Week 24 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.

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: Toronto at Chicago White Sox (60 percent chance) on Monday, Cleveland at Baltimore (50 percent chance) on Tuesday, Florida at Philadelphia (50 percent chance) on Tuesday, Tampa Bay at Boston (50 percent chance) on Tuesday, Washington at N.Y. Mets (50 percent chance) on Tuesday, Kansas City at Cleveland (60 percent chance) on Friday and St. Louis at Pittsburgh (60 percent chance) on Friday.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Stephen Drew didn't exactly slow down when his 17-game hitting streak came to an end in mid-August. He's batting .423 (11-for-26) over the last week, including a five-hit game Monday where he hit for the cycle. He has seemingly begun his steady upward climb to Fantasy superstardom, so don't expect to bench him for the rest of the season ... Mark Reynolds has only one multi-hit game since mid-August, and considering he has almost 200 strikeouts, you wouldn't want to start him in Head-to-Head leagues outside of a hot streak, which he certainly doesn't have going on now ... Following his acquisition from the Blue Jays, David Eckstein has taken over as the Diamondbacks' everyday second baseman. He lacks power and speed, but he does bat second with plenty of big bats behind him. He might end up a decent source of runs scored in NL-only leagues.

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones returned from a knee injury Thursday, but he still has a sore elbow that didn't heal during his recent stint on the DL for a hamstring injury. He's obviously not a dud with the injury, but his overall numbers have slipped since June, and the elbow might explain why. He's no longer a clear must-start in Fantasy ... Kelly Johnson, having a disappointing season as the Braves' everyday second baseman, has raised his batting average 14 points over the last four games, batting .647 (11-for-17) during that stretch. He also has played in 11 consecutive games, a sign that manager Bobby Cox has shied away from sitting him against left-handed pitchers. Consider taking a flier on him again in mixed leagues ... The return of Casey Kotchman from an extended absence to care for his sick mother means Martin Prado, one of the hottest players in baseball, has to go to the bench. Prado hit .393 (22-for-56) with Kotchman away from the team, all but assuring he'll get semi-regular at-bats down the stretch. Of course, that could mean Johnson ends up losing at-bats after all.

Baltimore Orioles: Melvin Mora, named AL Player of the Month for August even though he missed the end of it with a strained left hamstring, might return Monday, but the Orioles haven't hinted of any progress. Play it safe and keep him benched ... Adam Jones has returned to the lineup after missing most of August with a broken left foot. The former Mariners prospect showed signs of progress before the injury, but consider him a low-end source of power and speed until he heats up again ... The Mora injury has allowed the Orioles to keep rookie Luis Montanez in the lineup even with Jones back by moving Aubrey Huff from designated hitter to third base. Montanez, 26, continues to hit well over .300, so take a flier on him in deeper AL-only leagues.

Boston Red Sox: Kevin Youkilis returned to the lineup Saturday after missing three straight games with back spasms and a personal issue. The personal issue is likely behind him, but back spasms have a tendency to linger, forcing players to miss games even after their initial return (see Carlos Guillen). Because Youkilis has practically entered the elite class of Fantasy first basemen, though, you pretty much have to get him active unless he suffers a setback over the weekend ... Mike Lowell also just came back from an injury -- one that landed him on the DL -- and homered in his first game back, a four-RBI effort Friday. He looked ready for another of his many second-half swoons before the injury, however, so don't trust him as more than a corner infielder in mixed leagues ... Coco Crisp, batting .456 (21-for-46) over his last 13 games, got the start over Jacoby Ellsbury on Saturday even though the Red Sox faced a right-handed pitcher. The acquisition of Mark Kotsay has muddled the Red Sox's outfield to the point that Ellsbury, himself hitting .333 over the last week, is just a low-end option in mixed leagues ... Dustin Pedroia is crazy. He has another monster hitting streak (22-for-38 over nine games) and is a legitimate candidate for AL-MVP, especially with -- spoiler alert! -- Carlos Quentin's season-ending injury.

Chicago Cubs: Geovany Soto's seven-game hitting streak, during which he hit .467 (14-for-30), came to an end Friday. He hit .355 in August after hitting .266 the previous three months and has solidified his place among the elite class of Fantasy catchers ... Kosuke Fukudome, coming off an August during which he batted .193, has apparently lost his everyday job, losing at-bats to infielders Mike Fontenot and Ronny Cedeno. Leave all three of these players for NL-only leagues right now, but keep in mind Fukudome might actually have the least power of the bunch.

