The Week Ahead: Week Ahead: Crunch Time
With the season winding down and only two weeks remaining, we’ve reached the point in the fantasy baseball calendar where every decision looms large for those still competing. Picking the right two-start pitchers and streamers to plug into your lineup can be the difference between championship and consolation.
Fortunately, the coming week features tons of very promising options in both categories. Read on and we’ll cover them all, beginning with the standout two-start candidates.
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* Tom Koehler has a 2.97 ERA at home this year, compared to 4.70 on the road. He’s looking ahead to the Phillies and Braves, the two bottom-ranked clubs in the National League in OPS. Koehler is also owned in less than 10 percent of leagues both in Yahoo and ESPN. Big sleeper pick here.
* Martin Perez has been quality in six of eight starts since the beginning of August, though both his next two turns come on the road.
* Ervin Santana is an interesting option. He has evidently rebounded from a brutal stretch in mid-August and has dominated over his last four starts, allowing only five runs over 29 innings with 33 strikeouts.
* Danny Salazar gets the Twins and Royals. In five starts against those two divisional opponents this year, he is 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA and a 43-to-4 K/BB ratio over 33 innings.
* I was tempted to label Henry Owens a Strong Play but he hasn’t shown quite enough consistency to cross over into that category yet. Nonetheless, with home dates scheduled against the punchless Rays and the reeling Orioles, the rookie ranks among the most attractive mid-tier options.
* Owens’ teammate, Eduardo Rodriguez, has the same favorable match-ups and owns a 1.72 ERA in his last five starts. He’s available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.
* Chris Heston, rostered in only 36 percent of Yahoo leagues, will travel to two of baseball’s most pitcher-friendly parks as he faces the A’s and Padres on the road.
* As well as J.A. Happ and A.J. Burnett have pitched for the Pirates, I’d be very wary of using either with road tilts against the Rockies and Cubs scheduled.
* Aaron Nola would normally be in line for two starts, but it sounds like Philly might shut him down after he faces the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday. If so, he’s still a nice streamer in that match-up.
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Going Twice…
American League
Strong Plays
David Price: NYY, TB
Chris Archer: @BOS, @TOR
Dallas Keuchel: LAA, TEX
Danny Salazar: @MIN, @KC
Eduardo Rodriguez: TB, BAL
Decent Plays
Henry Owens: TB, BAL
Martin Perez: @OAK, @HOU
Roenis Elias: @KC, @LAA
Luis Severino: @TOR, CWS
Ervin Santana: CLE, @DET
Jose Quintana: @DET, @NYY
At Your Own Risk
Matt Moore: @BOS, @TOR
Cody Martin: TEX, SF
Jered Weaver: @HOU, SEA
Jeff Samardzija: @DET, @NYY
Mike Wright: @WAS, @BOS
Adam Warren: @TOR, CWS
National League
Strong Plays
Jaime Garcia: CIN, MIL
John Lackey: CIN, MIL
Gio Gonzalez: BAL, PHI
Tyson Ross: SF, ARI
Jacob deGrom: ATL, @CIN
Tom Koehler: PHI, ATL
Decent Plays
Chris Heston: @SD, @OAK
J.A. Happ: @COL, @CHC
A.J. Burnett: @COL, @CHC
Bartolo Colon: ATL, @CIN
Wily Peralta: CHC, @STL
Brett Anderson: ARI, @COL
Alex Wood: ARI, @COL
Jason Hammel: MIL, PIT
Shelby Miller: @NYM, @MIA
Robbie Ray: @LAD, @SD
At Your Own Risk
Chris Rusin: PIT, LAD
Jon Gray: PIT, LAD
Michael Lorenzen: @STL, NYM
John Lamb: @STL, NYM
Jhoulys Chacin: @LAD, @SD
Streamer City
The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:
American League
Wednesday, September 23rd: Marcus Stroman vs. NYY
It’s hard to know what to expect here, but Stroman’s electric arm is worth gambling on.
Wednesday, September 23rd: Rick Porcello vs. TB
Porcello has rattled off four straight quality starts since returning from the disabled list, completing seven-plus innings each time out, and is an excellent option against the AL’s worst offense.
Friday, September 25th: Rich Hill vs. BAL
The 35-year-old stunned the baseball world this past week by striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings in his first MLB start since 2009.
National League
Tuesday, September 22nd: Tanner Roark vs. BAL
Roark has a 3.64 ERA when pitching at home for the Nats this year. Baltimore’s team OPS is 100 points lower on the road than at home.
Wednesday, September 23rd: Kyle Hendricks vs. MIL
The steady and reliable Hendricks hasn’t lost a game at Wrigley since April, while the Brewers are 29-42 away from their home yard.
Wednesday, September 23rd: Adam Conley vs. PHI
Conley is coming off his best start of the season, in which he shut the Mets down over seven scoreless innings. Can he keep it rolling in Miami against the last-place Phils?
Total Games
American League
6: BAL, CLE, HOU, KC, LAA, MIN, OAK, SEA, TEX, TOR
7: BOS, DET, NYY, TB
8: CWS
National League
6: ATL, CHC, MIA, PHI, SD, SF, WAS
7: ARI, CIN, COL, LAD, MIL, NYM, PIT, STL
The Infirmary
You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld’s Injury Page but here’s the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:
Joe Kelly: Out for the season (shoulder)
Junichi Tazawa: Out for the season (arm)
Jimmy Nelson: Out indefinitely (head)
Jonathan Lucroy: Out indefinitely (concussion)
Jesse Chavez: Out for the season (elbow)
Jung Ho Kang: Out for the season (leg)
Joe Panik: Out for the season (back)
Drew Storen: Out for the season (hand)
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