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
- Joe Saunders at WAS Hernandez
- Ian Kennedy at MIL Narveson, at WAS Marquis
- Barry Enright at MIL Parra, at WAS Strasburg
- Daniel Hudson at MIL Bush
- Rodrigo Lopez at MIL Wolf
Two-starter(s): Kennedy and Enright. They are questionable
options better left for deeper leagues. Enright is pitching considerably
better than Kennedy right now. He is the better choice in NL-only
formats.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper:
Enright. He has a remarkable 2.81 ERA through seven career starts and
draws a sleeper two-start week for deeper leagues.
One-week bust: Kennedy.
We like his talent, but he has struggled at 1-2 with a 7.02 ERA in his
past three starts. It makes him difficult to trust in mixed formats.
Atlanta Braves
- Jair Jurrjens at HOU Happ
- Tommy Hanson at HOU Rodriguez
- Tim Hudson vs LAD Kuroda
- Derek Lowe vs LAD Lilly
- Mike Minor at HOU Norris, vs LAD Padilla
Two-starter(s): Perhaps Minor. He is a questionable option not
because of his talent, but because he is a bit of an uncertainty in his
debut and a bad outing could get him skipped off his weekend start.
Who
is getting skipped: Perhaps Minor. He gets the start Monday, but an
offday Thursday would allow the Braves to skip Minor a turn.
One-week
sleeper: Jurrjens. He is currently active in just 55 percent of
CBSSports.com's leagues. He draws a favorable matchup and could pick up
that second start if the Braves decide to go with a four-man rotation
wherever possible.
One-week bust: Minor. You have to love the
talent long term, but we fear many will jump on his potential two-start
week and be left disappointed with one mediocre outing.
Baltimore Orioles
- Kevin Millwood at CLE Gomez
- Jeremy Guthrie at TB Shields
- Brian Matusz vs CHW Jackson, at TB Niemann
- Jake Arrieta at CLE Masterson, at TB Price
- Brad Bergesen at CLE Tomlin
Two-starter(s): Matusz and Arrieta. They are questionable options
even in deeper AL-only leagues still, despite some progress.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Millwood and
Bergesen. They have looked better of late with one-run outings and they
draw a winnable matchup against the Indians.
One-week bust: Guthrie.
He has posted five consecutive quality starts, but a matchup against the
contending Rays is not the time to trust him in most mixed formats.
Boston Red Sox
- John Lackey at TOR Cecil
- Josh Beckett at TEX Hunter
- Jon Lester at NYY Hughes, at TEX Harden
- Daisuke Matsuzaka at TOR Romero, at TEX Lewis
- Clay Buchholz at TOR Marcum
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Player | % Change | |
1. | Mike Minor, SP, Braves | 26 |
2. | Carlos Zambrano, SP, Cubs | 19 |
3. | Jake Westbrook, SP, Cardinals | 15 |
4. | Kyle Kendrick, RP, Phillies | 11 |
5. | Edwin Jackson, SP, White Sox | 10 |
6. | Chris Perez, RP, Indians | 8 |
7. | James McDonald, RP, Pirates | 8 |
8. | Joel Hanrahan, RP, Pirates | 7 |
9. | Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros | 6 |
10. | Vicente Padilla, SP, Dodgers | 6 |
Two-starter(s): Lester and Matsuzaka. They likely remain
advisable options in all formats, despite the tough matchups. Lester is
struggling, but he's too good to sit in a two-start week against anyone.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Dice-K and
Buchholz. They have the lowest starting percentage among the Red Sox
starters at 59 and 58 percent, but they are arguably pitching the best
of the quintet -- and they get the more favorable matchups.
One-week
bust: Lester. You have to start him, but he cannot be expected to
have a very good week for you amid his slump.
