Shuffling the Rotations for Week 4
The finals days of Fantasy Week 3 (April 16-22) have kept us entertained, starting with Philip Humber's perfect game against the Mariners on Saturday. However, there has been plenty of other news that requires us to focus on getting ready for Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29).
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| Player | % change | |
| 1. | Bartolo Colon, SP, Athletics | 31 |
| 2. | Kyle Drabek, SP, Blue Jays | 27 |
| 3. | Santiago Casilla, RP, Giants | 24 |
| 4. | Philip Humber, SP, White Sox | 20 |
| 5. | Ross Detwiler, SP, Nationals | 19 |
| 6. | Lance Lynn, RP, Cardinals | 18 |
| 7. | Jason Hammel, SP, Orioles | 17 |
| 8. | Jake Peavy, SP, White Sox | 15 |
| 9. | Henry Rodriguez, RP, Nationals | 14 |
| 10. | Jim Johnson, RP, Orioles | 13 |
Cliff Lee (oblique), Daniel Hudson (shoulder) and Ryan Dempster (quadriceps) all went on the disabled list since we last spoke, and with all three pitchers owned in at least 85 percent of the leagues on CBSSports.com, a flurry of owners may need to hit the waiver wire to find a last-second replacement.
The removal of Hudson from the Arizona rotation is of particular interest to Fantasy owners, since it could mean the arrival of top prospect Trevor Bauer. However, the team could call upon Barry Enright instead, leaving Bauer in Double-A to further sharpen his skills. Oakland's demotion of Graham Godfrey presents another enticing possibility, as the A's could recall either Jarrod Parker or Brad Peacock to take his place.
A more seasoned free agent option is Tim Hudson (back), whom the Braves may activate from the DL in time to start next Sunday against the Pirates. Then again, he may not start until Monday in Week 5 (April 30-May 6), so due to the uncertainty, the safe move is to keep Hudson stashed for one more week. However, should Hudson come off the DL this coming week, it could put potential two-start weeks for either Randall Delgado or Jair Jurrjens in danger.
Before we turn to this week's top 70 -- our list of starters who are viable in standard mixed leagues for the coming scoring period -- it's time to give a nod to the final cuts. Ubaldo Jimenez (KC), Clay Buchholz (@MIN), Matt Moore (LAA) and a two-start Jonathan Sanchez (@CLE, @MIN) all have to settle for honorable mention this time. There are enough strong two-start options that owners can afford to sit each of these early-season strugglers. With the possible exception of Sanchez, none should be cut in standard mixed leagues, and if you don't have a bench slot to stash them, you might as well start them this week. The same goes for the improving Jason Hammel (TOR) and Homer Bailey (SF), but with just one start each, both are borderline starts at best this week outside of deeper leagues.
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| Rank | Player | Start 1 | Start 2 | Stat of note |
| 1 | Matt Cain | @CIN (Latos) | SD (Richard) | 1 HR allowed in 27 2/3 career IP at Great American Ball Park |
| Cain has been superb so far this year, and his history at Cincy's homer-friendly park has been a good one. | ||||
| 2 | Roy Halladay | CHC (Maholm) | N/A | 10 percent line drive rate |
| His velocity is down and he is getting fewer Ks, but Halladay is compensating by being very hard to square up on. | ||||
| 3 | Zack Greinke | HOU (Harrell) | @STL (Lohse) | One infield fly out of 47 hit balls |
| Greinke will get his popups, but a dearth of them has contributed to his early 5.09 ERA. | ||||
| 4 | Cole Hamels | @ARI (Cahill) | N/A | Ranks 4th in majors with 14.5 percent swinging strike rate |
| If Hamels keeps up the whiffs and reduces his .391 BABIP, he'll be in the discussion for best overall Fantasy starter. | ||||
| 5 | Ian Kennedy | @MIA (Johnson) | N/A | 3 BBs in 18 2/3 innings |
| Kennedy became a more productive pitcher last year by improving his control and the gains have stuck this year, and then some. | ||||
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | WAS (Strasburg) | N/A | 2.49 career home ERA |
| Kershaw is dominant wherever he pitches, but he has been markedly better in his Dodger Stadium starts. | ||||
| 7 | Jered Weaver | @CLE (Gomez) | N/A | 81 percent quality start rate since 2010 |
