We\u2019ll provide some targets who will likely improve their value by next offseason, plus some sleepers you should take a shot on before the rest of your league catches up. Then we\u2019ll round out the group with two fades who might be at the peak of their value right now.<\/p>\n
Targets<\/p>\n
Austin Riley<\/a>, 3B, Braves\u00a0<\/p>\n Is it over for Riley? Did his prime just whistle past with no chance of redemption? After three consecutive seasons of 30-plus home runs and 90-plus RBIs, Riley has struggled to stay on the field over the last two years. Limited to 110 games in 2024 and 102 in 2025, could it be the injuries taking a toll on Riley the last two seasons? Perhaps, but what\u2019s for sure is that the walk rate and strikeout rate have trended in the wrong direction.\u00a0On the other side of the coin, Riley has underperformed his expected stats each of the last two seasons while showing no decline in contact quality. I\u2019m willing to take the discount at the draft table this offseason and bet on Riley returning to form. After all, he\u2019s only 28 and had a three-year run as one of the best power hitters in the game.\u00a0[Geoff]<\/p>\n Maikel Garcia<\/a>, 3B, Royals<\/p>\n In redraft so far this offseason, Garcia is going in the sixth round, which is ahead of players like Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez. This is likely because those two are currently unsigned (which naturally leads to ADP slippage), but it\u2019s also because Garcia is one of the few options for speed at the position. I\u2019m sure that, because of this current cost, Garcia will be making a lot of \u201cfade\u201d lists in the preseason, naturally leading to a wide perception that he is overvalued. However, I think that this provides an opportunity. He has one of the highest floors at the position thanks to his 90th percentile bat-to-ball skills and elite defense, both of which contributed to a ridiculous 6 fWAR season in 2025. When a hitter has what looks like a career year, his value doesn\u2019t rise as much as it should, because fantasy managers want to see it for more than one year. In that scenario, if you can find the hitter that has a better-than-average chance of repeating his career year, you will have fantasy gold. With his high floor and long leash, it is entirely conceivable that not just in 2026, but for the next five years, Garcia averages .275\/.340 with 12-15 home runs and 25 stolen bases. [Dylan]<\/p>\n Sleepers<\/p>\n Kazuma Okamoto<\/a>, 3B, Free Agent<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Geoff provided a scouting report on Okamoto<\/a> that highlighted how the 29-year-old six-time NPB all-star has 50 hit and 55 power grades. That translates to a .250 batting average with 20-25 home runs in MLB. As an above-average defender at the hot corner, he should have a high floor for at least three years. I\u2019m betting that his bat-to-ball skills will translate better to the major leagues and be closer to .280 than .250, with an accompanying OBP around .340. If Okamoto is capable of that type of production, it compares to recent-era Alex Bregman. If a top 20% outcome is to produce on par with the 11th-ranked third baseman in dynasty\u2014while likely playing on a competitive team\u2014that\u2019s a sleeper. [Dylan]<\/p>\n Brock Wilken<\/a>, 3B, Brewers<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a pair of trying seasons for Wilken<\/a>, who dealt with a scary injury in 2024 after being hit in the face. In 2025, Wilken was enjoying the best season of his career prior to an injury sustained while celebrating Double-A Biloxi\u2019s first-half championship. Wilken is healthy heading into 2026 and could be on a trajectory to see time with the Brewers next season. He has plus game power and projects as a 30-home run bat. He could ascend to the majors by midsummer and produce big power numbers down the stretch without sacrificing on-base skills.\u00a0[Geoff]<\/p>\n Fades<\/p>\n