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ADP Values for Fantasy Baseball: NL Starting Pitchers

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to another article in our series of early ADP value analysis for fantasy baseball.

Today, we'll cover some undervalued and overvalued NL starting pitchers, to try and help identify draft targets and avoids based on ADP.

Opening Day is still over two months away, but it's never too soon for draft prep. ADP data from early NFBC rankings can give us a glimpse into what other owners are thinking heading into a new campaign.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Undervalued NL Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 98)

Look, there's no getting around this: Greinke's ERA went up by nearly three runs last year compared to his transcendent 2015. Some of that increase was fait accompli, of course. Greinke had enjoyed a friendly home park, excellent defense, and crazy good fortune in Los Angeles, and none of that was likely to be waiting for him in Arizona. But you'd have won a lot of money if you'd wagered that Greinke's ERA would begin with a four. All the aforementioned factors swung in the other direction for him, and he also got hurt. Before the injury, though, Greinke was having a year that was more or less standard issue:

ERA

WHIP

HR/9

K%

BB%

2016 Pre-Injury

3.62 1.16 0.99 20.3

4.7

Career

3.42 1.19 0.87 21.8

5.9

 
Have reservations about a 33 year old coming off shoulder issues? Fair enough. But Greinke's been a reliable fantasy arm for most of the last decade, and 2016 was a perfect storm of bad breaks. There's profit potential at the current price.

Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates (ADP: 117)

As a sequel to his breakout in 2015, Cole's performance last year was less The Empires Strikes Back and more The Matrix Reloaded. His ratios rose sharply and his strikeout percentage took a dive. How much of that was due to the elbow problems he experienced is tough to say definitively, It seems like a logical assumption that it played a significant role. Then again, Cole's velocity and most of his peripherals stayed constant from the prior year, so maybe the 40-point jump in BABIP and some rotten sequencing were culprits as well. Regardless, he's on his normal offseason routine with no issues so far, which is excellent news. Cole is just 26, has a favorable team and park context, and we've seen him reach his potential already. This is a overly generous injury discount.

Rich Hill, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 135)

Speaking of injury discounts, the market is naturally pricing in Hill's high risk. Thanks to multiple blisters (the price you pay for those beautiful and multitudinous curveballs, because life is nothing if not cruel and unyielding), Hill logged just 110 innings last season. Now, those innings were of superior quality, but they also represented his high water mark for the last decade. You simply can't reasonably expect 180 innings from the man. 150 might be a stretch. But a repeat of last year plus some smart streaming could easily add up to a full-season ace at a bargain price.

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 220)

In his first full big-league season, Nola maintained his solid walk rate while adding several percentage points to his K% and cutting down on home runs. Under normal circumstances, he'd be somebody for whom we were all paying an expectant price. Unfortunately, an elbow injury and a co(s)mically horrible strand rate conspired to wreck his ERA and ultimately, ended his season. Recent reports indicate that he'll enter spring training with no restrictions. Nola was in the midst of a breakout before the injury. The risk at this price is minimal, and the profit potential immense.

 

Overvalued NL Starting Pitchers

Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs (ADP: 67)

Here's what I wrote about Hendricks back in November. The current price tag certainly isn't surprising, but it is one I'm not likely to pay in any of my drafts this year. Tough not to feel like he could be this year's Dallas Keuchel.

Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals (ADP: 73)

Martinez turned in his second consecutive season with an ERA just above 3.00 and shaved a few points off his WHIP, but he really didn't show much improvement over the previous season. His walk rate remained middling, his batted ball data didn't budge much, and his K% actually fell by three points. Most importantly, he continued to have problems with left-handed hitters. Make no mistake - the current model is a good pitcher. This just feels a couple rounds early for him. You're paying for a breakout that may not be coming.

Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh Pirates (ADP: 150)

Taillon returned from the dead  the hinterlands of Siberia two injury-wiped seasons to post impressive results, first at Triple-A and then the majors. Thanks largely to an exceptional walk rate, the former top prospect gave owners who rolled the dice some solid ratios (3.38 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) in just over 100 MLB innings. It's always nice to see someone persevere against injury, especially early in their career. There are some lingering concerns with Taillon from a fantasy perspective, however. He's never thrown more than 165 innings he did last season, and after a two-year layoff, it's fair to wonder how many frames he can be counted on for in 2017. Taillon also didn't pile up many strikeouts despite his success, which limits his ceiling. There are several pitchers going a few rounds later whose upside is more worthy of a gamble.

