Week 11 Hitting Planner

The Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every Saturday, we provide you with favorable and unfavorable matchups, along with news and notes on lineups. The Pitching Planner, complete with upcoming two-start pitchers, will be posted on Sunday.

Don't forget to check out our Weekly Planner page, under the stats tab on your league pages. It has the weekly matchups for each team broken down by day, the number of games ahead for each team, and finally, the hitting and pitching stats for each team (broken down by home and away).

Weather planner: Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to Weather.com, the following games are in danger of being rained out: Cincinnati at Florida (50 percent chance) on Monday.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Conor Jackson, who has missed six games with a strained right quadriceps, finally got back in the lineup Saturday and looks like a safe start for Fantasy Week 11. Of course, since he has only one home run since April 30, his Fantasy owners probably didn't miss him that much. Chad Tracy will finally settle into his reserve role.

Atlanta Braves: With Mark Kotsay and Matt Diaz already on the DL, the Braves had to get really creative with their outfield after Greg Norton hurt his knee Thursday, giving Josh Anderson and Omar Infante starts. Norton, a decent stopgap in NL-only leagues, should return to the lineup sometime this weekend ... In case you haven't heard, Chipper Jones is good, and he actually improved his batting average over the last week, hitting .625 (10-for-16) through Friday ... Yunel Escobar has two home runs in the last week. He hit only one all of May.

Baltimore Orioles: Nick Markakis might have begun his typical second-half surge a month early this season. Since Sunday, he has batted .526 (2-for-19), including a four-hit game Friday ... Adam Jones hasn't shown much in his rookie season, but he homered in back-to-back games Thursday and Friday, doubling his season total. Not a bad time to consider taking a flier on him again, considering he's owned in only 33 percent of leagues.

Boston Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury bent his wrist awkwardly on a diving catch Thursday, but manager Terry Francona called the results of his MRI "very clean." I can only assume that's a good thing. His 28 steals so far make him too valuable to sit, especially with him expected to return this weekend anyway ... J.D. Drew has assumed David Ortiz's (wrist) No. 3 spot in the batting order and apparently his prowess at the plate as well. He has hit .500 (8-for-16) with an .875 slugging percentage since Sunday. Maybe the added responsibility and lineup protection will help one of the most toolsy players in baseball make the most of his potential. He had a few good years with the Braves and Dodgers not too long ago.

Chicago Cubs: The ever-streaky Alfonso Soriano has fallen into a slump again, batting .238 since Monday. Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have joined him, batting .200 (4-for-20) and .150 (3-for-20) respectively. You obviously wouldn't bench any of that trio, though, even in more shallow formats.

Chicago White Sox: Joe Crede's wrist hurt too much to play Thursday and still hurt Friday, but he managed to go 4-for-4 with two home runs. The guess here says he'll continue to play through the pain ... Jim Thome recently had a four-game stretch where he hit .263 (5-for-19) -- a minor accomplishment, for sure, but he won't hit .209 forever.

Cincinnati Reds: Jay Bruce looked like he finally started to slow down in his second week with not one, but two consecutive no-hit games. Then, he went 3-for-4 with three RBI on Friday. Keep riding the young stud until he gives you a reason not to ... With Ryan Freel (hamstring) going on the 15-day DL, Corey Patterson gets a second chance. He won't play regularly, but his combination of power and speed makes him worth the add in NL-only leagues.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians lineup has disappointed this season, thanks largely to the struggles of Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner. The Indians rank 20th in runs scored and 28th in batting average. But they have had some notable activity in their lineup of late:

1. Grady Sizemore, CF -- After hitting .221 in May, Sizemore is batting .280 through 25 at-bats in June. He hit .289 in April, making May look like the aberration.
2. Ben Francisco, LF -- Coming off a run of three games in which he hit .563 (9-for-16), Francisco is 1-for-13 over his last three. His batting average is still an impressive .314, but you have to expect him to slow down soon.
3. Victor Martinez, C -- For most of the season, Martinez made up for his zero homers with a high batting average. But a recent 5-for-28 (.179) stretch has lowered his season mark to .283. Can you say Matt Treanor?
4. Ryan Garko, 1B -- Garko came into Saturday's game batting .500 in June and .522 (12-for-23) since Sunday. No sense in sitting him when that hot.
5. Jhonny Peralta, SS -- Peralta bats fifth because he has power, but his 11 home runs are about all he has going for him.
6. David Dellucci, DH -- The main beneficiary of Travis Hafner's shoulder injury, Dellucci doesn't play against left-handers, but he does have two homers in the last week, batting .333 (6-for-18).
7. Casey Blake, 3B -- The Indians tried former prospect Andy Marte at third base for a few games and didn't like what they saw. They've gone back to Blake despite his .236 batting average.
8. Franklin Gutierrez, RF -- Gutierrez has only recently returned to playing everyday. He entered Saturday's game batting .455 (5-for-11) in June after batting .200 in May. Expect more streakiness.
9. Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B -- Cabrera missed a game with a strained hip but got back in the lineup Friday. Of course, if you're relying on a .188 hitter at second base, you have bigger problems.

