Week 1 Fantasy Baseball Overreactions

Who is Kevin McGonigle? For the blind, he is vision. For the hungry, he is the chef. For the thirsty, he is water. For me, he is the greatest hitter ever.

In all seriousness, I am not going to spend too much time discussing McGonigle in this piece because he is one of the better-hitting prospects of the past decade. There is no reason he should be available in any active fantasy baseball league.

The players discussed in this piece have more reasonable question marks; both good and bad. Some regard their ceiling based on age, minor-league performance, or offensive environment. Others are regarding their season-long platoon risk. Let us dive in.

Rising Stars

OF Chase DeLauter (CLE)

Gun to your head…Chase DeLauter or Barry Bonds? Hell, at this point, we can start calling Delauter “Baby Bonds”. The rookie is taking the league by storm in his first few MLB at-bats. He has three home runs through his first nine plate appearances and is hitting in the top of the order already.

The concerns for DeLauter coming into this season were valid: he cannot stay healthy and plays in a mediocre offense. While the latter remains true, he at least is hitting second in the order already–at least against RHP–between Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. The health factor is difficult to predict. What matters more is that he is healthy now and producing.

The offensive upside for DeLauter is high, given his prospect pedigree and minor league production. DeLauter posted a 122 wRC+ at Double-A in 2024 at 22 years old, then a 130 wRC+ at Triple-A in 2025 at 23 years old. Unfortunately, due to his lack of speed and projected poor fielding, he could be subject to a platoon if his bat does not play as well versus LHP.

After this hot start, the Guardians could be tempted to play him every day for the next few weeks. However, if DeLauter’s bat is below par against lefties, he could be a plus-streamer bat like Trent Grisham rather than a must-have fantasy outfielder. If someone is willing to pay handsomely after these first three home runs, I’d try to sell high.

2B/SS JJ Wetherholt (STL)

Wetherholt is too good to be on the Cardinals. Much like DeLauter, Wetherholt will have to succeed in spite of his surroundings. The Cardinals do have some good hitters in Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera, but neither is on the caliber of Jose Ramirez. Also, the back half of the Cardinals’ offense is egregious. It is safe to say this is not a serious baseball team, even with a talent like Wetherholt.

Nevertheless, Wetherholt has an everyday job at 2B after the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan. They are rightfully batting him atop the order, and will likely play him every day due to his hit tool. Whether he hits leadoff against left-handed hitters is to be determined, but it is unlikely he bats toward the bottom of the order.

Despite his environment, Wetherholt is a must-have middle infielder in all formats. He is the primary leadoff bat with a potentially elite OBP, solid power, and the ability to steal. He’s going to be the boring, but great fantasy bat you hate to love.

OF Carson Benge (NYM)

The Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers this past offseason and replaced him in their outfield with a potentially better version of Brandon Nimmo. Carson Benge made himself known after his Opening Day performance with a little bit of everything. He hit a home run, stole a base, earned two runs, one RBI, walked twice, and struck out twice.

The Mets (and Pirates’ defense) made light of Paul Skenes. This opened the floodgates for a huge first game for Benge. Luckily, he does not project as a high-strikeout hitter, making Opening Day’s two K’s an afterthought. While Benge’s power does not project as well as the aforementioned DeLauter’s, his defense and speed could make up for it.

Benge has a good shot to play every day for the Mets, assuming his bat continues to perform. He is currently hitting seventh, but could rise on this offense with several new faces.

The “upside” for Benge does not derive from a singular category. He has the benefit of being a speedy, well-rounded hitter who can play every day in a very good offense. He is not a league-winner, but a crucial glue-guy profile for any fantasy baseball lineup.

OF Justin Crawford (PHI)

The Phillies replaced Nick Castellanos on their roster with rookie Justin Crawford. That is a massive influx of “JUICE” between the basepaths and outfield (where Castellanos played nearly all of his 147 games last season). Crawford does not project as an elite outfielder, but he is still a massive improvement.

Regardless, we do not care about defense in fantasy baseball, outside of keeping our hitters in the lineup every day. Crawford just turned 22 in January and has hit well at every minor league level. However, his production was largely dependent on a high BABIP (around .400, whereas the league average in MLB is .300). He can run a higher number than average with elite speed, but not close to .400.

Being a left-handed hitter, Justin Crawford has platoon risk and should be on the strong side to start the season with either Otto Kemp or Dylan Moore. Also, Crawford is beginning the season as the nine-hitter.

There will need to be a consistent, strong showing from Crawford to climb this veteran lineup and play every day. His bat is good, but not great, and his speed will be difficult to optimize from the bottom of the order. Players in deeper roto leagues with an SB need should be the ones rostering him in redraft for now.

SP Cam Schlittler (NYY)

Who needs Paul Skenes when you have Cam Schlitter?? The Yankees (and Schlitter’s fantasy managers) got exactly what they asked for from his first start. 5.1 IP, one hit, zero walks, zero earned runs, and eight strikeouts could make a grown man cry. The Schlitter was Schlittering, and I regret not buying more!

On the other hand, the Giants’ offense is hilariously put together, and pitching in Oracle Park is MUCH easier than at Yankee Stadium. Schlitter was very lucky in 2025 with a 2.96 ERA backed by a 4.11 xERA, 3.77 xFIP, and 3.84 SIERA. This does not mean he is a bad pitcher whatsoever, just more good than great.

Schlitter also averaged the highest average velocity among all starters last season. This is not just fastball velocity; it is the velocity of all his pitches combined. He is at a higher risk of injury than most SPs and could find himself unavailable come the fantasy playoffs (albeit they are too far to care at the moment). While he is healthy now, he did deal with a back injury scare last month. Schlitter, like DeLauter, is a potential sell-high…for the right price.

Pricey Platoons

OF Jac Caglianone (KC)

Everyone’s favorite 2026 sleeper was asleep for Opening Day with the Royals. Jac Caglianone was benched for a litany of right-handed hitters and catcher Carter Jensen (Jensen took the DH spot). This is not an ideal start to 2026 Caglianone SZN. However, it is not the end either. Jensen earned his Opening Day start after a torrid end to 2025. He posted an excellent .403 wOBA through 20 games, while Caglianone posted a .232 wOBA through 62 games.

There are going to be many ways for Caglianone to crack the lineup versus LHP, but first, he must hit well in general. That .232 wOBA was unlucky, given his .321 xwOBA. Even so, those marks are well below Jensen’s metrics. If Caglianone manages to hit well against RHP, he can either make his way into the lineup against LHP by outperforming Jensen or injuries/underperformance by veteran right-handed hitters Starling Marte and Lane Thomas.

There are many ways for this egg to crack. Caglianone managers must remain patient and keep watch on him and his teammates.

C/1B Ben Rice (NYY)

This is a no-panic situation. The Yankees are not projected to face another left-handed starting pitcher for two weeks. Getting Paul Goldschmidt in the lineup for their first matchup against a lefty is just a rotational move to have him start a game. The Yankees are going to rotate this offense plenty. Giancarlo Stanton cannot play every day, and Austin Wells will not catch every day.

Ben Rice is not going to start every game this season against LHP, but he should start a healthy dose at C, 1B, and DH as the Yankees load-manage their roster. Use this “benching” to trade for Ben Rice at a discount if anything.