Chicago White Sox: After sitting him for two games with what they described as a sore left forearm, the White Sox revealed Friday that Carlos Quentin has a fractured wrist and will undergo surgery Monday. Even worse, he apparently inflicted the injury on himself, smacking his wrist against his bat after fouling off a pitch. The team will reevaluate him in 2-3 weeks, but the Fantasy season will be pretty much over by then. Unless you play in a keeper league, you probably don't have much reason to store Quentin on your bench ... Of course, Quentin's injury means Ken Griffey, Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher all have places to play again. Griffey returned to the lineup Friday after missing three games with tightness in his lower back, but his low batting average makes him a low-end Fantasy option ... Konerko benefits most from the injury. After the Griffey acquisition made him a part-time player, he returned to hitting like his old self, batting .338 with four home runs since July. He again deserves a roster spot in all mixed leagues just in case he can sustain such a pace with a return to regular at-bats ... Joe Crede will likely miss the rest of the season because of continued soreness in his surgically repaired back. Juan Uribe will continue to start in his absence and has enough power and versatility to help in AL-only leagues.

Cincinnati Reds: If you own Brandon Phillips in Fantasy, you probably feel a tad bit discouraged. He's hitting only .225 with six home runs and four stolen bases in 169 at-bats since the All-Star break, but he's not exactly a stranger to cold streaks. Keep him active because few players with his skill set qualify to start at second base ... Open your eyes: Joey Votto is streaking. OK, that's kind of an awkward way to introduce a hot streak, but if you own Votto in Fantasy, you need to take note of it and get him active. He's batting .481 (13-for-27) over his last nine games and had homered in three straight entering Saturday ... The hot hitting continues for rookie Chris Dickerson, who entered Saturday batting .367 (11-for-30) with three home runs during an eight-game hitting streak. His strikeout rate and minor-league track record suggest the numbers won't last, but enjoy them while they do.

Cleveland Indians: Victor Martinez, who has seen mostly scattered at-bats since his return from his elbow surgery, homered for the first time in nearly a full calendar year Tuesday. He then made his first start behind the plate since June on Friday, going 2-for-3. With the Indians showing more and more faith in him, get him active in all leagues ... The Indians have begun giving Shin-Soo Choo everyday at-bats, no longer sitting him against left-handed pitchers, and he has responded with a .396 (19-for-48) batting average and five home runs over the last 14 games. He entered Saturday with a better OPS than Josh Hamilton, Jason Bay and David Ortiz, so consider taking a flier on him in all leagues.

Colorado Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki, a sophomore bust, is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with one home run over the last week and could have a prolonged hot streak in him before season's end. His power numbers still don't look particularly impressive, though, so treat him as no more than a middle infielder ... Rookie Ian Stewart's numbers have begun to level off after an impressive July and August. He's batting only .160 (4-for-25) over his last eight games, so reserve him in mixed leagues for now.

Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera homered three more times over the last week, giving him 15 in only 189 at-bats since the All-Star break. His batting average still trails his career standard a bit, but with these power numbers now, hopefully you don't regret drafting him in the first round ... Curtis Granderson has also picked up his play in the second half, batting .318 with seven home runs and four stolen bases in 192 at-bats, not to mention 35 walks compared to 34 strikeouts. Over the last week, he's batting .357 (10-for-28) with two triples and a home runs, so treat him as no less than a No. 2 Fantasy outfielder.

Florida Marlins: Mike Jacobs, who still sometimes sits against left-handed pitchers, has three home runs in the last week. He remains a decent source of power in Rotisserie leagues ... Cody Ross is batting .333 (9-for-27) during a modest seven-game hitting streak. He has shown only modest power lately, but he again deserves to start as a No. 4 or 5 Fantasy outfielder.

Houston Astros: Kazuo Matsui (back) came off the 15-day DL on Tuesday, but the Astros have yet to start him. With rosters expanded, the 15-day DL doesn't serve much purpose (unlike the 60-day DL, which clears spots on the 40-man roster), so his return isn't necessarily imminent. Keep him reserved until he gets back in the lineup and proves his health ... Sophomore outfielder Hunter Pence, streaky as they come, is blazing during a brief seven-game hitting streak, batting .538 (14-for-26) with one home run. He's the kind of player who consistently has Fantasy owners on the fence over whether or not to start him, but if you need an excuse to get him active now, you have one.

