We go around baseball's rotations every Sunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner. We highlight every matchup, recommended two-start options, sleepers and busts and much more. The means we consider them a recommended start. The means we suggest you consider a replacement option. The teams have if we deem their week's matchups favorable and if their week's matchups are deemed unfavorable.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Rodrigo Lopez at PHI Hamels, at NYM Niese
- Joe Saunders at PHI Halladay
- Edwin Jackson at PHI Kendrick
- Ian Kennedy at NYM Pelfrey
- Barry Enright at NYM Dickey
Two-starter(s): Lopez. He is a high-risk option for the deepest
of NL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. Jackson
could be on the trade block though.
One-week sleeper: Kennedy
and Enright. They were very good against the sunken Mets last time out
and are useful in deeper leagues.
One-week bust: Jackson. He
hasn't been able to prove consistent enough to trust against a
potentially potent team like the Phillies.
Atlanta Braves
- Jair Jurrjens at CIN Cueto
- Tommy Hanson at WAS Strasburg, at CIN Arroyo
- Tim Hudson at WAS Hernandez
- Derek Lowe at WAS Stammen
- Kris Medlen at CIN Leake
Two-starter(s): Hanson. He is back to being a must-start in all
leagues again.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Lowe. He isn't pitching that well, but that matchup is too
favorable to not use him.
One-week bust: Medlen. He has been
used out of the bullpen for most of the middle of the month and wasn't
good in his return start to the rotation. That also is one of the best
offenses in baseball this season and in a bandbox.
Baltimore Orioles
- Kevin Millwood at TOR Romero, at KC Chen
- Jeremy Guthrie at TOR TBD
- Brian Matusz at KC Davies
- Jake Arrieta at KC O'Sullivan
- Brad Bergesen at TOR Morrow, at KC Greinke
Two-starter(s): Millwood and Bergesen. They are high-risk options
for the deepest of AL-only leagues, regardless of the matchups. You
shouldn't trust them.
Who is getting skipped: None. Millwood
and Guthrie are trade candidates.
One-week sleeper: Guthrie.
He has been great out of the All-Star break (1-0, 1.98) and has proven
viable for mixed leagues again.
One-week bust: Millwood. He
has been the worst starting pitcher in baseball since the start of June.
Don't dare use him.
Boston Red Sox
- Jon Lester vs DET Bonderman
- Josh Beckett at LAA Haren
- John Lackey at LAA Weaver
- Clay Buchholz at LAA Pineiro, vs DET Scherzer
- Daisuke Matsuzaka vs DET Galarraga
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Must-starts | TM | Own% | Start% |
CC Sabathia | NYY | 98 | 90 |
Felix Hernandez | SEA | 97 | 90 |
Josh Johnson | FLA | 97 | 90 |
Adam Wainwright | STL | 98 | 87 |
Cliff Lee | TEX | 97 | 86 |
Zack Greinke | KC | 97 | 86 |
Francisco Liriano | MIN | 96 | 86 |
John Danks | CHW | 95 | 83 |
Stephen Strasburg | WAS | 95 | 83 |
Cole Hamels | PHI | 97 | 81 |
Ricky Nolasco | FLA | 95 | 80 |
Tommy Hanson | ATL | 96 | 76 |
Gavin Floyd | CHW | 91 | 72 |
Advisables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Matt Cain | SF | 97 | 84 |
Jered Weaver | ANA | 97 | 77 |
Javier Vazquez | NYY | 94 | 72 |
Gavin Floyd | CHW | 91 | 72 |
Chad Billingsley | LA | 95 | 71 |
Barry Zito | SF | 89 | 70 |
Clay Buchholz | BOS | 95 | 64 |
Max Scherzer | DET | 88 | 62 |
Joel Pineiro | ANA | 78 | 55 |
Bronson Arroyo | CIN | 72 | 52 |
Questionables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Matt Garza | TB | 96 | 77 |
James Shields | TB | 93 | 67 |
Carlos Silva | CHC | 75 | 51 |
Jonathon Niese | NYM | 71 | 48 |
Jorge De La Rosa | COL | 83 | 44 |
Jon Garland | SD | 65 | 39 |
Jason Hammel | COL | 57 | 37 |
Randy Wolf | MIL | 56 | 35 |
Joe Blanton | PHI | 43 | 24 |
Gio Gonzalez | OAK | 62 | 21 |
Jake Westbrook | CLE | 15 | 7 |
Zach Duke | PIT | 11 | 4 |
High-risks | TM | Own% | Start% |
Kevin Millwood | BAL | 17 | 4 |
Bruce Chen | KC | 6 | 3 |
Rodrigo Lopez | ARI | 7 | 2 |
Ryan Rowland-Smith | SEA | 4 | 1 |
Brad Bergesen | BAL | 3 | 1 |
Wesley Wright | HOU | 0 | 0 |
Josh Tomlin | CLE | 0 | 0 |
Two-starter(s): Buchholz. He is an advisable option in most
leagues, despite his bad return outing and his contending opponents.
