King can get it going again

There aren’t many true sleepers in fantasy sports anymore. With the amount of coverage and analysis that is focused on the game, few players come out of nowhere to be difference makers. However, there are still players that should be considered as undervalued based on their ADP. Let’s discuss five such players to consider targeting in your drafts.

Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees (ADP 128)

Injuries hit the Yankees starting rotation hard last season. It forced them to take a chance on Schlittler, who had only thrown a total of 25 1/3 career innings at Triple-A. To say that he helped the team would be an understatement. He made 14 starts in the majors, posting a 2.96 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. His xFIP was encouraging at 3.77 and he paired it with a 27.6% strikeout rate. He was also excellent during the playoffs, allowing four runs (two earned) and posting 14 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings.

The Yankees will once again be missing starters to begin the season with Gerrit Cole (elbow), Carlos Rodon (elbow) and Clarke Schmidt (elbow) all on the shelf. Rodon could be back in April, but Cole is likely out until at least May and Schmidt is even farther behind him. Including the playoffs, Schlittler threw 164 innings last year. That means that he should be set for a full season workload, even when the Yankees do eventually get healthy. Getting a young pitcher with his upside outside of the top 125 in drafts feels like a significant bargain.

Michael King, San Diego Padres (ADP 137)

King flew off the board early in drafts last season after posting a 2.95 ERA, 3.50 xFIP and a 27.7% strikeout rate in 2024. In what was his first full season as a starting pitcher, he logged 173 2/3 innings. That was almost 70 more innings than any previous season of his career. That may have contributed to his injury-plagued 2025 campaign in which he threw just 73 1/3 innings. He wasn’t as dominant, either, with a 3.44 ERA, 4.20 xFIP and a 24.7% strikeout rate.

A lot of damage was done to King’s ratios last year in a start when he gave up eight runs over three innings against the Mets. He did not give up more than three earned runs in any of his other 14 outings. He is healthy heading into spring training and is poised to be the ace of the Padres again. If he can come close to his 2024 production, he would provide tremendous value this late in drafts.

Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto Blue Jays (ADP 178)

The Blue Jays will look different this season with Bo Bichette no longer on the team. While they don’t play the same position, the Blue Jays signed Okamoto to help bolster their infield production. Prior to last season, Okamoto had seven straight seasons with at least 27 home runs in the NPB. He might have hit that threshold again in 2025, but injuries limited him to just 69 games. Still, he went deep 15 times. He is now slated to be the everyday third baseman in Toronto.

What you like to see with Okamoto is that he is a power hitter that doesn’t strike out a ton. He has finished with a strikeout rate lower than 19.0% in each of the last six seasons. Showing a good eye at the plate, he also has a walk rate of at least 10.8% in each of the last three years. For those hunting for power late in drafts, or who decided to wait to draft a third baseman, Okamoto is a viable target.

Jose Caballero, New York Yankees (ADP 192)

It was another rough season for Anthony Volpe last year. The good news was that he had 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases. However, it came with a .212 batting average and a .286 wOBA. He has never finished with a wOBA higher than .290 and his career strikeout rate is 25.1%. While the Yankees have been reluctant to take his starting job away, he will miss the beginning of this season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

With Volpe out, Caballero is expected to start at shortstop. Unlike Volpe, he doesn’t bring hardly any power to the plate. However, he stole 49 bases last year after swiping 44 bags the year prior. Like Volpe, Caballero is unlikely to hit for a high average. He is a career .228 hitter with a .294 wOBA. However, when he gets on base, it’s off to the races. Even when Volpe eventually returns, Caballero will likely spell him some, while also seeing time at third base against left-handed pitchers. It might be difficult for him to top 40 steals again if he’s not an everyday player for the entire season, but he could easily reach 30 steals again. That makes him worth targeting this late in drafts.

Joe Musgrove, San Diego Padres (ADP 215)

Musgrove had Tommy John surgery in October of 2024, which resulted in him missing all of last season. With plenty of time off since then, Musgrove is already pitching in Spring Training. Not only that, but he hasn’t shown a lack of velocity in the early going. Expect him to be in the Padres starting rotation right from Opening Day.

Musgrove has recorded five straight seasons with an ERA below 3.90 and an xFIP below 3.75. For his career, his WHIP stands at 1.17. Not only is Musgrove coming off major surgery, he didn’t top 100 innings in 2023 or 2024, either. A checkered injury history has pushed Musgrove outside of the top 200 in drafts. If everything breaks his way and he pitches around 150 innings, he could easily be a top 150 player, if not top 125. He is well worth the risk at this point in drafts.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.