Starting Pitcher 2026 Fantasy Rankings Update #3 – July 24th, 2026

• I don’t rank longer term injury guys, but I did squeeze Ranger Suarez and Connor Prielipp back in as both are tracking to be back this weekend or very soon after.
• I’ll be adding comments to each tier over the rest of the weekend and happy to answer any questions or comments below!
• Zac Thornton added Saturday morning. Just accidentally left off, I like him.

Aces Commentary

• With Miz being managed, Skubal returns to the top spot, especially after Skubal put up 9 Ks in 4 of his L5 outings.
• I expanded the Ace tier and popped Greene back in there even after just three starts. He was bumpy in his season debut but then 2 gems since, including 12 Ks v. CHC.
• Same with Fried returning to the Ace tier really quick, but I don’t think he needs to earn his way back in. When healthy, he’s an Ace who never leaves the rotation.
• Much was made of a couple turbulent starts for Skenes. He looked a lot more like himself in the last couple with 15 Ks and 3 BB in 12.3 IP.

Must Start Commentary

• Cole’s had a few ill-timed HRs since his last two starts, but he looks completely dialed in with his stuff and I have all the confidence in him. That Cam-Cole-Fried top 3 is insane.
• I was scared about Pérez and actually cut him in my Main Event which definitely stings now that he’s back and dominating. The tough part of no IL spots is how long you want to block off that reserve spot and I was concerned this would be a multi-month absence. Since returning from his 27-day layoff: 1.24 ERA/0.79 WHIP/22% K-BB. Whoops.
• Wrobleski rode a skills tightrope for months, posting excellent results despite an outright terrible 15% K% through his first 12 outings. Everything has come together over his L5 with a 1.90 ERA/0.94 WHIP and most importantly a 23% K-BB. He has at least 7 Ks in each of his L3 including dialing up 11 in Sacramento!
• I love Brown in general and still have a hard time sitting him anywhere as he’s just 8 starts into his season, but I had to bring him way down in the rankings. The BB% explosion to 16% has saddled him with an untenable 1.45 WHIP. Impressively, his ERA is a palatable 4.05 despite the influx of free bases yielded. I’d like to get to ~12-14 starts before making any drastic moves. I’m at least sticking with him for the upcoming TEX and TOR starts.
• Is Ashcraft unraveling or just hitting a blip where the schedule gets the best of him (struggles at PHI, v. MIL, and at NYY aren’t exactly cause for concern even with PHI’s lagging offense and NYY being without Judge)? He still mixed in a gem at one of the hottest offenses in baseball during this run (5.7 IP/2 ER/7 Ks/2 BB at WAS). The HRs are concerning and a key driver behind these troubles. I’m willing to bet blip over fraud check and as such, I will stand by him as a rotation lock.

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Full Rankings Without Tiers