We go around baseball's pitching staffs and Fantasy's two-start pitcher options every Sunday of the season in the weekly Pitching Planner.
A special note for Fantasy Week 4 (April 21-27): The Red Sox play the Texas Rangers on Patriots Day on Monday at 11:05 a.m. ET, so make sure your Fantasy lineup is earlier than normal this week.
Staff reflections
Arizona Diamondbacks: Micah Owings and Brandon Webb are both two-start pitchers in a seven-game week. Owings is advisable, while Webb is a must-start every week. ... Dan Haren, Edgar G. Gonzalez and Randy Johnson follow as one-start pitchers. ... Watch the health of Johnson closely, or the stability of Gonzalez, because elite pitching prospect Max Scherzer is on some kind of roll in Triple-A: three starts, 17 innings, no earned runs, 29 strikeouts and just three walks. Scherzer hits mid-90s on the gun and has fanned 11 batters in each of his past two starts, the latest one just five innings. He is a filthy talent on the verge of a call-up with an elite contender.
Atlanta Braves: Tim Hudson and John Smoltz are must-start, two-start pitchers in all Fantasy leagues. ... Jeff Bennett has earned himself a rotation look and is a viable addition in deeper NL-only leagues. ... James was solid in his recent start and is an option in deeper formats, too. We like James a few ticks better than the journeyman Bennett. ... If Jair Jurrjens is available in your league, give him a look. The Braves need the rookie full-go in their rotation now and he is a nice prospect. ... Mike Hampton (pectoral) is nearly ready for a rehab assignment, but he won't be useful until May at this point. ... Tom Glavine (hamstring) will need a few weeks on the DL, so keep him stashed, too.
Baltimore Orioles: Adam Loewen is a two-start pitcher option for deeper leagues. Long term, he should develop into a Fantasy ace, but he is still trying to regain command after missing almost all of last season. ... Back-end starters Steve Trachsel and Brian Burres will have to contend with the likes of Garrett Olson, Radhames Liz and Hayden Penn at some point before June.
Boston Red Sox: Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett are two-start pitchers. Beckett is a must-start in all leagues regardless, while Buchholz is an advisable option in most formats this week. ... Bartolo Colon (shoulder) remains on the Triple-A DL, so Buchholz's rotation spot is not in jeopardy.
Chicago Cubs: Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly are two-start pitchers in the seven-game week. Zambrano is a must-start in all leagues regardless, while Lilly is useful in deeper formats. ... Rich Hill, Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster follow in the rotation.
Chicago White Sox: Jose Contreras is a questionable two-start pitcher option best left for deeper Fantasy leagues. ... Javier Vazquez, Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle and John Danks all follow on turn.
Cincinnati Reds: Matt Belisle (shoulder, 15-day DL) comes off to replace Josh Fogg in the rotation for a two-start week. He is a risky option best left for the deepest of leagues. ... Edinson Volquez is also a two-start pitcher, one advisable in most formats. ... Homer Bailey (3-1, 1.03) is scorching hot in Triple-A and will be an option to replace Belisle if the Reds' No. 5 starter falters in his return from the DL. Bailey is a flier to take early.
Cleveland Indians: Struggling C.C. Sabathia is much less of a must-start, two-start pitcher amid his struggles. He will come around at some point and we say run him out there in hopes it happens for him this week. The free-agent-to-be still should be expected to have a big year and pitch well as long as he is healthy. ... Red-hot Cliff Lee has been a popular man off the waiver wire. The streaky lefty has a great matchup at Kansas City vs. Brian Bannister, so use him in any league this week.
Colorado Rockies: Mark Redman and Jeff Francis are two-start pitchers in a seven-game week. Redman is a risky option, while Francis is at least an advisable one. Francis kicked his slump last time out.
Detroit Tigers: Armando Galarraga was surprisingly effective in his first start and is a two-start sleeper this week for deeper leagues. ... Justin Verlander, despite his slump, is a must-start, two-start pitcher. ... Dontrelle Willis (knee) won't be a candidate to return until at least May at this point. Keep him reserved.
Florida Marlins: Mark Hendrickson and Ricky Nolasco are questionable to high-risk two-start pitchers in a seven-game week. The pitchers are not great on their own merits and the Marlins don't figure to give them much of a chance to win for you. ... Burke Badenhop has struggled as the No. 5 starter, which makes top prospect Chris Volstad (2-0, 3.38) someone to watch in Double-A. The Marlins clearly think Volstad will be pitching in the majors this year, because he appears in the team's game program at the ballpark. Badenhop got the first look, but he is blowing his opportunity. Volstad is the better prospect and will be intriguing for far more Fantasy leagues once he arrives.