Chicago Cubs
- Carlos Zambrano at SF Bumgarner, at STL Suppan
- Ryan Dempster at SF Lincecum, at STL Carpenter
- Tom Gorzelanny at SF Zito
- Randy Wells at SF Cain
- Thomas Diamond at STL Westbrook
Two-starter(s): Zambrano and Dempster. They are questionable
options, particularly Big Z rejoining the rotation and being on a pitch
count. Dempster is the one we would use in mixed leagues, but look at
those opposing starters, ouch!
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Gorzelanny and Wells. They are likely available and
starting in less than a 1/5 of leagues. It is a contending Giants team,
but they could squeek out victories for deeper formats.
One-week
bust: Big Z. He is facing two contenders and doing it coming out of
long relief and being held to a pitch count. Consider him a sleeper to
own, but he is not one to start this week.
Chicago White Sox
- John Danks vs MIN Perkins
- Gavin Floyd vs MIN Liriano
- Mark Buehrle vs DET Bonderman
- Edwin Jackson at BAL Matusz, vs DET Porcello
- Freddy Garcia vs MIN Baker, vs DET Galarraga
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Must-starts | TM | Own% | Start% |
Tim Lincecum | SF | 98 | 89 |
Chris Carpenter | STL | 97 | 89 |
David Price | TB | 97 | 89 |
Ubaldo Jimenez | COL | 97 | 87 |
Advisables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Jon Lester | BOS | 97 | 85 |
Ervin Santana | ANA | 94 | 78 |
A.J. Burnett | NYY | 92 | 71 |
Ricky Romero | TOR | 92 | 63 |
Daisuke Matsuzaka | BOS | 86 | 62 |
Madison Bumgarner | SF | 81 | 58 |
Edwin Jackson | CHW | 74 | 51 |
Stephen Strasburg | WAS | 94 | 47 |
Anibal Sanchez | FLA | 67 | 45 |
Vicente Padilla | LA | 64 | 44 |
Freddy Garcia | CHW | 42 | 26 |
Vin Mazzaro | OAK | 29 | 20 |
Kyle Kendrick | PHI | 24 | 16 |
Bud Norris | HOU | 14 | 7 |
Questionables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Phil Hughes | NYY | 96 | 74 |
Ryan Dempster | CHC | 95 | 69 |
Scott Baker | MIN | 81 | 52 |
Mike Leake | CIN | 74 | 42 |
Carlos Zambrano | CHC | 55 | 30 |
Ian Kennedy | ARI | 52 | 29 |
Wade LeBlanc | SD | 30 | 18 |
Mike Minor | ATL | 32 | 17 |
Justin Masterson | CLE | 28 | 16 |
Brian Matusz | BAL | 33 | 13 |
Doug Fister | SEA | 23 | 10 |
Armando Galarraga | DET | 13 | 5 |
Chris Narveson | MIL | 8 | 5 |
Jake Arrieta | BAL | 13 | 4 |
Manny Parra | MIL | 6 | 3 |
Jeff Karstens | PIT | 2 | 1 |
High-risks | TM | Own% | Start% |
Mike Pelfrey | NYM | 68 | 27 |
Barry Enright | ARI | 18 | 11 |
Sean O'Sullivan | KC | 2 | 1 |
Bryan Bullington | KC | 0 | 0 |
Two-starter(s): Jackson and Garcia. They are advisable options in
most leagues. Those really aren't scary offenses.
Who is getting
skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Jackson. His White Sox
debut was a dominant one and he gets the Orioles and the banged-up
Tigers, two favorable matchups.
One-week bust: None. All White
Sox starters are viable options in most formats.
Cincinnati Reds
- Johnny Cueto vs STL Garcia
- Bronson Arroyo vs STL Wainwright
- Edinson Volquez vs FLA Johnson
- Travis Wood vs FLA West
- Mike Leake vs STL Carpenter, vs FLA Sanchez
Two-starter(s): Perhaps Leake. He is a questionable option who
isn't pitching well enough to trust in mixed leagues with that tough
first matchup. Because ...
