This article is part of our Rounding Third series.
My FOMO List
We've already established that I play in too many leagues. I've now completed 14 drafts or auctions, with the NFBC Main Event and perhaps one more RotoWire Online Championship to go. I thought it might worthwhile to point out the top players that I don't have yet - to illustrate how vast the player pool is, even with so many leagues - and in the course of it suggest a few that I might still want to get and which ones were total fades. Some of the players on the list won't fit either category - they might just be omissions due to draft order, nomination ordering, or even bad luck.
My methodology is pretty simple. I'm going to go position-by-position, using the ADP of the eight NFBC drafts from last weekend as my ranking source. I'll limit my scope to players in the top 300, so as to avoid bench territory types.
*I've also decided to limit this article to position players only, as there are just too many starters to cover in the top 300, even with me filling nine active roster spots in each league. Suffice to say, there are plenty of pitchers I don't own that I do want, starting near the top with Jacob deGrom. I do have one share of Max Scherzer, but none of Chris Sale, and that's quasi-purposeful - I'm not paying his going rate right now, in fear of his shoulder issues from last year.
Catcher
I tend not to invest in the upper tier at this position, though I do have one share apiece of J.T. Realmuto (NL-only keeper auction) and Gary Sanchez (Mixed LABR - pick 98 overall), and I have lots of Yasmani Grandal.
Willson Contreras (132.75)
Yadier Molina (147.5) - This one is asterisked a little. I do have Molina in a keeper league where he was already under contract. But in normal circumstances I wouldn't draft him at his price.
Buster Posey (150.25)
Welington Castillo (219.88) - Needs to "take the L" … from Willson Contreras.
Francisco Mejia (236.75) - Might regret, not quite rising to FOMO territory.
Yan Gomes (263.88)
Tucker Barnhart (280.25)
Francisco Cervelli (292.38)
Austin Hedges (301.75) - Had him everywhere last year.
Willians Astudillo (310.38) - Possible FOMO, price is reasonable now.
First Base
First base is FOMO Central for me. For all the talk about how the position is down (and yeah, I've been complicit in that discussion), there's actually quite a few players I like there - maybe just not as many at the top as there have been in previous years. There are a whopping 31 first-base eligible players that went in the top 300 in last weekend's Main Event drafts. Many of them qualify elsewhere, so you won't necessarily use them at 1B or CR, but they're there for you if you need it. As a natural consequence, it's impossible to avoid missing some of these targets.
Anthony Rizzo (40.50)
Cody Bellinger (41.63)
Matt Carpenter (86.00)
Jesus Aguilar (92.88)
Jose Abreu (93.88)
Matt Olson (105.88)
Ian Desmond (151.00)
Edwin Encarnacion (155.00) - Sadly, a fade. Hate his new home, his climbing strikeout rates and his chronic slow starts.
Miguel Cabrera (156.63) - It doesn't help that I'm in too many leagues with the Miggy Man himself, Chris Liss, but I keep missing on him. That could end up being a correctable error.
Carlos Santana (188.25)
Pete Alonso (229.13) - I want to buy in, I do, but I'm not sure that the Mets want to buy in.
Josh Bell (229.88)
Jay Bruce (245.63)
Ryan McMahon (269.50) - But with a range between 215 and 356. Barring anything crazy in the next two days, I expect him to climb more than nearly anyone else between Week 1 and Week 2 of the Main. Captain Helium.
Brandon Belt (299.88)
Second Base
A lot of the second basemen that I don't own are right off the top, but that doesn't really surprise me, as I think that this is also a very deep position.
Jose Altuve (15.00)
Whit Merrifield (30.38)
Jonathan Villar (68.25) - Yeah, you'll notice I'm passing on a lot of speed inflation. Perhaps my blindest of blind spots.
Travis Shaw (95.75)
Dee Gordon (99.00) - No regrets.
Rougned Odor (105.13) - Some regrets.
Scooter Gennett (109.75)
Jonathan Schoop (180.75)
Cesar Hernandez (181.50)
Asdrubal Cabrera (222.00)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (262.25)
Adam Frazier (306) - Bonus inclusion, because I have many regrets. I have every Frazier except the good one.
Shortstop
Every time Willy Adames gets taken far too late or bought for far too little in auctions, I get upset that I didn't leave a MI spot open to take advantage of his price. This is another way expressing that there are plenty of viable shortstops in the player pool this year.
Francisco Lindor (17.88) - With a range of 12-to-25, I don't feel that there's a good consensus out there on what to do with him this year - or perhaps that's just a reflection of my confusion. My second round pick in the Main is near the bottom end of his range (22), and I could see taking the plunge there if he makes it. Of course, that's moot if I get Trea Turner in the first round at 1.9.
Manny Machado (23.38)
Xander Bogaerts (48.75) - Some FOMO, for sure.
