🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% 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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Zay Flowers

Goes Off for 138 Yards, Two Touchdowns in Loss
Bo Bichette

Phillies Have Interest in Bo Bichette
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Dominates in Week 18 Win
Cameron Ward

Believed to Have Grade 3 AC Joint Sprain in Right Shoulder
Colston Loveland

Leads Bears in Targets, Receptions, Receiving Yards in Week 18
Santi Aldama

Available on Sunday Evening
Ja Morant

Downgraded on Sunday Night
Puka Nacua

Finishes the Regular Season as Top-Scoring Receiver
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Fire Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot
David Njoku

Wants to Re-Sign with Browns
Ray Davis

Runs Wild in Final Game of Regular Season
Matthew Stafford

Strengthens MVP Candidacy in Win Over Cardinals
Mitchell Trubisky

Comes Off Bench, Throws for Four Touchdowns
Rhamondre Stevenson

Explodes for Three Touchdowns in Huge Week 18
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Good to Go Against Sacramento
Trae Young

Won't Play on Monday Night
Grayson Allen

Still Out on Sunday Night
Indianapolis Colts

Colts to Bring Back Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard for 2026
Kansas City Royals

Matt Quatraro Signs Three-Year Extension With Royals
Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Catches Eight Passes in Dominant Outing Sunday
Logan Stanley

to Sit Out One Game With Suspension
TOR

Chris Tanev Could Be Done for Rest of Regular Season
Sean Monahan

Expected to Return Tuesday
Alexander Wennberg

Lands Three-Year Extension
Alec Pierce

Makes Several Big Catches Before Ejection
John Beecher

Handed One-Game Suspension
Devon Toews

Unavailable Sunday
Seth Jones

Out Against Avalanche
Josh Allen

Plays One Snap in Week 18
Myles Garrett

Breaks All-Time Single-Season Sack Record
Jaylen Waddle

Officially Sidelined for Season Finale
De'Von Achane

Officially Inactive Against Patriots in Week 18
Dalton Kincaid

Suiting Up Against Jets in Week 18
Kyren Williams

Suiting Up Against Cardinals on Sunday
Davante Adams

Won't Play Against Cardinals in Week 18
Jamal Murray

Will Play on Sunday
Christian Braun

Will Play on Sunday
Aaron Gordon

Will Play on Sunday
Ja Morant

Questionable Against the Lakers
Michael Porter Jr.

Off Injury Report, Set to Face Nuggets
Jalen Suggs

Ruled Out for Sunday, No Timetable for Return
Caris LeVert

Ruled Out Against Cavaliers
Jarrett Allen

Ruled Out on Sunday Afternoon
CFB

Transfer QB Billy Edwards Commits to North Carolina
CFB

Sam Leavitt Visiting Texas Tech on Saturday
Jamal Murray

Expected to Play Against Nets
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Listed as Probable for Sunday
Tobias Harris

Out at Least Two Weeks with Hip Sprain
Jalen Duren

to Miss at Least One Week with Ankle Injury
Vince Williams Jr.

Misses Eighth Straight Game
Maxime Raynaud

Cleared to Play Sunday After Knee Scare
Isaiah Hartenstein

Remains Out Versus Suns
Nathan MacKinnon

Takes Over Scoring Lead With Four-Point Effort
Herbert Jones

Misses Seventh Straight Game
Nikita Kucherov

Bags Five Points Against Sharks
Darren Raddysh

Celebrates Hat Trick in Big Win
Jordan Binnington

Logs First Shutout of Season
Auston Matthews

Becomes Maple Leafs' All-Time Goals Leader
Jake McCabe

Exits Loss Early
Tom Wilson

Escapes Serious Injury
Joel Kiviranta

Misses Road Trip
Gavin Brindley

Out Saturday
Casey DeSmith

Granted Leave of Absence
Tanner Jeannot

Remains Absent Saturday
Trevor Moore

Won't Play Saturday Night
Shayne Gostisbehere

Set to Return Saturday
William Nylander

Misses Fourth Straight Game
CFB

DJ Lagway Expected To Visit Florida State
Kyle Tucker

Blue Jays "Remain the Favorite" to Sign Kyle Tucker
CFB

Joey Aguilar Undergoes Surgery to Remove Tumor on Friday
CFB

Texas the "Team to Beat" for Transfer Running Back Isaac Brown
CFB

Rocco Becht to Follow Matt Campbell to Penn State?
CFB

Texas Targeting Cam Coleman in Transfer Portal
CFB

Former Texas Running Back CJ Baxter Visiting Kentucky
CFB

Beau Pribula Visiting Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech
Bo Bichette

Yankees Showing Interest in Bo Bichette
Houston Astros

Astros Sign Tatsuya Imai to Three-Year Deal
CFB

Lane Kiffin Interested in Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby at LSU
CFB

Deuce Knight Officially Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Kewan Lacy Expected to Be Full-Go Against Georgia
CFB

Chip Kelly Named Northwestern Offensive Coordinator

RANKINGS

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