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps
Leake. He needs some time off in his first season as a pro and days off
Thursday and the following Monday would allow the Cardinals to skip him
until Aug. 21. At that point, Aaron Harang
(back) or Homer Bailey (shoulder) could
be ready, too. Leake might be headed back to the minors if he struggles
Monday. If the Reds go with a four-man rotation, Cueto picks up the
second start. That makes him more intriguing in mixed formats.
One-week
sleeper: Volquez. He settled his command and had another solid
start. We would own him in all mixed leagues again. He is starting in
just 30 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues. That should be at least 50
percent.
One-week bust: Leake. He could make his last start
for now on Monday. There is no word the Reds are considering demoting
him, but he has given them plenty of mileage to this point and around
130 innings will be a good first season's worth of work.
Cleveland Indians
- Fausto Carmona vs SEA Pauley
- David Huff vs SEA Vargas
- Justin Masterson vs BAL Arrieta, vs SEA Fister
- Josh Tomlin vs BAL Bergesen
- Jeanmar Gomez vs BAL Millwood
Two-starter(s): Masterson. He is a questionable option best left
for AL-only leagues, but his matchups make him a risk worth taking in
deeper formats.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Gomez. He is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA in three career starts and
he gets his most favorable matchup yet.
One-week bust: Huff.
He is the least impressive of the Indians starters in their week of
favorable matchups.
Colorado Rockies
- Ubaldo Jimenez at NYM Pelfrey, vs MIL Parra
- Jeff Francis at NYM Niese
- Jason Hammel at NYM Santana
- Jorge De La Rosa vs MIL Gallardo
- TBD (likely Jhoulys Chacin) vs MIL Narveson
Two-starter(s): Jimenez. He is a must-start ace in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: Likely Esmil Rogers.
The Rockies figure to go to Chacin in next weekend's series vs. the
Brewers.
One-week sleeper: De La Rosa. He is almost three runs
better at home (4.00 ERA) than on the road (6.86). The Rockies hitters
are similarly streaky.
One-week bust: Francis and Hammel. They
haven't pitched consistently enough lately to trust on the road. They,
too, are both much better at home than on the road.
Detroit Tigers
- Justin Verlander vs TB Garza
- Jeremy Bonderman at CHW Buehrle
- Rick Porcello at CHW Jackson
- Armando Galarraga vs TB Price, at CHW Garcia
- Max Scherzer vs TB Davis
Two-starter(s): Galarraga. He is a questionable option better
left for deeper AL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps
Porcello. The Tigers could go with a four-man rotation for a few turns,
which could get Porcello sent to the minor leagues or moved back. He
saves his rotation spot with his performance Sunday.
One-week
sleeper: Scherzer. He is worth trusting through thick and thin now.
He has a 2.90 ERA since the break and had a 2.31 ERA in all of July.
One-week
bust: Bonderman. He had a good start last week followed by a bad one
on short rest. We wouldn't trust him this week.
Florida Marlins
- Josh Johnson at CIN Volquez
- Ricky Nolasco at WAS Lannan
- Anibal Sanchez at WAS Strasburg, at CIN Leake
- Chris Volstad at WAS Olsen
- Sean West at CIN Wood
Two-starter(s): Sanchez. He is an advisable option in most
formats, despite his poor past start.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Sanchez. His brief past outing can be overlooked, because
he was coming off a complete-game shutout. His extra day of rest should
bode well going into this two-start week.
One-week bust: West.
He is difficult to trust at Cincy against a top contender with arguably
the best offense in the NL.
Houston Astros
- Wandy Rodriguez vs ATL Hanson
- Brett Myers vs PIT Ohlendorf
- Wesley Wright vs PIT Maholm
- Bud Norris vs ATL Minor, vs PIT Karstens
- J.A. Happ vs ATL Jurrjens
Two-starter(s): Norris. He is an advisable option in deeper
leagues now, especially with that favorable second matchup.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Norris. He is 2-0
with a 3.00 ERA in his past two starts and has struck out more than a
batter per inning this season. Consider him a sleeper for mixed leagues
now.
