Every year, fantasy baseball leagues are lost because of busts, either due to injury or underwhelming performances. Sometimes these issues are unavoidable, but sometimes there are red flags we ignore. Here are 10 pitchers at their current National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) average draft position (ADP) you should not draft in 2026 fantasy baseball leagues.
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Must-Avoid Fantasy Baseball Pitchers
Hunter Greene (SP – CIN) | NFBC ADP: 46.56
Hunter Greene is coming off a great season, during which he posted a 2.76 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 107.2 innings. Unfortunately, he missed a lot of time due to a groin injury. The injuries have been a recurring issue for Greene, who has yet to throw more than 150.1 innings in the Majors in a season. Greene has amazing stuff, but can struggle with command, which can be dangerous in the Great American Ball Park. The upside is amazing, but his draft cost does not cover the low floor.
Josh Hader (RP – HOU) | NFBC ADP: 50.8
Josh Hader has been one of the most stable closers in baseball over the last three seasons, but he finished the year on the injured list (IL) and couldn’t pitch in the postseason because of it. That is scary. When a pitcher can’t throw at the end of the season because of a shoulder or an elbow injury, I tend to devalue them a ton at the draft table. Hader is still going just outside the top 50.
Jesus Luzardo (SP – PHI) | NFBC ADP: 68.32
Jesus Luzardo is coming off an extremely volatile season. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the first month of the season, and then one of the worst from May to July, and then great again to wrap up the season. I hate drafting a pitcher this volatile because it is hard to know when they can be trusted.
Raisel Iglesias (RP – ATL) | NFBC ADP: 72.8
Raisel Iglesias re-signed with the Braves and is expected to be the closer once again in Atlanta. However, he had moments where he struggled and even lost the role at one point. However, the Braves also signed proven closer Robert Suarez to a multi-year deal, so the leash will not be very long for Iglesias this season. His price is too high for that type of risk.
Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI) | NFBC ADP: 148.36
Zack Wheeler had thoracic outlet surgery in the offseason to fix a blood clot in his shoulder. There are not a lot of success stories with this surgery, and the fact that he is 35 isn’t encouraging. He may start the year on the IL as well, which will likely take him off my board.
Dylan Cease (SP – TOR) | NFBC ADP: 72.84
Dylan Cease signed a larger free agent deal to go to Toronto this offseason. It is a worse park for home runs; however, it is also a better park for walks, which has been a recurring issue for Cease. Ultimately, this is less about the new location and more about your risk tolerance for an immensely talented pitcher, but one who can have up and down seasons.
Ranger Suarez (SP – BOS) | NFBC ADP: 166.04
Ranger Suarez is joining the Red Sox on a multi-year deal. The big issue for him in Boston is that the infield defense is much worse. Suarez lives on the ground with a career 52% ground ball rate. He will have a fantastic new pitching coach in Andrew Bailey, but there will be some regression if the infield defense isn’t improved.
Carlos Rodon (SP – NYY) | NFBC ADP: 202.68
Carlos Rodon has been a workhorse over the last few seasons for the Yankees. However, he had offseason surgery and is a question mark for Opening Day. Rodon needs volume to be valuable. While there is a discount, I don’t invite injury onto my teams.
Edward Cabrera (SP – CHC) | NFBC ADP: 185
Edward Cabrera was traded to the Cubs this offseason, and that is a much better team to be playing for. However, he also struggled with injury once again and has never thrown 140 innings in a season at the Major League level. With the price rising, there is no reason to draft a high-risk player.
Chase Burns (SP, RP – CIN) | NFBC ADP: 113.68
Chase Burns is coming off a really interesting season where he showed flashes of dominance, but also struggled with injury. He did finish the year on the field, but there will likely be an innings limit for him. He can struggle with command, which can be a major problem that leads to home runs at the Great American Ball Park.
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