15 Pitchers Experts Love to Draft for 2026 Fantasy Baseball

Identifying top pitching targets and values in your upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). This article highlights 15 notable pitchers the experts are high on compared to their current ADP.

Why it matters

Identifying undervalued pitching talent is crucial for building a winning fantasy baseball roster. By understanding which pitchers the experts are targeting earlier than their current ADP, fantasy managers can gain an edge on their league rivals and secure top-tier arms at discounted prices.

The details

The article dives into the expert consensus rankings and ADP data for 15 notable pitchers, including Jacob deGrom, Cole Ragans, George Kirby, Freddy Peralta, Dylan Cease, Jesus Luzardo, Framber Valdez, Eury Perez, Nolan McLean, Kevin Gausman, Tyler Glasnow, Trey Yesavage, Nathan Eovaldi, Sandy Alcantara, and Emmet Sheehan. It provides analysis on the upside, risk factors, and reasons why the experts are higher on these pitchers compared to their current draft position.

  • The article was published on March 4, 2026, ahead of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.

The players

Jacob deGrom

A top-10 starting pitcher according to expert consensus rankings, currently being drafted around pick 43 on average.

Cole Ragans

A pitcher who dealt with injuries in 2025 but has strong underlying skills, making him a high-reward target according to the experts.

Eury Perez

A young pitcher with frontline starter upside if he can stay healthy and increase his innings workload, currently being drafted around pick 89.

Sandy Alcantara

A proven ace being drafted much later than his consensus ranking, potentially providing excellent value for fantasy managers.

Emmet Sheehan

A promising young pitcher with high upside, currently being drafted around pick 124 on average.

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What’s next

As the 2026 fantasy baseball season approaches, fantasy managers should continue to monitor player news, injuries, and any changes to the expert consensus rankings and ADP data to identify the most valuable pitching targets for their upcoming drafts.

The takeaway

This article highlights several pitchers that fantasy experts are higher on compared to their current average draft position, providing managers with potential value picks and high-upside targets to consider in their 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.