Week 16 Fantasy Pitching Planner

We go around baseball's rotations every Sunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner. We highlight every matchup, recommended two-start options, sleepers and busts and much more.

We have added start 'em (up ) and sit 'em (down ) arrows to help you set your weekly lineup as the second half gets in full swing.

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Dan Haren vs PIT Morton
2. Max Scherzer at COL Cook, vs PIT Vasquez
3. Doug Davis at COL De La Rosa, vs PIT Ohlendorf
4. Jon Garland at COL Jimenez
5. Yusmeiro Petit vs PIT Duke

Two-starter(s): Davis and Scherzer. Scherzer is at least advisable, while Davis is a sleeper for deeper leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Davis. He is coming off a bad start going into the break, but he will be making some hay for himself before the trade deadline now. The Rockies beat him up earlier this year, so that first matchup makes him a little more dangerous.
One-week bust: Garland and Petit. Garland has a 2.42 ERA in July, just good enough to get you to trust him. We wouldn't do it at Colorado and vs. an ace. Petit (0-3, 7.91) is just cannon fodder.

Atlanta Braves

1. Derek Lowe vs SF Sadowski, at MIL Burns
2. Jair Jurrjens vs SF Lincecum
3. Javier Vazquez at MIL Parra
4. Kenshin Kawakami vs SF Zito
5. Tommy Hanson vs SF Sanchez, at MIL Gallardo

Two-starter(s): Hanson and Lowe. They are must-start options in all leagues at this point, regardless of the matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Kawakami. He draws a favorable one-start matchup against a weak offensive team and against an erratic lefty.
One-week bust: None. All Braves starters are viable options in all leagues this week.

Baltimore Orioles

1. Jeremy Guthrie at BOS Lester
2. Bradley Bergesen at BOS Penny
3. Rich J. Hill at NYY Mitre
4. David Hernandez at NYY Pettitte, at BOS Smoltz
5. Jason Berken at NYY Burnett

Two-starter(s): Hernandez. He is a high-risk option even in the deepest of AL-only leagues in those matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None. They have a Thursday off day, but we don't see the Orioles skipping one of Bergesen, Guthrie or Hernandez, barring injury. Berken is on shaky ground in the rotation, though, and could be a candidate to be removed for elite prospect Chris Tillman.
One-week sleeper: None. All of the Orioles' shaky starting five are dangerous this week -- unless Tillman gets the call for Berken. You should take a flier on him now, jus in case that call comes. He will be a Hanson/Price-like knockout.
One-week bust: All. When your staff is facing the Red Sox and Yankees on the road, you are due for a long, long week.

Boston Red Sox

1. Josh Beckett at TEX Hunter
2. Jon Lester vs BAL Guthrie
3. John Smoltz at TEX Millwood, vs BAL Hernandez
4. Tim Wakefield at TEX Padilla
5. Brad Penny vs BAL Bergesen

Two-starter(s): Smoltz. So much for their six-man rotation. Clay Buchholz unceremoniously heads right back to the minors. He showed the Red Sox should have confidence in dealing Penny -- if they don't deal Buchholz for an elite player. Smoltz is a questionable option because he has yet to be impressive, but we would still use him in deeper formats, especially because of the favorable second matchup.
Who is getting skipped: None. Penny is struggling and starting after Thursday's off day, but we don't see the Red Sox skipping him while they are shopping him.
One-week sleeper: Wakefield. He has a dangerous matchup at Texas, but aggressive hitting teams tend to be the ones that have the most trouble with the underrated veteran.
One-week bust: Penny. He is a bit shaky recently and a favorable matchup will draw you in. He is useful, but still risky this week.