Who
is getting skipped: Tim Wakefield. He
will remain in long relief for as long as this starting five stays
healthy.
One-week sleeper: Buchholz. His injury, time off and
bad return have combined to make him a bit underutilized for this week.
He is back on a regular schedule and should pitch more like his
first-half self.
One-week bust: None. All five Red Sox
starters are finally healthy and going well together, so it is time to
use them in all formats. The Red Sox, their starters and their Fantasy
owners could be getting a strong run now.
Chicago Cubs
- Ryan Dempster at COL Hammel
- Ted Lilly at HOU Myers
- Randy Wells at HOU Norris
- Tom Gorzelanny at COL Francis
- Carlos Silva at HOU Wright, at COL De La Rosa
Two-starter(s): Silva. He is a questionable option we see as too
risky to use in mixed leagues right now, regardless of the matchups.
Who
is getting skipped: None. But Silva was moved back this past weekend
and could be skipped again off his second start after Thursday's offday
if he has another stinker Monday. Lilly is a trade candidate, too, but
he is sure to start at least once.
One-week sleeper: Gorzelanny.
He draws the potent Rockies, but he is 4-0 with a 3.42 ERA in July. He
has a 2.83 ERA in the five starts since returning to the rotation, too.
One-week
bust: Silva. He hasn't gotten through two innings in either of his
past two starts. The pixy dust has worn off and the hittable Silva is
back destroying Fantasy teams one rocky start at a time.
Chicago White Sox
- John Danks vs SEA Hernandez, vs OAK Braden
- Gavin Floyd vs SEA Rowland-Smith, vs OAK Braden
- Mark Buehrle vs SEA Vargas
- Freddy Garcia vs SEA Pauley
- Daniel Hudson vs OAK Anderson
Two-starter(s): Danks and Floyd. They are must-starts in all
leagues. Danks isn't as dominant as Floyd of late, but he is getting two
favorable starts and has pitched his best against the Mariners this
season in two starts.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Hudson. He is a favorite sleeper for the second half in
mixed leagues and draws an A's offense that scares nobody.
One-week
bust: Garcia. He is coming off his worst outing of the season and
probably has outdone himself for where he is at this point. But that is
the Mariners and their No. 5 starter he is facing. You likely should
still use him in mixed formats because of the matchup, looking past his
poor last start.
Cincinnati Reds
- Bronson Arroyo at MIL Wolf, vs ATL Hanson
- Edinson Volquez at MIL Gallardo
- Travis Wood at MIL Narveson
- Johnny Cueto vs ATL Jurrjens
- Mike Leake vs ATL Medlen
Two-starter(s): Arroyo. He is coming off a terrible start, but we
still consider him an advisable option in most formats through thick and
thin.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps Leake. He could be
skipped a turn after a Thursday offday to save innings on his arm. A
trade could also bump him to the bullpen for the weekend, perhaps. We
might not know he will be sure to get a start before your roster
deadline. If the Reds go with a four-man rotation, Volquez would pick up
a second start.