| Few starters have been as consistently good as Weaver over the last two-plus seasons. | ||||
| 8 | Justin Verlander | @NYY (Garcia) | N/A | 1.50 WHIP in 10 career starts vs. NYY |
| Verlander is a must-start, but he has had his troubles with the Yankee lineup, even over the last two seasons. | ||||
| 9 | Matt Garza | STL (Garcia) | @PHI (Blanton) | 3.2 K/BB ratio since 2011 |
| Garza's command was much improved last year, and he continues to be a big-time strike-thrower. | ||||
| 10 | Felix Hernandez | @DET (Wilk) | N/A | Career 3.32 ERA at Comerica Park |
| Hernandez has been roughly as good away from Safeco Field than in it, and Detroit is among the many places where he has pitched well. | ||||
| 11 | David Price | LAA (Santana) | @TEX (Lewis) | 4.29 pitches per plate appearance |
| Price has never been very economical, but he is taking especially long to get through plate appearances so far this year. | ||||
| 12 | Stephen Strasburg | @LAD (Kershaw) | N/A | No more than one walk in 9 out of last 11 starts |
| Great control is just one reason for Strasburg's sub-1.00 career WHIP. | ||||
| 13 | Madison Bumgarner | @NYM (Santana) | SD (Bass) | 7 Ks in 17 1/3 innings |
| It's not clear where Bumgarner's strikeouts have gone, but he should still produce against two of the NL's lowest-scoring teams. | ||||
| 14 | Jordan Zimmermann | @SD (Richard) | @LAD (Capuano) | 9 percent swinging strike rate |
| Zimmermann's Ks are down, but his swings-and-misses are right where they were last year. The strikeouts should follow soon. | ||||
| 15 | C.J. Wilson | @TB (Hellickson) | N/A | .189 BABIP |
| Wilson is missing some bats and inducing grounders, but he won't stay on pace for a 1.05 WHIP. He could be a good sell-high candidate. | ||||
| 16 | CC Sabathia | DET (Smyly) | N/A | 92 mph fastball velocity |
| Sabathia is getting fewer whiffs on his fastball, which has lost a couple of ticks, but he is more than making up for it with his slider. | ||||
| 17 | Dan Haren | @CLE (Masterson) | N/A | 47 percent flyball rate |
| Haren should be able to handle the Indians, but his surging flyball rate could burn him with a less favorable matchup or venue. | ||||
| 18 | Ricky Romero | SEA (Beavan) | N/A | 30 Ks in 34 1/3 career innings vs. SEA |
| Romero hasn't been all that sharp so far, but he is a must-start with a very good matchup this week. | ||||
| 19 | Jon Lester | @MIN (Marquis) | @CHW (Peavy) | 1 HR in 17 innings |
| Lester is coming off a poor start, but his sinker is generating grounders at a higher rate than his career norm. | ||||
| 20 | Shaun Marcum | HOU (Happ) | N/A | 12 percent popup rate |
| After a poor finish to 2011, Marcum is back doing what he does best, pitching with control and getting easy flyouts. | ||||
| 21 | Josh Beckett | @MIN (Blackburn) | @CHW (Floyd) | 3.54 pitches per plate appearance |
| Beckett has recovered from his miserable first start and is proving to be highly efficient. | ||||
| 22 | Brandon Beachy | @LAD (Lilly) | N/A | 4 line drives on 54 hit balls |
| Beachy has been short on strikeouts, but he is getting far more grounders, fewer liners and has yet to allow a homer. | ||||
| 23 | Josh Johnson | ARI (Kennedy) | N/A | 93 mph average fastball velocity vs. CHC on Tues. |
| Johnson 4.3 K/9 rate looks scary, but he was better in his last start, gaining nearly 1 mph on his fastball. | ||||
| 24 | Tommy Hanson | PIT (Correia) | N/A | 16 Ks in 17 innings |
| Those worried that Hanson's new delivery would negatively impact him haven't had much to fret about so far. | ||||
| 25 | James Shields | @TEX (Harrison) | N/A | 1.07 career WHIP at TEX |
| Shields has allowed five homers in four starts at Arlington, but he has limited the damage by being stingy with baserunners. | ||||
| 26 | Yovani Gallardo | @STL (Westbrook) | N/A | Allowed 12 HRs in 27 1/3 IP vs. STL since '11 |
| Gallardo's four-homer implosion against the Cards earlier this month is part of a longer-standing matchup problem, making him riskier than normal. | ||||
| 27 | Ervin Santana | @TB (Price) | @CLE (Lowe) | .273 flyball BABIP |
| Santana appears to have suffered from some bad luck early on, as his flyball BABIP is more than 100 points above his usual level. | ||||
| 28 | Gio Gonzalez | @LAD (Billingsley) | N/A | 64 percent strikes thrown |