Chicago Cubs

1. Carlos Zambrano at PHI Moyer
2. Ted Lilly at PHI Lopez, vs CIN Owings
3. Rich Harden at PHI Blanton
4. Randy Wells vs CIN Harang
5. Kevin Hart vs CIN Cueto

Two-starter(s): Lilly. He is a must-start option, despite drawing a start against the potent Phillies.
Who is getting skipped: None. A Thursday off day will allow them to skip Hart next weekend to keep the top three starters on regular rest. Check back for an update on a potential Hart skipping that would give a second start to Harden. Harden should be active regardless.
One-week sleeper: Wells. He hasn't been as good of late, but he still won without his best stuff last time out. It is not the toughest matchup, so consider him in deeper formats.
One-week bust: Hart. He could be skipped and he might not make it through five with a lead. He is high-risk for the deepest of NL-only leagues still.

Chicago White Sox

1. Mark Buehrle vs TB Kazmir
2. John Danks vs TB Shields
3. Gavin Floyd vs TB Price, at DET Jackson
4. Jose Contreras at DET Verlander
5. Clayton Richard vs TB Niemann, at DET Galarraga
6. Bartolo Colon at DET TBD/Figaro

Two-starter(s): Floyd and Richard. Floyd is advisable, while Richard is high-risk as he pitches for his rotation spot amid the pending return of Colon.
Who is getting skipped: None. The White Sox play eight games in seven days and need a six-man rotation. Richard will be needed for his second start, but it could be his last if he struggles and Colon proves healthy and effective.
One-week sleeper: Richard. A motivated pitcher could be a good thing. Richard can't get much worse. He really needs a couple of solid outings to hold off Colon.
One-week bust: Contreras. His matchup makes him difficult to trust in mixed leagues as a one-starter.

Cincinnati Reds

1. Aaron Harang at CHC Wells
2. Johnny Cueto at CHC Hart
3. Bronson Arroyo at LAD Billingsley
4. Micah Owings at LAD Schmidt, at CHC Lilly
5. Homer Bailey at LAD Wolf

Two-starter(s): Owings. He is a risky option with those two matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None. A Thursday off day could allow them to skip someone, but it would merely move Bailey up a day, making it unlikely.
One-week sleeper: None. We don't like the Reds' matchups this week.
One-week bust: Arroyo, Owings and Bailey. They face the Dodgers and haven't been consistent enough to trust right now.

Cleveland Indians

1. Cliff Lee at TOR Cecil
2. Carl Pavano at TOR Romero
3. David Huff at TOR Rzepczynski
4. Aaron Laffey at SEA TBD
5. Tomo Ohka at SEA Bedard

Two-starter(s): Lee. He is a must-start option in all leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Huff. He has shown flashes at times and draws a winnable matchup. We wouldn't use him outside of deeper AL-only leagues, though.
One-week bust: Pavano, Laffey and Ohka. They are too difficult to trust in any matchup right now. Ohka was quality last time out, but he is no certainty to remain in the rotation.

Colorado Rockies

1. Aaron Cook vs ARI Scherzer
2. Ubaldo Jimenez vs ARI Garland
3. Jason Marquis vs SF Sanchez
4. Jason Hammel vs SF Cain
5. Jorge De La Rosa vs ARI Davis, vs SF Sadowski

Two-starter(s): De La Rosa. He hasn't been awful, but despite a couple of favorable matchups he is still a risk.
Who is getting skipped: None. The Thursday off day could allow the Rockies to skip De La Rosa to keep their top starters on regular rest, but we don't see the Rockies' urgency for that at this point.
One-week sleeper: Hammel. It is a week to start Rockies. They are not pitching poorly and have winnable matchups.
One-week bust: De La Rosa. The matchups are tempting, but he could pitch himself into a skipping in the first outing.