One-week sleeper: Arroyo. While his ownership
is at a season-high 72 percent, he is still active in barely half of
CBSSports.com's leagues. He deserves a bit more respect than that, even
coming off that bad past start.
One-week bust: Volquez.
Although he could pick up a second start, he was just too wild and
ineffective in his second start coming off the DL. It is difficult to
trust him against the offensively potent Brewers.
Cleveland Indians
- Jake Westbrook vs NYY Vazquez, at TOR Cecil
- Fausto Carmona vs NYY Burnett
- Mitch Talbot vs NYY Mitre
- Josh Tomlin vs NYY Sabathia, at TOR Litsch
- Justin Masterson at TOR Marcum
Two-starter(s): Westbrook and Tomlin. Westbrook is a
questionable option we would avoid against those slugging clubs. Tomlin
is a high-risk option in his major-league debut against the Yankees and
he is no guarantee to get two starts.
Who is getting skipped: None.
The Indians could go with David Huff
or Carlos Carrasco in for Aaron Laffey (15-day DL) if Tomlin is unimpressive in his debut.
One-week
sleeper: Masterson. He was pretty good in his first start out of the
break and draws the less objectionable matchup of the week among Indians
starters.
One-week bust: Carmona. He is 4-1 in his past five
starts, but we wouldn't like any Indians pitcher against the Yankees if
you can avoid it.
Colorado Rockies
- Ubaldo Jimenez vs PIT Maholm
- Jeff Francis vs CHC Gorzelanny
- Jason Hammel at PHI Blanton, vs CHC Dempster
- Jorge De La Rosa vs PIT Duke, vs CHC Silva
- Aaron Cook vs PIT Ohlendorf
Two-starter(s): Hammel and De La Rosa. They are questionable
options due to some July inconsistency, but we can make a case for using
both in mixed leagues this week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: De La Rosa. We have a good feeling about him going forward
after a promising start last time out. He might be ready to win for
Fantasy owners.
One-week bust: Francis. This is one we still
cannot bring ourselves to trust in mixed leagues.
Detroit Tigers
- Justin Verlander at TB Shields
- Rick Porcello at TB Price
- Jeremy Bonderman at BOS Lester
- Armando Galarraga at BOS Matsuzaka
- Max Scherzer at TB Garza, at BOS Buchholz
- Eddie Bonine at TB Niemann
Two-starter(s): Scherzer. He is an advisable option in most
leagues now with a 2.00 in his four July starts.
Who is getting
skipped: None. The Tigers actually need a six-man rotation because
of a Sunday doubleheader. They will start six pitchers in their seven
games in Fantasy Week 17 (July 26-Aug. 1).
One-week sleeper: Scherzer.
He has lowered his ERA by almost three runs since his return from a
minor-league demotion.
One-week bust: Bonderman. His ERA is
over 8.00 in July, which puts him closer to a demotion to the Tigers'
bullpen than anyone's Fantasy team right now. Avoid him.
Florida Marlins
- Josh Johnson at SF Cain, at SD Garland
- Ricky Nolasco at SF Zito, at SD LeBlanc
- Anibal Sanchez at SF Bumgarner
- Alex Sanabia at SF Sanchez
- Chris Volstad at SD Correia
Two-starter(s): Johnson and Nolasco. They are must-start options
in all leagues. You might not figure Nolasco to be one, but he is 5-1 in
his past six starts and isn't facing that difficult of matchups.
Who
is getting skipped: None. Sanabia and Volstad will be evaluated on a
day-to-day and start-to-start basis, though.
One-week sleeper: Sanchez.
We call him a sleeper just about every week. He has kicked his late
first-half slump with a pair of quality starts after the break.
One-week
bust: Sanabia. He needs to pitch more innings per start before we
consider him a viable Fantasy option his 2.11 ERA suggests he is.
Houston Astros
- Roy Oswalt vs MIL Parra
- Wandy Rodriguez vs MIL Bush
- Brett Myers vs CHC Lilly
- Bud Norris vs CHC Wells
- Wesley Wright vs CHC Silva, vs MIL Wolf
Two-starter(s): Perhaps Wright. He could be skipped off his next
turn, but potential trades might force him to slot in the rotation.
