2026 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions: Ronald Acuna Jr Back In MVP Form But Chandler Simpson Steals More Bases

The MLB regular season officially began last night when the New York Yankees went on the road and shut out the San Francisco Giants on the Netflix season opener. That also means that the fantasy baseball season is in full swing.

With the bulk of the MLB teams starting their seasons today or tomorrow, we need to get our hot takes out there now. These are our bold predictions for the 2026 fantasy baseball season.

Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr Is The Top Fantasy Position Player

We expect Ronald Acuna Jr to bounce back this season just like he did in 2023, a full season removed from a torn ACL. In 2023, he won the National League MVP, and he will do the same in 2026.

He wasn't bad last season by any stretch, but he was relegated to just 95 games as he worked his back from his ACL injury. In 2025, he batted .290 with 21 home runs and 42 RBIs. While these aren't great numbers, he was still a strong player. However, his stolen bases were way down. Acuna stole just nine bases after stealing 73 in his last healthy season in 2023.

This year, he will be healthy and back on track. We expect him to top 40 home runs, 100 RBIs, 130 runs scored, and up over 50 stolen bases. Excluding Shohei Ohtani, who also gets fantasy points as a pitcher, Acuna will be the top position player in fantasy baseball.

Devil Rays OF Chandler Simpson Steals 80-Plus Bases

Last season, Chandler Caballero led the league with 49 stolen bases. In his first season as an everyday player, Simpson will blow that mark out of the water. He is going to steal at least 80 bases. That's about one steal every other game, a pace he could easily surpass.

In 2025, he got on base 139 times with an opportunity to steal a base, which excludes his three triples when he could only steal home. Despite the limited opportunities, he still stole 44 bases. In his minor league career, he stole 104 bases in 110 games.

Braves Rookie JR Ritchie Will Be Top Fantasy Starter On The Team

Atlanta has dealt with a ridiculous number of injuries to their pitching staff during spring training. That will allow their top pitching prospect, JR Ritchie, to emerge as their best fantasy option of any starting pitcher. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be their best pitcher on a per-game basis, but with health and consistency, he'll be the top guy.

Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep are both set to miss multiple months due to bone spurs in their elbows, Spencer Strider just landed on the IL with an oblique injury coming off a down season, and Reynaldo Lopez has struggled with velocity during spring training.

That leaves just Chris Sale, who is undoubtedly an incredible pitcher. However, he turns 37 years old this week and has a lengthy injury history. A potential decline or missed time is a real possibility. Granted, he is the pitcher who could make this prediction look silly.

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