Detroit Tigers

1. Justin Verlander vs CHW Contreras
2. Edwin Jackson vs CHW Floyd
3. Rick Porcello vs SEA Hernandez
4. Armando Galarraga vs SEA Olson, vs CHW Richard
5. Luke French vs SEA Washburn
6. TBD, perhaps Alfredo Figaro vs CHW Colon

Two-starter(s): Galarraga. He is not quite advisable, but he is a nice sleeper in deeper leagues because of the matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None. The Tigers need a No. 6 starter due to a Friday doubleheader that gives them seven games in six days.
One-week sleeper: Galarraga. He gets a pair of favorable starts and has been better after an extended slump.
One-week bust: Porcello. He is coming off a long layoff and went into it struggling. He is dangerous to trust, despite his AL ROY front-runner status.

Florida Marlins

1. Josh Johnson at LAD Kershaw
2. Ricky Nolasco at SD Geer
3. Chris Volstad at SD Gaudin
4. Andrew Miller at LAD Kuroda
5. Rick VandenHurk at SD Stauffer, at LAD Schmidt

Two-starter(s): VandenHurk. The Marlins are recalling him for Monday's start and, assuming he doesn't get demoted and/or skipped over the weekend, he will be a two-start sleeper for NL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. VandenHurk is a possibility, though, especially since the Marlins have days off Thursday and the following Monday. They could go with a four-man rotation for a few turns.
One-week sleeper: Volstad. His matchup makes him an advisable option in most leagues, despite a couple of unimpressive starts.
One-week bust: Miller and VandenHurk. We are not willing to advise trusting them yet. They have the potential to help in the second half in deeper leagues, though. Miller might even prove useful in all leagues as a flier.

Houston Astros

1. Roy Oswalt vs STL Carpenter
2. Wandy Rodriguez vs STL Wellemeyer
3. Mike Hampton vs NYM Santana
4. Russ Ortiz vs NYM Nieve
5. Brian Moehler vs STL Lohse, vs NYM Hernandez

Two-starter(s): Moehler. He is a questionable option at this point still.
Who is getting skipped: None. The Astros could skip someone to keep their top two starters on regular rest, but it would keep Rodriguez out of a divisional matchup at the Cubs. We expect Moehler to make both of his starts.
One-week sleeper: Ortiz. His matchup vs. the lowly Mets looks like a favorable one. The Mets cannot score consistently enough to be considered dangerous against any pitcher, especially with a Nieve on the mound against his former team.
One-week bust: Hampton. His past two starts have been poor and he faces the Mets lone chance of winning every five days.

Kansas City Royals

1. Zack Greinke vs TEX Feldman
2. Brian Bannister vs LAA Saunders
3. Luke Hochevar vs TEX Holland
4. Sidney Ponson vs LAA O'Sullivan, vs TEX Millwood
5. Bruce Chen vs LAA Santana

Two-starter(s): Ponson. He returns from the DL with a pair of very unfavorable starts.
Who is getting skipped: None. They have a Thursday off day, but there is no reason to skip Ponson off his Sunday start, unless they want to move Chen up a day and send Ponson back to the bullpen for a returning Gil Meche (back) the follow Monday.
One-week sleeper: Bannister. He has a solid ERA and Saunders has been erratic of late. The Angels are a good team that can score runs, but they don't scare you with power, which is Bannister's problem.
One-week bust: Hochevar, Ponson and Chen. You cannot like these guys in those matchups in any league.

Los Angeles Angels

1. John Lackey vs MIN Liriano
2. Jered Weaver vs MIN Baker
3. Joe Saunders at KC Bannister
4. Ervin Santana at KC Chen, vs MIN Swarzak
5. Sean O'Sullivan at KC Ponson, vs MIN Blackburn

Two-starter(s): O'Sullivan and Santana. O'Sullivan is expected to return from the minors to assume the No. 5 starter's spot for the time being. He is a sleeper for deeper leagues, while Santana is advisable in those matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: O'Sullivan. You can use him even in deeper mixed formats.
One-week bust: None. We like all of the Angels starters this week, even the questionable No. 5 returnee.

Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Chad Billingsley vs CIN Arroyo
2. Randy Wolf vs CIN Bailey
3. Clayton Kershaw vs FLA Johnson
4. Hiroki Kuroda vs FLA Miller
5. Jason Schmidt vs CIN Owings, vs FLA VandenHurk

Two-starter(s): Schmidt. He comes off the DL finally as the Dodgers take a look at what he can provide in the second half. It is a precusor to a trade. If he proves healthy, they focus on a reliever. If he is incapable of getting through five, they will deal for a starter. The uncertainty makes Schmidt a risky option.
Who is getting skipped: None. But they could chose to skip Schmidt's second start to keep Wolf and Billingsley on regular rest.
One-week sleeper: Kuroda. We would trust the top four starters in most formats on a regular basis. As for the No. 5 ...
One-week bust: Schmidt. He might not get through five in his first start and could be sent back to the DL or get moved back, losing his second start.

Milwaukee Brewers

1. Yovani Gallardo vs ATL Hanson
2. Jeff Suppan at PIT Maholm
3. Braden Looper at PIT Vasquez
4. Manny Parra vs ATL Vazquez
5. Mike Burns at PIT Ohlendorf, vs ATL Lowe

Two-starter(s): Perhaps Burns. He is a high-risk option, especially since his rotation status is tenuous.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps Burns. A Thursday off day will allow the Brewers to skip Burns' second start, moving Looper up for a second start. Consider Looper slightly more intriguing because he can pick up a second start.
One-week sleeper: Suppan, Looper and Parra. They are useful in deeper leagues this week.
One-week bust: Burns. He is a shaky No. 5 starter who could get skipped. There is no good reason to use him this week.

Minnesota Twins

1. Scott Baker at LAA Weaver
2. Nick Blackburn at OAK Gonzalez, at LAA O'Sullivan
3. Francisco Liriano at LAA Lackey
4. Glen Perkins at OAK Cahill
5. Anthony Swarzak at OAK Braden, at LAA Santana

Two-starter(s): Blackburn and Swarzak. Blackburn is at least advisable at this point, while Swarzak is questionable to risky.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Perkins. He is coming off a victory and drawing a favorable matchup.
One-week bust: Liriano. You shouldn't give up on him, but Fantasy Week 16 (July 20-26) is not the time to trust him in mixed formats.

New York Mets

1. Johan Santana at HOU Hampton
2. Mike Pelfrey at WAS Stammen
3. Oliver Perez at WAS Lannan
4. Livan Hernandez at WAS Martin, at HOU Moehler
5. Fernando Nieve (out), so it is likely Jonathon Niese at HOU Ortiz

Two-starter(s): Hernandez. He is a questionable option amid his midseason struggles. Those are decent matchups if you are a risk-taker, though.
Who is getting skipped: None. But Nieve left his Sunday start early due to injury, so expect Niese to get the call.
One-week sleeper: Pelfrey. He is coming off another terrible start, but he does draw one of the best matchups a pitcher can have.
One-week bust: Perez and Hernandez. Not only are they shaky pitchers, but the Mets are not scoring any runs consistently.

New York Yankees

1. CC Sabathia vs OAK Mazzaro
2. A.J. Burnett vs BAL Berken
3. Joba Chamberlain vs OAK Anderson
4. Andy Pettitte vs BAL Hernandez, vs OAK Gonzalez
5. Sergio Mitre vs BAL Hill, vs OAK Braden

Two-starter(s): Pettitte and Mitre. They could be advisable in most formats, especially with those matchups this week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Mitre. The Yankees offense can make the Tommy John survivor a winner and a sleeper for all leagues immediately. He has been good before and has been great in the minors to date.
One-week bust: None. All five Yankees starters can be useful in any formats this week.