Regardless, he is a high-risk option for the deepest of NL-only leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: None. Oswalt and Myers could get dealt. Myers
could also pick up a second start if the Astros deal a starter at the
trade deadline.
One-week sleeper: Myers. He is 2-0 with a 1.88
ERA in four July starts and continues to be an innings eater. He is also
a Cubs killer at 8-3 with 2.52 ERA in his career.
One-week bust: Rodriguez,
Norris and Wright. While they are unlikely to be dealt, they are not
trustworthy enough to be active in most mixed leagues this week.
Kansas City Royals
- Zack Greinke vs MIN Liriano, vs BAL Bergesen
- Bruce Chen vs MIN Pavano, vs BAL Millwood
- Brian Bannister vs MIN Duensing
- Kyle Davies vs BAL Matusz
- Sean O'Sullivan vs BAL Arrieta
Two-starter(s): Greinke and Chen. Greinke looks to be out of his
slump and is back to being a must-start, while Chen is back to being a
high-risk option even in the deepest or AL-only leagues.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Davies and
O'Sullivan. They have pitched well enough of late to use in deeper
formats against the favorable matchup in the O's.
One-week bust: Chen.
His hot streak and morphed into a cold streak -- or actually just more
reality. Don't use him if you can avoid it.
Los Angeles Angels
- Joel Pineiro vs BOS Buchholz, vs TEX Hunter
- Jered Weaver vs BOS Lackey, vs TEX Lewis
- Dan Haren (we assume) vs BOS Beckett
- Ervin Santana vs TEX Feldman
- Trevor Bell likely to be skipped
Two-starter(s): Pineiro and likely Weaver. Pineiro's winning
streak was snapped last time out against the Yankees, and he draws two
more dangerous contenders, but we think he deserves the benefit of the
doubt in most formats this week. Weaver is an advisable one-starter who
picks up a second start if the Angels go to a four-man rotation as we
suspect they will.
Who is getting skipped: Likely Bell and Scott Kazmir (shoulder). Bell is filling in for Kazmir on Sunday
before Fantasy Week 17 (July 26-Aug. 1), but with days off Thursday this
week and the following Monday, we expect the Angels will go with a
four-man rotation for the next few turns. they won't need a No. 5
starter until late in Fantasy Week 18 (Aug. 2-8). Kazmir should be ready
by then.
One-week sleeper: Santana. He has been good in July
and great after the break and against the Rangers this year.
One-week
bust: Bell. We fully expect the Angels to skip Bell's turn this
week. A start against the Rangers next weekend wouldn't have been an
intriguing one anyway.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Clayton Kershaw at SF Zito
- Chad Billingsley at SD Garland, at SF Cain
- Hiroki Kuroda at SD Richard
- Vicente Padilla at SD Latos
- Carlos Monasterios at SF Lincecum
Two-starter(s): Billingsley. He is an advisable options in most
leagues, if not a must-start in all of them coming off his complete-game
shutout.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps Monasterios. He is a
placeholder in the Dodgers' rotation if they don't pick someone up
before the weekend set at San Francisco.
One-week sleeper: Padilla.
He has allowed just eight earned runs in six starts since mid-June,
amazing, but somehow is he is available in almost half of
CBSSports.com's leagues and active in barely a quarter of them.
One-week
bust: Monasterios. He is their No. 5 starter going into the week,
but the Dodgers could send Monaterios back to the bullpen if they pick
up a starter via trade before the July 31 deadline. The uncertainty
makes him a risk.
Milwaukee Brewers
- Yovani Gallardo vs CIN Volquez
- Randy Wolf vs CIN Arroyo, at HOU Wright
- Dave Bush at HOU Rodriguez
- Manny Parra at HOU Oswalt
- Chris Narveson vs CIN Wood
Two-starter(s): Wolf. He is a questionable option coming off his
terrible past start. It doesn't help that the potent Reds are on the
slate to open the week either.
