Every season, a handful of players punch in the right coordinates and make the light speed-esque jump from promising up-and-comer to genuine star.

Arguably the most important challenge for fantasy owners is to identify those players early and snatch them up before their stock soars into the firmament.

As the exhibition slate rolls forward and we edge closer to the start of games that count, here’s a look at 10 bust-out fantasy candidates.

A couple of notes before we proceed:

  • We’re only considering offensive output, so you won’t find any pitchers on the list, and defensive metrics weren’t part of the calculus.
  • Many of these players are already well-known names; there’s even an All-Star in the mix. While they may not qualify as “sleepers” per se, all are poised to take their games to new heights and stuff the stat sheet like never before.

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