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.

Welcome to Week 2 -- either you are thinking much too highly of your team right now, or you are ready to trade all your stars for keepers and look toward 2009. Both are bad frames of mind of course, with over 20 weeks of play left to go.

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 from 2007 (broken down by home and away).

Another great tool that many might not take advantage of is looking at our team pages through the MLB side of our site. Each team page has a glut of information, but I like to use the depth charts pages more than anything. My favorite part is the lineups for the "Last five games" and the "Most frequent lineup" sections.

Weather planner: Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to the Weather.com, there are no games threatened by a rainout yet.

Position eligibility watch: Most leagues add position eligibility at either five or 10 games, so we'll keep an eye out for you, as players approach those marks. Only players with at least two games played at a position are noted, unless otherwise noted on a player of interest. Games counted are through Friday:

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Conor Jackson (illness) missed a couple days this past week, but manager Bob Melvin expected him to play this weekend. Check his status for larger mixed leagues. He had a nice spring, so hopefully this bout with a chest cold doesn't affect him too much ... My favorite number so far this season? It has to be the five walks that Chris B. Young has drawn through four games, including a three-walk game Wednesday. He had 43 total walks last season and a poor .295 OBP last year. He had five walks total last April.

Atlanta Braves: Don't get overly concerned with Mark Teixeira's slow start to the season (he's hitting .105 with just two hits in 19 at-bats). Consider over the previous five seasons, he has only hit over .300 once (2006) in the first 10 games ... Kelly Johnson has some recurring soreness in his knee that has manager Bobby Cox filling out two lineups just before the first pitch. Martin Prado is seeing time at second in his absence, but this could be an injury that lingers all season.

Baltimore Orioles: 1B Aubrey Huff and DH Kevin Millar are off to good starts with the Orioles, hitting .375 combined. Both are hitting in the heart of Baltimore's order, and they get a nice set of games in Week 2. Seven games total with six against Texas and Tampa Bay (both were among the worst four staffs in the AL last season) ... Super prospect C Matt Wieters hit two homers at Class A Frederick Friday night.

Boston Red Sox: J.D. Drew's ownership dipped a few points once he came down with back spasms on his road trip to Japan. But since returning, he has a hit in both games, including a three-run homer Friday at Toronto. His four strikeouts in eight at-bats are worrisome, but that will calm down once he gets back to where he was at the end of spring. He's good for 100 strikeouts per season. (He also doubled on Saturday.)

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano moved in to play some second base for an inning near the end of a game Friday ... The lineup seems to be closer to being solidified now after manager Lou Piniella shifted things around earlier in the week. The cold weather might be one of the main reasons for this team's cold start:

  1. Alfonso Soriano, OF -- Can he reach .100 batting average this week?
  2. Ryan Theriot, SS -- Saw only 10 pitches in four ABs Friday.
  3. Derrek Lee, 1B -- One of many Cubs batting under .250
  4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B -- Ugly start to season, .154 BA
  5. Kosuke Fukudome, OF -- Three of six hits were for extra bases. Will Piniella eventually move him into the two-hole for good?
  6. Mark DeRosa, 2B -- Having a quietly nice start.
  7. Geovany Soto, C -- Super ending to '07 hasn't caught up.
  8. Felix Pie, OF -- HBP on Thursday might affect wrist/swing.

Chicago White Sox: Jermaine Dye's great start (.471 BA, three doubles) has his owners from last season even more upset with him. He had his worst season since 2003 ... Nick Swisher's average (.214) is pedestrian, but he has five walks and a .421 OBP.

Cincinnati Reds: Javier Valentin is battling a strained hamstring and David Ross (back) is just beginning a rehab assignment. So the Reds were left with Paul Bako as the starter behind the plate and Scott Hatteberg as their emergency catcher Friday. But Valentin should be back in a few days, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cleveland Indians: Victor Martinez's injury is now being called a mild hamstring strain. Manager Eric Wedge hopes to get him into a game this weekend, but Fantasy owners should watch this situation carefully before setting their lineups Monday. Sitting behind the plate is much tougher than pinch-hitting with a hamstring injury, so he could see time at first base, which would cost Ryan Garko time. Garko, meanwhile, is off to a nice start.

Colorado Rockies: Through Friday, the Rockies had the fewest hits than any other team in the majors -- including three teams that played just three games to the Rockies' four ... Matt Holliday struck out four times Friday -- equaling his career-high for one game. Todd Helton is batting .313 and Garrett Atkins is hitting .267, but the rest of the lineup regulars are all hitting below .200.

