Fantasy Baseball RP ADP Review: Are Relievers Worth the Early Picks?

Let's wrap up our fantasy baseball average draft position breakdown series by going over relief pitchers.

We've already gone over second basemen, first basemen, catchers, starting pitchers, shortstops, third basemen, outfielders and designated hitters, and looked at things overall.

More fantasy baseball average draft position data can be found on FantasySP. Draft Genius now has custom head-to-head scoring options and on demand AI expert help for every pick.

The First Trio

The first three fantasy relief pitchers are going between picks 40-50.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Edwin Diaz is the 37th player off draft boards overall, while San Diego's Mason Miller is 38th. Diaz has an ADP of 41, while Miller is at 43.38. Seattle's Andres Munoz is 44th overall, at pick 49.13 on average.

Diaz is headed to the other New York team after a fantastic finish to his Mets' career. In 62 games and 66 1/3 innings in 2025, Diaz had a 6-3 record, 1.63 earned run average and 28 saves, plus 98 strikeouts.

He has a fantastic fantasy outlook with the Dodgers and is worth being the top fantasy reliever taken. I always think relievers go a bit too early, and prefer Diaz after pick 50, but still being the first one taken.

Miller is the closer for the Padres after a midseason trade last year. He too has a good outlook on what should be a good Padres' team.

Miller had a 2.63 ERA over 60 appearances and 61 2/3 innings in 2025. He was 1-2 with 22 saves and 104 punchouts. Miller's potential is higher now that he's on a better team, so the No. 2 spot behind Diaz is fair in my eyes.

Munoz was a high-end fantasy reliever in 2025, and there's no reason to not expect the same in 2026 on a Seattle team that should be pretty good.

Over 64 appearances last year, Munoz had a 3-3 record, 1.73 ERA, 38 saves and 83 punchouts over 62 1/3 innings. He should be in the hunt for the top fantasy RP spot if he stays healthy in 2026.

Other Top-100 Picks

Another eight relief pitchers are going within the first 100 fantasy picks.

Cleveland's Cade Smith is at pick 55 overall, while Philadelphia's Jhoan Duran is at pick 59.5.

Smith is the Cleveland closer with Emmanuel Clase on the restricted list. In 76 games and 73 2/3 innings last year, Smith had an 8-5 record, 16 saves, 2.93 ERA and 104 strikeouts. 

A full season as the team's closer could lead to huge things from Smith. I still think he's going too early in fantasy drafts.

Duran is the new closer in Philly. In 72 games and 70 innings last year, Duran had a 7-6 record, 32 saves and 80 strikeouts.

A full season in Philly should help Duran to some of the best numbers in his career. He could be a draft steal if he stays healthy and the Phillies win a bunch of tighter games.

Houston's Josh Hader checks in around pick 62. He's dealing with an injury, but it's not considered to be a big one at this point.

He was 6-2 with 28 saves and a 2.05 ERA over 48 appearances last season. Hader had 76 punchouts over 52 2/3 innings. His injury concern should be monitored, but it might make his ADP more value friendly in the end.

Boston's Aroldis Chapman is at pick 74.88 on average. New York Mets' Devin Williams is at pick 79, while New York Yankees' David Bednar is at 79.5

Chapman was elite in 2025, posting a 1.17 ERA over 67 appearances and 61 1/3 innings. He was 5-3, with 32 saves and 85 strikeouts. Chapman is likely to regress, but he could still be a draft steal even with some regression, so he's a good fantasy pick, especially at a later ADP.

Williams is looking for a fresh start with the Mets after struggling with the Yankees in 2025. He had a 4-6 record and 4.79 ERA over 67 appearances and 62 innings - Williams had 90 strikeouts and just 18 saves. With Diaz gone, Williams is the leader for saves for the Mets, but he will need to pitch much better to hold that role. Williams is a risky draft pick as a result, but could be a major draft steal if he bounces back.

Bednar is the new closer for the Yankees, but he too will need to keep excelling to hold that role. He had a 2.30 ERA, 6-5 record and 27 saves over 64 games and 62 2/3 innings last year, while striking out 86. If New York wins a lot of close games, Bednar could emerge as a high-end fantasy reliever. 