Who is getting skipped: Chris Capuano. He is in the bullpen for now.
One-week sleeper: Bush.
He was hot, stunk Monday but then rebounded Sunday. That is a favorable
enough matchup to trust him in deeper leagues.
One-week bust: Wolf.
He was improving from a bad start to the season, but he regressed enough
in his one bad start last time out, we cannot advise using him in mixed
leagues.
Minnesota Twins
- Kevin Slowey vs SEA Hernandez
- Francisco Liriano at KC Greinke, vs SEA Rowland-Smith
- Carl Pavano at KC Chen
- Brian Duensing at KC Bannister
- Scott Baker vs SEA Fister
Two-starter(s): Liriano. He is a must-start in all leagues in
those matchups.
Who is getting skipped: Nick Blackburn. Duensing has earned a few more starts in the
rotation, so Blackburn will remain in long relief.
One-week
sleeper: Pavano. He has been an absolute horse this season.
One-week
bust: None. All five of the Twins starters look like useful options
in mixed leagues against the weak Royals and Mariners.
New York Mets
- Johan Santana vs STL Hawksworth
- Mike Pelfrey vs ARI Kennedy
- R.A. Dickey vs ARI Enright
- Jonathon Niese vs STL Wainwright, vs ARI Lopez
- Hisanori Takahashi vs STL Garcia
Two-starter(s): Niese. He is a questionable option because of his
tough opposing aces.
Who is getting skipped: John Maine (shoulder) and Oliver Perez.
Maine is out for the season and Perez looks like he will finish the
season as a bad long reliever.
One-week sleeper: Dickey. We
cannot explain his career resurgence, so we might as well all jump on.
He is pitching better than his recent record indicates.
One-week
bust: Niese. He could be a two-start loser, even if he tosses a pair
of quality starts.
New York Yankees
- CC Sabathia at CLE TBD, at TB Shields
- Javier Vazquez at CLE Westbrook, at TB Garza
- A.J. Burnett at CLE Carmona
- Phil Hughes at TB Davis
- Sergio Mitre at CLE Talbot
Two-starter(s): Sabathia and Vazquez. Sabathia is a must-start
ace, while Vazquez is an advisable one in most leagues because of that
favorable first matchup.
Who is getting skipped: Andy Pettitte (groin). He remains on the DL, but he is hopeful to be
back in less than the month he was originally scheduled to miss.
One-week
sleeper: Mitre. We like his chances to improve in his second start
since joining the rotation, mostly because he is facing the Indians.
One-week
bust: Hughes. He has struggled mightily since the Yankees backed him
off midseason. Hopefully it is just a dead arm period and not something
more serious.
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Player | % Change | |
1. | J.J. Putz, RP, White Sox | 14 |
2. | Tommy Hunter, SP, Rangers | 9 |
3. | J.A. Happ, SP, Phillies | 8 |
4. | Matt Thornton, RP, White Sox | 8 |
5. | Chris Perez, RP, Indians | 7 |
6. | Brian Duensing, RP, Twins | 7 |
7. | John Axford, RP, Brewers | 6 |
8. | Vin Mazzaro, SP, Athletics | 6 |
9. | Barry Enright, SP, Diamondbacks | 6 |
10. | Brett Myers, SP, Astros | 5 |
Oakland Athletics
- Brett Anderson at CHW Hudson
- Dallas Braden at CHW Danks
- Gio Gonzalez at TEX Lee, at CHW Floyd
- Trevor Cahill at TEX Lewis
- Vin Mazzaro at TEX Wilson
Two-starter(s): Gonzalez. He is a questionable option with those
matchups. We wouldn't trust him in mixed leagues.
Who is getting
skipped: Ben Sheets (elbow). He
looks like he could be out for the season. So much for him being trade
bait. Anderson is returning from the DL on Friday, though.
One-week
sleeper: Cahill and Mazzaro. They are pitching well enough to use
even in a tough matchup on the road.
One-week bust: Gonzalez.