Detroit Tigers: The winless Tigers were supposed to have a record-setting offense this season, but the loss of Curtis Granderson (broken finger) to start the season has affected them greatly. Only one player (Ivan Rodriguez) has more than one RBI this season. So far, only the Rockies (six) and Giants (eight) have scored fewer than the Tigers' 10 runs ... Miguel Cabrera has a quadriceps injury that had him in as the designated hitter the past couple games, including Saturday, and that spot was only vacant because Gary Sheffield injured his finger sliding into second base Thursday. He's out, which moves Cabrera to DH, Brandon Inge to third base and Clete Thomas to start (and lead off) at center field. Check Cabrera's and Sheffield's status Monday morning before setting your lineups.

Florida Marlins: Jorge Cantu hit around.400 this spring, but he's batting just .167 so far in the opening week. The Marlins don't have the options they once had at this position though, so consider him the locked-in starter for now ... Jeremy Hermida (hamstring) should be ready to return this weekend, but if you have a decent alternative to him for one more week -- go with it. He'll need a little time to get his batting eye back. The Miami Herald notes that Cameron Maybin was sent down to work on breaking pitches and get more discipline at the plate. In his second at-bat with Double-A Carolina, Maybin crushed a homer that was estimated to have landed over 475 feet away.

Houston Astros: Lance Berkman had to leave Saturday's game at Wrigley Field after having neck spasms. Before that game, however Berkman had been showing off some speed. He has two steals already (his career-high is nine), including stealing third, and he's legging out doubles. Darin Erstad played first base in his place, so check his status Monday morning before setting your lineup.

Kansas City Royals: David DeJesus got one at-bat in the record books before he had to sit with an ankle injury this week. Joey Gathright continues to start in his place in center field. The latter has two steals and he has hit safely in three of the team's four games. He also hit .349 in spring training and was perfect on 12 stolen base attempts -- second behind Eugenio Velez.

L.A. Angels: Torii Hunter didn't have a great first series, but it's understandable that he was emotional coming back to Minnesota where he played for 11 seasons. In his first game with the Angels in Anaheim, he had three hits and a walk ... Chone Figgins is batting .474 with four walks and two steals already.

L.A. Dodgers: Russell Martin is batting under .100 through the first four games (.067), although he does have two RBI. Obviously, we expect him to rebound, but if he continues to have a slow start over the next couple weeks -- asking for him in a trade using one of your overachieving players as bait would be smart.

Top 10 Hitters Added
Driver Change
1. Nate McClouth 24
2. Xavier Nady 23
3. Carlos Gomez 22
4. Franklin Gutierrez 20
5. Nick Johnson 17
6. A.J. Pierzynski 13
7. Andre Ethier 12
8. Scott Hairston 11
9. Bill Hall 9
10. Mike Napoli 9
Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Braun continues to play with a strained groin, which could be part of the reason for his .211 batting average through one week of play ... J.J. Hardy, who has lost 10 pounds dealing with a bacterial infection in the past few weeks, has just one hit in 17 at-bats (.059) and he'll get three games at Shea Stadium later this week ... Rickie Weeks had a horrible spring, but has since rebounded with hits in his past three games. He has four strikeouts in 16 at-bats, or about one a game, and he has now broken the team's record for scoring a run in consecutive games with 17 ... Bill Hall's defense at third base has been better than expected so far, so the move of Braun to left (just one problem for him so far this week) hasn't cost them much ... Tony K. Gwynn has a sore hamstring which has limited him recently, but he's batting .571 through three games so far.

Minnesota Twins: Justin Morneau was hitless in his first 13 at-bats until he singled in a run Friday against the Royals ... Carlos Gomez has been everything advertised as far as speed is concerned. He has stolen two bases in a game twice in five games, and he's beating out bunts to first base by diving headfirst. He has hit safely in all five games as well, and his Fantasy ownership has gone up 20 percent from Week 1.

N.Y. Yankees: Jason Giambi played first base four straight games to start the season. Then on Saturday, in his first game as the DH of the season, he strained his groin and left the game. You might have to deal with him as your Fantasy DH for one more week ... The Yankees' suspensions wrapped up this weekend, so Melky Cabrera will be ready for a full slate of games in Week 2 ... Only three ballclubs have fewer basehits than the Yankees through Friday.