Houston Astros: Roy Oswalt is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all Fantasy leagues after kicking his slump last time out. ... Brandon Backe is a questionable two-start option for deeper leagues. ... Struggling Chris Sampson, soon-to-be-called Jack Cassel and Shawn Chacon follow with a start apiece this week. ... Wandy Rodriguez (groin) was placed on the 15-day DL and will be out for at least three weeks. Cassel is nothing more than a deeper NL-only option right now. ... One-time pitching prospect Fernando Nieve was passed up in favor of Cassel.
Kansas City Royals: Gil Meche is the team's lone two-start pitcher, an advisable one for deeper leagues. ... Luke Hochevar makes his rotation debut Sunday and is a top pitching prospect worth watching for any Fantasy format. Take the flier now just in case he is ready to hit it big.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Jered Weaver is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all leagues. ... John Lackey (biceps) makes a Class A rehab start Thursday and could be a candidate to return to the rotation in Fantasy Week 5 (April 28-May 4) -- perhaps as a two-start pitcher. ... Dustin Moseley will be demoted to the bullpen when Lackey is ready. ... Once Moseley (1-1, 7.80) is sent to relief, it will likely be for the long term. Elite prospect Nick Adenhart (2-0, 1.59 in Triple-A) would assume the role as the defacto sixth starter.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Brad Penny is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all leagues, while new No. 5 starter Hong-Chih Kuo is a risky one best left for the deepest of leagues, especially with the matchups against two potent offensive teams (Reds and Rockies). ... Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and rookie import Hiroki Kuroda will each make one start apiece in the seven-game week.
Milwaukee Brewers: Just when we thought we could trust Ben Sheets (triceps) he goes and disappoints us. The Brewers have six starters with the return of Yovani Gallardo (knee) on Sunday, so Sheets could easily be held out of the rotation this week. Reserve Sheets in all but the deepest of leagues this week. Sheet could be held out until an April 29 start at the Cubs. ... Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra are questionable two-start options to open the week, especially since one of the them could lose their second start in favor of a return by Sheets. ... The Probable Pitchers report on MLB.com lists the next four Brewers starters as: Villanueva, Parra, Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan. ... Bush will be pitching for his rotation spot along with Villanueva and Parra for yet another turn.
Minnesota Twins: Livan Hernandez is a two-start pitcher best left for deeper leagues, albeit with two winnable matchups at Oakland and Texas. ... Don't give up too early on Francisco Liriano. He is still in the building up phase of his rehabilitation and not sticking with him right now would be selling low on him.
New York Mets: John Maine is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all Fantasy leagues. We keep saying it: Maine has the best arm on the Mets staff -- a 27-year-old, third-year starting pitcher breakout who should be trusted in all leagues despite a so-so start. ... Nelson Figueroa has been dynamite in his two starts and is a two-start pitcher for deeper leagues. The top contender he pitches for can make him an option for any format if he keeps this up. ... Pedro Martinez (hamstring) said he hopes to be ready to return sooner rather than later, but the Mets will be cautious with him, especially with Figueroa filling in so nicely. ... Mike Pelfrey gets another chance to impress in a tough matchup Sunday night in Philly. If he handles that, own Pelfrey in all Fantasy leagues. A big-time talent with a big-time opportunity before him. Buy now. ... Johan Santana and Oliver Perez are must-starts as one-start pitchers even.
New York Yankees: Chien-Ming Wang is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all Fantasy leagues. ... Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Andy Pettitte follow as one-start options. ... The young pitching, Hughes (0-3, 8.82) and Kennedy (0-2, 9.64) is taking its lumps of late, but the most over-owned relief pitcher in all of CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball -- Joba Chamberlain -- is no closer to being a starter. The Yankees will give Hughes and Kennedy a long leash and Kei Igawa (2-2, 2.49 in Triple-A) is the more likely No. 1 replacement option. Consider stashing Igawa in deeper AL-only leagues at this point. He will get starts before Chamberlain and is owned in a remarkable 81 percent fewer Fantasy leagues. Igawa is a great flier in deeper AL-only formats right now amid the struggles of Kennedy specifically.