Kansas City Royals: OK, maybe you can trust 22-year-old Billy Butler this late in the season. The young slugger is batting .432 (19-for-44) with three home runs over his last 11 games. With his inexperience, he remains vulnerable to a prolonged cold streak, but you can't find much better off the waiver wire right now ... Jose Guillen, coming off a miserable two-month stretch where he hit .191 (33-for-173), is hitting .333 (5-for-15) so far in September. It's a small sample size, obviously, but when he gets hot, he performs as well as any power hitter in baseball. Keep track of his performance over the next week to see if he does, in fact, get hot.

L.A. Angels: Chone Figgins, coming off a 10-game hitting streak during which he hit .385 (15-for-39), has only two hits in four games since, batting .133 (2-for-15). Only his stolen bases have salvaged his miserable season, but they only make him viable in Rotisserie leagues ... Going into Saturday, Erick Aybar had sat a full week with a hamstring injury, but the Angels have no reason to rush him back. They probably want to make sure he has no injury concerns going into the playoffs, so keep him reserved in those few AL-only formats where he could potentially make an impact ... Brandon Wood has multiple hits in three of his last five starts, batting .350 (7-for-20) during that stretch. Any signs of consistency signal progress for the one-time elite power prospect, so take a flier on him in deeper AL-only leagues.

L.A. Dodgers: The Dodgers just claimed first place from the Diamondbacks on Saturday even though they lost cleanup hitter Jeff Kent to a knee injury earlier in the week. Let's examine how they adjusted their lineup:

1. Russell Martin, C -- Martin only recently moved into the leadoff spot and is batting .190 (4-for-21) there so far. His ability to get on base and steal bases makes him a decent fit for the role, though, and a must-start in Fantasy.
2. Andre Ethier, RF -- Ethier leads the Dodgers in home runs and now has a clear everyday job with Andruw Jones (knee) and Juan Pierre (back) nursing injuries. He remains one of the hottest players in baseball right now, batting over .500 over the last week, and should start in all leagues until he cools off.
3. Manny Ramirez, LF -- Ramirez has enjoyed the beginning of his career in Dodger Blue, batting .400 with 10 home runs in 115 at-bats. Obviously, you want him active.
4. James Loney, 1B -- Loney doesn't really fit the description of cleanup hitter (or first baseman) with his 11 home runs this year, but he's a decent enough hitter at this early stage of his career to start as a corner infielder in Rotisserie leagues.
5. Casey Blake, 3B -- Blake hit only .250 in August after hitting .355 over the previous two months, but he got back into form over the last week, batting .348 (8-for-23) with three home runs. Get him active.
6. Matt Kemp, CF -- The Dodgers recently dropped Kemp from the leadoff spot even though he hit .289 with five home runs and 11 stolen bases there. His power lags his speed at this stage in his carer, but he's no worse than a No. 3 Fantasy OF.
7. Blake DeWitt, 2B -- DeWitt, booted as the Dodgers' everyday third baseman after hitting .200 (25-for-125) in June and July, has taken over as the team's everyday second baseman with Kent sidelined. He's hitting only .261 so far in the role, so leave him for NL-only leagues.
8. Angel Berroa, SS -- Nomar Garciaparra struggled so much as the starting shortstop, that the Dodgers turned back to Angel M. Berroa. Berroa is batting .381 (8-for-21) with one home run over the last week, but his track record suggests he's no more than a last resort in NL-only leagues.

Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder entered Saturday batting only .161 (10-for-62) with zero home runs over his last 16 games. He continues to disappoint, needs a hot streak just to reach 35 home runs and isn't necessarily too elite to reserve right now in Fantasy. You'd have to play in a pretty shallow league to give it serious consideration, though ... Rickie Weeks, who played more regularly with Ray Durham sidelined by a shoulder injury, made the most of his increased at-bats, batting .296 (8-for-27) with two home runs and a stolen base over the last week. With Durham back in the lineup, though, Weeks again becomes a low-end middle infielder in mixed leagues ... Jason Kendall entered Saturday batting .351 (13-for-37) during a 10-game hitting streak. He remains just a last resort in Fantasy because of his lack of power.