His ERA is over a run higher on the road, which makes those tough
matchups even tougher.
Philadelphia Phillies
- Roy Halladay vs ARI Saunders
- Cole Hamels vs ARI Lopez, at WAS Strasburg
- Joe Blanton vs COL Hammel, at WAS Detwiler
- J.A. Happ at WAS TBD
- Kyle Kendrick vs ARI Jackson
Two-starter(s): Hamels and Blanton. Hamels is an advisable
option, while Blanton is a questionable one that we would consider
advisable in deeper leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Happ. He wasn't great in his return start, but a matchup
with the Nationals should prove fruitful enough to use him in mixed
formats.
One-week bust: None. All five of the Phillies
starters are viable options this week. The only potential snag could be
a trade for a starter, but we tend to doubt it comes before Happ or
Kendrick start Thursday and Friday.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Zach Duke at COL De La Rosa, at STL Wainwright
- Ross Ohlendorf at COL Cook
- Paul Maholm at COL Jimenez
- Jeff Karstens at STL Suppan
- Daniel McCutchen at STL Carpenter
Two-starter(s): Duke. He is a questionable option. Despite coming
off a quality start victory, he faces a pair of potent contenders that
makes him merely a risky NL-only option.
Who is getting skipped: Brad Lincoln. He was demoted to the minors and his replacement is
TBD, although McCutchen is the leading candidate. Maholm is a trade
candidate, perhaps, but he figures to get a risky one-start week
regardless.
One-week sleeper: Duke. He is on the only Pirates
starter pitching well enough to trust, but even his matchups are too
unfavorable to consider him in mixed leagues.
One-week bust: All.
The Pirates staff shouldn't be expected to hold up well this week at
all. There aren't many weeks it does anyway.
San Diego Padres
- Jon Garland vs LAD Billingsley, vs FLA Johnson
- Clayton Richard vs LAD Kuroda
- Mat Latos vs LAD Padilla
- Wade LeBlanc vs FLA Nolasco
- Kevin Correia vs FLA Volstad
Two-starter(s): Garland. He is a questionable option better left
for deeper leagues right now. His ERA is well over 5.00 since May. We
would take the risk on him in deeper formats, though.
Who is
getting skipped: Correia. He moves back from the Dodgers to the
Marlins, so the Padres can start their young ace in an important
division matchup. Correia has been better of late and still gets a turn
in Fantasy Week 17 (July 26-Aug. 1).
One-week sleeper: LeBlanc.
He continues to get by, despite being hittable. Use him in deeper
formats against the overly aggressive Marlins. Lefties that change
speeds can be tough against them.
One-week bust: Richard. He
has struggled in July with an ERA over 7.13. The Dodgers are too tough
of a matchup to consider him in mixed leagues this week.
San Francisco Giants
- Tim Lincecum vs LAD Monasterios
- Barry Zito vs FLA Nolasco, vs LAD Kershaw
- Matt Cain vs FLA Johnson, vs LAD Billingsley
- Jonathan Sanchez vs FLA Sanabia
- Madison Bumgarner vs FLA Sanchez
Two-starter(s): Zito and Cain. They are advisable options in most
formats after proving to be much more must-start like coming out of the
All-Star break.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Bumgarner. It is hard to understand why he is active in
less than 50 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues amid his 4-2, 2.43
numbers through six starts. Even the losses were quality.
One-week
bust: None. All five of the Giants starters are must-starts in all
leagues right now.
Seattle Mariners
- Felix Hernandez at CHW Danks, at MIN Slowey
- Ryan Rowland-Smith at CHW Floyd, at MIN Liriano
- Jason Vargas at CHW Buehrle
- Doug Fister at MIN Baker
- David Pauley at CHW Garcia
Two-starter(s): King Felix and Rowland-Smith. Hernandez is a
must-start in all leagues, while Rowland-Smith hasn't been good and is a
high-risk option even in the deepest of AL-only formats.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Vargas. He has
posted three consecutive strong starts again, which makes him viable in
deeper mixed leagues.
