As of March 17, these are all 30 projected Opening Day pitchers and what we should expect out of them in 2026 fantasy baseball.
Opening Day is about two weeks away as we begin to get excited for fantasy baseball season. The talk of the town on the big day will be that of each MLB team's designated 'ace.' While we know that Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are to be wheeled out, some other teams have more obscure names.
Here is our fantasy baseball analysis team-by-team regarding what to expect from these team aces.Gallen is not the pitcher that he used to be, carding a 4.83 ERA in 2026. Gallen looks to reinvigorate with his breaking ball dominance, but fantasy baseball managers should not expect much until it is seen.The former first-round pick marked up a 1.81 ERA in limited 2025 appearances. He is in the 97th percentile of pitching run value. We may have concern that Rogers returns to his >4.00 ERA in 2023-24.There is no reason that Crochet shall not be a Cy Young contender. He is less likely to achieve the feat, but that 99th percentile breaking ball run value will be a weapon of mass destruction once again in 2026.Boyd is the ace on paper, but the Opening Day job is yet to be confirmed. Boyd is a regression candidate with a 3.21 ERA in 2025, yet with awful breaking-ball run value and great breaking-ball run value, but low-velocity fastball run value. Boyd can be easily shelled.Smith was in the 1% worst of MLB pitchers in 2025 with his breaking ball. He was then in the 99th percentile of MLB pitchers with his 96 MPH fastball. Which Smith will we get in 2026? Time will tell, but do not get too high on Smith in fantasy baseball.. The Reds have one of the best pitching rotations in the MLB. Abbott is an all-around great and mid-shot Cy Young contender.It appears that this job will go to either Williams or Tanner Bibee. Williams is the SP1 on the depth chart, so he gets our nod. Williams is volatile, relying much on an accurate fastball to set the count and then dominate with his top-4% breaking ball.Freeland may be the worst ace on Opening Day. He has zero value in fantasy baseball as the Rockies continue to plummet.Skubal is the best pitcher in the AL and the clear-cut Cy Young favorite. Until proven otherwise, he is valued as such.In many years, Brown would have won the Cy Young in 2025. He carded a 2.43 ERA and seemingly should get even better. In every facet of the pitching, Brown is dominant.Ragans is one of our top Cy Young candidates. His 2025 profile shows otherwise, but his command in the zone is unmatched across the MLB. Ragans had a 3.14 ERA in 2024, and he may expect to return to it.Bad teams make for bad baseball. Kikuchi does okay, lingering around a 4.00 ERA. His Statcast sheet shows him below average. Kikuchi is fantasy baseball viable, but on the low end of your roster.Yamamoto is as good as any pitcher when he has his command. Yamamoto is deservedly the No. 2 Cy Young candidate this season.Ever since Alcantara came back from injury, he has not been remotely close to his 2023 form. Aside from elite fastball velocity, Alcantara is well below MLB average as a pitcher. Luckily, his upside can still be considered quite high.This Opening Day job can easily go to Jacob Misiorowski; however, Woodruff is the SP1 on the depth chart. Woodruff came back from injury to post a stellar 3.20 ERA in 2025. He can trend quite high in 2026 fantasy baseball.Ryan battled a back injury in spring training, yet he appears ready for Opening Day. Ryan is a heavy fastball pitcher, which raises questions about how good he truly is. If he lacks command, he can be exposed.The 29-year-old comes off arguably the best year of his career, posting a 2.70 ERA. Peralta is elite in every aspect of pitching, from fastball to breaking ball and offspeed. He shall be rated highly in fantasy baseball.Gerrit Cole remains out, so Fried goes in as the ace. Fried does not quite have the pitching run value of a Skubal or Crochet, but he is in the 94th percentile, coming off of his second season of the last three seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA.Sacramento A's — Luis Severino If Severino can pitch as well as he looked in the World Baseball Classic, the A's have a pretty good ace. Post-injury, Severino has had a 4.00 ERA over his last two seasons. Ultimately, Severino is deemed average.King has one of the best offspeed arsenals in all of baseball with his 87 MPH changeup and 83 MPH sweeper. King shall be primed to dominate again as a third-tier pitcher in fantasy baseball.We got a quick glimpse of Webb in the World Baseball Classic, where he pitched quite well. Webb shall be one of the better NL pitchers in 2026.This job is very much still up for grabs. Whoever it may be, Woo or Gilbert, it shall expect great pitching. Both pitchers are tier two in MLB.Liberatore has lowered his ERA in consecutive years, finishing with a 4.21 ERA in 2025. He commands six pitches over 12% in usage. Can he get better? This may be a spot to buy low and expect a lot.Rasmussen is one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB, posting a sub-3.00 ERA over the past three seasons. Rasmussen will cut up the batters with elite fastball precision.Eovaldi gets his sixth career Opening Day start. In 22 games, Eovaldi posted a 1.73 ERA in 2025. He is absolutely lights out and should hope to be the same this season.Gausman has seen zero regression, consistently posting a sub-4.00 ERA. Expect the same in 2026 for the ace that is in the top-4% of fastball and offspeed run values.The 27-year-old had spent three years away due to injury, only to make his 2025 debut. Cavalli posted a 4.25 ERA in 10 games, and he logically should get even better in 2026. He is a sleeper candidate.Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.
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