I absolutely hate when people call top 200 players sleepers. In this day and age, it is hard to classify anyone as a sleeper, but if you do, you better be talking about guys going late. Therefore I have decided to take on the role of sleeper whisperer at Fantasy Alarm. Each week, I will give you late round sleepers broken up by league size tiers aimed at helping you address needs late in your drafts. No matter the depth of your league, it is important to review all these names as they could become relevant for you at some point.

This week we talk about average. Average is a fickle stat to begin with and it can be even more difficult to make up later on in a draft or in-season. This is why I advocate punting average or devaluing it. However, that isn’t possible in every format or league. So, here are some option you can consider as late round targets to help in average.

10-Team Mixed Options:

Avisail Garcia (NFBC ADP: 198.25)- Last year’s .330 average won’t happen again as it was fueled by an insanely high BABIP. As that comes back down to earth, so will he, but that doesn't mean he can’t hit .280-.300 with 15-20 home runs.

Yulieski Gurriel (NFBC ADP: 239.17)- Gurriel will miss the first week or so of the regular season due to suspension and injury, but don’t let that deter you from drafting him if you need a boost in average. On top of swatting 18 home runs last year, he put up a very sustainable .299 batting average in 139 games played. Dude doesn’t walk and takes a hit in OBP leagues, but he makes great contact and doesn’t strikeout very much at all (11% in 2017.)

Michael Brantley (NFBC ADP: 242.46)- Brantley is a huge injury risk that I will likely avoid for the most part, but you can’t deny that he has a great hit tool and ability to hit for average. The question is how many at bats you will get during the course of a season and if you can afford to stash him while he is hurt. He hit .299 in 90 games last year, but in 2014 and 2015 he hit .310 and .327 while racking up 137 and 156 games played. The health is a question, but he may be worth betting on the talent.

12-Team Mixed Options:

David Peralta (NFBC ADP: 266.54)- After an injury-plagued year in 2016, Peralta stayed healthy for 140 games and provided a ton of average for fantasy owners. He may not hit .293 again, but it isn’t out of the question  that he hits .285+ in a fantastic lineup.

Josh Harrison (NFBC ADP: 268.58)- Harrison isn’t going to win any batting titles any time soon, but he can provide some pop and stolen bases with a bit of average late in the draft. The .272 he hit last season is a bit soft and should rebound a bit to .275-.280. He isn’t a world beater, but he has a very safe floor and multi positional eligibility that is always nice.

Josh Reddick (NFBC ADP: 277.86)- Reddick is another injury risk guy, but when he is on the field, he provides a really nice batting average floor and ceiling. There is some variance to his averages, but he can be guaranteed to give you at least .270 with a ceiling of last year’s .314. The powerful lineup should help him prop up those counting stats as well.

15-Team Mixed Options:

Jesse Winker (NFBC ADP: 320.78)- Winker is an industry favorite as a potential breakout guy. However, I am not a fan of the overall package. I don’t believe in much emerging power in spite of playing in the bandbox that is Great American Ballpark. That being said, I am a huge believer in this kid’s hit tool. He should have no problem hitting for a .280-.300+ average and if I am wrong and he does find some pop, you could be looking at a huge sleeper and future star in Cincinnati.

Ketel Marte (NFBC ADP: 340.53)- Marte only hit .260 last year, but that was weighed down by a ridiculous .290 BABIP for a guy of his speed. He made huge improvements in his approach last season and I would expect him that to show with a .280-.290 batting average while playing in one of the best lineup in baseball.

Melky Cabrera (NFBC ADP: 350.23)- Somehow Melky is still a free agent, but I would expect him to sign sometime in the next few weeks. He has been a great batting average guy for years and his cost is held down by not having a job. If you can’t afford to stash him, make sure you add him to your watch list, because if he can find a full time gig, he can really raise your batting average floor.

Gerardo Parra (NFBC ADP: 358.44)- Parra is another injury risk guy that can be frustrating to own, but when he is healthy and playing, he gets a really nice boost from the Coors Field park effects. In 115 games played last season he hit .309 and while that may come down a bit, the expansive outfield and thin air prop up his value a bunch.

Joe Panik (NFBC ADP: 385.05)- Panik has one of the unsexiest profiles in all of fantasy, but in deeper leagues, at bats are currency and he will likely hit at the top of the lineup in San Francisco which has a much improved offense. He has hit .300 before and should be a nice source of runs and average late in a draft.

AL-Only Options:

Joe Mauer (NFBC ADP: 395.31)- Mauer gets downgraded in drafts because most people want to get power from their first baseman and Joe Cool has little to none, but you take production where you can get it. Mauer hit .305 last year and while that may come down a bit, he is a pretty safe commodity at the end of your draft.

Dustin Pedroia (NFBC ADP: 407.71)- Pedroia is usually a pretty overrated commodity in fantasy, but this year he is coming at a huge discount because he will start the year on the DL. he has hit .293, .318, and .291 over the course of the last three seasons.

Dan Vogelbach (NFBC ADP: 602.57)- Vogelbach has always had a great hit tool. His issue has been that he is terrible on defense, but he has improved that a bit this year and is absolutely crushing the ball. Reports are that he could make the team this season even if Ryon Healy is able to start the year healthy which, is not a guarantee. Vogelbach could be a nice source of average and maybe some sneaky power in super deep formats.

NL-Only Options:  

Albert Almora (NFBC ADP: 380.49)- Almora doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, but his defense and ability to hit for average (especially against lefties) should get him enough at bats to be interesting in deeper formats.

Raimel Tapia (NFBC ADP: 388.90)-Tapia is blocked in Colorado after the Cargo signing, but there is a ton of injury risk on the Rockies and he is worth a stash in deeper formats as he would rake in Coors.

Adam Frazier (NFBC ADP: 413.47)- With the Pirates jettisoning players, Frazier should be able to find plenty of at bats in Pittsburgh. He has speed and can hit for average. The profile isn’t overwhelming, but neither is the price and the multi-positional eligibility is always nice.

Howie Kendrick (NFBC ADP: 504.25)- With Daniel Murphy likely out for the early part of the season, Kendrick will play everyday and could see a lot of time even once Murphy returns in the outfield spelling Adam Eaton as he works his way back from injury. Kendrick is way past his prime, but can offer a decent amount of batting average super late for deep league players. Last year, he hit .315 in 91 games played and even stole double digit bases and added a bit of power. Not bad for a late NL Only player or reserve pick.