One-week bust: Happ. He was terrible his last time out
and shouldn't be used outside of deeper NL-only formats until he shows
some consistency.
Kansas City Royals
- Zack Greinke at LAA Weaver
- Bruce Chen vs NYY Sabathia
- Kyle Davies vs NYY Moseley
- Sean O'Sullivan at LAA Santana, vs NYY Hughes
- Bryan Bullington at LAA Haren, vs NYY Burnett
Two-starter(s): O'Sullivan and Bullington. They are high-risk
options in all leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: O'Sullivan. If you wanted to take a chance on a Royals
starter not named Greinke, we suppose this would be the one. He faces
his former team and once handled the Yankees in a quality start earlier
this year. He remains a risk, though.
One-week bust: Greinke.
He is too good to sit, but he hasn't been worth the squeeze this season.
You have to keep running him out there and crossing your fingers.
Los Angeles Angels
- Dan Haren vs KC Bullington
- Jered Weaver vs KC Greinke
- Ervin Santana vs KC O'Sullivan, vs TOR Romero
- Scott Kazmir vs TOR Mills
- Trevor Bell vs TOR Morrow
Two-starter(s): Santana. He remains an advisable option, despite
his awful start last time out against the lowly Orioles.
Who is
getting skipped: Perhaps Bell. He could be skipped and the Angels
could go with a four-man rotation with days off Thursday and the
following Monday. That would give Haren a second start. Haren is a
must-start regardless.
One-week sleeper: Kazmir. He tossed
five shutout innings in his return from the DL. We consider him risky
because he only went five innings, but he is a talent worth tracking, if
not using this week.
One-week bust: Bell. He could be skipped
with the days off on the upcoming schedule in order to keep their aces
on regular rest.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chad Billingsley at PHI Oswalt
- Clayton Kershaw at PHI Blanton
- Hiroki Kuroda at ATL Hudson
- Ted Lilly at ATL Lowe
- Vicente Padilla at PHI Kendrick, at ATL Minor
Two-starter(s): Padilla. He is an advisable option in most
formats now, even against two contenders. Those are their back-end
starters and Padilla is 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA in nine starts since
returning from the DL.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Padilla. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball
since mid-June, which suggests his 63 percent ownership and 42 starting
percentage are too low in CBSSports.com's leagues.
One-week bust: None.
All five Dodgers starters are advisable options in all leagues,
regardless of the matchups.
Milwaukee Brewers
- Yovani Gallardo at COL De La Rosa
- Randy Wolf vs ARI Lopez
- Dave Bush vs ARI Hudson
- Manny Parra vs ARI Enright, at COL Jimenez
- Chris Narveson vs ARI Kennedy, at COL TBD
Two-starter(s): Parra and Narveson. They are questionable options
best limited to deeper NL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Wolf. He has turned his season around and is 1-0 with a
2.29 ERA in his past three starts.
One-week bust: Parra. He
isn't pitching well enough to stay in the rotation, much less be used
against those two potent offensive clubs.
Minnesota Twins
- Francisco Liriano at CHW Floyd
- Carl Pavano vs OAK Gonzalez
- Brian Duensing vs OAK Cahill
- Scott Baker at CHW Garcia, vs OAK Mazzaro
- TBD (likely Glen Perkins) at CHW Danks
Two-starter(s): Baker. He is a questionable option, but a risk
worth taking in deeper leagues with the progress he has made in his past
three starts.
Who is getting skipped: Kevin Slowey (elbow). He has been pulled from his start Wednesday and
could be moved back to the weekend or skipped until Aug. 17.
One-week
sleeper: Duensing. He has a 3.38 ERA in his four starts since
joining the rotation. It certainly helps he is facing the offensively
weak A's in his one start.
