Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets for Points Leagues (2026)

February 18, 2026

Joey's fantasy baseball starting pitchers to target in points leagues. These are his fantasy baseball sleepers and starting pitcher values for 2026 drafts.

With the Major League Baseball season right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the best ways to navigate your upcoming fantasy baseball draft. There are a lot of different ways to attack the starting pitcher group in fantasy this year. In this article, we will dive into five starting pitchers who are currently underrated in points leagues.

Playing in a points league is a bit different than Roto leagues, especially when looking at the pitcher position. The two things that fantasy managers should be targeting in points leagues are innings pitched and strikeouts. Targeting a pitcher who could strike out 200+ batters or pitch 200+ innings is an ideal strategy in this format.

So, let's look at five pitchers to target in 2026 fantasy baseball points leagues. All five of these pitchers are going outside the top-80 picks in fantasy baseball drafts, but each of them has the upside to be elite fantasy options this season. Be sure also to bookmark our fantasy baseball points leagues rankings, which are constantly updated.

Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays

NFBC ADP: 80.6

It makes sense why new Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease is going outside the top-80 in fantasy baseball drafts. He is coming off one of the seasons of his career on the mound and was really an inconsistent fantasy option throughout the 2025 season. Cease finished with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.327 WHIP across 168 innings pitched last year.

However, Cease will be a much better fantasy pitcher this season. The change of scenery could help him regain his All-Star form, and he always seems to bounce back following poor seasons. The right-hander also pitched better than his numbers suggested last year.

His expected ERA (3.46) was 109 points lower than his actual ERA (4.55), and Cease still ranked in the upper half of the league in expected batting average against (.214), chase rate (31%), whiff rate (33.4%), strikeout rate (29.8%), and hard-hit rate (37.5%). With those metrics, the 30-year-old could finish as a top fantasy pitcher in points leagues in 2026.

Additionally, he has become one of the most durable pitchers in the game. No pitcher has made more starts than Cease since the start of the 2021 season (162). He has started at least 32 games in five straight seasons while averaging 176 innings pitched across those five years. He will simply always be available for your fantasy team.

That durability, mixed with his elite strikeout rate, makes him a real sleeper in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. He should continue to make every start for the Blue Jays and should strike out over 200 batters yet again. Cease has struck out over 210 batters in five consecutive seasons. That's exactly the type of pitcher you should be targeting in points leagues.

Eury Perez, Miami Marlins

NFBC ADP: 96.1

Some fantasy managers might be avoiding Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Perez altogether this year. He has yet to throw over 100 innings in his major league career and just recently missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. That recovery from Tommy John surgery also resulted in Perez missing the first two months of his 2025 campaign.

However, this could be the year that Perez finally takes off. The cards are finally falling into place for the talented right-hander.

He is completely healthy entering the 2026 season and showed signs of his potential down the stretch last year. In his last four starts, Perez had a 2.70 ERA, a 1.09 FIP, four walks, and 33 strikeouts across 20 innings pitched. The 33 strikeouts over his final four starts could be a sign of what's to come for the up-and-coming right-hander.

He struck out nine batters across four shutout innings against the Texas Rangers on September 21 and then struck out 11 batters over 5 1/3 innings in his final start against the New York Mets on September 27. Although Perez was shaky at points throughout the 2025 season, he has the tools to put it all together this year.

Reach on Eury Perez this year.

He gave us a preview of what's to come in his final four starts:

20.0 IP
1.97 SIERA
42.3 K%
5.1 BB%
16.0 SwStr%

126 Stuff+ during that stretch.

For context, Garrett Crochet led MLB with 116 Stuff+ for the year.

Eury will be an ace in 2026.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) February 2, 2026

That's why he is a fantastic sleeper pick in points leagues at his 96.1 ADP on NFBC. Both his whiff rate (28.4%) and strikeout rate (27.3%) ranked in the 70th percentile or better last year, and his expected batting average against (.203) landed him in the 88th percentile. If he stays healthy, Perez could establish himself as a top fantasy pitcher.

Michael King, San Diego Padres

NFBC ADP: 141.9

Everything about San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King's 2025 season wasn't great. He dealt with a nerve issue in his shoulder that caused him to be out for more than two months, and then landed back on the injured list in the middle of August due to some knee inflammation. Those injuries made him frustrating to own in all fantasy leagues.

