There are no doubleheaders next week. As a result, the maximum number of games played by any team is seven. There are 10 teams playing the maximum number of seven games in the 14th week of the fantasy season. At the other end of the spectrum, there are four teams with only five games.

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Notable Matchups

Cubs vs. Tigers (2), vs. Reds (3)
The Cubs are one of the four teams with just a five-game week next week. They’ll host the Tigers for a couple before hosting the Reds for a three-game series. They’ve been a bit better at home than on the road with a .323 wOBA on the road and .328 wOBA at home, per FanGraphs.

Mets @ Blue Jays (2), vs. Rays (3)
No team is posting a worse wOBA (.280) at home than the Mets, which is bad news for their final three games of next week. They will get a boost playing a couple games in an American League ballpark in Toronto, though. Overall, the small number of games, their struggles at home, and ho-hum pitching matchups make next week a poor one for Mets hitters.

Athletics vs. Padres (2), @ Indians (3)
Like the two aforementioned teams, the A’s play only five games next week. They open up the week with a pair of lefties before facing three righties. Two of the right-handed pitchers they draw, Mike Clevinger and Corey Kluber, are a handful and will pose a problem for the A’s bats. On the plus side, they’ll get a run-scoring environment boost at Progressive Field. With two southpaws and a pair of tough right-handed pitching matchups on tap, it’s not crazy to sit Matt Olson in leagues with weekly lineup changes if you have a solid alternative. Olson’s just a .233/.311/.404 hitter in 164 plate appearances against southpaws in his career, and he hasn’t lit the world on fire slashing .258/.324/.392 against them this season.

Phillies vs. Orioles (2), @ Pirates (3)
The Phillies round out the short-game week clubs. They’re home for just two of the five games, and that’s not ideal. Philadelphia has a .318 wOBA at home, but that mark plummets to a .302 wOBA on the road.

Orioles @ Phillies (2), @ Twins (4)
The O’s are Philadelphia’s opponent for the Phillies two games at home next week, and that means Baltimore will be without the services of a designated hitter for a pair of games. Additionally, Baltimore’s offense takes a hit by playing all six games on the road. The Orioles haven’t exactly been a juggernaut at home with a .305 wOBA, but they’re 29th in road wOBA at .280.

Red Sox @ Nationals (3), @ Royals (3)
The Red Sox will hit the road for all six of their games next week. Three will be in Washington, so they won’t be utilizing a designated hitter for that series. Making matters worse, they draw Max Scherzer for the first game of the three-game series. That’s the only tough pitching matchup that week, though, and they’ll see right-handed starting pitchers exclusively.

Rockies vs. Giants (3), @ Mariners (3)
After a couple weeks of all or nothing for the Rockies in regards to games at their hitter’s paradise, they split next week’s contests three and three between at home and on the road. For their road series, they’ll get the benefit of being able to utilize a designated hitter in Seattle, enhancing the overall outlook for Colorado’s offense next week.

Dodgers vs. Pirates (3), @ Angels (3)
The Dodgers offense has settled into a groove, and over the last 30 days, they rank tied for third in wOBA (.345 wOBA). The offense will get an extra boost with the services of a designated hitter for a three-game series against the Angels. At least two of the three games at the Angels will be against southpaws, making Austin Barnes a solid streamer in two-catcher leagues as well as in deeper single-catcher formats.

Padres @ Athletics (2), @ Diamondbacks (4)
The Friars will be able to use a designated hitter for two games in Oakland before squaring off with an NL West foe for four games in Arizona. The handedness split of pitchers is four righties and two lefties, which is noteworthy since the Padres platoon a few useful players against their preferred handedness of pitching opponent.

Rays @ Marlins (3), @ Mets (3)
Tampa Bay will go the entire week without a designated hitter with a pair of three-game series in the National League. In addition to their offense getting dinged for being without a DH next week, it also gets knocked down a few pegs for playing in two of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the Bigs. Citi Field has the fifth lowest park factor for runs, and Marlins Park has the second lowest park factor for runs. Toss in a matchup with Jacob deGrom, and it’s a rough week ahead for Tampa Bay’s offense.

