Aaron Judge Remains the No. 1 Outfielder in 2026 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Aaron Judge’s elite power, plate discipline, and durability profile make him one of the safest and most dominant fantasy assets in baseball entering 2026.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a three-run home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When healthy, Aaron Judge continues to redefine what a true five-category fantasy superstar looks like, blending historic power with elite plate discipline and surprising speed. As he enters 2026, Judge remains the gold standard at outfield—and a legitimate challenger to Shohei Ohtani for the top overall fantasy pick.

OF1 – Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (NFBC ADP – 2)

Three times over the past four years, Judge has been an absolute fantasy beast in four categories while chipping in with double-digit stolen bases each season. Over this span, he led the American League in runs (133 and 137), home runs (62 and 58), RBIs (131 and 144), and walks (111, 133, and 124). His failure in 2023 was due to missing 56 games. Judge was the top hitter in FPGscore (13.68) in 2025, second in 2024 (14.55), and first in 2022 (16.89).

His contact batting average has been elite over the past two years (.464 and .470) while continuing to have a high floor in his average hit rate (2.078). Judge finished with his lowest RBI rate (15.1%) over the past six seasons while coming to the plate with 59 fewer runners on base than in 2024 (471).

Part of his rise in batting average was tied to more balls in play due to a career-low strikeout rate (23.6%). His walk rate (18.3%) has been at a league-best level over the past three seasons.

DYK: Aaron Judge is one of only three players in Yankees franchise history to record 100+ R, 100+ RBI, and 100+ BB in least 4 different seasons. The others are Lou Gehrig (11) and Babe Ruth (10). #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/PtUI5HdOzm

— MLB (@MLB) February 6, 2026

His exit velocity (95.4) remains at elite, but it was a five-year low. Judge has a massive barrel rate (24.7%) and electric hard-hit rate (58.2%) that have both stepped back slightly from his previous three seasons. His launch angle (19.1) has been impressive for the past three years. He remains a flyball hitter (46.4%) with plenty of sock in his HR/FB rate (29.4%).

Judge jumped out to a hot start before the All-Star break (.355/85/35/81/6 over 352 at-bats). Pitchers pitched around him more over his final 189 at-bats, highlighted by taking more walks (55) than striking out (51). His bat had almost the same power stats at home (68/26/58) and away (69/27/56).

Aaron Judge 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: The DH position is going to be Judge’s friend at the backend of his career. The Yankees still have Giancarlo Stanton on their roster, but the Yankee stud power hitter comes off the most games at DH (56). His resume speaks for itself, giving the drafters a decision between him and Shohei Ohtani. The improved combination of power and approach gives Judge the tools to make a run at Barry Bonds' home run record (73). He projects to be a significant fantasy edge; the question is: how much?