Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2019: Sleepers from advanced computer model that predicted Scooter Gennett’s strong year

The two biggest dominoes of MLB free agency have finally fallen, as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper signed mega-contracts. Machado inked a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres last Tuesday, while Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies on Thursday. Both players will continue to remain fixtures atop 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings and help elevate those around them. Meanwhile, MLB spring training is underway and there are still dozens of impressive free agents available like Craig Kimbrel, Adam Jones and Dallas Keuchel. Every player who signs means an opportunity for 2019 Fantasy baseball sleepers to emerge. And the only way to figure out who these Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts, and busts are is using reliable 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings like the ones you’ll find at SportsLine.

Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, including Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett. Drafted No. 181 overall on average, Gennett hit 23 home runs and drove in 92 runs to finish as the No. 35 overall player in all of Fantasy.

The team at SportsLine was all over Gennett as a Fantasy breakout from the start. Their model had him listed much higher than expert consensus rankings, and anyone who listened to their advice was well positioned for a league title. 

Their model is powered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2019 Fantasy Baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy Baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day. Any time an injury occurs or there’s a change on a depth chart, the team at SportsLine updates its rankings.

In fact, when it came to ranking players in Fantasy Football, SportsLine’s Projection Model beat human experts last season when there were big differences in ranking. And the model was the closest to the hole overall, meaning it best pinpointed where every player would finish each week. That could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.

One of the Fantasy Baseball sleepers you need to be all over in 2019, according to the model: Reds shortstop Jose Peraza.

In 2018, Peraza put together his best season yet by focusing on generating more lift and using the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark to his advantage. With a career-high fly-ball rate of 38.0 percent and a massive jump in hard-hit contact rate from 21.4 percent to 29.5, Peraza nearly doubled his career home run total with 14 bombs last season.

His .307 BABIP suggests there was nothing too out of order with his .288/.326/.416 slash line. And while Peraza will always be on the aggressive side, if he can become more conscious of taking pitches on the fringes of the zone, he should see his hard-hit contact rate continue to climb.

Because of that, SportsLine’s 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings say he’ll finish the season as a top-10 shortstop despite the fact that he has an ADP of 15 at the position so far this spring. 

Another sleeper that SportsLine’s Fantasy baseball rankings 2019 are extremely high on: Mariners catcher Omar Narvaez. 

During the offseason, Narvaez was traded from the White Sox to the Mariners in exchange for reliever Alex Colome. Now, Narvaez figures to slide in as Seattle’s everyday catcher, where his plate approach and developing power could make him a standout at the position. 

He slashed .275/.366/.429 last season and hit nine home runs in just 322 plate appearances, quadrupling his career home run total in the process. With more at-bats likely on the way in 2019, the SportsLine Projection Model says Narvaez will finish as the No. 11 catcher in Fantasy baseball. He has been the No. 23 catcher drafted on average so far, which makes him an impressive value worth targeting as one of the top 2019 Fantasy baseball sleepers. Look for him to vastly out-perform his ADP.

SportsLine is also high on a starting pitcher who didn’t finish in the top five in Fantasy points at his position last year but is ranked higher than starters like Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale and James Paxton. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. 

So which Fantasy Baseball sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which undervalued pitchers can help you win a championship? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy Baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Scooter Gennett’s huge breakout last season, and find out.