Updated Outfield Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season a little more than a week away, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We continue our updated March rankings today with the outfield position.

Bill Dubiel breaks down each tier and provides analysis for which players might be overvalued or undervalued in fantasy baseball drafts. Many of the names at this position remain the same, but some of the regulars have fallen and been replaced with younger studs. Let's take a look.

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2018 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Outfield (March)

Tier 1

You can't go wrong with anybody in this tier, but I'm lower on Harper than most--that abysmal 2016 season weighs heavy in my mind. He'd be my last choice of this group, but let's be honest...he's probably going to be in the MVP conversation.

Tier 2

Judge vs. Stanton is going to be an entertaining back-and-forth all year long, but on draft day it's a question you may be presented with. There is no easy answer here, and I don't have any convincing facts to persuade you to take one over the other. If given the choice, I'm taking Judge on the grounds that we may not have seen the best of him yet--Giancarlo is a monster among men, we know this. I am riding with the chance that Judge is even BETTER on a consistent basis.

Speaking of MVP conversation, I don't think we've seen the best of George Springer yet. At the top of that lineup, Springer is capable of absurd production, and he's been getting better just about every year he's been in the league. The fact that the lineup will turn over so many times is reason enough to love Springer's upside (115 runs is a near-lock if he stays healthy), but knowing that he's now capable of a 30-homer season should make fantasy owners drool. Let's not forget that he chopped more than six points off his K-rate in 2017 (17.6%) and hit over .283. There is so much to love about this guy going into 2018, and I'll take him over any other player in this tier.

Tier 3

Khris Davis is one of the most intriguing bats in the early-middle of drafts this year, and I'm signing up to find out what he's got in store. The Oakland slugger has now topped 40 home runs, 85 runs and 110 RBI in back-to-back seasons, and oddly enough has hit exactly .247 in three straight seasons. He's shown that that kind of production is sustainable, even with a less-than-impressive lineup around him. The big change that I loved seeing last year was his drastic improvement in OBP. Davis improved his walk-rate from 6.9% to 11.2% in 2017, and that kind of patience should help maintain that level of production, hopefully decreasing his streakiness.

Tier 4 

The back end of this tier finds a trio of Brewers outfielders lumped together. While many expect regression from Domingo Santana and aren't sure what to make of Ryan Braun's transition to first base, Lorenzo Cain might be the best one of the bunch. His ability to contribute across all categories can't be ignored in roto formats. You'll have to pay a higher price for him though, as his current NFBC ADP is 80, whereas Santana is at 93 and Braun could be the best value at 117 if he stays healthy for a full season.

Tier 5

Ender Inciarte is perennially underrated it seems. He has managed to produce the last two seasons with very little help around him in the lineup, a situation that should improve as the Braves farmhands start to take over. Inciarte is a lock for 20 steals if he's able to stay healthy for 140+ games, and he should have no problem scoring at least 90 runs hitting ahead of Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna and Freddie Freeman. Add in a batting average that will float around .300 and you've got a terrific value at his current ADP.

Tier 6

Ian Happ should be in the lineup for the Cubs one way or another on most game days, and if he hits anywhere near the top of the lineup he could blow away the value his ADP implies. He hit 24 big league homers in just 115 games last year, and even swiped eight bags. The big question for Happ is going to be whether or not he can make a jump in his second season--Happ's 31.2% K-rate from last season is troubling outside of roto formats, and if he's able to bring that number down even a little bit he should have no trouble holding off Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez for playing time.

Tier 7

Michael Brantley hasn't ruled out being ready for Opening Day, although I'm certainly not planning on it. Brantley has had a tumultuous last few years, hampered by lingering shoulder issues among other maladies. When healthy, the Indians outfielder has been pretty terrific--in the 90 games he was able to play last year, he slashed .299/.357/.444 while adding on nine homers and 11 stolen bases. Even if he's not ready for Opening Day, he should be back to 100% by late April at the latest, which should allow him to put together 450 ABs or so. If he's able to hit anywhere near those ratios over that time frame, Brantley is an absolute steal at his current ADP, which is "undrafted" in a lot of leagues. Absolutely worth a flier in the late rounds.

Tier 8 and above

After a number of excellent years in Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez went to the Astros and...sucked. Pretty badly. He turned it around pretty much the minute he signed with the Rangers in 2016, and proved he has plenty left in the tank. In limited time last year (105 games), Gomez cracked 17 homers and swiped 13 bags, and is a very legitimate 25/25 threat if he's able to stay healthy. He'll now serve as the everyday right fielder for the foundering Tampa Bay Rays, but with very little pressure on him he should be able to approach those benchmarks despite the move away from hitter-friendly Arlington. Like Brantley, this is a veteran who will be widely overlooked who should absolutely make your draft list in the last couple rounds.

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