2026 Fantasy Baseball: Outfield Sleepers

One of the most important pieces of drafting your fantasy baseball team is understanding positional depth. For instance, the amount of valuable second basemen is not as vast as the number of valuable outfielders. When you build your board, knowing when to select a certain position is key.

Although some of the top outfielders are worthy of a high selection, it is a position you could elect to wait to address later in the draft. Personally, I like to select an outfielder in the top, say 75, then wait until later rounds to fill out the position.

This strategy relies heavily on selecting the right sleeper picks. Players with an ADP of 250 or higher, according to the National Fantasy Championship ADP rankings. Luckily, there are a number of outfielders with value falling into this range.

Today, I am going to dive into a few of the names in this range that I like for the 2026 season. Some young breakout candidates, solid veterans, and a roll of the dice (or two).

Ryan O’Hearn Shines in Pittsburgh – #291

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been surprisingly active this offseason, adding Ryan O’Hearn as part of the trio of lefties they brought into their lineup. While O’Hearn does not come with the type of power you might want to target, 15-20 home runs is a safe bet.

O’Hearn has posted a 118 wRC+ or better each of the past three seasons while also cutting down his chase rate and improving his walk rate each season. Last season was the best of his career, and the steady improvements we have seen over the last three seasons are sustainable and not a fluke.

Sure, O’Hearn does not come with the type of ceiling that could carry your fantasy team, but his high floor carries value. I’m confident that he’ll provide you with above-average production and at this point in the draft, that’s a good, safe pick.

Oozing Upside with Dylan Beavers – #319

The Orioles outfield situation is a bit crowded with the addition of Taylor Ward and Tyler O’Neil coming back from surgery, but I have a feeling Beavers will be too good to limit his at-bats.

Although Beavers was a top 35 pick and a highly regarded prospect, his name flew under the radar a bit with the O’s recent group of prospects.

However, Beavers has done nothing but impress throughout the minors.

Last season in Triple-A, he slashed .304/.420/.515 with 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases across 94 games. He joined the O’s for 35 games, hitting four home runs and posting a 125 wRC+ in his first stint in the majors.

I love what Beavers has to offer as a high upside selection. A blend of power and speed with a great approach, who should draw plenty of walks.

My only concern would be if Beavers is used in a platoon role with someone like Tyler O’Neil, which would hurt his value, but certain deep leagues can still capitalize on strong side platoon bats.

Rolling the Dice with Evan Carter – #342

Evan Carter made a name for himself as a prospect but really caught the nation’s eye when he debuted as a 20-year-old back in 2023. Since then, injuries have stalled his development, but the 63 games we saw last season, slashing .247/.336/.392, were better than his 2024 season.

Carter will be 23 years old for most of the season and has a total of 131 games under his belt.

It’s hard to say exactly what we can expect in 2026, but I know the talent and tools are there. We have seen Carter cut down on his whiff and strikeout numbers, which might have impacted his power, but came with a better average and on-base percentage.

I still think Carter has enough juice to be a 15-20 home run bat with the speed to steal 25 bags.

We’ll see how last season’s wrist injury impacts his 2026 campaign, but this type of upside, nearing pick 350 in the draft, is too much to pass up.

Finding Your Stolen Bases with Victor Scott II – #379

With the Cardinals entering a rebuild of sorts, players like Victor Scott II should receive ample playing time, struggling or not.

The 25-year-old outfielder does two things very well – runs and makes contact. The power is next to nothing, and his average was .216 last season, but you don’t have to squint too hard to see how he could fit into your deep league lineups.

Scott improved his 3.9% walk rate from 2024 to 9.1% in 2025 thanks to a 5% improvement in his chase rate. This stands out because the only way Scott provides value is if he’s on base.

Last season, he stole 34 bags in 138 games while getting on base at only a .305 clip. If he could get that number up to even .320, his stolen base potential comes at a steal with pick 379.

There’s a non-zero chance that Scott improves enough in his second full season to become a valuable asset, especially in category leagues where stolen bases can be tough to come by.

I’m not going to say a breakout is about to happen, but I’d bet on improvement.

Buying Into Cam Smith’s Growth – #383

Cam Smith has been put through a lot since being selected 14th overall in 2024. He was quickly moved from Chicago to Houston in the Kyle Tucker deal and debuted with the Astros after only 32 minor league games.

As a 22-year-old rookie without much minor league experience, Smith slashed .236/.312/.358 with nine home runs in 134 games.

The overall numbers look bleak, but Smith posted a .765 OPS in the first half before finishing the season with a .489 OPS. I’m willing to write this off as the rigors of a 162 games season catching up to a young player.

Bottom line, Smith has too much raw talent to pass up this late.

The pedigree speaks for itself, and having a full year of experience, plus all offseason to focus on improvement, leaves me with a good feeling about his 2026 season.

His first half showed hecan be productive in the majors, and sometimes the sophomore people are overlooking can be the best value picks.