Oakland Athletics

1. Dallas Braden vs MIN Swarzak, at NYY Mitre
2. Brett Anderson at NYY Chamberlain
3. Trevor Cahill vs MIN Perkins
4. Vin Mazzaro at NYY Sabathia
5. Gio Gonzalez vs MIN Blackburn, at NYY Pettitte

Two-starter(s): Braden and Gonzalez. Braden is advisable in deeper leagues, while Gonzalez is a high-risk option best left for deeper AL-only formats.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Braden. He is coming off his worst start of the year and facing a pair of solid teams, but he is drawing their No. 5 starter's at least.
One-week bust: Cahill, Mazzaro and Gonzalez. Braden and Anderson are the only A's pitcher anyone should be relying on this week.

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Cole Hamels vs SD Correia
2. Jamie Moyer vs CHC Zambrano
3. Joe Blanton vs CHC Harden, vs STL Wellemeyer
4. J.A. Happ vs STL Pineiro
5. Rodrigo Lopez vs CHC Lilly, vs STL Lohse

Two-starter(s): Lopez and Blanton. They are questionable options because of their relatively tough matchups this week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Happ. He has been outstanding and is trustworthy for any formats right now, especially with all that potential run support.
One-week bust: Moyer. He is a shaky starter in favorable matchups. He is a must-sit against Zambrano and the Cubs.

Pittsburgh Pirates

1. Zach Duke at ARI Petit
2. Paul Maholm vs MIL Suppan
3. Ross Ohlendorf vs MIL Burns, at ARI Davis
4. Charlie Morton at ARI Haren
5. Virgil Vasquez vs MIL Looper, at ARI Scherzer

Two-starter(s): Ohlendorf and Vasquez. They are questionable to risky options for any format.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Duke. He draws the best matchup of the week and happens to be the only Pirates pitcher to trust consistently in mixed leagues anyway.
One-week bust: Maholm. The lefty is coming off a great start, but he will have to contend with a Brewers team he hasn't beaten since 2006.

San Diego Padres

1. Kevin Correia at PHI Hamels
2. Chad Gaudin vs FLA Volstad, at WAS Lannan
3. Josh Geer vs FLA Nolasco
4. Tim Stauffer vs FLA VandenHurk, at WAS Martin
5. Mat Latos at WAS Mock

Two-starter(s): Stauffer and Gaudin. Stauffer is a resurgent former prospect with decent matchups, while Gaudin is a surprising retread with slightly less favorable matchups -- ones that make him a questionable option for mixed leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. But Latos was held to just 75 pitches in his debut. Watch his pitch counts closely.
One-week sleeper: Stauffer. He had a great return to the majors and gets some favorable matchups.
One-week bust: Correia. He was a popular pick-up in deeper leagues, but this should be a tough matchup to be on the bandwagon.

San Francisco Giants

1. Tim Lincecum at ATL Jurrjens
2. Matt Cain at COL Hammel
3. Barry Zito at ATL Kawakami
4. Jonathan Sanchez at ATL Hanson, at COL Marquis
5. Ryan Sadowski at ATL Lowe, at COL De La Rosa

Two-starter(s): Sanchez and Sadowski. They are difficult to trust in mixed leagues, despite their promising start to July. Consider them questionable options.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Zito. If you want to take a shot at one of the Giants' back-end guys, go with Zito intstead of the hotter, younger arms.
One-week bust: Sanchez. He is coming off a no-hitter that could have been a perfect game, but we obviously think he is a bit dangerous to trust, especially in those matchups.

Seattle Mariners

1. Felix Hernandez at DET Porcello
2. Erik Bedard vs CLE Ohka
3. Jarrod Washburn at DET French
4. Garrett Olson at DET Galarraga, vs CLE Lee
5. TBD, either Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brandon Morrow of Jason M. Vargas vs CLE Laffey

