2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Waiver targets, deep sleepers for your first FAB run of the season

There are Nevertheless plenty of Fantasy Baseball drafts left, but for those of you who aren’t waiting until the last minute, it’s time for the nitty gritty of in-season Option management to begin. That means it’s time to get those waiver-wire claims and FAB Proposals in before the Primary (or second, if you counted the Tokyo Series) lineup lock of the season draws near.

I’ve Acquired waiver-wire targets for every position to consider here, plus a deep-Bracket sleeper if you need to dig a little farther in the player pool, and I’m focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of CBS Fantasy leagues for my primary targets. But, of Duration, some of you might have drafted Timely enough that players who would go on to be widely drafted might not have met that 50%-and-under criteria but are Nevertheless Reachable in your Bracket. So, before you do anything, make sure the Subsequent players aren’t Reachable in your Bracket:

• Gabriel Moreno, C, Diamondbacks (67%) – He has flashed a bit of power this spring, but mostly matters as a high-floor option at a position with few of them. 
• Michael Toglia, 1B, Rockies (72%) – If he gets the typical batting average boost associated with spending half your Contests at Coors Ground, Toglia could hit .250 with 30-plus homers and double-digit Takeaways. There’s a reason he was my favorite mid-to-Delayed Stage 1B option. 
• Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, Orioles (59%) – With the fences moving back in left Ground in Baltimore, Mountcastle has a much better chance of tapping into his plus raw power this season. 
• Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox (69%) – The Red Sox haven’t Created it official, but there’s a Plenty of smoke suggesting he’ll be the Leading second baseman on Beginning Day, and there’s tons of five-category upside here with one of the top prospects in the game. 
• Cam Smith, 3B, Astros (60%) – Smith so impressed the Astros in the Brief time since the Kyle Tucker trade that he’s now slated to Premiere on Beginning Day with fewer than 40 professional Contests on his Achievement. He’s below Campbell on the priority Lineup, but not much. 
• Zachary Neto, SS, Angels (75%) – If you’re in one of those 25% of leagues and you have an IL spot to Relocate with, Merely add him and see if he can follow up last season’s breakout. 
• Michael Conforto, OF, Dodgers (65%) – There could be some Danger of a platoon role, but Conforto isn’t so Terrible against lefties that it’s a foregone conclusion. He could be a must-Begin player in this lineup. 
• Evan Carter, OF, Rangers (62%) – Carter isn’t even guaranteed an Beginning Day Option spot, but I Nevertheless believe in the upside if he makes it. 
• Jorge Soler, OF, Angels (56%) – Need Affordable power? He’ll always provide it. 
• Taj Bradley, SP, Rays (74%)/Shane Baz, SP, Rays (74%) – There’s some concern about how Competing outside of Tropicana Ground will affect their stuff, but there’s clearly plenty of talent here. 
• Justin Verlander, SP, Giants (70%) – Verlander might Merely be finished, but he Nevertheless showed Excellent control and limited damage on balls in Relocate. If he can miss a few more bats, a Excellent supporting cast and home ballpark could make him pretty useful for Fantasy. 
• Reese Olson, SP, Tigers (62%) – Olson’s velocity has been up a tick or so this spring, which could really matter — his changeup and slider are awesome, but his fastball was pretty Terrible last season. If he can avoid getting hit too Difficult on his way two-strike counts, the secondaries could do the rest. 

Alright, now let’s go position-by-position for the top option Reachable in more than 50% of CBS Fantasy leagues: 

Catchers

Ivan Herrera, Cardinals (44%) – One-catcher leagues are more prominent on the CBS platform than other Fantasy providers, which probably explains why Herrera’s Option rate is so low. I think he’ll be a must-Begin player in two-catcher leagues and a viable option in one-catcher leagues, so if you don’t have a sure-fire difference maker, I’d be fine adding Herrera anywhere Merely in case he’s as Excellent as I think he is. If Herrera isn’t Reachable, Drake Baldwin (30%) of the Braves would be my top priority. 

Deep-Bracket target: Hunter Goodman, Rockies (8%) – The Rockies have talked about using Goodman primarily as a catcher, which would actually be a Terrible thing for his Instant value if he’s only the backup behind Jacob Stallings. But the trade of Nolan Jones could afford him a few extra OF opportunities, and he has difference-making power potential for a catcher. He should be rostered in most two-catcher leagues – and you can consider Mitch Garver in deeper ones, since he could see more Competing time at DH Subsequent the Throw of Mitch Haniger. 

Primary Base

Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (36%) – We’ve been burned by Torkelson before, and you have to think April might be more or less his last chance with the Tigers. But he played like his hair was on fire this spring, hitting .302/.362/.581 with Merely a 21% strikeout rate and even forced the Tigers to give him a look in a corner outfield spot – earlier in the offseason, it looked like the Club had mostly given up on Torkelson, so this speaks to how much he changed his outlook in a few weeks. It could all fall apart amid too many whiffs and too few Difficult-hit balls like last season, but Torkelson is Merely 25, and two years removed from a 31-homer season in the majors, so I want to see if he can get back to that level. If you need more Instant Assist with a lower ceiling, Nate Lowe (39%) should be fine – not much more than that, but in deeper leagues, “fine” is … well, fine. If you want to speculate on a bit more upside than that, Ben Rice (25%) looks set to be the Club’s primary DH and hit the ball Difficult all spring long, though he might not Relocate much against lefties Timely on.