 

More Undervalued & Overvalued Picks


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Lamar Jackson

Will Officially Return in Week 18
Tobias Harris

Won't Suit Up Against Miami
Lauri Markkanen

on the Injury Report for Thursday Night
Keyonte George

Battling an Illness, Might Miss Thursday's Game
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Won't Play on Thursday Evening
Houston Astros

Astros Sign Tatsuya Imai to Three-Year Deal
Jordan Love

Clears Concussion Protocol, Won't Start in Week 18
George Kittle

"Absolutely" Expects to Play in Week 18
Clayton Tune

to Start for Packers in Week 18
Chris Olave

Ruled Out for Week 18
Tom Wilson

Wraps Up 2025 With Gordie Howe Hat Trick
Valeri Nichushkin

Nets Second Career Hat Trick
Frank Vatrano

to Miss Six Weeks With Shoulder Injury
Conor Sheary

Noah Laba Exit With Injuries Wednesday
Brayden McNabb

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Wednesday
Miles Wood

Exits Early Wednesday
Gavin Brindley

Sustains Upper-Body Injury
Michael Porter Jr.

Battling Illness, Questionable Thursday
Joel Embiid

Likely to Play Thursday
Anthony Davis

Available Thursday
Coby White

to Miss at Least One Week
Josh Giddey

to Be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas in Walking Boot After Suffering Calf Injury
Victor Wembanyama

Expects to Play Next Game After Suffering Minor Knee Injury
Davante Adams

Not Expected to Play in Week 18
Stephon Castle

Active on Wednesday
Tyler Kolek

Elevated to Available on Wednesday
Tari Eason

Questionable Versus Brooklyn
Tobias Harris

Not Expected to Suit Up on Thursday
Ariel Hukporti

Available For Wednesday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Questionable Versus Brooklyn
Mason Plumlee

Undergoes Groin Surgery
Zach Collins

Out at Least 10 More Days
Jerami Grant

Unavailable Again on Wednesday
Geno Smith

Won't Play in Week 18
Aaron Rodgers

Considering Playing Beyond 2025?
Sean Monahan

Sits Out Wednesday's Game
Zach Werenski

Misses Fourth Straight Game Wednesday
Dougie Hamilton

Questionable Wednesday
Radko Gudas

Expected to Remain Out Wednesday
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Play in Week 18
Ilya Lyubushkin

Back From One-Game Absence Wednesday
Alex Lyon

to Miss "Bit of Time"
Erik Cernak

Rejoins Lightning Lineup Wednesday
Christian McCaffrey

Trending to Play in Week 18
Kon Knueppel

To Make Return For Charlotte On Wednesday, In Starting Lineup
Jalen Hurts

Eagles Expected to Rest Jalen Hurts, Most Starters in Week 18
George Kittle

49ers Will be "Very Surprised" if George Kittle Doesn't Play on Saturday
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ruled Out for Regular-Season Finale
CFB

Lane Kiffin Interested in Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby at LSU
Shakir Mukhamadullin

Questionable Wednesday
Adam Gaudette

Unavailable Wednesday
Darcy Kuemper

Activated From Injured Reserve
Alex Lyon

Nursing Lower-Body Injury
William Karlsson

to Miss Olympics
Jack Eichel

a Game-Time Decision Wednesday
Jason Dickinson

Hurt Versus Islanders
CFB

Deuce Knight Officially Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Kewan Lacy Expected to Be Full-Go Against Georgia
Stefon Diggs

Facing Strangulation, Assault Charges
CFB

Chip Kelly Named Northwestern Offensive Coordinator
Riley Leonard

Will Start Against the Texans
Bijan Robinson

Explodes for 229 Total Yards, Two Touchdowns on Monday Night
Davante Adams

Officially Out on Monday Night
Drake London

Active Against Rams
Justin Herbert

Won't Face Broncos in Week 18
Marcus Mariota

Considered "a Stretch" to Play in Week 18
Geno Smith

Dealing With Significant Ankle Injury
CFB

Penn State Working to Hire D'Anton Lynn as Next Defensive Coordinator
CFB

Omar Cooper Expected to be Full-Go for Rose Bowl
CFB

Marcus Freeman Staying with Notre Dame for 2026 Season
CFB

Star Wideout Cam Coleman Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Jay Hill Expected to be Next Michigan Defensive Coordinator

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