Top 70 starters for Week 16
Fantasy owners have a full slate of games from which to cull their starting pitchers, but who makes the cut? Al Melchior advises in his look at the top 70 for Week 16.
Fantasy Week 16 (July 16-22) features a fairly full schedule, so there are plenty of two-start pitchers, but only 13 of them appear on this week's top 70. Most teams ran their best pitchers out this weekend, as managers had reset their rotations for the second half, and that leaves the back of most rotations to start the bulk of the games Monday and Tuesday this week.
If you are bound and determined to get some extra starts into your rotation, you can pass up on some of the lesser one-start options on this week's list, like Tim Hudson, Wandy Rodriguez, Jeff Samardzija and Franklin Morales in order to pick up a riskier two-start pitcher. Bronson Arroyo (ARI, MIL), Jason Vargas (@KC, @TB), Phil Hughes (TOR, @OAK), Ross Detwiler (NYM, ATL), Alex Cobb (CLE, SEA) and Josh Tomlin (@TB, BAL) all missed the cut for this week's list, but not by much.
If you're not happy with the one-start pitchers on your roster, you could also take a chance on a couple of potential one-start options who didn't make this week's rankings. Dan Haren is still on the disabled list with a stiff back, but he is on track to return next Sunday against the Rangers. Also, prospect Matt Harvey could get the call to fill the hole in the Mets' rotation left by Dillon Gee (shoulder). Even if we could be sure Harvey would get the start on Saturday against the Dodgers, his outing would best be viewed as an audition for future weeks, so we can get a chance to see how he adjusts to major league hitters.
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| Rank | Player | Start 1 | Start 2 | Stat of note |
| 1 | CC Sabathia | TOR (Cecil) | @OAK (Colon) | 31 Ks, 6 BBs over last 28 2/3 innings |
| Command is rarely an issue for Sabathia, but his has been especially strong over his last four starts. | ||||
| 2 | Matt Cain | @PHI (Hamels) | N/A | 3.28 road ERA |
| Cain's stats usually get a boost from his home starts, but it's not as if he has been ineffective on the road. | ||||
| 3 | David Price | CLE (Jimenez) | N/A | 0.99 WHIP over last five starts |
| Low walk and line drive rates have fueled Price's latest dominant run. | ||||
| 4 | Felix Hernandez | @KC (Hochevar) | N/A | 67 percent strikes thrown, last six starts |
| Hernandez has been hitting the strike zone consistently, and that has allowed him to rack up 56 strikeouts, but only six walks, over his last 45 innings. | ||||
| 5 | R.A. Dickey | @WAS (Gonzalez) | N/A | 78 percent quality start rate |
| Dickey has floundered in three of his last four starts, but he remains tied for sixth in the majors for the highest rate of quality starts. | ||||
| 6 | Stephen Strasburg | ATL (Hanson) | N/A | 1 HR allowed in 25 1/3 career innings vs. ATL |
| Atlanta has been able to work some walks (eight in 15 innings this year) against Strasburg, but Dan Uggla is the only Brave who has taken him out of the park. | ||||
| 7 | Roy Halladay | @LAD (Eovaldi) | N/A | 3.22 ERA through first nine starts |
| Halladay's near-4.00 ERA is well above his norm, but he was having a good season up until his final two starts before going on the disabled list with a right lat strain. | ||||
| 8 | Clayton Kershaw | PHI (Lee) | N/A | 56 Ks over last 45 1/3 innings |
| After being a little light on strikeouts earlier this year, Kershaw has had at least a K per inning in six of his last seven starts. | ||||
| 9 | Justin Verlander | CHW (Sale) | N/A | 39 innings pitched over last five starts |
| Ever since a rare string of starts in which Verlander failed to make it past the seventh inning, he has averaged nearly eight frames per outing. | ||||
| 10 | Johnny Cueto | ARI (Bauer) | MIL (Fiers) | Opponents' .242 SLG vs. righties |
| Cueto has been lights-out against right-handed hitters, and that makes both the Diamondbacks and the Brewers highly vulnerable this week. | ||||
| 11 | Lance Lynn | @MIL (Fiers) | CHC (Wood) | 65 percent strikes thrown, last four starts |
| Lynn has been hurt by walks lately, but that shouldn't last for long, as he continues to hit the strike zone with regularity. | ||||
| 12 | Zack Greinke | STL (Wainwright) | N/A | 59 percent strikes thrown, last two starts |
| In contrast to Lynn, command has been an issue for Greinke, but it's been over a small sample of innings and highly out of character. | ||||
| 13 | Madison Bumgarner | @ATL (Hudson) | N/A | Opponents' .245 SLG vs. lefties |