One-week bust: Slowey and Perkins.
Slowey is too high risk with the sore elbow, while Perkins is not yet
officially announced as the rotation replacement. You don't want to use
him even if he is.
New York Mets
- Johan Santana vs COL Hammel
- Jonathon Niese vs COL Francis
- Mike Pelfrey vs COL Jimenez, vs PHI Kendrick
- R.A. Dickey vs PHI Hamels
- Ken Takahashi vs PHI Halladay
Two-starter(s): Pelfrey. His struggles make him a high-risk
option even in the deepest of NL-only leagues.
Who is getting
skipped: None. Takahashi is returning to the rotation the next time
the Mets need a No. 5 starter Aug. 14 vs. the Phillies.
One-week
sleeper: Niese. Throwing out his Aug. 1 start, Niese has been a
Fantasy ace and useful in any format.
One-week bust: Pelfrey.
He is 0-2 with a 8.10 ERA and .382 batting-average against in his four
starts after the All-Star break and 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA, .381 BAA in
August. That is coming off a July where he went 0-3 with 10.02 ERA, .429
BAA. Do you really need any more reasons to sit him? No, no, you don't.
New York Yankees
- CC Sabathia at KC Chen
- Javier Vazquez at TEX Lee
- A.J. Burnett at TEX Wilson, at KC Bullington
- Phil Hughes vs BOS Lester, at KC O'Sullivan
- Dustin Moseley at KC Davies
Two-starter(s): Hughes. He is a questionable option because of
that tough first matchup, but we have to figure he is going to be active
in a majority of leagues this week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Hughes. He has been better of late and should pitch more
consistently now that he is on a regular five-day schedule after some
skipping midseason.
One-week bust: Vazquez. His tough matchup
makes him merely an AL-only option.
Oakland Athletics
- Brett Anderson at SEA Hernandez
- Dallas Braden at SEA French
- Gio Gonzalez at MIN Pavano
- Trevor Cahill at MIN Duensing
- Vin Mazzaro at SEA Fister, at MIN Baker
Two-starter(s): Mazzaro. He is an advisable option in most
leagues if you can look past his stinker July 29 at Texas.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Anderson. He
proved healthy and effective in his past start, so we are very surprised
he is only active in 37 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues. He is better
than that.
One-week bust: Braden. He has been a bit banged up
and struggled in his last start because of a tender jaw from a dental
procedure. We still like his matchup, but the perfect game author is
likely the least impressive of the very impressive young A's starters.
Philadelphia Phillies
- Roy Halladay at NYM Takahashi
- Cole Hamels at NYM Dickey
- Roy Oswalt vs LAD Billingsley
- Joe Blanton vs LAD Kershaw
- Kyle Kendrick vs LAD Padilla, at NYM Pelfrey
Two-starter(s): Kendrick. He is coming off a start that makes him
advisable in most deeper formats now. Those teams he is facing are not
that scary offensively.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Kendrick. He is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA in his past three
starts. Use him as a nice two-start sleeper in deeper mixed leagues. The
Phillies are banged up but still winning games regularly.
One-week
bust: Blanton. We would trust any of the Phillies starters, but
Blanton is the riskiest one, especially against an opposing ace.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Zach Duke at SD Garland
- Ross Ohlendorf at HOU Myers
- Paul Maholm at HOU Wright
- Jeff Karstens at SD LeBlanc, at HOU Norris
- James McDonald at SD Correia
Two-starter(s): Karstens. He is a questionable option, but one
pitching well enough after the All-Star break (3.13 ERA in four starts)
to consider viable in deeper leagues, mostly NL-only formats.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: McDonald. We
don't know why the Dodgers never gave him a chance, but McDonald was
great in his first start and might even prove to be someone to use in
mixed leagues.