Two-starter(s): Olson. He is a high-risk option, especially since he could be removed from the rotation in lieu of one of the No. 5 starters who isn't called up.
Who is getting skipped: None. But Olson could be removed from the rotation after another bad outing Tuesday.
One-week sleeper: No. 5 starter TBD. It is a favorable matchup if we just could be sure who was getting the call. Rowland-Smith is the one that is most stretched out right now, which could be the clincher in the Mariners' eyes this week.
One-week bust: Olson. He shouldn't be trusted in any format. We could see him losing his spot this week and going back to the bullpen, in fact.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Adam Wainwright at WAS Zimmerman
2. Chris Carpenter at HOU Oswalt
3. Kyle Lohse at HOU Moehler, at PHI Lopez
4. Joel Pineiro at PHI Happ --
5. Todd Wellemeyer at HOU Rodriguez, at PHI Blanton

Two-starter(s): Lohse and Wellemeyer. Lohse was moved back off his Sunday start and is now a two-start pitcher in Fantasy Week 16 (July 20-26). Consider him an advisable option. Wellemeyer is more of a questionable option.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Lohse. He wasn't great in his return start, but he has been given more rest and draws some winnable matchups, despite facing hot teams.
One-week bust: Pineiro. He is drawing the potent Phillies and a red-hot rookie who improved to 7-0 Sunday.

Tampa Bay Rays

1. James Shields at CHW Danks
2. Scott Kazmir at CHW Buehrle
3. Matt Garza at TOR Halladay
4. David Price at CHW Floyd, at TOR Tallet
5. Jeff Niemann at CHW Richard, at TOR Cecil

Two-starter(s): Price and Niemann. The rookies are advisable options in most leagues at this point.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Niemann. He has had his moments, but these matchups should give you confidence in him in most leagues.
One-week bust: None. We like all of the Rays' five starters this week.

Texas Rangers

1. Kevin Millwood vs BOS Smoltz, at KC Ponson
2. Vicente Padilla vs BOS Wakefield
3. Scott Feldman at KC Greinke
4. Tommy Hunter vs BOS Beckett
5. Derek Holland vs KC Hochevar

Two-starter(s): Millwood. Despite the Boston matchup, he is likely still advisable in all leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. The Rangers could go with a four-man rotation for a turn by moving Holland off his weekend start. That would merely get equally risky back-end starter Hunter another start, though.
One-week sleeper: Padilla. If you are going to trust someone other than Millwood for the Rangers this week, it could be Padilla. We still would lean toward avoiding him in mixed formats, though.
One-week bust: Feldman, Hunter and Holland. They are shaky for AL-only leagues even in favorable matchups. This isn't a week to take that risk here.

Toronto Blue Jays

1. Roy Halladay vs TB Garza
2. Ricky Romero vs CLE Pavano
3. Marc Rzepczynski vs CLE Huff
4. Brett Cecil vs CLE Lee, vs TB Niemann
5. Brian Tallet vs TB Price

Two-starter(s): Cecil. He is a high-risk option even in the deepest of AL-only leagues at this point.
Who is getting skipped: Tallet. He will slot the next time the Blue Jays need a No. 5 starter on July 25.
One-week sleeper: Rzepczynski. He has gotten off to a fast start and draws a winnable matchup in Fantasy Week 16 (July 20-26).
One-week bust: Cecil and Tallet. They are not worth trusting in any format right now. Cecil has long-term potential, though.

Washington Nationals

1. John Lannan vs NYM Perez, vs SD Gaudin
2. Jordan Zimmermann vs STL Wainwright
3. Craig Stammen vs NYM Pelfrey
4. Garrett Mock vs SD Latos
5. J.D. Martin vs NYM Hernandez, vs SD Stauffer

Two-starter(s): Lannan and Martin. Lannan's matchups are favorable enough to use him in deeper leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. Scott Olsen was supposed to return Monday, but he needed a visit to Dr. James Andrews and won't be ready now.
One-week sleeper: Lannan. His ownership is up to a season-high 39 percent on CBSSports.com this week for good reason.
One-week bust: All but Lannan. Their matchups are as bad as their prospects, save for the case with Zimmermann, who is an elite prospect but has the least favorable matchup.

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