3 Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Targets for 2025

Opening Day is quickly approaching as the Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs takes place on March 18th and 19th. The first full slate of MLB games is on Thursday, March 27th. With that said, fantasy drafts are in full swing with the season only weeks away.

Finding great value with late-round picks is always a game-changer in fantasy. Utilizing FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP), here are three fantasy targets going outside the top 150 picks.

Fantasy Baseball Late-Round Targets for This Year

Clarke Schmidt, SP, Yankees

FantasyPros' Consensus ADP: 220th Overall (SP89)

The New York Yankees could have a couple of late-round starting pitcher targets, including Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. Gil is 166th in FantasyPros' ADP compared to Schmidt ranked 220th. Of the two, I prefer Gil's upside. His 10.15 K/9 and 26.8% strikeout percentage (K%) were both excellent, and he failed to pitch for five innings in only 7 of 29 starts.

However, the Yankees announced Gil (lat strain) will be shut down for at least six weeks. With the season only a few weeks ago, Gil's draft price should steadily drop, making him a potential stash candidate. With that said, this puts immediate value on Schmidt. He already seems to be ahead of Marcus Stroman -- who is currently fighting for a spot in the starting rotation.

Over 16 starts in 2024, Schmidt posted career-bests with a 2.85 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. His advanced stats checked out, too, as Schmidt logged a 3.77 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) and 3.92 xFIP (per FanGraphs). While his 9.81 K/9 wasn't quite on the level of Gil, it was still a career-best and ranked 30th among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched.

Like any late-round target, there is risk involved with Schmidt. He still lacks consistent deep starts, averaging 5.3 innings per outing. Plus, his walk rate (BB%) went from the 77th percentile in 2023 to the 41st percentile a season ago, according to Baseball Savant.

Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Astros

FantasyPros' Consensus ADP: 204th Overall (SP63)

We mentioned Gil as an enticing late-round target before he was sidelined for six weeks. Some of the appeal was thanks to Gil finishing with a 10.15 K/9, which was 16th among starters who pitched for at least 100 innings. Arrighetti provided an even better K/9 at 10.61 (12th-highest).

Of course, there's plenty of risk with Arrighetti. First off, he's a bit of a wild card with only one season under his belt. Plus, his 4.53 ERA and 1.41 WHIP from 2024 were underwhelming. His advanced numbers are more comforting with a 3.93 SIERA and 4.01 xFIP, suggesting some bad luck was at play.

We shouldn't overlook Arrighetti's 3.08 ERA over his final 14 starts of 2024, too. As a rookie, he had early struggles with a dreadful 6.13 ERA over his first 15 starts. Arrighetti showed consistent growth, and considering his impressive strikeout numbers, there's star potential all over Arrighetti. He's a popular fantasy target at FanDuel Research as our Austan Kas also highlighted his SIERA and xERA in his fantasy baseball sleepers for 2025.

The Houston Astros' second-year starter has enjoyed a strong to Spring Training, carrying an 11.25 K/9 and 31.3% strikeout percentage (K%) while not allowing a run through four innings of work. It's a small sample size but still provides even more confidence.

Jordan Walker, OF, Cardinals

FantasyPros' Consensus ADP: 293rd Overall (OF77)

Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals was making plenty of headlines in 2023 as one of the game's top prospects. He turned in a strong 2023 campaign with a slash line of .276/.342/.445 while holding a .341 wOBA. That all dipped in a disappointing 2024 season, for Walker logged a .201/.253/.366 slash line paired with a .268 wOBA.

Frankly, this pick is mostly based on Walker's talent. We saw some of it 2023, but who knows if he returns to that in 2025? FanGraphs' Depth Chart projections have Walker in line for a .249/.310/.416 slash line and .316 wOBA. It at least suggests Walker should take a step forward, and considering his status as a former top prospect, the sky's the limit.

Walker is expected to get a full-time starting role this season, which should be a big boost. His power is the obvious appeal as Walker has been in the top quarter of average exit velocity and bat speed in back-to-back seasons, per Savant. His problem has been strikeouts as he finished in the 25th percentile of K% in 2024. From 2023 to last season, Walker saw his 22.4 K% rise to 28.1%.

His ground-ball rate has also been far too high for someone standing at 6-foot-6. After logging a 50.9% ground-ball rate in 2024, Walker has tweaked his swing in the offseason.

This is an outfielder with 30-plus home run potential. If he taps into that, this is a big-time steal for fantasy. Walker is someone to keep in mind in the later rounds as he could become a league winner.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.