Starters to Target for 2026 Fantasy Baseball

Today concludes the fantasy baseball sleepers‘ portion of our program. Like the 3rd basemen to target, 2nd basemen to target or outfielders to target, this post is necessary. You need to target the right names at the end of the draft for starters. As I always say, starters are available later. As with other target posts, these guys are being drafted after the top 200 overall. Also, all Steamer hitter projections are updated just about every day (mostly small adjustments), and all 2026 fantasy baseball rankings are updated daily until the start of the season next week. Anyway, here’s some starters to target for 2026 fantasy baseball:

PSYCHE! The first week’s Buy/Sell is already available for Patreon members. It will be released all year early for Patreons, so if people are getting a jump on you, it’s because they paid the $10. Anyway, the starters to target:

Bubba Chandler (ESPN 205) Gave you my Bubba Chandler fantasy, and I am admittedly the low man on Bubba this year. I just kinda hate his command. I’d take the flyer on him after 200 overall if he’s drafted around there, but there’s a good chance he won’t be there that late.

Shane Baz (ESPN 209, NFBC 205) His last year was awful, but it was due to homers allowed and guess what? He doesn’t have to deal with that stupid Steinbrenner Field again this year, and its bad dimensions and listen to it all year rant about how much it hates Dave Winfield Park.

Andrew Abbott (ESPN 215, NFBC 221) Thought I’d be less interested in Abbott this year, but sometimes I even surprise myself. [jumping out of a closet and screaming in front of a mirror] Hmm, that’s more of a scare than a surprise, but I’m on my toes, and that made me get a little turtlehead.

Zac Gallen (ESPN 223, NFBC 226) Hobbs gave you his five starters to target in every league, and Gallen was one. I agree.

Matthew Boyd (NFBC 233) He was a top 20 starter last year. He was being drafted after Pablo Lopez. He is still being drafted after Shane Bieber in some leagues. I get polyps on my intestine when I do these posts they are so frustrating. I want to communicate to everyone just how bad they’re drafting, but I can’t. It’s upsetting for me.

Kris Bubic (ESPN 239, NFBC 219) He had a 2.55 ERA last year with a 9 K/9. I get that there’s some shoulder concerns, but again: 2.55 ERA in 116 1/3 IP with strikeouts. Here’s a finer point that I’m putting my finger on: How many starters do you draft that you get 120 IP from in a 12-team mixed league or shallower? Two? Maybe? If you get 115 IP from Bubic, he might be the 2nd most IP you get from someone you draft.

Jack Flaherty (ESPN 244, NFBC 226) Wanna believe in something? Believe in Flaherty because of Saberhagenmetrics like BDon believes in Saberhagenmetrics. You ever think BDon says to his lady friend, “I’ll pay the check. In odd years.” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you haven’t listened to any preseason podcasts. Shame on you.

Noah Cameron (ESPN 250, NFBC 266) Wrote a Noah Cameron sleeper. There’s so many starter sleepers to mention. Up until Cameron that was only from 200 to 250 for ESPN. Fifty spots and so many starters to grab! Listen to this: After that fifty, there’s Shane Smith and Ryne Nelson. If you were to just have those guys last year, your collective ERA was 3.62 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 300 1/3 IP. I get that you need Ks and all, but that’s a pretty good start for guys you could’ve drafted after 250 overall THIS year! That’s a 8.3 K/9 too (277 total Ks), which, honestly, isn’t that big of a drawback. Couple that with someone like Bryan Abreu and you’ve Frankenstein’d together a number two starter.

Parker Messick (ESPN 258, NFBC 285) Excellent command and let’s stop there and think: Is Parker Messick breaking camp with the Guards? That’s the key question for him, and a few of these guys, tee bee aitch.

Connelly Early (ESPN 264, NFBC 306) There’s so many starters to draft late it’s kinda obscene, and I like Early a lot, but it’s goofy ESPN has him before multiple guys after this who are unranked.

Shane McClanahan (ESPN 283, NFBC 201) I kinda wish I drafted him in 100% of leagues. He has a 3.02 ERA in 404 2/3 IP in his career. Could he get hurt again? Sure, then you drop him. You’re not holding everyone (anyone?) you draft after 250 overall in a 12-team mixed league. After this we’re going to guys who ESPN did not rank. For most of the ESPN NR guys who they did not rank, I assume they forgot about them. This post (and all the sleeper posts) are more about highlighting some guys to watch for late, so take all the ESPN rankings with a grain of salt. They still have (as of this writing, at least) Hurston Waldrep AND Spencer Schwellenbach ranked. (Actually, I just checked (this is a week later from when I originally wrote this) and they have removed Waldrep, but Schwellenbach is still ranked above Shane McClanahananananananananan.)

Joey Cantillo (ESPN NR, NFBC 301) I’m shortlisting Cantillo as my special GREY’S LOCK OF THE YEAR. Granted, that list is 100 players long and Adalberto Mondesi has been on there for nine years. Cantillo just needs to find a skosh more command and he could be a top 30 starter. I should’ve wrote a sleeper for him, but time did not permit.

Jack Leiter (ESPN NR, NFBC 254) Jack Leiter sleeper. Also, why would he be unranked? Is there any earthly reason? He was a top 200 overall player last year on the Player Rater and the 56th best starter. That’s draftable in ten team leagues, at worst!

Logan Henderson (ESPN NR, NFBC 315) There’s a case to be made for Henderson being better than Jacob Misiorowski. No one is making that case because Misi Misiorowski has 110 MPH filth, but Henderson couples excellent stuff with good command, something Misi can’t claim. Also, Logan might be nursing an injury.

Edward Cabrera (ESPN NR) Yes, Edward Cabrera sleeper. That was located inside a trade post. Plus, some of these unranked guys are giving me an ulcer. They have Mitch Keller ranked above Edward Cabrera. EdCab was a top 50 starter LAST YEAR! Keller was the 89th best starter. Just incredible.

Mike Burrows (ESPN NR, NFBC 261) Astros develop pitching as well as the Brewers. Astros wanted Burrows for a reason, and you should draft him based just on trusting the Astros.

Max Meyer (ESPN NR, NFBC 302) Okay, there’s so many starters to draft I need to draw the line somewhere, so Imma you finish but first Imma list names: Chad Patrick, Reynaldo Lopez, Clay Holmes, Zebby Matthews, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Williamson, Rhett Lowder, Robby Snelling, Cody Ponce and that’s only the guys I found between 300 and 320 overall in NFBC ADP for the last week. It might be the best year ever for late starters. Fine! One more:

Mick Abel (ESPN NR, NFBC 307) Spring Training is dumb. It’s all nonsense. You can’t trust any of it. [looking both ways to make sure everyone who heard that has walked away, once they have, I start again] But if a guy is a flyer at the end of drafts and just had the kind of Spring Training Mick Abel had? Then draft, draft, draft in the final rounds everywhere. He was always a top prospect and traded for Jhoan Duran, so the Twins wanted him. If he’s figured out his command (and spring numbers say he has), then he could be some kind of special.

Brandon Sproat (ESPN NR, NFBC 544) Fine! One more! This is a trust fall into the Brewers know what they’re doing, and his velocity is up in the spring. Up to 97.5 MPH! Sproat me some of that!