovland

Carrying Momentum Into Pebble Beach
Tommy Fleetwood

Set for 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Harris English

Looks to Build on Steady Form at Pebble Beach
Justin Rose

Tuned in for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Keegan Bradley

a Boom-or-Bust Play at Pebble Beach
Maverick McNealy

Playing Well with Pebble Beach Looming
Russell Henley

Carries Momentum to Pebble Beach
Shane Lowry

Makes 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Michael Kim

Putting Well with Pebble Beach on the Horizon
Billy Horschel

a Little Rattled After Consecutive Missed Cuts
Ben Griffin

Solid But Not Spectacular Early in 2026
Wyndham Clark

Has Question Marks Heading to Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger

Heating Up at the Right Time for Pebble Beach
Jordan Spieth

Looking For a Return to Form at Pebble Beach
Juuse Saros

Starting Wednesday
William Nylander

Iffy for Olympic Opener
Martin Necas

Ready for Thursday
Drake Maye

Says his Shoulder Injury was Significant
Xander Schauffele

Trying to Get the Motor Going at Pebble Beach
Hideki Matsuyama

Trying to Overcome Sunday Collapse
Kenneth Walker III

Runs Away With Super Bowl MVP Honors
Vinicius Oliveira

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Mario Bautista

Gets Back In The Win Column
Kyoji Horiguchi

Dominates At UFC Vegas 113
Amir Albazi

Gets Dominated At UFC Vegas 113
Rizvan Kuniev

Earns His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 113
Marc-Andre Barriault

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Gets His Third Win In A Row
Las Vegas Raiders

Klint Kubiak Confirms he Will be Next Raiders Head Coach
Jonas Rondbjerg

Out for Olympics
Brad Marchand

Good to Go for Olympic Opener
Gabriel Landeskog

Healthy for Olympics
Jack Hughes

Cleared for Olympics
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Returns to Super Bowl After Injury Scare
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Being Evaluated for Concussion, Questionable to Return
James Pearce Jr.

Arrested Following Police Chase
Quinn Hughes

Enters Olympics in Red-Hot Form
NHL

Juho Lammikko Returns to Switzerland
Pavel Zacha

Misses Olympics
Travis Kelce

Undecided on Playing Future, Leaning Towards Returning in 2026?
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF