Top Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2026

Merrill burst onto the fantasy baseball scene in 2024, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. The elite plate discipline that Merrill developed in his minor-league career immediately carried over to his performance in the big leagues as shown by his below average 17% rookie strikeout rate. Merrill was a five-category contributor in his rookie season. He slugged 24 home runs, drove in 90 runs, stole 16 bases, and posted a .292 BA and an .826 OPS.

2025 Performance Review

Merrill spent 52 days on the IL last season due to a strained hamstring, ankle sprain and concussion. His hamstring and ankle injuries limited his running ability, and he had just two stolen base attempts. Merrill also experienced non-injury related growing pains in his sophomore season. His strikeout rate increased to 22.4% and his overall batting average slumped to .264. Merrill had a .182 BAA offspeed pitches last season and his chase rate increased to 37.8 (28.4 was league average).

2026 Role

Merrill’s career home/away splits (home BA: .250, away BA: .308) demonstrate how hard it is for a left-handed hitter to have success playing in San Diego’s Petco Park. Despite those splits, there’s a good chance that he’ll experience a bounce-back 2026 season. Once fully healthy, Merrill hit seven home runs, drove in 16 runs and posted a 160 wRC+ in his final 97 plate appearances of the 2025 season. RosterResource expects Merrill to bat second in the Padres’ lineup even though most of his 2025 at bats were from the cleanup spot.

Fantasy Category Strengths and Projections

You can probably use Merrill’s stats from the final month of last season as a baseline for what to expect from him in 2026. A fantasy rebound in which his offense closely matches the production from his rookie season is likely. Merrill has a good chance of driving in close to 100 runs if he bats cleanup, and if he bats second as RosterResource suggests, his stolen base numbers could bounce back to the mid to upper teen range. In general, this projection for Merrill’s 2026 season seems to be on the mark:

.280 BA, 26 HR, 85 Runs Scored, 92 RBI, 13 SB

Anthony Santander: Power Rebound in New Park

Recent Seasons and Power Surge

In three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles (2022–2024) prior to his signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Santander averaged 35 home runs and 95 RBI. Prior to that power surge, Santander averaged 28 home runs and 84 RBI per 162 games from 2017 to 2021.

Santander got off to a terrible start in 2025, and in his first 50 games he had a .179 BA and he hit just six home runs with 18 RBI. He missed almost four months of the 2025 season due to a shoulder injury but according to Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Santander should be fully healthy heading into the 2026 season.

Rogers Centre Impact

Santander’s career stats at Rogers Centre aren’t very good. He has a .189/.275/.350 triple-slash in 245 plate appearances at the Blue Jays’ home park. However, based on Statcast’s park factors for the venue there’s hope for a Santander rebound in 2026. Santander is a switch-hitter, but bats right-handed most of the time. Last season Rogers Centre was ranked fifth best for right-handed hitters overall and third best when only home runs were taken into consideration.

Santander’s 2026 Outlook and Draft Value

As this article is being written, Santander is the 56th outfielder coming off the board in NFBC preseason fantasy baseball drafts. His overall 225 ADP leaves a lot of room for possible upside for a player like Santander who could potentially hit 30 plus home runs and drive in 90 plus RBI this season. Based on his ADP he’s being drafted well after outfielders like Bryan Reynolds (198 ADP), whose batting skills are on the decline, and one trick ponies like Chandler Simpson (ADP 153) and Steven Kwan (164). At age 31, Santander is still in his prime and is one of the most underrated fantasy baseball targets in early preseason drafts.

Other Top Sleepers and Rebound Targets

Rising Youth

Luke Keaschall (Minnesota Twins)

Keaschall has elite plate discipline. He posted a 9.2% walk rate, 14% strikeout rate, and a .302 BA and .827 OPS in his 49 games with the Twins last season. There’s not much depth at the fantasy baseball second base position this season and that has helped to elevate Keaschall’s draft profile. Despite his rookie status, Keaschall, who has an ADP of 140, is the eighth second baseman coming off the board in preseason NFBC drafts. Based on his underlying talent and preseason projections, Keaschall is likely to be a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Dylan Crews (Washington Nationals)

On the surface, Crews’ 2025 offensive statistics weren’t very impressive. In 293 at bats Crews batted just .208 and compiled a below average .631 OPS. However, as you can see in the chart below, his strikeouts decreased while his wOBA increased as his season progressed. Most major projection models suggest that Crews could be in line for a 15 plus home run, 20 plus stolen base season. Crews is the 40th outfielder being selected in preseason NFBC drafts.

Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds)

Stewart’s has a career minor league triple-slash (.289/.390/.466) and a good chance at cracking the Reds’ Opening Day lineup this spring. He has displayed good power and discipline at the plate during his four-year minor-league career, and Stewart would be playing his home games at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark which was ranked fifth best for right-handed power hitters last season.

Veteran Bounce-Backs

Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Betts’ .258 BA and .732 OPS from last season were career lows. There also was slight regression in several of his offensive metrics including average exit velocity, barrel %, hard hit % and ISO, but much of his offensive decline can be attributed to a mystery stomach virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds right before the start of the season. It took him a while to regain his full strength and from August 5 through the end of the 2025 season he batted .317 with an .892 OPS.

Willy Adames (San Francisco Giants)

Adames’ .225 BA was .026 points lower than his 2024 BA, but he still managed to hit 30 HR, score 94 runs, drive in 87 runs and steal 12 bases last season. His BABIP was .263, which is .028 points below his career average.

Adolis Garcia (Philadelphia Phillies)

Garcia hasn’t been able to raise his BA out of the .220’s for the past two seasons while playing his home games in Texas’ pitcher friendly Globe Life Field. This season he’ll play in Philadelphia’s hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

Luis Robert Jr. (New York Mets)

Injuries have been a constant concern for Robert Jr. He’s only had one season in his career (2023) in which he’s played more than 110 games.

Christian Walker (Houston Astros)

Walker found himself hitting .213 with a .635 OPS through June. From July on, he hit 17 home runs and drove in 51 runs over the final 73 games.

Nolan Arenado (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Arenado will be turning 35 years old this season. In 300 at bats at Chase Field, he compiled a .280 BA and an .841 OPS.

Draft Strategy for Sleepers and Rebound Targets

Late-Round Targets

Each draft is unique. Monitor roster construction during the draft and anticipate runs on upside players.

Multi-Category Balance

Avoid one-trick ponies when possible. Multi-category contributors provide roster flexibility.

Daylen Lile, Washington Nationals
Jordan Beck, Colorado Rockies
Luis Garcia Jr., Washington Nationals
Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Risk vs. Reward

Sleepers and rebound targets carry risk, but the payoff can be league-winning.

Final Advice

Trust your analysis. Projection models are guides, not rules. Upside wins leagues, but balance matters.

Looking for more help with your 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft? Check these top 20 positional rankings:

• Top 20 Starting Pitchers
• Top 20 Relief Pitchers
• Top 20 Catchers
• Top 20 First Basemen
• Top 20 Second Basemen
• Top 20 Third Basemen
• Top 20 Shortstops
• Top 20 Outfielders
• Top 20 Designated Hitters

People Also Ask

Is Jackson Merrill a sleeper in 2026?
Yes, he profiles as a breakout candidate.

Anthony Santander’s fantasy value in 2026?
Power rebound potential in Rogers Centre.

Top fantasy sleepers 2026?
Merrill, Santander, and young risers.

Rebound targets fantasy baseball 2026?
Veterans coming off down years.

When to draft sleepers in 2026?
Late rounds for upside.