Top 240 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings: January Updates

January 27, 2026

Top 240 starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball rankings, draft tiers for roto leagues (January updates). Nick Mariano's tiered SP fantasy baseball draft rankings.

Spring training is a few weeks away as we enter the heart of the baseball offseason. Today we continue our rankings series with our updated 2026 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 category mixed leagues). These January rankings cover the top 240 starting pitchers for 2026. Due to the injury risk and inconsistency, fantasy managers usually wait a few rounds before grabbing their ace. However, taking an elite starter can be tempting in the first round to try secure wins, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. 

Tarik Skubal is our top-ranked starter overall, followed by Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes. There are also several news items, recent transactions, and rumors floating around about trades/signings this offseason involving starting pitchers, which affect the rest of our rankings. The Mets acquired ace Freddy Peralta from the Brewers, while the Rangers struck a deal with the Nationals to contain MacKenzie Gore. Dylan Cease signed with the Blue Jays, while Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen remain free agents. Yu Darvish is considering retirement. 

The starting pitcher rankings below are specifically designed for traditional roto leagues, put together by RotoBaller's lead MLB forecaster Nick Mariano. We're also writing fresh articles all throughout the off-season for fantasy baseball prospects, fantasy baseball dynasty, and so much more. Win more in 2026!

Updated Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings (January)

Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher (SP) News

Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

In his first season with the Atlanta Braves in 2024, veteran starting pitcher Chris Sale led MLB in wins and ERA on his way to winning the National League Cy Young Award. While Sale was still productive when healthy in 2025, a rib cage injury limited his availability and held down his overall performance.

Across 125 2/3 innings (20 starts), Sale posted a 7-5 record with a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 165 strikeouts. Heading into 2026, Sale could return to full Cy Young form with improved health. However, he will turn 37 years old at the end of March and carries an extensive injury track record beyond just 2025.

Across a four-season stretch from 2020 through 2023, Sale made just 31 total starts. Still, since joining the Braves, Sale has posted a 2.46 ERA and has recorded back-to-back seasons with a strikeout rate north of 32%. He carries clear fantasy SP1 upside as long as he can stay on the mound in 2026.

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

Across three seasons from 2022 to 2024, injuries limited Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom to just 20 total starts. Heading into 2025, many wondered if the two-time Cy Young Award winner would ever return to form. However, deGrom managed to log a full season in 2025, posting a 12-8 record with a 2.97 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 185 strikeouts across 172 2/3 innings (30 starts).

While deGrom's 22.1% K-BB rate in 2025 isn't quite the level he posted at his peak, it's still an elite mark that demonstrates how much he still has left in the tank. Still, deGrom will turn 38 years old during the 2026 season, and his extensive injury track record means he still carries a significant health risk.

In comparison to other elite starting pitching options, fantasy managers should likely lower their volume-based expectations for deGrom. At the same time, he carries significant upside and currently ranks as RotoBaller's number 11 starting pitcher in standard rotisserie scoring formats.

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies

As things currently stand, the Philadelphia Phillies don't have a set No. 4 or No. 5 starting pitcher, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzard, and Aaron Nola are the three healthy starters who are guaranteed rotation spots. The Phillies are hoping top prospect Andrew Painter and veteran Taijuan Walker fill out the rotation, but they aren't slam dunks.

Both pitchers need to perform in spring training, but even if they don't, they have to be in the initial rotation as Zack Wheeler continues his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome. Painter, 22, had a 5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and 123:47 K:BB in 118 innings over 26 starts with Single-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025 in his first year back from Tommy John surgery.

There wasn't a notable dip in Painter's stuff last year, and he could bounce back another year removed from TJ surgery. A lowered price in 2026 definitely makes Painter an intriguing buy-low candidate with elite pitching upside.

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions twice a week as he continues his rehab program, he told John Perrotto of PiratesRoundtable. Jones experienced UCL discomfort last spring and ultimately underwent an internal brace procedure in May.

As a result, he hasn't pitched in a game since his rookie season in 2024. During that campaign, he tossed 121.2 innings across 22 starts with a 3.78 xFIP, 9.76 K/9, and 2.88 BB/9. At just 24 years old, he brings plenty of upside to a young Pirates rotation that also features Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler.

Perrotto said that, although the Pirates don't have an exact timetable for Jones' recovery, a June return seems realistic at the moment. He currently ranks as the #139 starting pitcher in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings for 2026.

Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (elbow) resumed throwing off a mound last week, according to the team's injury tracker on MLB.com. Steele has been on the injured list since undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery last April, and the only significant update on his status between then and now was an October report that said Steele had resumed throwing.

Throwing off a mound is the latest step in his recovery, and Steele recently said that he is either on or ahead of schedule. He might not be ready for Opening Day, but an April return remains a real possibility, especially amid reports that he should face batters during spring training. Steele was the ace of the Cubs' staff when he was fully healthy in 2024, putting together a 2.74 xERA with 9.02 K/9, 2.47 BB/9, and a 44.8% ground ball rate.

It's unclear which rotation spot he'll slot into upon his return, as the Cubs' five current projected starters all had sub-3.75 ERAs last year. Despite the crowded pitching staff, Steele's track record puts him in line for a prominent rotation role once he's healthy enough to pitch again. If anything, the Cubs' pitching depth could allow them to be extra cautious and not rush Steele back.

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

The New York Post's Joel Sherman writes that the New York Mets got indications that Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal might have cost them their "five best prospects" in a trade. New York's five best prospects were Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Jett Williams, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat before they traded Williams and Sproat to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-hander Freddy Peralta this week.

The Tigers have a sky-high asking price for Skubal, who won his second straight American League Cy Young award in 2025 after setting career highs in ERA (2.21), WHIP (0.89), strikeouts (241), and innings pitched (195 1/3). The 29-year-old southpaw is the most dominant starting pitcher in the game right now, and although he'll be a free agent after the 2026 season, it appears Detroit will hang onto him for now.

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