Like everyone, I’d love to have Ronald Acuna, Aaron Judge, and Corbin Burnes all on my roster but like everyone reading this article, I also know the odds are against me that I’ll even have one of them on my team even in a 12-team, mixed league. And thinking about that jogged my memory. I once heard someone say that you can’t win your league in the first round of the draft, but you can indeed lose it there. Regardless of the validity of that assessment, to me, the late rounds are key to a winning year. This week, I’ll consider some late-round players who might out-earn their draft positions and by so doing, help you have a better chance at taking home a trophy. Or whatever prize is up for grabs in your league.

Nick Gordon is first up here, but the main issue I see with Gordon is that he won’t likely be first up to open a game for the Twins. In fact, the best spot in the batting order I’ve found him projected to occupy is fifth and many lineup projections have him hitting in the 8- or 9-hole. In real-life baseball, I appreciate the idea of your nine-hitter serving as a secondary lead-off man when the lineup is going to be turned over in an inning. For fantasy, that is less valuable. What Gordon does bring to the table is a legit shot to go 15/15 or maybe even 20/20 if things break right. The thing I like most about Gordon is his position versatility. The Twins are said to be ready to use him all over the diamond and that makes him pretty valuable to his fantasy managers too. He’s only rostered in about 65% of leagues and then taken around the 350^th spot. (Since I initially penned this, it is official, Jorge Polanco will not be available Opening Day.)

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