Minnesota Twins: Alexi Casilla is batting only .235 (12-for-51) since his return from a thumb injury. His lack of home-run and stolen-base potential makes him more of an AL-only than mixed-league Fantasy option ... Delmon Young, who hit only .245 in August, resumed an otherwise hot second half, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with one home run over the last week. His power still hasn't reached a point where he deserves to start in all leagues, but he's a decent No. 4 Fantasy OF.

N.Y. Mets: Ryan Church is hitting only .220 (9-for-41) since his return from post-concussion syndrome. You might think his .300-30-100 pace from earlier in the season will return with time -- and it might -- but you should also consider the possibility that he was playing a bit over his head back then. Treat him as a low-end mixed-league option right now ... Carlos Beltran has carried a hot August into an even hotter September. He's batting .333 (7-for-21) with two home runs and one stolen base over the last week and .317 with seven home runs and four stolen bases since July. He never lost must-start status in Fantasy because of his across-the-board contributions, but now his overall numbers look a little better.

N.Y. Yankees: Hideki Matsui insists the knee injury that sidelined him for nearly two months doesn't affect him at the plate, but he's hitting only .207 (12-for-58) with two home runs since his return. He's known as a slow starter, and we might just be witnessing a transplanted instance of that condition. Or we might be witnessing the lingering effects of his knee injury. Play it safe and bench him ... Maybe most of his home runs this season have come in "non-clutch" situations (as if any player's don't), but if you own Alex Rodriguez in Fantasy, you have no reason to care. He entered Saturday with four home runs in his last six games and should approach 40 on the season despite missing nearly a month with a leg injury. Keep him active, obviously, and don't hesitate to pick him No. 1 overall next season.

Oakland Athletics: What has gotten into Daric Barton? The rookie bust for much of the season has suddenly come alive over the last two weeks, batting .386 (17-for-44) with four home runs over his last 14 games. He has a strong grasp of the strike zone and decent power potential, so if you need a deep sleeper this late in the season, take a flier on him ... Mark Ellis (shoulder) hasn't started since Aug. 22, and at this point, you have to wonder how seriously the Athletics want him back. Keep him reserved in all leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard, a complete bust aside from his home runs and RBI, has begun to heat up again. He's batting .291 (16-for-55) with six home runs over his last 14 games, so don't pick now as the time to bench him ... When Pat Burrell got off to one of the best starts of his career at age 31, you almost had to expect an equal and opposite cold streak. But he put it off for so long that maybe you started to hope it wouldn't come at all. Too bad. Not only has it come, but it's lasted so long (.184 batting average since July) that you might want to bench him until he heats up again.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Brandon Moss, acquired from the Red Sox in the Jason Bay deal, has begun to show more of his power recently. He has four home runs over his last 14 games, batting .320 (16-for-50) during that stretch. Of course, his 1-for-9 performance over his last three games reminds you why he remains just an NL-only option ... Jack Wilson has missed four straight games with an infected right index finger that reportedly won't improve. The Pirates don't have a timetable for his return, so reserve him in the few NL-only leagues where he matters.

San Diego Padres: Brian Giles, coming off a 12-game hitting streak during which he hit .419 (18-for-43), kept his stroke alive with a four-hit game Friday, raising his batting average to .302. He no longer qualifies as a power hitter, but if you play in a league that counts walks and strikeouts (74-to-50 ratio), you clearly want him active right now ... Going into Saturday, Jody Gerut had missed eight straight starts with a sprained middle finger. He's merely a platoon player, which limits his value to NL-only leagues, but until he makes a start, you shouldn't activate him in any league ... Luis O. Rodriguez, who has emerged as the Padres everyday shortstop and No. 2 hitter with Khalil Greene (hand) out for the season, is hitting .323 (10-for-31) over the last week. His lack of power makes him a Fantasy afterthought, though.

San Francisco Giants: Randy Winn finished August on a bright note, homering twice on the second-to-last day. He finished the month batting .400 (46-for-115) with four home runs and five stolen bases and has carried the hot hitting into September. He likely has a regression to the mean in his near future, but keep him active as a No. 4 Fantasy outfielder for now ... Emmanuel Burriss has responded well to his role as the Giants' everyday shortstop, batting .409 (9-for-22) during a six-game hitting streak. Unfortunately, he didn't steal a single base during that stretch, making him borderline useless in Fantasy ... Pablo Sandoval, 22, has thrived with everyday at-bats -- mostly at catcher. His .333 batting average and .864 OPS paint him as a No. 2 option in all Fantasy formats.