Oakland Athletics: Joe Blanton is an advisable two-start pitcher in all leagues. ... He will be followed by Chad Gaudin, Greg Smith, Dana Eveland and perhaps Lenny DiNardo as one-start pitchers. ... Justin Duchscherer (biceps) might make a Triple-A rehab start Monday and could be a candidate to replace DiNardo in the rotation Saturday at Seattle. Use Duchscherer or DiNardo only out of necessity in the deepest of AL formats ... Rich Harden (shoulder) could be near a return, but don't consider him a candidate to start this week. Track his progress. ... Smith will be a tough guy to pull once Duchscherer and Harden are healthy, but how soon will that happen, if ever.
Philadelphia Phillies: Kyle Kendrick and Brett Myers are two-start pitchers. Myers is a must-start option, while Kendrick is a risky one, especially since he is working at Colorado in his first start. ... Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton follow.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Matt Morris and Paul Maholm are two-start pitchers, but Maholm is only mildly intriguing for deeper leagues. Morris is a highly risky option. ... Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny and Zach Duke follow with one start apiece in the seven-game week.
San Diego Padres: Justin Germano and Jake Peavy are two-start pitchers. Peavy is a must-start in all leagues every week regardless. Germano is advisable only in deeper formats at this point. ... Greg Maddux, Chris Young and Randy Wolf follow for one start apiece in the seven-game week.
San Francisco Giants: Kevin Correia and Barry Zito are two-start pitchers best left for deeper leagues. ... Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez follow for one start apiece in the seven-game week. ... Noah Lowry (wrist) won't be ready for a couple more weeks at this point. ... Sanchez or Correia will be pitching for their rotation spot.
Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all leagues. Start him regardless in all formats every week right now. ... R.A. Dickey will be the No. 5 starter over Cha Seung Baek right now. The knuckleballer who doesn't have an ulnar collateral ligament is nothing more than a high-risk option for the deepest of AL-only leagues. ... Carlos Silva, Dickey, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista are one-start pitchers in a six-game week. ... Erik Bedard (15-day DL, hip) won't be an option to use in any Fantasy leagues this week.
St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright is a must-start, two-start pitcher in all leagues. ... Kyle Lohse is a streaky option as a two-start pitcher for deeper formats. ... Mark Mulder (shoulder) was solid in his first rehab start, but he will need a couple more weeks at this point. ... Reliever-turned-starters Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro and Braden Looper will be pitching for their rotation spot until Mulder can return. ... Matt Clement (shoulder) is further behind and Chris Carpenter (elbow) isn't a candidate until late summer.
Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields is an advisable two-start pitcher. ... The return of Matt Garza (elbow) to open the weekend Boston series, forced Jeff Niemann back to the minors. Scott Kazmir (elbow) might return May 3 and will have Jason Hammel, Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson pitching for their rotation spots. ... Sonnanstine appears safe after his gem Saturday. ... Hammel might be the odd man out after his start Wednesday vs. Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays. ... Don't use Kazmir until at least Fantasy Week 5 (April 28-May 4) in any Fantasy leagues, while Garza is a risky starting lineup returnee because of his matchup.
Texas Rangers: Kason Gabbard and Vicente Padilla are two-start pitchers best left for deeper leagues. ... Luis Mendoza, Jason Jennings and Kevin Millwood follow with one start apiece in the seven-game week.
Toronto Blue Jays: Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch are two-start pitchers advisable in deeper leagues. ... Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and A.J. Burnett follow for one start apiece in a seven-game week.
Washington Nationals: Matt Chico and John Lannan are two-start pitchers best left for the deepest of leaguers. ... Lannan is coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts and is a decent prospect who could be full-go in the Nationals' suspect rotation. ... Shawn Hill is back to take regular turns, among the likes of Tim Redding and Odalis Perez. ... All Nats starters are risky options, but at least Hill and Lannan have some measure of long-term potential.
