We are into August with season fatigue likely setting in for many fantasy owners. Don’t be caught sleeping, though, because the fantasy playoffs are right around the corner and every lineup decision counts for plenty. Each week, I build my rankings to help you through the difficult decisions. They are based on injuries, ballparks, matchups and playing time trends. Even more so, Coors and two-start pitchers throw the rankings for a loop. Let’s dive into my rankings for week 18 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Coors Field Watch
The Rockies spent this past week on the road, but now back in Coors for three games against the Pirates before four home games versus the Dodgers. As a result, the hitters for all four teams will be ranked quite a bit higher than you would otherwise expect. On the flip side, pitchers projected to throw in those Coors games will all be virtually unstartable.
Two-Start Risers
There are 37 pitchers slated to start two games this coming week, but 11 of them don’t provide even one startable matchup. There are 11 others who you can use once, but not in the other matchup. A few of the top streaming plays from that group are Joe Musgrove at San Francisco and Dereck Rodriguez at home against the Pirates. With 22 of the 37 off the board, that leaves us with 15 pitchers worth using in both contests. Among them, 6 are obvious starts any time they take the mound. That includes Carlos Carrasco (still) and Sean Newcomb. That means there are 9 pitchers who aren’t always worth using, but should prove useful in both matchups this week. Let me share them with you.
- Zack Godley (vs PHI, @ CIN)
- Cole Hamels (@ KC, vs WAS)
- Jake Arrieta (@ ARI, @ SD)
- Kyle Gibson (@ CLE, @ DET)
- Luke Weaver (@ MIA, @ KC)
- Marcus Stroman (vs BOS, vs TB)
- Chase Anderson (vs SD, @ ATL)
- Sean Manaea (vs LAD, @ LAA)
- Lance Lynn (@ CWS, vs TEX)
Now let’s shift our attention to my full player rankings for the week.
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