Hello, Yankees fans and fantasy baseball enthusiasts. This article dives into five Bronx Bombers you should draft this year and five you should avoid. We don’t normally talk about fantasy baseball much around here, but the beginning of a new season—when so many drafts are potentially on the table—is as good a time as any!
If you have ever played fantasy baseball, you know success comes from balancing fandom with fantasy responsibility. Today, we are looking at five Yankees worth their Average Draft
Position, or ADP, and five who you should pass on at cost.
Now, with that said, there is one rule of Yankees fantasy draft strategy:
If a Yankee slides, he’s mine.
Say it again. It is not being a homer or irresponsible if you draft a player below their ADP. If they fall, draft them all.
Let’s jump in.
Yankees to Draft in Fantasy Baseball
Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge should be the first or second pick in every fantasy draft. If you have the first pick and you are a Yankees fan, take Judge. If you have the second pick and the person with the first takes Ohtani, take Judge and then let out a big smile. The first two picks of every draft should be those two. Do not overthink it.
Judge remains one of the safest fantasy assets in the sport. If he stays healthy, he is capable of rewriting the history books, and as they say, even if you shoot for the moon, you end up in the stars. Judge is truly a star in every sense of the word, both in reality and in fantasy baseball. If you are lucky enough to get The Captain on your fantasy team, congratulations, if not check out some of these less draft slot dependent options below.
Cam Schlittler
The Yankees pitcher to draft for 2026 is Cam Schlittler. Hold me to it.
The stuff is electric. The production on paper is enough to make you dream of him becoming some type of a modern-day Nolan Ryan. In his first 14 starts, he posted a 27.6-percent strikeout rate with a 2.96 ERA. And that postseason start against Boston? Come on.
Drafting Schlittler gives you another reason to make each of his starts part of your weekly routine. Bet on the youth. Bet on the strikeout upside.
At his current average draft position, Schlittler has a real chance to be the steal of this season’s draft. Potential team names: Schlitt Happens, Schlittler’s List, Bronx Schlittshow, or my personal favorite No Schlitt, He Did It Again.
Austin Wells
The catching position is always tricky in fantasy baseball. Catchers need more rest than any other position, which means fewer games, fewer at-bats, and more lineup headaches. You either invest heavily to secure one of the few difference-makers, find one of the “loophole catchers,” or you wait and try to find value.
If you are waiting like I usually do, you need one thing: power.
Catchers with legitimate power are extremely valuable. Just look at what Cal Raleigh did last season. That type of production can swing an entire category.
No, Austin Wells is not going to hit 60 home runs. But he is essentially free in drafts right now, and his swing has noticeably improved. If that translates, you could be looking at a player pushing toward 30 home runs from a catcher slot.
That is a gamble worth taking.
Giancarlo Stanton
Big G is the best last-round dart in fantasy baseball.
Draft him. Pray for a hot start. Cut him loose when he gets hurt in June, and hopefully pick him back up to help drive you to a fantasy championship with a September to remember.
Hear me out. Who cares if he can open a bag of chips? The Yankees have had guys to do that for him for years.
All joking aside, Stanton is a professional and a borderline Hall of Famer. He is the only player on this team, outside of Aaron Judge, who can carry the lineup for a stretch. The risks are obvious, especially if he can only be used as a DH in your league. But fantasy fortune favors the bold with that last pick.
If you are a Yankees fan, toss your flier on Giancarlo and enjoy the Stantonian home runs.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Jazz is one of the best second basemen in baseball, and if you need steals in your league, he is a great option.
For all the upside he brings, including legitimate 30/30 or even 40/40 potential, there is always the other side of the coin. Injuries have followed him throughout his career, and there is real risk he misses time and leaves a hole in your lineup.
That is why spending a third-round pick on him used to feel risky. But this is where fantasy baseball shifts: Jazz is currently going in the sixth round on ESPN. At that price, he becomes a no-brainer.
If the market is going to discount the upside because of the risk, you take that every time. The haters can hate. You capitalize.
Success in fantasy baseball comes from consistent production and catching the right hot streaks along the way. Jazz is the type of player who can deliver value in multiple categories, and when those hot streaks hit, he can win matchups on his own.
At this ADP, the upside is worth it.
Yankees to Avoid in Fantasy Baseball
Note: Again, I stress “avoid at cost.” If they fall, draft them all!