| Could Gonzalez's wild days be behind him? It's too early to tell, but he's been a different pitcher so far. | ||||
| 29 | Mat Latos | SF (Cain) | HOU (Harrell) | 56 percent strand rate |
| Latos' strikeout rate is down, but on the bright side, his velocity hasn't dropped and his strand rate is bound to improve. | ||||
| 30 | Johnny Cueto | HOU (Rodriguez) | N/A | 90 percent strand rate |
| Cueto's velocity and swinging strike and ground ball rates are all down. If they don't improve, he will certainly rank lower in future weeks. | ||||
| 31 | Justin Masterson | LAA (Haren) | N/A | 52 percent strand rate |
| While a high strand rate is helping Cueto, Masterson (6.48 ERA) is getting punished despite good peripherals. | ||||
| 32 | Anibal Sanchez | ARI (Saunders) | N/A | Career 1.06 WHIP vs. ARI |
| Sanchez has a good history against the Snakes, and he was especially dominant against them in 2011 (16 Ks in 14 2/3 innings). | ||||
| 33 | Chris Sale | @OAK (Parker) | N/A | 21 Ks in 18 innings |
| Relievers usually take a hit to their strikeout rate when they become starters, but that hasn't happened to Sale yet. | ||||
| 34 | Erik Bedard | @ATL (Delgado) | N/A | Career .342 opponents' SLG vs. lefties |
| As you might expect, Bedard has been especially tough on lefty hitters, and that should help him to stymie the Braves' lineup. | ||||
| 35 | Cory Luebke | @SF (Lincecum) | N/A | .365 BABIP |
| Luebke is still avoiding contact, but apparent bad luck has saddled him with a 1.47 WHIP. | ||||
| 36 | Tim Lincecum | SD (Luebke) | N/A | 31 percent line drive rate |
| Lincecum is getting lots of whiffs, but he's still managing to be highly hittable. He's caught Max Scherzer Disease. | ||||
| 37 | Jeremy Hellickson | LAA (Wilson) | N/A | 12 percent line drive rate |
| Hellickson is the anti-Lincecum. He isn't getting many swings-and-misses but has been very hard to get hits against (.213 opponents' Avg). | ||||
| 38 | Adam Wainwright | @CHC (Samardzija) | N/A | 5 of 18 hits against have been HRs |
| Aside from the five dingers he has allowed, Wainwright has been fairly good. Overall solid peripherals offer hope of a turnaround. | ||||
| 39 | Brandon Morrow | @KC (Chen) | SEA (Millwood) | 7 percent swinging strike rate |
| Morrow as a contact pitcher? It's been an uncharacteristic start for him, as he has swapped Ks for a 1.10 WHIP. | ||||
| 40 | Bartolo Colon | CHW (Peavy) | @BAL (Hunter) | 38 consecutive strikes vs. LAA on Wed. |
| The control artist painted a masterpiece in Week 3. He has earned the right to be universally started in two-start weeks. | ||||
| 41 | Jaime Garcia | @CHC (Garza) | MIL (Wolf) | 2.22 career ERA vs. CHC |
| Garcia has been underwhelming so far, but he should produce enough against the slumping Cubs to make him a worthwhile start. | ||||
| 42 | Jake Peavy | @OAK (Colon) | BOS (Lester) | 58 percent flyball rate |
| Peavy has yet to pay the price for all of the flyballs he has allowed, but he can get away with it in his start at Oakland. | ||||
| 43 | R.A. Dickey | MIA (Buehrle) | @COL (Moyer) | 53 percent ground ball rate since 2010 |
| Dickey has yet to make a start at Coors Field, but his ability to keep the ball down should help him to succeed there. | ||||
| 44 | Mike Minor | @LAD (Harang) | N/A | 61 percent strand rate |
| Minor has been better so far this year in every conceivable regard, but because of his low strand rate, it is not fully reflected in his 3.10 ERA. He's been even better than that. | ||||
| 45 | Danny Duffy | @MIN (Pavano) | N/A | 4.45 pitches per plate appearance (highest in AL) |
| You have to love Duffy's strikeouts and Week 4 matchup, but his continued lack of efficiency limits his value. | ||||
| 46 | Mark Buehrle | @NYM (Dickey) | ARI (Enright) | 74 percent quality starts since 2011 |
| Buehrle doesn't always dazzle, but he rarely turns in a disastrous start. Just what you want from a two-start pitcher. | ||||
| 47 | Brandon McCarthy | @BAL (Arrieta) | N/A | 1.3 BB/9 since 2011 |
| McCarthy has been lauded for his improved ground ball tendencies, but his pinpoint control also makes him an asset in Fantasy. | ||||
| 48 | Ivan Nova | @TEX (Feldman) | N/A | 21 percent called strike rate |
