Fantasy managers, prepare for a lot of roster moving and shaking.

The early weeks of a new baseball season tend to be among the best times to add high-quality fantasy talent. That’s in large part due to it being the first time of the season in which we can truly gather actionable data, but also because roles begin to crystallize and player skill changes rise swiftly to the surface.

Change is the name of the game in April. There’s no greater illustration of that than flashing back to last season’s fantasy pickup trends, as among the 10 most unexpected breakthrough performers — defined as the highest-scoring players in points leagues who were selected in under 25% of ESPN drafts — four (Seth Lugo, Ronel Blanco, Kirby Yates and Garrett Crochet) enjoyed their largest single-day pickup increases within the season’s first four weeks. An additional four (Jurickson Profar, Jack Flaherty, Paul Skenes and Brent Rooker) did so during the first two weeks of May, while Jackson Merrill did so in mid-June and Sean Manaea burst onto the scene in mid-July.

With that in mind, here are the most fantasy-relevant players you should be adding now in every ESPN league.

Week 1’s top ESPN standard league pickups

Kristian Campbell, 2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox (available in 60.4% of leagues): Prospects, and young players with elite scouting track records, who are thrust into regular roles at the onset of a new season tend to be the most attractive (and wisest) pickups in fantasy baseball. Campbell certainly qualifies, ranking 26th on Kiley McDaniel’s preseason top prospects list (and top-10 overall on many offsite rankings list), bringing a potentially elite combination of contact, gap contact, speed and defensive versatility to the table. One of spring training’s most surprising job winners after having struggled mightily in the preseason’s opening weeks, Campbell has already stroked four hits with 100-plus mph exit velocity in his 16 trips to the plate.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles (available in 97.8%): Colton Cowser’s thumb injury — he suffered a fractured diving back into first base during Sunday’s game — appears likely to cost him at least one month’s action, opening up the strong side of a left field platoon (with Ramon Laureano likely to handle the weak side) for Kjerstad. Considering that means a lineup restructure (Cowser was the team’s leadoff hitter against righties) for an offense that had been relatively productive during 2025’s opening weekend — despite little contribution from Cowser himself — Kjerstad could also claim a relevant, mid-to-bottom-half spot in the batting order. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 amateur draft, Kjerstad brings decent pop and solid contact skills, making him a strong speculative pickup.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Detroit Tigers (available in 83.8%): Again aiming for high ceilings, Torkelson’s path to regular playing time was blocked in most puzzling fashion this offseason, when Gleyber Torres’ signing with the team meant the Tigers intended to shift Colt Keith to first base. Nevertheless, Torkelson didn’t let that get him down, batting .340/.389/.680 with five homers in 50 spring training at-bats, assuring himself regular playing time (though primarily at DH). That was further locked in after Parker Meadows (arm) and Matt Vierling (shoulder) were lost to the IL. Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 amateur draft and a 23-HR hitter across the Tigers’ final 85 games of 2023, has already hit 4-of-5 batted balls 95 mph or faster with five walks while batting in the heart of the order.

Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees (available in 40.7%): The high-ceiling argument also applies here, but Wells’ inclusion on the list is as much about role — a premium lineup spot, à la Torkelson — as it is upside. Wells emerged late during spring training as the Yankees’ preferred leadoff man against right-handed pitchers and hit a home run to begin the team’s first game — the first catcher in history to ever do that on Opening Day. He then added another homer against lefty and former teammate Nestor Cortes in game No. 2 (albeit out of the No. 6 spot in the order, his projected regular role against that side).

Without diving deeply into the Yankees’ “torpedo bat” phenomenon, a topic I’ll leave to those with greater expertise on the science than I, if there’s truly something to the team’s newfound power prowess — and I believe there is — there’ll be a huge boost to their hitters in said premium lineup spots. More teamwide offense means more times turning over the order, more runs and RBI up and down the order, and more trips through the lineup. It all means more at-bats for Wells (and Paul Goldschmidt, who leads off currently against lefties). Catcher is a tough position to fill, and Wells needs to be universally rostered.

Rotisserie-style player to add

Victor Scott II, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (available in 92.6% of leagues): True, his emergence as the Cardinals’ starting center fielder last season didn’t go particularly well as he went a sad 5-for-59 across 20 games and was swiftly demoted to the minors. Scott nevertheless looked much more the part during spring training and the opening weekend this time around. He’s doing a better job laying off non-strikes and delivering hard contact. If that sticks, he’ll be able to make good use of the 99th percentile sprint speed he showed last year. Scott already has three successful stolen bases (in five opportunities) and has the ability to be one of the category’s best performers.

Another to consider: Luke Jackson, RP, Texas Rangers (available in 96.2%).

Deeper-league adds

Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins (available in 95.8% of leagues): A member of my preseason “Kings of Command,” Paddack looked better during spring training than he has in some time, exhibiting an elevated 94.5 mph average fastball velocity (within range of his career-best 94.8 during the 2021 regular season) and a 30.6% overall whiff rate (his career rate is 24/8%) across his five Grapefruit League starts. Injuries have long been the question with the right-hander, who has made seven trips to the IL over the past four seasons alone, but he’s looking about as healthy as ever right now and possesses skills worth leaning on for so long as that lasts.

Cade Povich, Orioles (available in 98.0%): Scouts thought highly of this left-hander’s swing-and-miss stuff as he swiftly rose through the Orioles’ minor league system. It’s also important to remember that not all prospects instantly adapt to tougher big-league competition. Povich is coming off a strong spring training, where he posted a 3.07 ERA and 25.9% K and 28.2% whiff rates across four starts, earning himself a spot in the team’s Opening Day rotation. Kyle Gibson’s late arrival puts pressure on the youngster to quickly prove he deserves the nod, but Povich’s strikeout potential makes him well worth the speculative add.

An additional note: Both Paddack and Povich are two-start pitchers for fantasy’s Week 2, for those in leagues with weekly transactions.

Ben Rice, Yankees (available in 96.2%): Another player coming off a standout spring training, where he slugged .516 and hit five homers over 62 Grapefruit League at-bats, Rice earned the strong-side half of the Yankees’ DH platoon to begin the season. So far, he has hit 3-of-5 batted balls 95-plus mph — Barreling two and homering on one — extending his spring prowess into the season’s early stages. He’s also doing so despite not being one of the so-called “torpedo bat” Yankees. Rice’s versatility (he can also catch in a pinch) should keep him on the roster, and he’s not too far off from securing a regular role for one of the game’s best offenses in one of the game’s most HR-friendly home venues.