Looking for a last-minute edge as you prepare your weekly lineup? The Week Ahead gives you the latest scoop on Monday morning. For in-depth lineup advice, be sure to check out the Fantasy Baseball Weekly Planner .
Changes among this week's two-start pitchers:
- Colorado will use Jason Jennings, who pitched just one inning Aug. 8 due to a lengthy rain delay, in Montreal on Monday and Sunday in New York. Chin-Hui Tsao will be pushed back to Tuesday and start once this week. Jennings is worth the gamble in NL-only leagues, but don't bother with Tsao.
- Kansas City will give Paul Abbott a spot start Monday against the Yankees, but he's likely to be bumped from the rotation when Jose Lima returns during the weekend. Kris Wilson has been shifted to the bullpen. Neither Abbott, Wilson nor Lima is a recommended Fantasy starter this week.
- Pittsburgh's Kip Wells was pushed back to Monday's game against St. Louis, meaning he'll also start Saturday against Milwaukee. Josh Fogg pitches Tuesday and Sunday. Consider using both pitchers in NL-only leagues.
Carlos Beltran (elbow) is questionable for Monday's game against the Yankees, and he's probably going to miss a game or two. Consider reserving him in mixed formats if you have a reliable alternative on your bench.
Milton Bradley (back) is likely to be restricted to designated hitter duties during the Indians' series in Minnesota. He's only worth the gamble in AL-only leagues.
Jeff Conine (biceps) has returned to Baltimore for an MRI exam Monday. He'll miss at least a few games this week, so keep him reserved.
Mike Piazza (groin) will likely take the week to continue his rehabilitation in the minors, so keep him reserved.
Kazuhiro Sasaki (ribs) might be activated Monday, but the Mariners are in no hurry to get him back into the closer's job. Since Shigetoshi Hasegawa is performing well in Sasaki's absence, keep Sasaki reserved.
Jason Schmidt (elbow) is expected to start Friday in Montreal, and should be kept active. The Giants held him out of his Aug. 10 start merely as a precaution.
| T H E H O T L I S T |
| The following are the top 10 players in each of the 10 major Rotisserie categories the past three weeks (July 21-Aug. 10). Only players with 3.1 plate appearances per game qualify in batting average, and only pitchers with one inning per game qualify in ERA or WHIP. |
| Batting average: Marcus Giles, .420; Mark Loretta, .405; Alex Rodriguez, .395; Mike Bordick, .393; Mike Lowell, .392; Magglio Ordonez, .392; Shannon Stewart, .389; Barry Bonds, .378; Roger Cedeno, .368; Lance Berkman, .367. |
| Home runs: Carlos Lee, 9; Rodriguez, 9; Sammy Sosa, 9; Nomar Garciaparra, 8; Trot Nixon, 8; Jeff Bagwell, 7; Javy Lopez, 7; Rafael Palmeiro, 7; Richie Sexson, 7; 4 tied with 6. |
| RBI: John Olerud, 27; Palmeiro, 24; Sosa, 23; Bobby Abreu, 21; Lee, 20; Lowell, 20; Randy Winn, 20; Andruw Jones, 19; Lopez, 19; Preston Wilson, 19. |
| Stolen bases: Carl Crawford, 11; Juan Pierre, 10; Alex Sanchez, 9; Orlando Cabrera, 7; Jose Reyes, 6; Rodriguez, 6; Cristian Guzman, 5; Jacque Jones, 5; Kenny Lofton, 5; Dave Roberts, 5; Jimmy Rollins, 5. |
| Runs scored: Rodriguez, 25; Rafael Furcal, 21; Lee, 21; Marlon Byrd, 19; Giles, 19; Placido Polanco, 17; Gary Sheffield, 17; Travis Lee, 16; Reyes, 16; Michael Young, 16. |
| Win-loss record: Bartolo Colon, 4-0; Mike Hampton, 3-0; Tim Hudson, 3-0; Esteban Loaiza, 3-0; Greg Maddux, 3-0; Jamie Moyer, 3-0; Carl Pavano, 3-0; Erasmo Ramirez, 3-0; Tim Wakefield, 3-0; Carlos Zambrano, 3-0. |
| Saves: Jorge Julio, 8; Rod Beck, 6; Francisco Cordero, 6; Eric Gagne, 6; Braden Looper, 6; John Smoltz, 6; Rocky Biddle, 5; Eddie Guardado, 5; Danny Kolb, 5; Matt Mantei, 5; Mariano Rivera, 5; Billy Wagner, 5. |
| ERA: Colon, 1.14; Livan Hernandez, 1.38; Al Leiter, 1.44; Rich Harden, 1.69; Mark Mulder, 1.71; Hudson, 1.74; Kelvim Escobar, 1.84; Kevin Brown, 1.95; Hideo Nomo, 1.96; Andy Pettitte, 1.97. |
| WHIP: Colon, 0.632; Hudson, 0.710; Pettitte, 0.781; Jose Acevedo, 0.808; Hernandez, 0.857; Dontrelle Willis, 0.857; Matt Clement, 0.931; Odalis Perez, 0.931; Maddux, 0.958; Wakefield, 0.987. |
| Strikeouts: Oliver Perez, 35; Mulder, 31; Brandon Webb, 31; Harden, 30; Hernandez, 29; Pedro Martinez, 28; Curt Schilling, 28; Javier Vazquez, 28; Kerry Wood, 28; Josh Beckett, 27; Colon, 27. |
| T H E C O L D L I S T |
| The following are the 10 worst players in four major statistical categories the past three weeks (July 21-Aug. 10). Only players with 3.1 plate appearances per game qualify in batting average or slugging percentage, and only pitchers with one inning per game qualify in ERA or WHIP. |
| Batting average: Vance Wilson, .091; Alex Gonzalez (CHC), .098; Aaron Boone, .121; Shane Halter, .132; Jose Cruz Jr., .138; Geoff Blum, .150; Eddie Perez, .150; John McDonald, .151; Neifi Perez, .156; Mike Matheny, .159. |
| Slugging percentage: Halter, .132; Boone, .152; Cruz, .155; Gonzalez, .164; Brent Mayne, .167; McDonald, .170; Frank Catalanotto, .175; Shawn Wooten, .176; Eddie Perez, .200; Neifi Perez, .200. |
| ERA: Freddy Garcia, 11.57; Matt Roney, 10.13; Jimmy Haynes, 9.00; Wayne Franklin, 8.57; Aaron Heilman, 8.38; Jeremy Bonderman, 8.31; Joe Kennedy, 8.05; Wil Ledezma, 7.53; Joaquin Benoit, 7.41; Runelvys Hernandez, 7.40; Denny Stark, 7.40. |
| WHIP: Ledezma, 2.302; Haynes, 2.231; Garcia, 2.204; Heilman, 2.121; Bonderman, 2.019; Tomo Ohka, 2.015; Roney, 1.938; Franklin, 1.905; Nate Cornejo, 1.887; Brett Myers, 1.887. |