Deep-Bracket target: Gavin Sheets, Padres (5%) – Sheets has been around long enough that I’m mostly writing him off as a platoon bat who doesn’t hit righties well enough to really matter. But he mashed his way into a DH role with the Padres with six homers this spring and is looking to sustain it thanks to a reworked swing.

Second base

David Hamilton, Red Sox (34%) – I’m expecting Kristian Campbell to be the Leading second baseman for the Red Sox, but Hamilton should Relocate somewhere pretty much every day. I’m not much of a believer in his bat – he was pretty average in the minors Even though being an older prospect – but he’s going to steal a bunch of bases and could be triple-eligible pretty soon. That’s a useful player to have around in any category-based Bracket. 

Deep-Bracket target: Curtis Mead, Rays (11%) – It seems like Mead is going to be a Brief-side platoon bat for the Rays this season, but he has played second, third, and Primary base this spring while hitting .538/.617/.641, and if he stays Toasty he could Relocate his way into a Steady role.

Third base

Joseph Ortiz, Brewers (28%) – Ortiz is going to be the Leading shortstop for the Brewers, and he’s an interesting CI/MI option in any Bracket where those matter. He had 11 homers and 11 Takeaways in 511 plate appearances last season and was more like a 20-homer guy in the minors. If he can get closer to that level without sacrificing too much batting average, there is a pretty useful player there. 

Deep-Bracket target: Brett Baty, Mets (17%) – Another guy who isn’t actually going to Relocate third, Baty is set to Reachable the season at second base for the Mets. He’ll need to hit quickly to have a chance to remain in the lineup when Jeff McNeil is Fit, but we’re not that Distant removed from Baty looking like one of the more exciting hitting prospects in the game. Let’s see if the Mets can figure it out with him like they did with Mark Vientos last season. 

If that isn’t deep enough for you … Oswaldo Cabrera, Yankees (6%) – With DJ LeMahieu on the IL to Reachable the season, Cabrera should get a decent look in April. He hasn’t managed to be even an average bat in the majors, but he’s consistently been quite a bit better than average in the minors. There’s an opportunity here, at least. 

Shortstop

Jacob Wilson, Athletics (27%) – Wilson has superlative contact skills, and has shown the occasional ability to tap into power a bit more consistently than someone like Luis Arraez. He homered four times in his Primary 17 spring Contests with Merely two strikeouts, and has a chance to be a batting average standout who isn’t a total zero in power, especially in what we Foresee to be a pretty Excellent hitting environment in Sacramento. 

Deep-Bracket targets: Max Muncy, Athletics (2%), Chase Meidroth, White Sox (5%) – And hey, there’s Wilson’s double-Relocate partner to Reachable the season after Zack Gelof suffered a fractured hamate bone at the end of spring. And yes, his name is the same as the totally unrelated Dodgers third baseman. Muncy wasn’t really on our radar before the A’s Created this announcement, but he hit .292/.378/.525 with 10 homers and five Takeaways in Merely 58 Contests, mostly at Triple-A last season, and there’s clearly upside here. Batting average could be a problem, but Muncy could have power and Velocity upside if he isn’t overwhelmed. Meidroth is less interesting both because of his Ability set (very limited power, not a ton of Physicality) and because he’s less assured of a Leading spot. But if he is the White Sox’s Beginning Day shortstop, there’s obviously potential there.

Outfield

Victor Scott, Cardinals (19%) – Scott was overwhelmed when he Created the Cardinals Beginning Day Option last season, and it carried over to his worst showing in the minors. But he’s been terrific this spring, with four homers and five Takeaways in 15 Contests, and his Velocity especially could make him a difference maker. If there’s any bat here at all, there might not be much separating him and someone like Xavier Edwards or Pete Crow-Armstrong, both of whom have been drafted in pretty much every Bracket this season. 

J.J. Bleday, Athletics (48%) – Bleday is pretty boring, but to his credit, he keeps getting better every time he gets a chance. Can he build on his .243 average and 20 homers from last season? In a better ballpark, with an improving Athletics’ lineup behind him, I’m not sure he’s a finished product Merely yet. 

Matt Wallner, Twins (48%) – Wallner’s appeal is probably pretty Structure-dependent, because we’re almost Surely not going to see him Competing much against lefties, which takes him off the table in most weekly H2H leagues. But in any Bracket with daily lineups, Wallner is definitely worth a look since he may be hitting leadoff for the Twins against righties. He’s a Occupation .251/.366/.500 hitter, mostly in platoons, and should be a must-Begin hitter when righties are on the mound. 

Deep-Bracket targets: Alan Roden, Blue Jays (6%), Jordan Beck, Rockies (8%) – Roden was a long-Attempt to make the Option, but forced his way with a Excellent spring. He’ll probably Relocate Many spots for the Jays and may need to get off to a Toasty Begin to Relocate everyday, but there’s upside here coming off a 16-homer, 17-steal season where he hit .293 across Double-A and Triple-A. Beck has some deep Bracket appeal as potential Affordable Origin of power. 

