Matt Olson Fantasy Outlook: When should you select the Braves slugger in 2024 fantasy baseball drafts?

Matt Olson and the Atlanta Braves will enter the new campaign as not only one of the strongest teams in the National League but the MLB as a whole. Although they ultimately fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS last season, the Braves finished the year first in a number of categories, including wins, home runs and RBIs.

One of the key contributors to the offensive juggernaut that was the 2023 Atlanta Braves was Matt Olson. The hard-hitting first baseman enjoyed the best year of his impressive MLB career, posting an MLB-leading 59 home runs and 139 RBIs while setting a career-best .283 batting average.

"Matt Olson would like to remind you there are 54 more days until Opening Day!" - @MLB

Thanks to this incredible season, Olson earned the second All-Star selection of his career, while also finishing fourth in National League MVP voting. While it seems unlikely that Olson can repeat those types of numbers this season, however, given his skill set, it is not out of the realm of possibility.

This not only makes him one of the best players in the MLB but one of the top assets in fantasy baseball. The Atlanta Braves superstar has always been an elite source of home runs, however, last season's improvement in batting average made him one of the best at the position.

This leads us to this upcoming fantasy baseball season. Matt Olson will yet again be one of the top players in the MLB in terms of power and counting stats, but when is it too early to draft him?

Matt Olson should find himself selected early in the second round of 2024 fantasy baseball drafts

Even though the Atlanta Braves first baseman is an elite course of home runs, some of his other statistical weaknesses should keep him out of the first round. One of the main reasons why Olson is not worth a first-round pick is his lack of stolen bases.

Compared to the top player in his position, Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers superstar provides owners with elite upside in some of the more difficult categories to obtain, including batting average and stolen bases. Freeman's home run numbers are limited compared to Olson's, but the future Hall of Famer is still a lock for roughly 25 home runs this season.

"Which lineup are you taking right now?" - @MLBNetwork

That being said, Olson is still an elite talent in a relatively shallow position. Fantasy baseball managers should be more than satisfied selecting Olson in the middle of the second round. Having a truly elite hitter surrounded by Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley never hurts either.