One-week bust: Maholm. He is pitching the worst
of the Pirates starters, which is generally tough to do, but the Pirates
staff is pitching much better. It will be interesting to see what the
pitching coach change Sunday can do for their young arms.
San Diego Padres
- Jon Garland vs PIT Duke
- Mat Latos at SF Bumgarner
- Wade LeBlanc vs PIT Karstens, at SF Lincecum
- Kevin Correia vs PIT McDonald
- Clayton Richard at SF Sanchez
Two-starter(s): LeBlanc. He is a questionable option in mixed
leagues still. He is 1-6 since mid-June.
Who is getting skipped: None.
Latos will eventually, but it cannot happen this week.
One-week
sleeper: Garland. He has been solid in his past three starts (3.20
ERA) and is strong against the lowly Pirates in his career (2.84 ERA).
He is 6-2 with a 2.69 ERA at home.
One-week bust: Richard. He
has struggled of late and draws a tough division matchup on the road,
where he is much worse (4.50 ERA) than at home (3.24 ERA).
San Francisco Giants
- Tim Lincecum vs CHC Dempster, vs SD LeBlanc
- Barry Zito vs CHC Gorzelanny
- Matt Cain vs CHC Wells
- Jonathan Sanchez vs SD Richard
- Madison Bumgarner vs CHC Zambrano, vs SD Latos
Two-starter(s): Bumgarner and Lincecum. Bumgarner has become an
advisable option in all leagues, while Lincecum remains a must-start ace.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Bumgarner.
Ignore his rough past outing at Coors Field. He draws two weaker lineups
at home. Ignoore his struggles at home. It is a pitcher's park that
suits him. He is a solid play this week.
One-week bust: Sanchez.
He is coming off a bad start Sunday and could be benched against the
first-place Padres. We tend to believe he should remain active, but we
understand those that might be reluctant to trust him.
Seattle Mariners
- Felix Hernandez vs OAK Anderson
- Luke French vs OAK Braden
- Doug Fister vs OAK Mazzaro, at CLE Masterson
- Jason Vargas vs CLE Huff
- David Pauley at CLE Carmona
Two-starter(s): Fister. He is a high-risk option even in AL-only
leagues now.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps Pauley. Hernandez
could pick up a second start if Pauley is skipped, but Pauley was pretty
good last time out. Hernandez is a must-start regardless of the number
of starts.
One-week sleeper: Vargas. Four of his past five
starts have been quality starts, including tough opponents like the
Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. Only the White Sox have tamed him.
The Indians shouldn't.
One-week bust: Fister. He is 0-4 with a
6.84 ERA since the break -- much closer to the bum we expected than the
surprise we saw in the first half (3.09 ERA).
St. Louis Cardinals
- Chris Carpenter at CIN Leake, vs CHC Dempster
- Adam Wainwright at CIN Arroyo
- Jaime Garcia at CIN Cueto
- Jake Westbrook vs CHC Diamond
- Jeff Suppan vs CHC Zambrano
Two-starter(s): Carpenter. He is a must-start ace in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: Perhaps Suppan and/or Garcia. Garcia is getting
a start Tuesday for sure, but a day off Thursday and the following
Monday could allow the Cardinals to go with a four-man rotation. Also, Kyle Lohse (wrist) could be making his last rehab start Tuesday and
be ready for the following Monday. That could allow the Cardinals to
move Suppan to the bullpen full time and move up Carpenter to Saturday
to slot Lohse on Sunday. We figure the latter will be the way the
Cardinals go. Don't use Suppan or Lohse amid the uncertainty, though.
One-week
sleeper: Westbrook. He has been dominant in the NL through two
starts, striking out 16 in 13 innings. He still doesn't have a victory
to show for it, but he should against a back-end Cubs starter next
weekend.
One-week bust: Garcia. He has been struggling and
could pitch himself into getting skipped until Aug. 21. This is a tough
week to trust the NL ROY candidate Garcia, especially against that
potent Reds offense in that Cincy bandbox.