| Bumgarner could dominate the Braves, given that several of their key threats are lefty batters. | ||||
| 14 | Chris Sale | @DET (Verlander) | N/A | Nine percent popup rate |
| Between his ability to avoid contact and induce infield flies, Sale has been able to hold opposing hitters to a .198 average. | ||||
| 15 | Cliff Lee | @LAD (Kershaw) | N/A | 21 percent called strikes |
| Lee's whiff rate is down a percentage point from last year, but he continues to be one of the best pitchers in the game at freezing batters. | ||||
| 16 | Cole Hamels | SF (Cain) | N/A | 2.76 home ERA |
| Though Hamels has lost 11 points off his ground ball rate, he hasn't been hurt by extra-base hits in his starts at Citizens Bank Park. | ||||
| 17 | Jered Weaver | TEX (Holland) | N/A | 15 percent line drive rate since 2010 |
| Aside from the 2010 season, Weaver has been just an average strikeout pitcher, but his avoidance of line drives has done wonders for his ERA and WHIP. | ||||
| 18 | Johan Santana | LAD (Harang) | N/A | 3 HR allowed at CHC on July 6 |
| Santana's last start was a disaster, but when the wind is blowing out at Wrigley Field, it can be a tough day for anyone. He also got 16 swings and misses during that performance. | ||||
| 19 | Jonathon Niese | @WAS (Detwiler) | LAD (Capuano) | Career 3.42 ERA vs. WAS |
| Niese has fared well against the Nationals, and he allowed just two runs in 12 1/3 innings against them last year. Their offense has been only slightly more potent in 2012. | ||||
| 20 | Gio Gonzalez | NYM (Dickey) | N/A | Six straight starts of six innings or fewer |
| Gonzalez owns an elite-level strikeout rate, ERA and WHIP, but since he can't be relied upon to pitch deep into games, he won't always rank among the top weekly pitching options. | ||||
| 21 | Jake Peavy | @BOS (Morales) | N/A | Eight percent home run to flyball ratio |
| Peavy has coughed up six home runs -- and 11 earned runs -- over his last three starts, but it's merely evened out a HR/FB ratio that was suspiciously low earlier in the season. | ||||
| 22 | C.J. Wilson | @DET (Fister) | N/A | One start with more than 3 ER allowed |
| Wilson's stats aren't the flashiest, but his consistently solid performance makes him an easy pitcher to own and start every week. | ||||
| 23 | A.J. Burnett | MIA (Zambrano) | N/A | .357 BABIP, last three starts |
| Burnett's production has tailed off, but he hasn't been plagued by poor command or gopheritis, as apparent bad luck has slowed him down. | ||||
| 24 | James Shields | SEA (Iwakuma) | N/A | .377 BABIP, last eight starts |
| Shields has allowed more hits than innings pitched in seven of his last eight starts, but his skill stats have looked just fine over that span. | ||||
| 25 | Matt Moore | CLE (Tomlin) | SEA (Ramirez) | .123 Isolated Power at home |
| Moore has been very good at limiting extra-base hits at the Trop, and with a pair of good matchups there this week, he should produce. | ||||
| 26 | Colby Lewis | @OAK (Blackley) | N/A | Career 2.78 ERA at OAK |
| Lewis' strong flyball tendencies make him suspect in many venues, but O.co Coliseum isn't one of them. | ||||
| 27 | Yu Darvish | @LAA (Santana) | N/A | 1.29 WHIP vs. LAA |
| Too many walks have left Darvish with a bloated 1.39 WHIP, but he has managed a mark just below league average in his two starts against the Angels. | ||||
| 28 | Adam Wainwright | @MIL (Greinke) | N/A | 9 percent swinging strike rate, last seven starts |
| Wainwright's ERA has been north of 4.00 over the last six weeks, but he's actually been getting whiffs at a decent rate. | ||||
| 29 | Vance Worley | SF (Lincecum) | N/A | 5.3 runs of support per nine innings |
| Worley may rank just 76th in standard Head-to-Head scoring, but with a little more run support and better luck on balls in play (.214 flyball BABIP), he would likely be among the top 60. | ||||
| 30 | Chris Capuano | PHI (Blanton) | @NYM (Niese) | 1.0 HR/9 |
| Capuano has his lowest home run rate since he exhausted his rookie eligibility in 2004. His home run per flyball ratio is near his norm, but he has yet to allow a line drive homer this season. | ||||
| 31 | Ryan Dempster | @STL (Lohse) | N/A | 2.5 BB/9 |
| There are several stories behind Dempster's 33-inning scoreless streak, and one is the improved control that he has demonstrated all season. | ||||
| 32 | Yovani Gallardo | @CIN (Arroyo) | N/A | 4 HRs allowed in 48 2/3 career innings at CIN |
| Gallardo has had his issues with the gopher ball, so it's a little surprising that he has kept it in check at one of the NL's premier home run parks. | ||||
| 33 | Josh Johnson | @CHC (Samardzija) | N/A | 14 percent called strikes, last two starts |
