2026 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Utility

Building out your fantasy roster can be done in a variety of ways, but it rarely goes according to plan.

The strategy that you spend so much time planning out can fall apart by round seven, leaving you with confusion and a need to pivot. However, if there’s one suggestion I can make, it’s this: prioritize a utility player.

The season lasts 162 games. We all know how many injuries occur and how often you need to play the waiver wire. There is a lot of value in having a player who can fill in for a week at second base, shift to an outfield spot when another player on your roster has an off day, or man first base when your risky pick didn’t pan out.

Today, I am going to focus on some sleeper picks that fit this criteria. The focus will be on players who have an ADP of 250 or higher according to the National Fantasy Championship ADP rankings. Luckily, a number of the best utility options fall in this range, making them perfect sleeper candidates.

As you decide which utility player to select, a consideration that should be at the forefront of your mind is playing time.

A good place to start would be a player who is now solidified at a position but still has positional availability elsewhere due to past playing time. That can prove to be very valuable.

Alternatively, a scenario to keep in mind is one where a different player could potentially steal playing time away from the utility player in question. You need to focus on both angles, and also consider that your utility player might not be someone who remains on your roster for a full season.

Sometimes, you just need a player for the first month or two while the rest of your roster plays out.

Let’s dive into the top sleeper utility players for fantasy baseball in 2026.

Toronto’s Glue Guy, Ernie Clement — No. 306 NFBC ADP

Ernie Clement is one of those players that fans from all teams seem to like. An old-school, bat-to-ball utility player who embraces the role and provides more value than his baseline numbers show. You are going to get a low strikeout rate and a high average output with limitations in power and speed with Clement.

The biggest question with selecting your utility player will be how much playing time he gets. Clement’s value is largely carried by his glove, which doesn’t matter in fantasy baseball but does matter when considering his MLB playing time.

Toronto added a few players this offseason, but I think they value what Clement brings to the team enough to find him everyday at-bats either at second or moving him around the diamond.

This selection is more focused on finding players who will get at-bats more than impact your roster. The Blue Jays’ roster is talented enough that Clement will rack up run production opportunities either on the basepaths or driving runners in.

He has a low ceiling but a high floor. At this draft cost, that’s a fine profile to take a shot on.

Is Zach McKinstry a Risk Worth Taking? — No. 404 NFBC ADP

Do you believe in the Zach McKinstry 2025 breakout? That’s the first question you should ask yourself.

His production, including a .259/.333/.438 slash with 12 home runs and 19 stolen bases, was far and away his best season yet. That level of production was considerably better than his prior seasons, and he also dwindled down the stretch.

After posting a ridiculous .836 OPS in the first half, McKinstry struggled to a .656 OPS in the second half. All of his numbers turned south, resembling the player we grew to know before the first half of 2025.

However, McKinstry has strung together good stretches before 2025 and should get the type of playing time you need from a utility option.

If Kevin McGonigle starts the season in the minors, McKinstry will likely see a lot of playing time early in the year. Considering we are talking about a pick in the 400s, I think he’s worth a roll of the dice to see if what he discovered in the first half of 2025 can be replicated again.

You Know What You’ll Get With Josh Smith — No. 465 NFBC ADP

Josh Smith is my favorite utility guy in baseball. He’s a player whose game is about as bland as his name, which is a complement in this case. While some players have large variations in what they might do year in and year out, Smith is rather predicable.

He’s going to hit about .250 with around 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases while literally playing all over the field. Smith is a league-average bat that you can plug into short, second, third, first, or outfield, providing a lot of value for your fantasy team. With Marcus Semien gone, expect Smith to take the lion’s share of playing time at second.

Having a piece like Smith who you can move all over, and starts, is the positive. The negative is Smith will bat near the bottom of the order, which will limit the number of at-bats you get across a full season. In terms of negatives, that’s one I’d be willing to accept for this specific role considering the offense is a non-zero.

Betting the Turnaround Is True With Miguel Andujar — No. 603 NFBC ADP

A lot has changed since the days of Miguel Andujar headlining every Yankees mock trade on the internet. He’s bounced around, shined in the minors, and found a role as a short-side platoon option who now values contact over power.

Andujar really stood out last season, especially once he was moved to Cincinnati at the deadline. He finished the season slashing .318/.352/.470 with 10 home runs and a 125 wRC+. Since he started to focus on becoming a contact hitter, his game has taken off.

He’s still unsigned, but there’s an avenue where he lands on a team that gives him everyday at-bats, making this value pick that much better.

Now, beware. Andujar has really only been used in left, third, DH, and a bit at first. His third base eligibility will carry over, but I doubt he sees much time there. That was simply a product of the A’s trying to fit his bat into the lineup. He does not bring the same level of positional flexibility as the others on this list, but the offensive upside is higher.