Colorado Rockies: Brad Hawpe (hamstring) made his triumphant return from the DL on Friday, connecting for his fourth home run and first since May 5. Matt Holliday (hamstring) should follow Tuesday, and you'll want to go ahead and get the Fantasy first-rounder active. Clint Barmes (sprained right knee) might also return Tuesday, and with Troy Tulowitzki sidelined, he'll resume starting duties at shortstop, with the hot hand of Jeff Baker, Ian Stewart and Jonathan Herrera starting at second base. Barmes went on the DL red hot, but he doesn't have near the pedigree of Holliday, obviously. If you have decent alternatives, give him a chance to prove his health (and his, er, heat) before activating him.

Detroit Tigers: Jeff Larish, who recently inherited Gary Sheffield's (oblique) DH role by hitting 16 home runs in 191 at-bats at Triple-A Toledo, hasn't really seized his opportunity in the majors, batting .136 (3-for-22) through Friday. He did connect for his first homer on Friday, however ... Magglio Ordonez had a huge May, batting .350, but is only 3-for-17 (.176) in the five games leading up to Saturday. He remains a must-start, though.

Florida Marlins: Cody Ross, who had four home runs in Fantasy Week 9, had none through Friday in Fantasy Week 10. He did enter Saturday 3-for-6 over his last two games, though, and remains a nice, albeit streaky, source of power. His role might expand further if Josh Willingham ends up needing surgery to repair his herniated disk ... Jorge Cantu's two home runs Friday put him on pace for 27, yet he's gone severely overlooked in Fantasy, owned in only 50 percent of leagues.

Houston Astros: Miguel Tejada entered Saturday's game 1-for-23 over his last six, lowering his once .330 batting average to barely over the .300 mark. He tends to streak like all sluggers with poor walk totals, but with only six home runs so far, he's quickly falling out of the elite class of Fantasy shortstops.

Kansas City Royals: Jose Guillen continues to make up for his .192 April, following a .308 May with two home runs and seven RBI on Saturday. He now has three home runs in June, equaling his totals from both April and May ... Joey Gathright continues to start in center field, making him a nice pickup in Rotisserie leagues because of his 16 steals. He entered Saturday's game 2-for-20 over his last seven, though.

L.A. Angels: Chone Figgins (hamstring) took a step forward in his recovery Friday, running the bases without pain. But the Angels will do everything in their power to make sure he avoids a third DL stint after they activated him too early last time, so don't expect to use him again in Fantasy for another week or two. Robb Quinlan and Brandon Wood continue to split at-bats in his absence, making neither all that useful in Fantasy.

L.A. Dodgers: The Dodgers rescued Angel M. Berroa from the Royals minor-league system Friday, thinking he might offer some semblance of help with Rafael Furcal still out with a back injury. Good luck with that. Berroa has only twice hit double-digit homers and has a career .264 batting average, so don't pay much attention to him. This acquisition obviously hurts Chin-lung Hu's appeal, though. The Dodgers peg mid-June for Furcal's return.

Minnesota Twins: After waiting 50 games to hit his first home run, Joe Mauer entered Saturday with two in his last five. His .335 batting average gives him most of his Fantasy appeal, of course, but don't count him out for double-digit homers just yet ... Alexi Casilla appears to have found his comfort zone batting second and playing second, entering Saturday with a .347 batting average in 75 at-bats and riding a nine-game hitting streak. Just keep in mind he slumped to .219 before his call-up from Triple-A Rochester.

N.Y. Mets: Moises Alou, on the DL with a calf injury, could have come off the DL on Friday, but the Mets decided to hold him back until Tuesday for the series against the Diamondbacks. Of course, he'll play only as often as his 41-year-old body allows ... Ryan Church, who homered in his first game back after an 11-game absence due to a concussion, entered Saturday only 0-for-11 since. Manager Willie Randolph gave him a day off Friday, saying he needs to build up stamina.

N.Y. Yankees: Johnny Damon went 6-for-6 on Saturday, raising his batting average since Sunday to .593 (16-for-27). He's hit .364 since the beginning of May and has reemerged as a No. 2 Fantasy OF after an off 2007 ... Jason Giambi homered Saturday, giving him 13 this season. He's also played like a man possessed since the beginning of May, batting .337 with eight home runs. And because he has more walks than strikeouts, no reason to think we won't keep seeing his good side.