One-week bust: Fister. We don't trust
Fister as much as Vargas at this point.
St. Louis Cardinals
- Chris Carpenter vs PIT McCutchen
- Adam Wainwright at NYM Niese, vs PIT Duke
- Jaime Garcia at NYM Takahashi
- Blake Hawksworth at NYM Santana
- Jeff Suppan vs PIT Karstens
Two-starter(s): Wainwright. He is a must-start in all leagues,
regardless of the number of starts or difficulty of matchup(s).
Who
is getting skipped: Garcia. The Cardinals are moved Garcia back
after Monday's offday to give him some well-earned rest. He is due for
an alarming number of innings in his first full season off the DL, not
to mention coming off Tommy John surgery. He remains a must-start
against the struggling Mets, though.
One-week sleeper: Suppan.
He has made some progress, despite the rough past start and draws a
favorable matchup with the Pirates.
One-week bust: Hawksworth.
He is not pitching consistently enough yet. We like his potential, but
he is not useful in mixed leagues right now.
Tampa Bay Rays
- James Shields vs DET Verlander, vs NYY Sabathia
- Jeff Niemann vs DET Bonine
- David Price vs DET Porcello
- Wade Davis vs NYY Hughes
- Matt Garza vs DET Scherzer, vs NYY Vazquez
Two-starter(s): Shields and Garza. They are questionable options
with the way they have pitched lately. We probably would take the risk
on those struggling aces in deeper leagues, sitting them merely in
10-team formats where you have plenty of starts.
Who is getting
skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Davis. He has saved his
rotation spot with some dominant outings, making him useful in mixed
leagues again and dispelling some Jeremy Hellickson speculation.
One-week bust: Shields. If
there was a Tampa starter we wouldn't use, it would be the mediocre
Shields. We no longer consider him a top 40 Fantasy starter.
Texas Rangers
- Cliff Lee vs OAK Gonzalez, at LAA Weaver
- Colby Lewis vs OAK Cahill
- C.J. Wilson vs OAK Mazzaro
- Tommy Hunter at LAA Pineiro
- Scott Feldman at LAA Santana
Two-starter(s): Lee. He is a must-start in all leagues through
thick and thin.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps Feldman. The
Rangers are giving Rich Harden (gluteus)
a rehab start Monday, which could slot him over Feldman next weekend.
One-week
sleeper: Hunter. At 7-0 with a 2.09 ERA, you have to assume he is
for real. That is a favorable matchup this week, too. He should be
active in far more than a mere 53 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues.
One-week
bust: Feldman. There is no word on Harden's return date right now
and there likely will be no other warning before Fantasy Week 17 (July
26-Aug. 1) roster deadlines. You can't start Feldman or Harden this week.
Toronto Blue Jays
- Shaun Marcum vs CLE Masterson
- Ricky Romero vs BAL Millwood
- Brandon Morrow vs BAL Bergesen
- Brett Cecil vs CLE Westbrook
- Jesse Litsch vs CLE Tomlin
- TBD vs BAL Guthrie
Two-starter(s): None. The Blue Jays need a sixth starter
Wednesday that is a TBD. They will start six starters in their six-game
week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: All.
We see value in all of the top five Blue Jays starters this week in
those matchups. Consider them in the order listed above.
One-week
bust: No. 6 TBD. The uncertainty of who will get the call makes the
turn one to ignore in most formats.
Washington Nationals
- Stephen Strasburg vs ATL Hanson, vs PHI Hamels
- Livan Hernandez vs ATL Hudson
- Craig Stammen vs ATL Lowe
- Ross Detwiler vs PHI Blanton
- TBD vs PHI Happ
Two-starter(s): Strasburg. He is a must-start in all leagues, but
it will be very interesting to get a look at him against the best his
division has to offer.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Hernandez. His past two starts looked a lot better than he
has since his great start to the season. Use him in deeper leagues,
perhaps.
One-week bust: Stammen, Detwiler and TBD. None of
these back-end options are useful in any format at this point. They are
risky even for deeper NL-only leagues.
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