In fantasy baseball, identifying deep sleepers with late ADPs and uncertain roles can be the difference between building a contender and missing out on future stars. These under-the-radar players, often overlooked in early drafts or found on the waiver wire, have the potential to reshape rosters, not only for redraft leagues but for years to come in deeper formats. Just look at the 2025 season, where hidden gems like Geraldo Perdomo, Drake Baldwin, and Ben Rice emerged to become foundational pieces for winning teams. For managers looking to stay ahead, this year’s deep sleeper pool could hold a wave of impact contributors. We are going to dig into a four-pack of players going after pick 325 in early Draft Champion results that need to be on your radar as we move into the spring.
Tyler O’Neil (ADP 407)
Tyler O’Neil is just one year removed from a season where he hit .241 with 31 homers and a 133 wRC+ across 113 games for the Boston Red Sox. Going into 2025, O’Neil signed a three-year $49.5 million deal with Baltimore due to the power upside and strong defensive presence he can bring. The issue with O’Neil has always been his inconsistency with injuries. In 2025, for the Orioles, he only managed 54 games but did show some intriguing results. Over a full season, he was tracking for 27 home runs, 12 steals, and a disappointing .199 batting average. We can dismiss the poor batting average in part due to a low .218 BABIP masking an expected batting average of .247. We also see that the latter portion of his year started to show glimpses of his impressive potential.
Going into 2026, he should be able to establish himself in an improved Baltimore lineup with a chance for a healthy season. While it will be crowded with the likes of Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, and Dylan Beavers, he should get plenty of at bats. We cannot expect a full run from a health perspective, but while he is in the lineup, we are looking at a 30-homer bat with the speed to swipe 10 bases. He managed a 125 wRC+ in the second half last season and will be an easy plug-and-play option when in the lineup.
Mike Yastrzemski (ADP 416)
A 35-year-old veteran who has lived on the periphery of fantasy relevance for years, Mike Yastrzemski, signed a two-year $23 million contract with the Braves in December. He comes into what should be a strong lineup on a good team, giving him more production opportunities than he has had in the past. In early drafts this offseason, Yastrzemski has been an afterthought, and fantasy managers should be taking note of why a team like the Braves would invest in this profile.
In nearly 100 games with the Giants to start the 2025 season, he had a 95 wRC+ with eight homers and a .231 average. Post-trade to the Royals, in only 50 games, he delivered a 127 wRC+ with nine homers and a .237 average. The big difference being his plate approach improved with the Royals, seeing his strikeout rate drop from 23.1% to 11.8% at the same time, suffering from a .217 BABIP masking his true improvements, illustrated by his xBA of .285. These shifts were supported by a few key factors. First, he made better contact in the zone with an incredible 93.7% zone contact rate, dropping his swinging strike rate to a career low of 5.4%. Second, the Royals limited his exposure to lefties, which has been a constant struggle for his career. While we might be looking at a bit of a platoon bat for the Braves, there is certainly more value than a 400 ADP.
Will Benson (ADP 650)
Benson certainly has his flaws, and we can get those out of the way first. This is a guy who is destined to be a strong side platoon bat and simply does not need to be at the plate against lefties. The Reds managed to give him a total of 17 at-bats against southpaws last season across 90 games played. The second red flag is his ability to make contact with a 73% zone contact rate in 2025, which was effectively 10 points below league average. However, we need to recognize that expectations are zero for a guy with impressive raw skills going into his age 27 season.
Looking at the positives, let’s build an overly optimistic projection for this season. We can assume he will only face righties and cap out around 130 games in a single season due to the platoon issues. With a significant improvement in strikeout rate this past season, we saw his expected batting average increase to .257 which is well above his career level of .214. He did run less last year after stealing 19 bases in 2023 and 16 in 2024. If we project this growth, we can see a .250 season with 20-25 homers and low double digit steals over a full season. There will be questions on playing time in a crowded outfield, but we are looking at a profile and expectation very similar to Ryan McMahon, who is going nearly 250 picks earlier.
Dominic Canzone (ADP 331)
Dominic Canzone might be my biggest target at the end of drafts entering 2026. He will be entering his age 28 season after three partial seasons between Arizona and Seattle. As of now, Roster Resource is slotting him as the fifth hitter in the lineup behind Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor. In a half season in the majors last year, he hit .300 with 11 homers, three steals, and a combined 62 runs and RBI. The counting stats were certainly lower than we would want to see, but he spent the majority of the season in the bottom third of the lineup. As an average defender with a strong arm and limited platoon risk, it is intriguing to see him get a full run in 2026. And now for the good stuff:
Canzone’s profile from 2025 compares most similar to Bobby Witt Jr.’s 2023 season as he was emerging as a force in the league. Canzone supports his historically high batting averages across all levels of the minor leagues with an xBA of .290. The power metrics are impressive, with a 50% hard hit rate in 2025. His average exit velocity compared well to Austin Riley and Jordan Walker, while his barrel rate was in line with Matt Olson and Eugenio Suarez. The plate discipline could be a bit better, but it is only slightly below league average at this point in time and has been improving year over year, specifically against breaking balls. He did manage a respectable 22% strikeout rate with a 7.5% walk rate. Give me a .280 season with 20+ homers in a solid lineup for the Seattle Mariners in 2026.