Tampa Bay Rays
- David Price at DET Galarraga, vs BAL Arrieta
- Matt Garza at DET Verlander
- James Shields vs BAL Guthrie
- Jeff Niemann (shoulder) or Andy Sonnanstine vs BAL Matusz
- Wade Davis (shoulder) or Jeremy Hellickson at DET Scherzer
Two-starter(s): Price. He is a must-start ace in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: Davis and perhaps Niemann. They have shoulder
woes and the Rays have ready and capable starters to give them some time
off. A Thursday offday helps, too. We wouldn't use Davis or Niemann in
any league this week.
One-week sleeper: Shields. He is coming
off a thrashing at the hands of the homer-happy Jays, but he was coming
off a great start againt the Yankees and has that favorable matchup
against the O's. We would still trust him in mixed leagues.
One-week
bust: Niemann and Davis. We aren't confident enough that they will
be skipped to advise you to use Hellickson or Sonnanstine, but we still
wouldn't trust either of the incumbent starters in any formats.
Texas Rangers
- Cliff Lee vs NYY Vazquez
- C.J. Wilson vs NYY Burnett
- Tommy Hunter vs BOS Beckett
- Rich Harden vs BOS Lester
- Colby Lewis vs BOS Matsuzaka
Two-starter(s): None. The Rangers play just five games with days
off Monday and Thursday.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps
Harden. The Rangers have discussed skipping the veteran over the weekend
against Boston, which makes Harden too risky to play in Fantasy Week 19
(Aug. 9-15). We won't know for sure until after your roster deadline. If
Harden is skipped, Wilson will pick up a second start. That makes him
someone to use in most formats.
One-week sleeper: Wilson. He
is currently active in just 48 percent of leagues, perhaps because he
looks like a one-start pitcher with the Yankees on tap. But, he can pick
up that second start. He should be active in more than half of
CBSSports.com's leagues with the way he has pitched this season alone.
One-week
bust: Harden. He could be skipped and, even if he isn't, he was a
mess in his past start, failing to get through three innings.
Toronto Blue Jays
- Ricky Romero vs BOS Matsuzaka, at LAA Santana
- Shaun Marcum vs BOS Buchholz
- Brett Cecil vs BOS Lackey
- Brandon Morrow at LAA Bell
- Brad Mills at LAA Kazmir
Two-starter(s): Romero. He is an advisable option in all leagues
now, especially against two offenses that have been injury-hit this
season.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper:
Cecil. A pitcher that has gone 1-0 with a 2.06 ERA in six starts since
June is active in just 19 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues. That is
ridiculously low. That Red Sox offense is missing a lot of its bats.
One-week
bust: Mills. He is the only Blue Jays starter that doesn't look
trustworthy in most formats. We call Marcum a sit only because he is
coming off a bad start against the Yankees. Frankly, he is still worth
using in most formats, while Mills is high-risk even for deeper AL-only
leagues.
Washington Nationals
- Stephen Strasburg vs FLA Sanchez, vs ARI Enright
- Scott Olsen vs FLA Volstad
- John Lannan vs FLA Nolasco
- Livan Hernandez vs ARI Saunders
- Jason Marquis vs ARI Kennedy
Two-starter(s): Strasburg. We would call him a must-start, but he
was one a few weeks ago and wound up on the DL. We still figure he is an
advisable option in all leagues. You own him and assume the risk of
trusting a rookie starter in his first pro season that will be handled
with kid gloves and is a potential candidate to be pulled a moment's
notice.
Who is getting skipped: Craig Stammen. He was sent to the bullpen with the return of
Strasburg and Marquis.
One-week sleeper: Hernandez. We cannot
explain his ERA being barely over 3.00 this deep into the season, but he
has shown no signs of slowing down.
One-week bust: Olsen and
Marquis. They might be rotation members long term, but they are too
risky to trust in the short term.
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