There are few things more exciting in sports than a superstar shortstop, and if you’re playing fantasy baseball, you’ll have the chance to draft one.

These shortstop rankings for the 2026 MLB season include superstars like Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson, a future superstar in Konnor Griffin and so much more. There are plenty of draft strategies to take at this spot, but the ADP would tell you that there’s nothing wrong with taking a SS with your first or second pick.

Witt is going to be the No. 1 shortstop in pretty much any rankings list you look at. Beyond him, there’s a bit of variance, but the likes of Henderson, Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor and Zach Neto deserve to be not far behind.

Lindor’s hamate bone injury is concerning, but it sounds like he’ll be ready for Opening Day, and as long as that stays true, he’s not bad to draft. He may even come with a slight discount.

The question of the whole list is Griffin. When the No. 1 prospect in baseball arrives for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he’ll be a top-10 fantasy shortstop, no question, and maybe even better than that. It’s just not clear whether he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

MORE FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS: CatcherFirst base | Second base

There is enough depth at this spot that taking Griffin pretty early can be backed up by a solid fill-in option, like Dansby Swanson or Trevor Story.

One player we like a lot is Colson Montgomery of the Chicago White Sox. Down the stretch of last season, he hit just about as many home runs as anyone.

There are other top prospects further down these rankings, too, with JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, Colt Emerson, Aidan Miller and Carson Williams all factoring in. We’ve ranked them based on their supposed proximity to a call-up, but if news emerges that one or more will be around on Opening Day, feel free to draft any of them like top-15 guys.

This is also a position to pay up on as far as auction values go. A HR-SB dual-threat at shortstop can help win you your league, so the values we’ve generated below are just estimates and shouldn’t stop you from getting the guy you really want.

Fantasy Baseball SS Rankings 2026

Rank Player Team Tier Auction Value
1 Bobby Witt Jr. KC 1 $42
2 Gunnar Henderson BAL 1 $40
3 Elly De La Cruz CIN 2 $39
4 Francisco Lindor NYM 2 $32
5 Zach Neto LAA 2 $24
6 Trea Turner PHI 2 $23
7 Mookie Betts LAD 3 $22
8 Geraldo Perdomo ARZ 3 $18
9 Corey Seager TEX 3 $17
10 Konnor Griffin PIT 3 $17
11 CJ Abrams WAS 3 $16
12 Bo Bichette NYM 3 $15
13 Willy Adames SF 4 $14
14 Jacob Wilson ATH 4 $13
15 Colson Montgomery CHW 4 $12
16 Jeremy Pena HOU 5 $10
17 Dansby Swanson CHC 5 $9
18 Trevor Story BOS 5 $8
19 Xavier Edwards MIA 5 $8
20 Ezequiel Tover COL 5 $7
21 JJ Wetherholt STL 5 $7
22 Masyn Winn STL 5 $7
23 Xander Bogaerts SD 5 $6
24 Bryson Stott PHI 6 $6
25 Carlos Correa HOU 6 $5
26 Anthony Volpe NYY 6 $5
27 Kevin McGonigle DET 6 $4
28 Ernie Clement TOR 6 $4
29 J.P. Crawford SEA 6 $3
30 Zach McKinstry DET 7 $2
31 Ha-Seong Kim ATL 7 $2
32 Colt Emerson SEA 7 $2
33 Aidan Miller PHI 7 $1
34 Brayan Rocchio CLE 7 $1
35 Carson Williams TB 7 $1
36 Javier Baez DET 7 $1
37 Edmundo Sosa PHI 7 $1

Fantasy baseball SS advice in dynasty leagues

Top 3 dynasty strategy tips for fantasy baseball SS

1. Consider present and future opportunity

We’re conditioned in fantasy sports to think about what a player is going to do for us right now. In a dynasty league, you have to consider both now and later.

2. Don’t overdo it on young players

Yes, dynasty leagues are set up to last forever. They often don’t, though, and there’s always the owner who drafts only prospects. It’s fine to draft a proven veteran.

3. The best ability is availability

Early in careers, it’s not always easy to know whether a guy will have injury trouble. But the injury prone label is one that is especially painful in dynasty leagues, because you end up with the same player hurt over and over through the years.

Top dynasty SS to draft in fantasy baseball 2026

Note that these aren’t rankings, but rather just some players we’d target in a dynasty draft.

Konnor Griffin

No kidding, but the No. 1 prospect in baseball will legitimately be a top-20 pick in startup dynasty drafts, potentially top-10. He’s the real deal. Don’t shy away.

Colson Montgomery

He may fly under the radar just a tad since he already arrived last season. But he showed his power plays in the big leagues for the White Sox. 

JJ Wetherholt

Another future star, and he might make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster. Great speed and developing power work well here.

Kevin McGonigle

The Tigers might hold him back just slightly, but when he arrives, he can be just about as good as Griffin and Wetherholt.

Sebastian Walcott

The Rangers prospect will miss this season with injury, which will allow him to slide a bit in dynasty drafts. If you have a big minor league setup, you can stash him and it’ll pay dividends down the road.

MORE: Konnor Griffin was a star HS football receiver

Share this post

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up with the latest blog posts by staying updated. No spamming: we promise.
By clicking Sign Up you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.

Related posts

Uncategorized

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an experienced sportswriter and media member with

Read More