Braves @ Yankees (3), @ Brewers (4)
While Tampa Bay gets dinged for their two road series next week, Atlanta’s offense gets a shot in the arm for their two road series. They’ll be able to use a DH for three games at hitter-friendly, homer-friendly Yankee Stadium before playing a four-game set at another hitter-friendly, homer-friendly ballpark, Miller Park. The Braves aren’t shy about using either Tyler Flowers or Kurt Suzuki to DH, so the duo gets a bump in value next week.

White Sox @ Reds (3), @ Astros (4)
The Pale Hose lineup will feature a pitcher for their three games at homer-friendly Great American Ball Park, then they’ll face a murderer’s row of pitchers in the toughest run-scoring ballpark in the Bigs for four games in Houston. The White Sox are a group of hitters to avoid next week, including Yoan Moncada in some standard leagues and shallower formats.

Tigers @ Blue Jays (1), @ Cubs (2), vs. Rangers (4)
The Tigers will play seven games in three cities next week. Two of those games will be in an NL park, so you know the drill. The pitching matchups are mostly favorable for Detroit’s bats next week.

Twins @ Brewers (3), vs. Orioles (4)
Three games at Miller Park to start next week means the Twins will have to sit one of Joe Mauer or Logan Morrison. Both have been largely fantasy irrelevant this year, but Morrison’s expected stats based on his batted-ball data at Baseball Savant suggests he’s been extremely unlucky. It could take him a little longer to regress positively if he rides the pine in Milwaukee, though.

Giants @ Rockies (3), vs. Cardinals (4)
The Giants offense is treated to a massive park-factor upgrade for their three games in Colorado before returning home for four games. However, as I’ve previously pointed out this year, don’t sleep on the Giants at home. San Francisco ranks fifth in wOBA (.329) at home this year.

Hitter Notes

Kris Bryant (CHC)
Bryant hit the disabled list Tuesday with shoulder inflammation, but the move was retroactive to Saturday. Furthermore, he is reportedly hopeful he’ll be back when first eligible next week. Gamers who have him on their rosters in leagues with weekly lineup changes will want to closely monitor the situation over the weekend for updates.

Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
Ohtani’s name is included in the Hitter Notes section because it appears that’s the capacity he’ll return in soonest. In the linked article by Matt Kelly of MLB.com, general manager Billy Eppler is quoted as saying, “[Our doctors] have said from the outset that if he was solely a DH, he would have been cleared right away.” The Angels, however, are hopeful that the stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma injections for Ohtani’s Grade 2 sprain of the UCL will allow him to also pitch again at some point this year. Ohtani should continue to be stashed in a disabled list spot.

Gary Sanchez (NYY)
Sanchez is on the disabled list as of Monday with a groin injury. The expectation is that he’ll miss three to four weeks.

Josh Donaldson (TOR)
This season is quickly turning into a lost one for Donaldson. He suffered a setback with his calf injury and will be evaluated again in three weeks.

Jorge Bonifacio (KC)
Bonifacio’s suspension came to a conclusion yesterday. In 13 games at the Triple-A level, he hit .392/.466/.995 with seven walks and 12 strikeouts. He recorded at least one hit in 12 of 13 games and recorded multiple hits in six games. Bonifacio didn’t reach the seats, but he ripped five doubles and a triple, and he has above-average thump. He’s available universally at ESPN and Yahoo! and worth a speculative add for power-needy gamers in 12-team mixers or larger.

Pitcher Notes

Dylan Bundy (BAL)
Bundy turned his ankle running the bases in an interleague game Saturday, and he hit the 10-day DL on Tuesday. He’ll first be eligible to return to the active roster on July 6, and he expects to do just that. Barring a setback, gamers should plan on counting on him next week.

Carlos Carrasco (CLE)
July 6 could be a big day for returning hurlers, as Carrasco is also tentatively slated to return that day. Cleveland’s righty is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Double-A Akron on Saturday, and manager Terry Francona stated Carrasco will throw “maybe 65 pitches.” Francona also said after hitting that soft threshold, Carrasco “can probably safely get out to about 85,” referring to his first start back with the parent club.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.