| Johnson hasn't thrown many strikes his last two times out, so batters aren't getting fooled often. He should recover, but it's enough of a problem to earn Johnson a downgrade this week. | ||||
| 34 | Jordan Zimmermann | NYM (Young) | N/A | Allowed eight hits on flyballs in play |
| Zimmermann has helped himself out with a 29 percent flyball rate a 1.8 BB/9, but perhaps Bryce Harper's defense has also helped to keep his ERA and WHIP low. | ||||
| 35 | Jon Lester | CHW (Humber) | N/A | 68 percent strand rate |
| Lester has improved greatly as the season has progressed, but he continues to have a hard time stranding runners -- a trend that could easily reverse itself at any time. | ||||
| 36 | Justin Masterson | @TB (Hellickson) | N/A | 6.7 innings per start, last 15 starts |
| Back in April, Masterson had a few early exits, but he has failed to pitch six innings or more just once since then. | ||||
| 37 | Anibal Sanchez | @CHC (Wood) | @PIT (Karstens) | 22 percent line drive rate, last seven starts |
| Sanchez is still a must-start in a two-start week, but because he has been more hittable of late, he ranks lower than he normally would. | ||||
| 38 | Tommy Hanson | @WAS (Strasburg) | N/A | 58 percent strand rate in July (per Fangraphs.com) |
| Hanson's skill indicators over his last three starts look solid, but he has had a hard time stranding the runners he has let on base, which is not normally a problem for him. | ||||
| 39 | James McDonald | @COL (Guthrie) | N/A | 10 BBs over last 18 2/3 innings |
| A start at Coors Field is scary for any pitcher, but the re-emergence of some wildness for McDonald makes this start a little more worrisome still. | ||||
| 40 | Matt Garza | @STL (Westbrook) | N/A | 15 percent home run per flyball ratio |
| Garza's problems with home runs should abate at some point, and he could get a break this week with a start at one of the majors' best pitcher's parks. | ||||
| 41 | Wade Miley | @CIN (Arroyo) | HOU (Happ) | 15 straight starts with 2 BBs or fewer |
| Miley's first start will be a tough assignment, but owners can count on him to limit the damage by avoiding free passes. | ||||
| 42 | Trevor Bauer | @CIN (Cueto) | HOU (Lyles) | Threw 60 of 96 pitches for strikes vs. LAD on July 8 |
| After struggling mightily with command in his first two starts, Bauer showed great improvement in his most recent turn in the rotation. | ||||
| 43 | Ryan Vogelsong | @ATL (Minor) | N/A | 1.97 ERA since May 3 |
| Vogelsong has not started a game in a hitter's park since April, and though Turner Field is merely neutral, it will be his toughest venue since visiting Cincinnati in his third start of the year. | ||||
| 44 | Matt Harrison | @LAA (Haren) | N/A | Opponents' .244 Avg in away games |
| Harrison has been good at preventing extra bases wherever he pitches, but he has been better at preventing hits in general when he pitches away from Texas. | ||||
| 45 | Clay Buchholz | TOR (Laffey) | N/A | 16 percent line drive rate since May |
| Over the last few seasons, Buchholz has compensated for a mediocre strikeout rate by allowing hard liners at a low rate, and he has rediscovered that formula after a rough first month. | ||||
| 46 | Jeremy Hellickson | CLE (Masterson) | N/A | 3.12 home ERA |
| Hellickson has been giving up plenty of extra-base hits, but his slugging percentage is 53 points lower at Tropicana Field than at other venues. | ||||
| 47 | Ian Kennedy | @CIN (Latos) | N/A | 28 Ks over last 37 innings |
| Kennedy hasn't been bad enough long enough to deserve a benching, but his strikeouts are down, and it's a trend worth following for future weeks. | ||||
| 48 | Scott Diamond | BAL (Tillman) | @KC (Sanchez) | 3.75 xFIP |
| Diamond probably won't maintain his 82 percent strand rate, but his xFIP suggests that a regression won't render him useless for standard mixed leagues, especially in good two-start weeks like this one. | ||||
| 49 | Roy Oswalt | @OAK (Colon) | N/A | 23 Ks, 7 BBs in 29 innings |
| Oswalt's performance has been uneven so far, but a good strikeout-to-walk ratio could bode well for his future outings. | ||||
| 50 | Mat Latos | ARI (Kennedy) | N/A | 1.23 ground ball-to-flyball ratio, last four starts |
| Latos' recent success has been helped by more frequent grounders, but only time will tell if he can keep it up. | ||||
| 51 | Travis Wood | MIA (Sanchez) | @STL (Lynn) | 2 HRs allowed over last 45 1/3 innings |
| Wood has moderated his strong flyball tendencies, and that has helped him to compile a 1.99 ERA over his last seven starts. | ||||
