Fantasy baseball season is a six-month grind and building a deep roster that allows you to maximize your opportunities every day is paramount. That makes your 2024 Fantasy baseball draft prep extremely important and avoiding potential 2024 Fantasy baseball busts should be a high priority. Spending an early pick on a player who is prone to injury is always a risk but not seeing regression coming can be an even bigger headache on a daily basis as you're setting your Fantasy baseball lineups.
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was an NL MVP in 2018 and the runner-up in 2019 but his production fell off the map in the three years after that dominant run. Yelich finally bounced back with 18 home runs, 28 stolen bases and an .818 OPS in 2023, but where exactly does he belong in the 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings? Before finalizing your 2024 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last season, SportsLine's Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho.
Varsho set new career highs in doubles (23), triples (3), home runs (27), RBI (74) and stolen bases (16) in 2022 and Fantasy baseball managers were predicting he'd take another step forward in 2023, drafting him 73rd overall on average. However, the model saw some holes in his game and predicted him as a 2023 Fantasy baseball bust who wouldn't live up to his Fantasy baseball ADP.
The result: Varsho's OPS dropped from .745 to .674 and he also saw drops in home runs (20) and RBI (61), while failing to take advantage of the new baserunning rules (16 steals again). Anybody who followed the model's advice and avoided Varsho in their Fantasy baseball drafts avoided a major headache.
The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2024 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 more MLB news comes out about MLB free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2024 Fantasy baseball busts
One of the Fantasy baseball busts 2024 the model is fading: Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette. His father Dante Bichette was one of the most feared hitters of the 90s and the younger Bichette is already carving a name out for himself as one of baseball's best. He's made two all-star teams and has been top 20 in AL MVP voting in his first three full seasons. However, there is some cause for concern based on his peripherals in 2023.
His 90.2 mph average exit velocity, 45.3% hard-hit contact rate, 4.5% walk rate and 18.8% flyball rate were all three-year lows. And despite new rules that were advantageous to baserunners, he only stole five bases after stealing 25 in 2021 and 13 in 2022. Those are all reasons why the model ranks him behind Xander Bogaerts (drafted 21 picks later on average) and J.P. Crawford (drafted 77 picks later on average).
Another of the 2024 Fantasy baseball busts the model projects won't live up to their ADP: Marlins centerfielder Jazz Chisholm. The 26-year-old was an all-star in 2022 despite only playing in 60 games because of back injuries and was on the cover of MLB The Show 2023 as one of the brightest young stars in baseball. However, he only played in 97 games last year because of various injuries and his numbers weren't spectacular when he was on the field either.
Chisholm slashed .250/.304/.457 with Miami last season but did show impressive power and speed with 19 home runs and 22 stolen bases despite the injuries. He enters this draft season with a Fantasy baseball ADP of 95.99 but the model has concerns about him living up to a top-100 billing because of his contact profile. He struck out 30.8% of the time last year and only walked 6.8% of the time while seeing declines in average exit velocity, hard-hit contact rate, line drive rate and flyball rate. Those are big reasons why the model ranks him behind Cedric Mullins, who is going nearly 30 picks later on average. See more busts at SportsLine.
How to find proven 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings
SportsLine's model is also fading a surprising starting pitcher who is coming off the board in the third round on average in early 2024 Fantasy baseball drafts. The model is predicting this ace suffers a setback and finishes outside the top 15 at his position. Avoiding him until later on could be the difference between winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So which 2024 Fantasy baseball busts should you avoid in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that predicted Daulton Varsho's falloff in 2023, and find out.