Seattle Mariners: Adrian Beltre is batting .447 (21-for-47) with four home runs during an 11-game hitting streak, furthering his legacy as a second-half player. Considering his streakiness, his numbers could just as easily level off in the next week, so consider him only a slightly better start than usual ... Yuniesky Betancourt has hit well enough in the last week (6-for-22 with two home runs) that the Mariners have begun testing him in the No. 2 spot. Unfortunately, his name is still Yuniesky Betancourt, which forever keeps him in AL-only territory ... Miguel Cairo has apparently become rookie Bryan LaHair's platoon partner at first base. Neither player has any bearing in Fantasy outside of deeper AL-only leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Ludwick, who hit .321 with 16 home runs in July and August, is hitting only .186 (8-for-43) over his last 11 games. But he has entered the realm of No. 1 Fantasy outfielders with his cumulative performance this season, so keep him active ... With Joe Mather out for the season following surgery on his hand, Skip Schumaker has an everyday job again. Unfortunately, his lack of home-run and stolen-base potential limits his Fantasy appeal to deeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays activated Evan Longoria on Saturday, but they don't consider him 100 percent yet. In fact, they don't plan on returning him to the lineup right away. Manager Joe Maddon wants him to get two or three days of batting practice to make sure he doesn't feel any lingering pain in his fractured right wrist. Unless you play in an AL-only Rotisserie league, keep him reserved for just one more week ... Jason Bartlett has regained everyday at-bats after missing time in early August because of a finger injury. He's not the best Fantasy option, but he's batting .478 (11-for-23) with a home run over the last week and has decent stolen-base potential for deeper Rotisserie leagues ... Carlos Pena, who homered 13 times in his first 37 games of the second half, has gone without a homer in his last eight. He entered Saturday batting .208 (5-for-24) during that stretch and might be a candidate to sit again in shallower mixed leagues.

Texas Rangers: Hank Blalock, back in the lineup after several DL stints but playing first base because of a sore shoulder, has six doubles and is batting .324 (11-for-34) during an eight-game hitting streak. His power looks alive and well despite the shoulder injury, so consider him a sleeper down the stretch ... The Rangers want to give rookie catcher Taylor Teagarden a good, long look down the stretch, meaning Gerald Laird figures to lose at-bats. He has started only two games in September and looks like strictly an AL-only option ... Marlon Byrd had to leave Friday's game with a sprained left thumb, which you have to think will affect his ability to grip a bat. If he doesn't return over the weekend, play it safe and reserve him. His lack of power makes him no more than a No. 4 Fantasy outfielder anyway.

Toronto Blue Jays: Vernon Wells, who had a stretch of four home runs in three games two weeks ago after missing much of the season due to injury, remained hot last week. He hit .391 (9-for-23) with two home runs and clearly deserves to start in all Fantasy leagues again ... Alex Rios, another season-long disappointment, is even hotter, batting .429 (12-for-28) with three home runs. His stolen bases have compensated for a lack of power so far, but he has the potential to hit seven or eight more bombs over the final three weeks ... Travis Snider, a 20-year-old rookie, has made an immediate impression despite less-than-impressive minor-league numbers, collecting three hits in both his third and fourth career games. He's 0-for-6 in two games since, but he deserves a flier based on his pedigree alone.

Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, who has struggled ever since coming back from a shoulder injury in late July, has suddenly become one of the hottest players in baseball, batting .409 (18-for-44) during an 11-game hitting streak. He has three home runs during that stretch after hitting none in his first 30 games back from the injury. With his power apparently back, he could serve as a top-12 Fantasy third baseman down the stretch, so pick him up if he remains unowned in your league ... Whatever happened to Cristian Guzman's thumb earlier in the season clearly isn't an issue now. He recently had a stretch of eight straight multi-hit games and is batting .407 (11-for-27) over the last week. He lacks home runs and stolen bases, but he remains a decent middle infielder in Fantasy ... Ronnie Belliard, one of the bright spots in the Nationals' second half with a .353 batting average, has a strained groined and might end up missing the rest of the season. Don't cut him just yet in NL-only leagues because he still offers decent power for a player who qualifies at second base, but brace yourself for the worst.