He also wasn't nearly as strong a fantasy option as managers would have liked when he was healthy. His strikeout rate (24.7%) was down, his hard-hit rate was up, and 11.4% barrel rate placed him in the bottom 10% of the league.

Following that disappointing campaign, though, there's a real chance King returns to his 2024 self. The injuries are behind him, and managers have seen what type of fantasy pitcher he can be when he's at the top of his game. Back in 2024, the right-hander finished with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts across 173 2/3 innings pitched. He also averaged a solid 14.1 fantasy points per game (on CBS scoring) that season.

So, the potential is there for King to be a strong fantasy option in 2026. He has the upside to strike out over 200 batters, and even in a down year, the 30-year-old still had a strikeout rate that placed him in the 66th percentile.

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles

NFBC ADP: 170.1

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach was originally in this spot, but a recent elbow injury that will land him on the 60-day injured list makes him an avoid at his current ADP. Instead, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Trevor Rogers finds his way on this list after a stellar second half of the 2025 season.

There is some skepticism surrounding Rogers entering the 2026 campaign. He only pitched in 18 games last year and had a combined 5.09 ERA from 2022 to 2024. During this three-year stretch, he battled injuries, struggled on the mound, and was even demoted to Triple-A after just four starts with the Orioles in 2024.

However, fantasy managers can't ignore what the southpaw did throughout the 2025 season. Rogers finished with a 1.81 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts across 109 2/3 innings pitched. He became a league winner in fantasy down the stretch and averaged a whopping 19.1 fantasy points in points leagues (on CBS scoring) in his 18 starts.

Now, we shouldn't expect Rogers to be that elite in 2026. Hitters will adjust, and some regression is due for the left-hander this season. Still, Rogers is a fantastic value pick at his 170.1 ADP at NFBC.

Trevor Rogers strikes out Kyle Stowers on three pitches

📹: MASN pic.twitter.com/7KpJrkDchh

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 12, 2025

That 170.1 ADP feels a bit low for a pitcher who was as good as any pitcher in baseball in the second half. His expected batting average against (.225), chase rate (29.9%), strikeout rate (24.3%), and walk rate (6.9%) all ranked in the upper half of the league, and his fastball/slider numbers were very similar to his rookie year when he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

So, take a chance on Rogers in the middle rounds of drafts. Let's see what a full season of Rogers at this caliber looks like.

MacKenzie Gore, Texas Rangers

NFBC ADP: 207.2

MacKenzie Gore has never seemed to put together a full season in the majors. In 2024, he had a 2.91 ERA and 72 strikeouts in his first 11 starts, then posted a 6.18 ERA and 64 strikeouts in his next 14 starts from June 1 to August 22. In 2025, Gore posted a 3.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts in his first 19 starts before struggles in the second half. The southpaw had a 6.75 ERA in his final 11 starts.

So, it's easy to see Gore at his 207.2 ADP on NFBC and easily overlook him. He has a career 4.19 ERA on the mound, and control has been a major problem for him at times. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has finished with above an 8.5% walk rate in each of his four major league seasons.

But Gore is an easy smash pick at his late-round ADP. He is pitching in a more friendly ballpark (Globe Life Field) than previously (Nationals Park), and the potential high strikeout numbers could help the left-hander become a more consistent fantasy option in 2026. The new Rangers pitcher has struck out over 180 batters with a strikeout rate above 24.5% in back-to-back seasons.

My favorite starting pitching values with an ADP in the 200’s (January NFBC ADP):

- Mackenzie Gore (203)
- Kris Bubic (224)
- Bryce Miller (251)
- Noah Cameron (268)
- Ryan Weathers (293)
- Logan Henderson (296)#FantasyBaseball

— Jeremy Heist (@heistjm) February 1, 2026

While his ADP has slightly risen since being dealt to the Rangers, Gore still finds himself going in the 14th or 15th round of 12-team leagues. That makes the southpaw the ultimate sleeper in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. Globe Life Field has been one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks over the past few years, and there aren't many pitchers who have 200+ strikeout upside this late in drafts.

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