You’re in the thick of the draft and can’t decide between two players. The logical choice is to target the one whose position is nearest to dropping off. But where are the drop-offs? That’s what these tiers denote. Players whose impact is essentially the same are bundled together, revealing at a glance how many alike choices remain. With these tiers in hand, you’ll have all you need to determine in real time which position is most appropriate to draft next.

Below are the starting pitcher tiers for 2026, depicting a plentiful position with a middle class that’s abounding in upside. It makes for even more reason to wait on assembling the bulk of your staff, though the top three at the position are so exceptional that you can’t afford to pass them up late in Round 1.

The First-Rounders: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Paul Skenes
The Elite: Chris Sale, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Gilbert, Cristopher Sanchez, Bryan Woo, Max Fried, Hunter Brown, Cole Ragans, Jacob deGrom^, Logan Webb†, Framber Valdez†
The Near-Elite: Jesus Luzardo, Freddy Peralta, George Kirby, Kyle Bradish, Joe Ryan, Shohei Ohtani^, Eury Perez, Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Kevin Gausman†
The Next-Best Things: Nolan McLean, Chase Burns, Cameron Schlittler, Nick Lodolo, Brandon Woodruff, Tyler Glasnow, Trevor Rogers, Blake Snell, Gavin Williams, Trey Yesavage
The Fallback Options: Nathan Eovaldi, Bubba Chandler, Jacob Misiorowski, Emmet Sheehan, Tatsuya Imai, Spencer Strider, Robbie Ray, Michael King, Ranger Suarez, Kris Bubic, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Sandy Alcantara, Joe Musgrove, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Zack Wheeler, Carlos Rodon, Drew Rasmussen^, Tanner Bibee, Ryan Pepiot, Matthew Boyd
The Last Resorts: Edward Cabrera, Andrew Abbott, Gerrit Cole, MacKenzie Gore, Michael Burrows, Grayson Rodriguez, Shane McClanahan, Aaron Nola, Zac Gallen, Andrew Painter, Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson*, Shane Baz, Shane Smith, Noah Cameron, Ryan Weathers, Cody Ponce*, Jack Leiter, Chad Patrick, Quinn Priester, Roki Sasaki, Jacob Lopez, Mick Abel, Will Warren, Grant Holmes
The Leftovers: Bryce Miller, Jack Flaherty, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Reid Detmers*,  Zebby Matthews, Tyler Mahle, Bailey Ober, Reynaldo Lopez, Robby Snelling, Braxton Ashcraft*, Joey Cantillo*, Shane Bieber, Parker Messick, Logan Henderson, Connelly Early, Jameson Taillon, Brayan Bello, Seth Lugo, Casey Mize, Brady Singer, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Michael Wacha, Zack Littell, Jose Soriano, Mitch Keller, Rhett Lowder, Cade Cavalli, Taj Bradley, Luis Morales, Luis Gil, Justin Steele, Lucas Giolito, Jared Jones, Jonah Tong, Steven Matz*, Ian Seymour*, Tyler Wells, Justin Verlander, Max Meyer, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Sproat, Joe Boyle, Cade Cavalli, Zach Eflin, Cristian Javier, German Marquez

†: one tier lower in categories/Rotisserie leagues
^: one tier lower in Head-to-Head points leagues
*: RP-eligible