Oakland Athletics: Ryan Sweeney has begun a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento, meaning he'll probably return sometime in the upcoming week. However, with Travis Buck and Carlos Gonzalez -- particularly Buck -- up from Triple-A and playing well, Sweeney might not regain a full-time role. He's nothing more than an AL-only player anyway ... As much as he struggled in April, batting .188, Jack Cust has hit .294 with nine home runs since. Expect that kind of inconsistency from him all season, meaning if you wait too long to activate him once he gets going, you might miss out completely.

Philadelphia Phillies: Shane Victorino, a terror since coming back from a calf injury in late April, looked like he might have finally started to cool off, going 3-for-17. But then he tripled twice Friday in a win over Atlanta. That 12-homer, 40-steal season might still come yet.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ryan Doumit, on the DL with broken thumb for three weeks, came off it Friday. He went 0-for-4 against the Diamondbacks, but give the guy a break. He's still batting .336, and most consider power his greater asset. Make like the Fantasy owners in 18 percent of leagues and pick him up.

San Diego Padres: The Padres learned Friday that Tadahito Iguchi has a separated shoulder and will miss 4-to-6 weeks. Edgar V. Gonzalez will get the majority of starts in his absence. Prospect Matt Antonelli might get a look if he wasn't hitting .169 at Triple-A Portland. He still deserves a flier in deeper NL-only leagues because of his upside.

San Francisco Giants: Aaron Rowand, an instrumental reason why the Giants rank 11th in the majors in team batting average, left Friday's game with tightness in his hip. But he felt better Saturday and should return Sunday, making him a safe start for Fantasy Week 11 ... Even with the end of his 15-game hitting streak, Randy Winn continues to swing a piece of flaming hot lumber. He entered Saturday's game batting .333 (18-for-54) in 13 games since the end of the streak, hitting three home runs and stealing two bases during that stretch.

Seattle Mariners: Wladimir Balentien has hit so poorly (.202 through Friday) that the Mariners have resorted to platooning him with has-been Jeremy Reed. Balentien has more power and upside, but neither player has much Fantasy appeal in part-time duty ... Jose Lopez has three home runs in the last week, but he hadn't hit one since April 5. That kind of inconsistency makes him hard to recommend in mixed leagues for any particular week.

St. Louis Cardinals: Rick Ankiel got a boo boo on his right knee Sunday that developed into something much, much worse. The infection has limited him to three at-bats since and even sent him back to St. Louis to get antibiotics treatment. He'll likely miss some time in Fantasy Week 11, making him a candidate to sit. Fortunately, his 2-for-25 slump before the infection makes your decision that much easier.

Tampa Bay Rays: By now, you've probably heard about Carlos Pena's broken finger -- a serious blow to his Fantasy owners, especially since he had just started to get going. But this news has a silver lining in that Eric Hinske again has a place to play everyday, something he lost with the return of Cliff Floyd. The reassurance of at-bats has apparently rejuvenated the early-season surprise. He entered Saturday 4-for-7 with a home run over his last two games.

Texas Rangers: Boys and girls, Milton Bradley has blown up -- even more than his league-leading OPS for much of the first two months would indicate. Since Sunday, he's batted .500 (8-for-16) with four home runs and two stolen bases, making him Fantasy's best hitter in Week 10. If you play in one of the eight percent of leagues where he goes unowned, I have to ask why ... Gerald Laird -- the catcher -- got a start at third base Friday with Michael Young nursing a hairline fracture in his left ring finger. Young plans to play through the pain, though. He came into Saturday's game with a 21-game hitting streak, but who knows how the pain will affect his performance at the plate? As for Laird, I can't imagine a Fantasy format where you'd use him at third base instead of at catcher.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays finally gave in and placed Aaron Hill (concussion) on the DL after tap dancing around the issue for seven games. Marco Scutaro will continue to start in his absence and has some low-end AL-only appeal ... For the 15 percent of Fantasy leagues where he actually means something, Gregg Zaun, dealing with inflammation in his throwing elbow, is eligible to return for next weekend's series against the Cubs. With his status uncertain for so late in the week, you might as well keep him reserved.

Washington Nationals: With neither Ryan Zimmerman's (shoulder) nor Nick Johnson's (wrist) return imminent, Aaron Boone and Dmitri Young will continue to split time at first base while 26-year-old Kory Casto mans the hot corner. Casto has shown a good OPS bat in the minors, but his power can be a little hit or miss. Don't hesitate to give him a look in NL-only leagues.

You can e-mail Scott your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Hitting Planner in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.We'll answer as many as we can.