We’re almost into mid-September, which means the fantasy season is growing a little long in the tooth. It’s a stressful time for those of us still alive in H2H land — the fantasy baseball playoffs can be a depleting time for both your liquor cabinet and your liver functionality. It doesn’t help, then, that this is the time of the year when managers — especially those of teams out of contention — like to mess around with their starting rotations. I don’t blame them; it makes perfect developmental sense for the White Sox, or any other team, to move to a six-man rotation in order to see what they have in arms like Andre Rienzo or Erik Johnson. But as a weekly leaguer, this sort of rotation shuffling can be maddening if you’re trying to gauge the two-start landscape. This is all to say that now, more than ever, it’s imperative that you check and re-check the probable pitchers prior to locking your weekly lineup. Good luck in the playoffs, my friends.
As always, probable pitchers are subject to change. For a look at all fantasy baseball streamers, click that link.
MUST START
Chris Sale (DET, CLE); Max Scherzer (@CHW, KC); Jordan Zimmermann (@NYM, PHI); Francisco Liriano (@TEX, CHC); Ervin Santana (@CLE, @DET); Jered Weaver (@MIN, @HOU)
- Start ’em if you got ’em.
FIRST TIER
Chris Tillman (NYY, @TOR); Gio Gonzalez (@NYM, PHI); Carlos Torres (WAS, MIA); Ricky Nolasco (ARI, SF); Jhoulys Chacin (@SF, @ARI); Jarrod Parker (@MIN, @TEX); Ivan Nova (@BAL, @BOS); Kris Medlen (@MIA, SD); Hyun-Jin Ryu (ARI, SF); Dillon Gee (WAS, MIA)
- The Mets draw home series versus Washington and Miami the coming week, and I’m not shying away from using either Dillon Gee (31% owned in Y! leagues) or Carlos Torres (4%). Gee, in particular, has been a steady option for two months now, and is grossly under-owned. Both pitchers bring upside in the whiff department, and both should be utilized in your H2H playoffs. In shallower formats, you might be able to get your hands on either Ivan Nova (50%) or Jhoulys Chacin (53%), but the rest of this group is likely rostered already.
SECOND TIER
Ubaldo Jimenez (KC, @CHW); Gerrit Cole (@TEX, CHC); Randall Delgado (@LAD, COL); Zach McAllister (KC, @CHW); Shelby Miller (MIL, SEA); Bronson Arroyo (CHC, @MIL); Ryan Vogelsong (COL, @LAD); Martin Perez (PIT, OAK)
- It wasn’t long ago that Shelby Miller was a mainstay in the must start tier. His performance has been waning for some time now, and at this point of the year, I think he’s probably too inconsistent to be trusted in most categories formats. He’s still a good play in points leagues, and obviously, the upside is too big for tier three or below. Also bringing significant upside to this group is Gerrit Cole (43%), who continues to turn in quality outings — Cole has posted a 19/4 K/BB through his last four turns. Other streamers I’m okay with using this week: Randall Delgado (7%), Zach McAllister (12%), Ubaldo Jimenez (26%), Martin Perez (30%), Ryan Vogelsong (34%), and Bronson Arroyo (58%).
THIRD TIER
Edwin Jackson (@CIN, @PIT); Todd Redmond (LAA, BAL); Travis Wood (@CIN, @PIT); Tim Lincecum (COL, @LAD); CC Sabathia (@BAL, @BOS); Ryan Dempster (@TB, NYY); Jeremy Hellickson (BOS, @MIN); Jerome Williams (@TOR, @HOU)
- If you’re scrounging for two-starters then that means you’re in either the semis or the quarter finals of your H2H playoffs, in which case, why are you still reading this? You seriously should’ve stopped reading after tier two. In such a crucial week, it’s not worth dipping this deep into the two-start pool, and it is of vital importance that you turn around, find somebody from tier one or tier two, and forget I ever listed anyone beneath.
DON’T START
Ethan Martin (SD, @WAS); Pedro Hernandez (LAA, TB); Liam Hendriks (OAK, TB); Henderson Alvarez (ATL, @NYM)
- Please refer to third tier notes.