| 52 | Kyle Lohse | CHC (Dempster) | N/A | Eight consecutive quality starts |
| Starting Lohse means sacrificing strikeouts, but his superb control means that owners will improve in ERA, WHIP and innings. | ||||
| 53 | Ivan Nova | @OAK (Milone) | N/A | 3.36 road ERA |
| Nova has only recently started to perform well at Yankee Stadium, but he has been mostly reliable in his road starts. | ||||
| 54 | Edwin Jackson | @MIA (Zambrano) | ATL (Sheets) | 63 percent quality start rate |
| Jackson has earned his reputation for inconsistency, but this year he has been better at avoiding meltdowns. | ||||
| 55 | Michael Fiers | STL (Lynn) | @CIN (Cueto) | 34 percent ground ball rate |
| In another week, Fiers would rank much higher with two starts, but his high flyball and line drive rates could get him into trouble, especially at Cincinnati. | ||||
| 56 | Ben Sheets | @WAS (Jackson) | N/A | 1 BB in 10 2/3 innings at Double-A |
| It's a risk to assume that Sheets will be the same pitcher he was back when he was a Brewer, but in his two minor league starts, he still had his sharp control. | ||||
| 57 | Clayton Richard | HOU (Rodriguez) | N/A | Opponents' .269 OBP over last 12 starts |
| Richard's improved control and stronger ground ball tendencies have made it difficult for hitters to reach base against him over the past two months. | ||||
| 58 | Hiroki Kuroda | TOR (Romero) | N/A | 6.9 innings per start over last nine starts |
| Kuroda has been hit hard in his last two starts, but that's been the exception recently, as he has worked efficiently and gone deep into games. | ||||
| 59 | Francisco Liriano | BAL (Matusz) | N/A | 30 swinging strikes vs. OAK on Fri. |
| When you can get one of the most selective lineups in the majors to whiff 30 times in a game, you're doing something right. | ||||
| 60 | Josh Beckett | TOR (Villanueva) | N/A | 5.23 ERA vs. TOR since 2010 |
| Beckett could always turn in a stellar start, but between his recent erratic performance and poor history against the Blue Jays, he is more of a low-end option in standard mixed leagues this week. | ||||
| 61 | Derek Holland | @LAA (Weaver) | N/A | 43 percent ground ball rate, last two starts |
| Holland has looked better since coming off the disabled list, and an upturn in his ground ball rate has been part of his success. | ||||
| 62 | Mark Buehrle | @CHC (Maholm) | N/A | 22 percent called strike rate, last four starts |
| Mark Buehrle, strikeout artist? He's recorded seven strikeouts or more in four straight starts, getting batters to look at strikes at an unusually high rate. | ||||
| 63 | Doug Fister | LAA (Wilson) | N/A | .350 BABIP |
| Like Buehrle, Fister has been on a surprising strikeout binge, but batters have been inflicting damage when they have connected. | ||||
| 64 | Mike Leake | ARI (Saunders) | N/A | 3.95 xFIP |
| Leake's peripherals for this season are very similar to last year's, and his xFIP is 0.01 lower than his ERA, so what you see in his current stat line is what you get. | ||||
| 65 | Edinson Volquez | HOU (Harrell) | N/A | 1.27 home WHIP |
| When away from PETCO Park, Volquez has been a menace to a Fantasy team's WHIP, but at home, he's actually been a little better than league average. | ||||
| 66 | Max Scherzer | LAA (Williams) | N/A | 2.81 ERA over last five starts |
| As Saturday's start at Baltimore showed, Scherzer can still be erratic, but a reduced walk rate (6 BBs over last 32 innings) has made him more reliable. | ||||
| 67 | Tim Hudson | SF (Bumgarner) | N/A | 68 percent strand rate |
| Hudson's 3.80 ERA might look like a cause for worry, but an unusually-low strand rate has been the main cause of his woes, and it could easily reverse itself. | ||||
| 68 | Wandy Rodriguez | @SD (Richard) | N/A | 3 HRs allowed over last 43 1/3 innings |
| Ever since a three-game stretch in which he allowed seven homers, Rodriguez has been more reliable, and he should extend the trend with a start at PETCO Park. | ||||
| 69 | Jeff Samardzija | MIA (Johnson) | N/A | 14 percent swinging strike rate, last two starts |
| After a disappointing June during which Samardzija saw his whiff rate plummet, he has rediscovered his early-season form in July. | ||||
| 70 | Franklin Morales | CHW (Peavy) | N/A | 10.6 K/9 as a starter |
| Pitching in longer stretches hasn't hurt Morales' K-rate; in fact, it has increased by more than a third. | ||||
Stay in touch with the most passionate Fantasy staff in the business by following us on Twitter @CBSFantasyBB or Al Melchior at @almelccbs . You can also e-mail us at fantasybaseball@cbsinteractive.com .