Max Fried
This is not to say that Max Fried is overrated in real baseball or that he has not quietly been one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game for several years now. This is simply a fan taking off the Yankees hat and realizing it is hard to draft every player on your favorite team’s roster.
It is even harder to stay competitive when you have to pay the Yankees ace tax. Fried’s current ADP sits around 46 overall, and that price comes with expectations.
Max might make me regret passing on him. But in redraft leagues, I am out at that cost. I am also not investing in him in best ball formats.
The best part about passing on your team’s ace in fantasy is that you can still enjoy him. You can get similar production from another pitcher on your roster and still throw on your No. 54 jersey every time he toes the rubber.
Tell me I am wrong, but I also worry the Yankees may take a more cautious approach with Fried this season. After last year, it would not be surprising to see his workload managed more carefully over the course of the regular season.
Fried will be productive. But I do not want to risk both my fantasy season and my real baseball happiness on his arm at this price.
Ben Rice
The Yankees are betting on Ben Rice, and you probably should too, especially if he carries catcher eligibility in your league.
“If you can put Rice in your catcher slot, you must do it.” That is now the official proverb for Yankees fans and their fantasy bibles until further notice.
Rice is the definition of a loophole catcher. He may put the gear on occasionally in real life, but that is all you need for him to qualify at the position in fantasy. Most of his value will come from consistent at-bats elsewhere, but you get to plug that into your catcher slot. That is the cheat code.
Also, take everything I said about Austin Wells and double it. Ben Rice might hit 60 home runs as a catcher this season. Okay, 60 is a lot, but realistically, you could draft him in the middle rounds and get 35–40 home runs from your catcher spot.
So why is he here?
Because I never get him.
I love the profile, I love the upside, and I will be rooting for him all season. But I keep missing out. Right when I am ready to take my Rice out of the microwave, someone else hits the button in front of me.
And that is part of fantasy baseball too. Or maybe it is karma for something I did in a past life, but sometimes the players you love most just do not end up on your roster.
Cody Bellinger
Look, Belli is one of the boys. He is one of the easiest players on the roster to cheer for, and he is a really good baseball player. Watching him still feels like watching that one 12-year-old who was just a little better than everyone else, moving all over the field and making plays.
But unlike Brian Cashman, fantasy baseball does not reward premium defensive versatility. As much as it pains me to say it, I would rather take players going around him in drafts. Having to spend an early fifth-rounder on Belli is to rich for my fantasy blood.
Let what Bellinger does for your favorite team be the cherry on top. You do not need to draft him in fantasy to enjoy it.
David Bednar
If you watched the World Baseball Classic, you probably got excited watching David Bednar escape jams in Houdini-like fashion.
Not me. I was more alarmed by how often he was finding himself in those spots. Those moments were awesome, no doubt. But if they are a sign of what is to come, it only takes a few hits or one bad stretch for Bednar to lose the closer role. And in fantasy, a reliever without saves is not valuable. If that sounds unrealistic, remember that no one could have predicted that an elite closer like Devin Williams would lose his job after the Yankees acquired him ahead of the 2025 campaign. Like Williams last year, Bednar is an impending free agent who the Yankees do not currently have ties to once midnight strikes on 2026.
The Yankees do not have a ton invested in the bullpen, which means roles could ebb and flow throughout the season. It would not be surprising to see them add another arm or two to the arm barn at the deadline if the worst comes to pass here.
Let your buddies bet on Bednar.
Trent Grisham
Where is the soapbox about how the Yankees should not have offered Trent Grisham the qualifying offer? Oh, someone else is still on it? Okay, anyway.
The Big Sleep is not a fantasy sleeper. Do not let the cool nickname, the mustache, or the occasional home run talk you into drafting Grisham. Frankly, he might not even be an everyday player, even if his salary suggests otherwise.
This has all the makings of a frustrating season. Paid player, inconsistent production, nagging injuries, and the inevitable “Why is Boone still running him out there?” conversations.
And then there is the cost. How is he going in the range as Austin Wells and “healthy” Giancarlo Stanton?
Do not buy the No. 12 lottery ball this year.
Fantasy baseball is about making smart decisions over six months, not emotional ones during the draft. The Yankees will give you players who win leagues and players who test your patience.
Pick your spots.
Avoid the traps.
Take the value.
And do not be afraid to take a shot when the price is right. Because if a Yankee slides … you already know.
