Cody Bellinger is fresh off of a dreadful 2021 campaign. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ former MVP hit just .165 with 10 home runs while dealing with injuries. From a fantasy baseball perspective, his 2021 struggles have many drafters weary about rolling with Bellinger. 

His average draft position (ADP) is currently at 91.4 according to FantasyPros. That is quite a dropoff from when he was in the conversation for top 10 fantasy baseball assets just a couple seasons ago. And those who thought he might be poised for a bounce back following his strong postseason last year have mostly changed their minds after Bellinger struck out an alarming 17 times in his first 25 Spring Training at-bats. 

So is there hope for Cody Bellinger this season? Is there any chance that he ends up being a valuable fantasy baseball commodity? 

Manager Dave Roberts offered some encouraging thoughts about Bellinger in a recent interview. 

“I think he's found a consistent setup and stance, and now he just needs to get the repetitions. It’s a work in progress, but the main thing is we have Cody’s buy-in and understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish together.”

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But we surely need more than some nice words from Dave Roberts to justify taking Cody Bellinger in fantasy this season. 

The fact is that Bellinger has one of the highest ceilings for anybody going in his price range. If something clicks early in the season, he is someone who could hit for a decent average while blasting 30-40 home runs. If you can find that kind of production in the mid-rounds, that is quite the steal to say the least. 

Obviously, we saw how low the floor can drop last season. There is certainly risk in taking Bellinger. But if Bellinger falls late in drafts, I like him as a deep sleeper.