Fantasy Baseball Picks 2018: Sleepers to Target Deep in Your Draft

Depth is an essential piece of the puzzle for success in fantasy baseball.

Lou Brown said in Major League, "Over 162 games, even tough guys get strains." Being able to accommodate your roster during those stints when your stars need time off or get injured, having high-end talent to fill in is going to make you finish the season as a champion.

Fantasy drafts should be thought of as two distinct parts. The first part is all about adding superstars and solid regulars who provide stability to your roster. The second part is taking chances on talented players who have yet to prove themselves in MLB or have struggled to stay healthy to put everything together.

Looking at those late sleepers deep in your draft, here are the key names with at least one red flag to keep an eye on for a potential breakout in 2018.

Mike Clevinger, SP, Cleveland Indians

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It's easy to get lost in a rotation when you are the No. 4 starter, pitching behind a guy who won the 2017 American League Cy Young award (Corey Kluber) and another guy who finished fourth in the Cy Young voting (Carlos Carrasco).

Mike Clevinger was given a chance to start in Cleveland's rotation last May because of injuries and poor performance from Danny Salazar. The long-haired right-hander responded by going 12-6 with a 3.11 ERA, 92 hits allowed and 137 strikeouts in 121.2 innings.

Among AL starting pitchers with at least 120 innings, Clevinger's 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings ranked eighth. He was ahead of renowned strikeout artists like Yu Darvish (9.72, before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers) and Justin Verlander (9.57).

The big thing holding Clevinger back from being a strong mid-round fantasy option is control. His 4.44 walks per nine innings was the fourth-worst among AL starters (min. 120 innings). The three pitchers with worse walk rates were Wade Miley (5.61 ERA), Derek Holland (6.20 ERA) and Mike Pelfrey (5.93 ERA).

As it stands, Clevinger's current average draft position is 204.5. He's got the versatility to start or come out of the bullpen, and he's averaged more than one strikeout per inning in his MLB career.

It's already been announced Salazar is unlikely to be ready when the regular season begins, ensuring Clevinger will be in Cleveland's rotation to rack up innings and strikeouts.

Manuel Margot, CF, San Diego Padres

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Manuel Margot turned in an intriguing rookie season for the San Diego Padres that should put him on more fantasy radars in 2018.

Granted, nothing about Margot's 2017 stats immediately jumps out. He had a .263/.313/.409 slash line with 13 homers, 39 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

This is as much a bet on Margot's potential as it is his present ability. ESPN's Keith Law had the Padres center fielder ranked as the No. 24 prospect in MLB coming into 2017.

"He's at his best when he just tries to put the ball into the outfield, as he's very unlikely to be a 10-plus homer guy, but could hit .280-.300 with some doubles and triples thanks to his speed, slugging in the low .400s in peak years," Law wrote.

Margot was able to hit 13 homers playing primarily in Petco Park, albeit during a season in which everyone was hitting the ball over the fence.

At 23 years old, Margot is still going to be a speed machine who should be able to increase his stolen-base output. The presence of Eric Hosmer in the middle of the lineup should afford him more opportunities to score runs after only crossing the plate 53 times last season.

Given how plentiful power is across MLB, it's won't be hard to find a slugger for your bench. Margot adds multiple dimensions to your roster that make him worth the 15th-round draft pick fantasy players are currently getting him at.

Matt Duffy, SS/3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The definition of a deep sleeper, Tampa Bay Rays infielder Matt Duffy last appeared in an MLB game on September 5, 2016, because of an Achilles injury that required surgery and wasn't healing properly.

Duffy wasn't lighting the world on fire when he was playing two seasons ago. He hit .258/.310/.357 with five homers in 91 games for the Rays and San Francisco Giants.

Giving Duffy the benefit of the doubt, some of those struggles can be attributed to his ailing Achilles. The 27-year-old had a .295/.334/.428 slash line with 12 homers, 12 stolen bases and 77 RBI in 149 games for the Giants in 2015.

The Rays had Duffy back in their lineup at third base for their exhibition opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 23.

This has been an offseason of change in Tampa Bay with Evan Longoria, Jake Odorizzi and Corey Dickerson on different teams. Duffy is penciled in to take over for Longoria at third base. The Rays need him to get at-bats to have any sort of offense this season.

As a result of his injury history, Duffy is so far off the radar, he's not even among the top 50 shortstops or third basemen being drafted in Yahoo fantasy leagues.

If you want to take a risk with your final pick, Duffy is a good gamble to see what he has to offer in the first month of the season. He's a good contact hitter who has some power and the running skills to steal 10-15 bases.

Fantasy draft rankings and ADP via Yahoo Sports.