Should Fantasy Baseball Managers Panic About Paul Skenes Shellshocked Opening Day?

Paul Skenes has a 67.50 ERA after his Opening Day start, causing fans to panic a bit.

Mar 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Fans react as Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) walks off the field after being taken out of the game against the New York Mets during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Paul Skenes took the mound on Opening Day as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball. He left the mound mere minutes later, having been shelled. Fantasy baseball managers now may panic a little bit, but today, we measure whether you really should be worried or not. Is something missing, or is it a one-off? Let us aid your confidence today.

Current Fantasy Baseball Status

Skenes went out against the Mets and pitched 0.2 innings with a 67.50 ERA (5 earned runs), 2 walks, and 1 strikeout. That result is as bad as it gets for a guy like Skenes. Surely, your fantasy baseball team has suffered, but that is baseball. Nothing is a sure thing, especially on Opening Day.

Skenes is still going to be valued as a top-3 pitcher in all of baseball. However, he may have lost his SP1 designation for the time being. All reports are that Skenes is not injured, and there are no rumors to the contrary. It was purely one bad game, so we brushed it off.

Skenes has been drafted so high for one reason, and one big reason only — he is the reigning Cy Young Award Winner. Skenes has performed among the best pitchers since his major league debut. In each season, Skenes has put out a sub-2.00 ERA, which is rare for any pitcher to achieve, especially a non-reliever.

Over both seasons, Skenes added a sub-1.00 WHIP with nearly 11 strikeouts per 9 innings. Skenes is a bit iffy in his breaking ball run value, though he's still in the top 1% of MLB pitchers in his fastball and off-speed pitches. Skenes is in the top-1% of all pitchers.

We can be concerned after one starts; that is totally okay. However, to full on panic after one bad game, and against an elite Mets offense, is irrational. If Skenes continues to struggle throughout April, then we can begin to panic. Most likely, that will not be the case unless an injury arises. There is zero reason or rumors to discuss any injury right now.

Put Skenes back on the bump for his next game day, watch for the best, and hold on to your star. Is it literally not even April yet? We are just getting started. Let the man get warm — panic none.