Carlos Correa (50.50) - Yup.
Jean Segura (65.88) - I'm actually surprised that I don't have him anywhere.
Jose Peraza (83.75)
Corey Seager (108.75)
Paul DeJong (168.38) - I expect some helium here with his spot in the batting order becoming more clear.
Eduardo Escobar (185.25)
Marcus Semien (208.13) - Another surprise omission. I guess I really like a lot of shortstops.
Willy Adames (224.50) - See above. I do think playing time could be an issue - between Joey Wendle, Brandon Lowe, Daniel Robertson, Matt Duffy and Yandy Diaz, the Rays have a lot of mouths to feed at 2B, SS and 3B, and Adames could sit on occasion to make all the pieces fit.
Third Base
I've made this point repeatedly on-air, both on SiriusXM and on the podcast, but I dislike the depth at third base a lot more than the depth at first base. Thus, I've tended to grab the top third basemen more often than the top first basemen. Though weirdly enough, I don't have any Nolan Arenado in my roto leagues, or Jose Ramirez. It's possible I'll have that chance Saturday in the Main with Arenado at 1.9. Liss has predicted that will be my choice. We'll see.
Jose Ramirez (4.88)
Nolan Arenado (7.88)
Kris Bryant (34.25) - Frankly, I'm surprised that the ADP here isn't higher, as there was so much buzz with him at the beginning of spring training.
Anthony Rendon (42.00) - For someone who says he's going with more 3B at the top, the results sure don't bear that out. I love Rendon, too.
Miguel Andujar (74.63)
Matt Chapman (105.50) - Also love Chapman. This is a disturbing trend.
Rafael Devers (126.75) - Can I play in a league that allows four third basemen?
Mike Moustakas (127.00)
Maikel Franco (258.50) - Ah … there's proof of hating the back-end of the 3B pool.
Jake Lamb (274.50)
Outfield
I feel that outfielders dry up right around the 55-60 mark, at least in terms of guys that play regularly that I still like. Unless I do one more Online Championship and get the second pick, I'm not going to have Mookie Betts this year, and that makes me kind of sad. I had a couple of auction bites of the apple, too, so shame on me.
Mookie Betts (1.88)
Bryce Harper (18.75)
Giancarlo Stanton (22.00) - Another surprise. I got him in my first draft - but it was the RotoWire Magazine Mock Draft, which doesn't count.
Starling Marte (36.38) - Another possibility for the Main, though I doubt he gets to me at 3.9.
Tommy Pham (55.63)
George Springer (59.63)
Eddie Rosario (69.50)
Michael Conforto (86.50) - I play against a lot of Mets fans.
A.J. Pollock (103.00)
Mitch Haniger (104.88) - Life goes full circle - when he first got traded to Seattle, I was a Haniger Skeptic, and got bailed out by his injuries in 2017. He was on a couple of rosters last year, when he was more affordable. But now after his big season last year, his price has risen to a point where I'm just not paying the price.
Mallex Smith (105.38) - Hard pass unless he drops to 150+.
Michael Brantley (110.50)
Justin Upton (116.38) - I might get him at his new price.
Ender Inciarte (131.75)
Eloy Jimenez (137.25) - His price is going up this weekend.
Aaron Hicks (137.38)
Billy Hamilton (154.50) - Can't suppress the gag reflex yet.
Ryan Braun (189.63) - I've been hurt too many times.
Corey Dickerson (197.63)
Jackie Bradley Jr. (202.88) - It always seems my circle of competitors is even higher on him than this slot.
Hunter Renfroe (216.13)
Franmil Reyes (217.00)
Gregory Polanco (252.00) - Every time I see his name now I think of "Gregory" on The Americans.
Delino DeShields Jr. (274.13) - This is way up from his early draft price.
Steven Souza Jr. (282.88)
Jorge Soler (296.38)
Kevin Kiermaier (299.13)
Designated Hitter Only
I'm as guilty as anyone about this, but the best DH-only guys are almost always underpriced, out of fear of locking up your UT slot and removing flexibility during the season. This is especially a prevalent issue in the NFBC, when you want that flexibility to take advantage of its midweek substitution rule for hitters, allowing you to have one lineup Mon-Thurs, and then re-setting the hitters again for Fri-Sun. David Ortiz always went later than he should have because of that factor.
Khris Davis (49.38)
Nelson Cruz (98.00)
I still like both of these guys, and could see getting one of them this weekend.
Who are your FOMO players? Have you ever added another league just to scratch that FOMO itch? Has it worked for you? It actually worked pretty well for me last season in adding one more RotoWire Online Championship league - I finished second in the league, which was good enough for a catch. I think that there's merit in the philosophy - you get players you like, and untether yourself from previous drafts and draft patterns. Once you do that, you get away from concerns about ADP and fit, and just get players that you think will do well. You'd be surprised at how well that works.