Kansas City's Carlos Estevez has a 91.25 ADP, while Atlanta's Raisel Iglesias sits at 93.

Estevez is the Royals' closer, a role he excelled in last year. Over 67 appearances, he had a 2.45 ERA, 4-5 record and 42 saves - he struck out 54 batters over 66 innings. His lack of strikeouts holds him back some, but he can be a nice draft value if he picks up where he left off.

Iglesias is the closer still in Atlanta, but Robert Suarez is now around if Iglesias ever were to struggle. Iglesias turned things on later in the season to lower his ERA to 3.21 last year. He was 4-6 with 29 saves and 73 strikeouts over 67 1/3 innings overall. There's draft value in Iglesias, especially at a later ADP - we'll see if he can deliver.

More Draftable RPs

After pick 100, there's a bunch more relievers who are being taken in fantasy drafts so far.

Milwaukee's Trevor Megill (101.5 ADP) is the closest to being a top-100 pick.

Megill had a 6-3 record, 2.49 ERA and 30 saves over 50 games and 47 innings last year - he had 60 punchouts. He's projected to split the closer role with Abner Uribe, and if that ends up happening, Megill is not worth drafting this early.

Cincinnati's Emilio Pagan (123.63), Toronto's Jeff Hoffman (124.63) and Baltimore's Ryan Helsley (125.38) are the next set of relievers taken.

Pagan was the Reds' closer last year and did really well in that role. He had a 2-4 record, 2.88 ERA and 32 saves over 68 2/3 innings, while striking out 81 batters. He could be a big draft steal if he replicates that effort in 2026.

Hoffman is the closer for the Blue Jays, who should be a very good team in 2026. Hoffman had 33 saves, nine wins and 84 punchouts last year, but also lost seven games and had a 4.37 ERA over 68 innings. If he lowers his ERA, he could be a high-end fantasy RP, so I like drafting him.

Helsley is the favorite to close games in Baltimore, as Felix Bautista is expected to miss most, or all, of the coming year. Helsley has a better outlook in Baltimore than he did in St. Louis or with the Mets last season, so he's another good draft value in my eyes.

Miami's Pete Fairbanks (132.5), San Diego's Jason Adam (133.33), Detroit's Kenley Jansen (134), Atlanta's Suarez (142.38) and Houston's Bryan Abreu (148.88) are others going in the top 150.

Fairbanks isn't on a great team, but he should be the Marlins' closer, which gives him fantasy upside. If he delivers a good ERA, he could be a better fantasy asset than his ADP says right now.

Adam is a setup guy for Miller, but is dealing with an injury, and could start the year on the injured list. I wouldn't be drafting him this early anyways, and this injury should drop his ADP a good bit before the season closes in.

Jansen is a closer option, and the favorite, in Detroit. He will have to fend off Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan, but as long as he's closing games, Jansen has some fantasy value to take advantage of.

Suarez is a setup option for Iglesias in Atlanta. He could still be a good fantasy asset, but likely will be a better deep leaguer. If Iglesias is ever injured or struggling, Suarez will be a heavily-added fantasy reliever.

Abreu is a setup option for Hader, so Hader's early injury concern makes Abreu a bit more appealing. He could shoot up draft boards if Hader is set to miss any time.

Tampa Bay's Griffin Jax and Cleveland's Hunter Gaddis are sitting at pick 153 on average. Milwaukee's Uribe is at pick 156.63.

Chicago Cubs' Daniel Palencia (163.88) and San Diego's Adrian Morejon (167) are the next off draft boards.

Texas' Robert Garcia and Pittsburgh's Dennis Santana (173 each), San Francisco's Ryan Walker (177.8), Detroit's Vest (178.33), Tampa Bay's Edwin Uceta (179) and San Diego's Jeremiah Estrada (179 each), Mets' Luke Weaver (184) and Boston's Garrett Whitlock (185) are also on the ADP list.

Jax, Uribe, Palencia, Garcia, Santana, Walker and Uceta are candidates for closer roles/saves, while Gaddis, Morejon, Vest, Estrada, Weaver and Whitlock are in setup roles unless injuries hit.