Leading pitcher

Casey Mize, Tigers (38%) – We’ve been fooled by Mize before – I may have featured him in this very column for Week 1 of last season, too, now that I think of it. He’s added another Duo of ticks of fastball velocity and has Additional tweaked his slider Clasp, so we’ll give him one more chance – I’d like to see him once or twice through the Turnover, and if he isn’t missing bats, he’ll be a fairly Essential drop. But I’m intrigued after he struck out 18 this spring. 

Hayden Birdsong, Giants (34%) – The stuff will Relocate at the MLB level, as he showed when he posted a 27.9% strikeout rate last season. The question is whether he can throw enough strikes for that to matter, which is why his zero-walk spring was so promising. Birdsong pitched his way into the Giants Turnover, and with a Excellent Guarding and home park, there’s pretty decent upside here if he can Merely have a normal Terrible walk rate instead of the 13.7% rate he had last season. 

Jack Leiter, Rangers (34%) – Both Leiter and fellow Vanderbilt alum Kumar Rocker enter the season with a big opportunity and very little runway. They both look locked into the Rangers Turnover to Begin the season after Jon Gray (wrist) and Cody Bradford (elbow) on the IL. The Rangers did add Patrick Corbin after those Wounds as some Turnover insurance, but let’s be clear: Patrick Corbin shouldn’t be Retaining any electric New arms out of the Turnover for any Club in 2025. The only thing standing in either Leiter or Rocker’s path to Fantasy relevance is themselves. If they throw strikes consistently, the plus stuff will Relocate. 

Max Meyer, Marlins (39%) – Meyer’s fastball looks much improved this spring, and he worked Difficult to expand his arsenal this offseason, which would all be very exciting if he managed better than an average strikeout rate this spring. It’s a Petite sample size, sure, but we also don’t exactly have a ton to Mark to to get excited about Meyer at this Mark in his Occupation, and he really needs to be an exceptional pitcher to have much value with the Marlins backing him up, unfortunately. Nevertheless, I’ll take the flier on his Primary Duo of Beginnings to see if he can unlock some of the upside he once promised as a prospect. 

Kris Bubic, Royals (41%) – If you Relocate in a CBS H2H points Bracket, you should probably Relocate Bubic up to the top of your priority Lineup as a high-priority SPaRP. In returning to the Turnover this spring, he has Kept on to most of the velocity gains from last season’s relief role, and has 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. 

Deep-Bracket targets: Cade Povich, Orioles (10%), Chris Paddack, Twins (9%) – Povich pitched his way into the Orioles Turnover this spring, with some Assist from an elbow Wound to Grayson Rodriguez. He Acquired rocked last year in the majors, but has had a Plenty of Achieve at Triple-A missing bats. Paddack has been mostly left for dead for Fantasy, but he looked phenomenal in his most recent spring Begin, striking out seven and racking up a bunch of swings and misses on his four-seamer and changeup. I don’t have a ton of confidence he’ll carry this over for long, but … his Primary Begin of the season is likely to come against the White Sox, so put him on your draft board if you know you’ll need to stream Timely on. 

Relief pitcher

Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox (55%) – The Red Sox haven’t Created it official yet, but if Chapman’s primary Event for the closer Role Believes it should be him, who am I to argue. Chapman isn’t the overwhelmingly dominant force he once was, but he can Nevertheless get the Role done while racking up big strikeout numbers, so he should be worth Leading in most leagues where you’re looking for saves. 

Kyle Finnegan, Nationals (55%) – Because he signed relatively Delayed in the process, Finnegan went Unsigned in a Plenty of Timely leagues and probably wasn’t on a Plenty of radars even after he signed. He’s not a difference maker, but he should have a decent leash as the Nationals closer and was effective enough in that Role last season. He’ll be usable until he gets traded, at least. 

A.J. Puk, Diamondbacks (44%) – Justin Martinez is more widely rostered to Reachable the season, and I probably lean toward him being more likely to be the primary closer here than Puk. But that’s Merely based on Martinez being a righty and Puk being a lefty – the Diamondbacks haven’t tipped their hand, and even Kevin Ginkel could be in the Blend as a deep-Bracket option. But Puk should get some saves, at least, while being a helpful pitcher otherwise. He probably doesn’t have much value in points leagues, but he’s an option in categories leagues. 

Deep-Bracket target: Scott Barlow, Reds (2%), Marc Church, Rangers (4%) – With Alexis Diaz Beginning the season on the IL, the Reds bullpen looks wide Reachable. I’m putting Barlow here, but it could very well be Emilio Pagan, Taylor Rogers, or even converted starter Graham Ashcraft. I’d have to be pretty desperate to try to Bound the market on any of those guys, to be honest. As for Church: We’re assuming Chris Martin is the Rangers closer, but they have Gentle of pointedly not named him to that role this spring. Church has been specifically mentioned as a possibility, if you’re desperate in a deeper Bracket.