N.Y. Mets: The Mets' bats are awake early -- four hitters have at least four RBI, including Ryan Church, Angel Pagan and Jose Reyes ... Carlos Beltran has one stolen base and five doubles, so it sounds like his creaky knees are feeling good so far ... Moises Alou (hernia surgery) has begun to hit in Port St. Lucie, which puts the veteran's expected return of late April on target. That would cut out the at-bats of Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan in left field.

Oakland Athletics: Travis Buck is 0-for-18 with nine strikeouts so far this season for the A's. That's not good for a leadoff hitter. He's one of those players you likely picked late in a mixed-league draft -- feel free to make him your first cut as you pick up someone trendy ... Jack Hannahan -- get comfy at third base. Eric Chavez received his second epidural and his return is now pointing toward May at the earliest.

Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley's "chase" of an NL MVP award has started off well. He hit a pair of homers Friday against Cincinnati -- and he wishes he'd play them every week. He is 13-for-22 in his last six games against the Reds, with seven homers and 13 RBI. He has 14 career multi-homer games ... While Ryan Howard has just three hits so far, he reached the warning track twice Friday, so he's not far off.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ryan Doumit has taken the slack on his leash and run with it. Manager John Russell has entrusted him with three starts at catcher in the team's first four games. Russell said he will use Doumit and Ronny Paulino in tandem, but the hot hitter will likely get the starts -- and that's Doumit. He has eight hits in three games ... Jack Wilson has a sore left calf, allowing Luis Rivas to get starts at shortstop.

San Diego Padres: San Diego scored the fewest runs in the majors at home (323) last season in spacious Petco Park, but on the road (418), they were sixth! Unfortunately, their six road games this week are in pitcher-friendly venues AT&T Park in San Francisco and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles ... Jim Edmonds went 2-for-3 in five innings in center field at Class A Lake Elsinore Friday and he's eligible to be activated. His return likely means Scott Hairston moves back to left field and Paul McAnulty, who has hit .357 so far, goes to the bench.

San Francisco Giants: The Oakland Tribune reports that Ray Durham, who had been dealing with a sore shoulder, was ready and willing to start Friday, but manager Bruce Bochy decided to go with Eugenio Velez at second base instead. That's huge for Fantasy owners because Velez proved he has speed to spare when he led spring training with 16 stolen bases. He has already hit safely in three of four games -- and he has one steal.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners are getting great production from their ninth hitter, SS Yuniesky Betancourt. He's batting .429 with a pair of doubles in four games ... The M's have nice matchups this week for their hitters. They play at Baltimore once Monday, then three at Tampa Bay, before coming home to face the Angels.

St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols (.500 BA), Rick Ankiel (2 HR) and Ryan Ludwick (.364 BA) are all off to great starts for the Cardinals ... Pujols' right finger was cut when Garrett Atkins accidentally stepped on his hand at third base, but the first baseman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the cuts didn't require stitches ... Chris Duncan (hamstring) has been taking batting practice, but he has yet to be cleared to play.

Tampa Bay Rays: Dioner Navarro took 12 stitches in his hand after falling in the Yankees dugout Friday night and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Shawn Riggans promptly came in and laced a bases-clearing double to give him a career-high three RBI. He'll see most of the starts for Tampa Bay now. He has slowly climbed through the minors, and he's a better offensive catcher than defensive, so consider him in AL-only leagues ... Akinori Iwamura is trying to become only the second player in modern baseball to play 100 games at third base, then 100 games at second base in the following season. Ryne Sandberg did it for the Phillies in the early '80s.

Texas Rangers: Ian Kinsler has hit safely in each game thus far. Don't forget that he's a hot starter though. He hit .298 with nine homers and 22 RBI last April before tailing back a bit. He didn't hit his 18th homer until September ... Hank Blalock is still dealing with a bout of the flu, so the mighty Ramon Vazquez is seeing starts at third.

Toronto Blue Jays: The team smartly locked up Alex Rios and Aaron Hill through the 2014 season this week ... Marco Scutaro is batting .273 with one RBI while hitting eighth in the lineup and starting at third base in place of Scott Rolen (finger), who is still out for a month.

Washington Nationals: Dmitri Young is battling lower back problems and has returned to Washington for examination -- not to mention the fact that he doesn't have a position to play. Aaron Boone got the start in his absence earlier this week. ... Meanwhile, Nick Johnson's leg appears to be fine -- three of his four hits have been "legged out" for doubles.

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