Fantasy Week 4 (April 21-27)
| This week's two-start pitchers | ||
| Must-start options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Jake Peavy | at HOU Backe | vs ARI Webb |
| Brandon Webb | vs SF Zito | at SD Peavy |
| Felix Hernandez | vs BAL Loewen | vs OAK Blanton |
| Josh Beckett | vs LAA Weaver | at TB Shields |
| Carlos Zambrano | vs NYM Maine | at WAS Chico |
| Brad Penny | at CIN Belisle | vs COL Redman |
| John Maine | at CHC Zambrano | vs ATL Hudson |
| John Smoltz | vs WAS Lannan | at NYM Figueroa |
| Tim Hudson | vs WAS Chico | at NYM Maine |
| Adam Wainwright | at MIL Villanueva | vs HOU Oswalt |
| Chien-Ming Wang | at CHW Contreras | at CLE Sabathia |
| Roy Oswalt | vs SD Germano | at STL Wainwright |
| Brett Myers | at COL Francis | at PIT Maholm |
| Jered Weaver | at BOS Beckett | at DET Verlander |
| Adisable options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Justin Verlander | vs TEX Padilla | vs LAA Weaver |
| C.C. Sabathia | at KC Meche | vs NYY Wang |
| Shaun Marcum | vs DET Galarraga | at KC Hochevar |
| Micah Owings | vs SF Correia | at SD Germano |
| James Shields | vs TOR Litsch | vs BOS Beckett |
| Edinson Volquez | vs LAD Kuo | at SF Zito |
| Joe Blanton | vs MIN Hernandez | at SEA Hernandez |
| Jeff Francis | vs PHI Myers | at LAD Kuo |
| Clay Buchholz | vs TEX Gabbard | at TB Jackson |
| Ted Lilly | vs NYM Figueroa | at WAS Lannan |
| Gil Meche | vs CLE Sabathia | vs TOR Litsch |
| Questionable options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Livan Hernandez | at OAK Blanton | at TEX Padilla |
| Barry Zito | at ARI Webb | vs CIN Volquez |
| Kyle Lohse | at MIL Parra | vs HOU Backe |
| Mark Hendrickson | at PIT Morris | at MIL Villanueva |
| Manny Parra? | vs STL Lohse | vs FLA Nolasco |
| Justin Germano | at HOU Oswalt | vs ARI Owings |
| Armando Galarraga | at TOR Marcum | vs LAA Moseley |
| Carlos Villanueva? | vs STL Wainwright | vs FLA Hendrickson |
| Kyle Kendrick | at COL Redman | at PIT Morris |
| Nelson Figueroa | at CHC Lilly | vs ATL Smoltz |
| Jose A. Contreras | vs NYY Wang | vs BAL Loewen |
| Kevin Correia | at ARI Owings | vs CIN Belisle |
| Jesse Litsch | at TB Shields | at KC Meche |
| Paul Maholm | vs FLA Nolasco | vs PHI Myers |
| Adam Loewen | at SEA Hernandez | at CHW Contreras |
| John Lannan | at ATL Smoltz | vs CHC Lilly |
| High-risk options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Kason Gabbard | at BOS Buchholz | vs MIN Baker |
| Vicente Padilla | at DET Verlander | vs MIN Hernandez |
| Brandon Backe | vs SD Peavy | at STL Lohse |
| Hong-Chih Kuo | at CIN Volquez | vs COL Francis |
| Matt Morris | vs FLA Hendrickson | vs PHI Kendrick |
| Matt Chico | at ATL Hudson | vs CHC Zambrano |
| Ricky Nolasco | at PIT Maholm | at MIL Parra |
| Matt Belisle | vs LAD Penny | at SF Correia |
| Mark Redman | vs PHI Kendrick | at LAD Penny |
Pitch a question
Neal: I enjoy your planner each week as it is very informative. Could you maybe list the potential starters by day for the week, or do you know of a site I can check it each week?
Emack: If you play on CBSSports.com's Fantasy site, place this portion in the URL after your league homepage: /features/probable-pitchers/weekly. If you are not a player on our website, boo! And use this URL: http://cbssports.com/mlb/probable-pitchers.
Ernest: Roy Oswalt has not started out how I, or anyone else thought he would. He has been struggling a bit. I have him on the bench this week and I also have pretty strong pitching. I was wondering if you thought Oswalt would start producing wins and pitching like he has in previous years? Should I maybe start him next week instead of Greg Maddux?
Emack: Oops. You sat Oswalt and he had his best outing. Precisely the reason we say you start Sabathia and Verlander this week. Oswalt is a must-start, two-start pitcher. You drafted him early for a reason. Don't let a couple of bad outings change your mind early in the year.
Bob Peterson. North Brunswick, N.J.: I'd like to stash a pitcher and have a spot to do it. Of these three -- Franklin Morales, Gavin Floyd and Jeff Niemann -- who stands to produce the best stats for this year and is worthy of picking up for a 5x5 Rotisserie league?
Emack: Morales has the highest ceiling and since you are stashing someone and not having to trust him every week, go with him. Morales, Floyd and Niemann in that order, we say.
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBasebal l@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Mock Draft in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.