| A huge spike in called strikes has made Nova a strikeout-per-inning guy, but it smells of a small sample fluke. Then again, so does his .389 BABIP. | ||||
| 49 | Wandy Rodriguez | @CIN (Cueto) | N/A | 3 HR allowed in last six starts at CIN |
| Rodriguez has had mixed results at Great American Ball Park, but he hasn't been burned by the long ball over the last three years. | ||||
| 50 | Bruce Chen | TOR (Morrow) | @MIN (Liriano) | 2.7 BB/9 since 2011 |
| It looks like the wild version of Chen is a thing of the past. With a home start and a game at Target Field this week, even his flyball tendencies won't hurt him. | ||||
| 51 | Hiroki Kuroda | @TEX (Holland) | DET (Scherzer) | .348 career opponents' SLG vs. righties |
| Kuroda's mastery of righties should aid him this week, especially against the Rangers. | ||||
| 52 | Lance Lynn | @CHC (Volstad) | N/A | Career 64 percent strikes thrown |
| Lynn's control was not always sharp as a minor leaguer, but he has had few problems throwing strikes in the majors. | ||||
| 53 | Jonathon Niese | MIA (Nolasco) | N/A | 59 percent ground ball rate |
| Niese's velocity has climbed the last couple of seasons, and a sharp increase in grounders has been one of the benefits. | ||||
| 54 | Gavin Floyd | @OAK (Milone) | BOS (Beckett) | 5 line drives out of 46 hit balls |
| It's been feast or famine for Floyd. He's allowed too many walks and homers, but he has also been very difficult to hit (.230 Avg). | ||||
| 55 | Vance Worley | @ARI (Collmenter) | N/A | 22 percent called strike rate |
| I had doubts that Worley could continue to post an above-average K-rate when he was so dependent on called strikes last year, but he's doing it again. | ||||
| 56 | Henderson Alvarez | @BAL (Hunter) | SEA (Vargas) | Career 3.74 pitches per plate appearance |
| As they showed against Humber on Saturday, the Mariners are not a patient team. Alvarez thrives on efficiency, just like his White Sox counterpart, so enjoy the matchup. | ||||
| 57 | Jhoulys Chacin | @PIT (Morton) | N/A | Career .272 BABIP |
| Chacin still suffers from poor control, but because he doesn't give up many hits, he can get away with it. | ||||
| 58 | Philip Humber | BOS (Doubront) | N/A | 6.3 innings per start since 2011 |
| Humber will be something less than perfect against the Red Sox, but owners can usually count on him to stay deep into a game. | ||||
| 59 | Chad Billingsley | WAS (Gonzalez) | N/A | One walk in 20 1/3 innings |
| Not only is Billingsley reversing an extended decline in his whiff rate, but he has also shown surprisingly good command. | ||||
| 60 | Bud Norris | @MIL (Wolf) | N/A | 46 Ks in 41 1/3 career innings vs. MIL |
| Norris doesn't always help with ERA, WHIP or wins, but more often than not, he delivers strikeouts. | ||||
| 61 | Max Scherzer | SEA (Vargas) | @NYY (Kuroda) | Career 2.84 ERA vs. NYY |
| Scherzer has been hit hard so far this season, but at least he has had some success against the Yankees in three past starts. | ||||
| 62 | Yu Darvish | NYY (Hughes) | N/A | 31 percent flyball rate |
| Darvish has yet to show good command of the strike zone, but he has minimized the damage by avoiding flyballs. He has yet to allow his first home run. | ||||
| 63 | Trevor Cahill | PHI (Hamels) | N/A | 3 HRs allowed over last 8 starts |
| Cahill's command has been even spottier than Darvish's, but both pitchers have shared an aversion to the gopher ball. | ||||
| 64 | Chris Capuano | ATL (Jurrjens) | WAS (Zimmermann) | 2 career HRs allowed in 28 1/3 innings at Dodger Stadium |
| Capuano hasn't pitched often at his new home park, but it's one of the few places where he hasn't been homer-prone. | ||||
| 65 | Rick Porcello | SEA (Noesi) | N/A | 68 percent strikes thrown |
| Porcello has taken his command to a new level, making him potentially useful for WHIP, even though he pitches to contact. | ||||
| 66 | Kyle Lohse | MIL (Greinke) | N/A | 1.9 BB/9 since 2011 |
| If I'm including Porcello in the Top 70, I have to include Lohse, too. He is succeeding with a similar formula. | ||||
| 67 | Matt Harrison | TB (Shields) | N/A | .309 opponents' OBP since 2011 |
| We're on a run now. Harrison is yet another contact pitcher who has helped in Fantasy with improved control and ground ball tendencies. | ||||
| 68 | Juan Nicasio | @PIT (McDonald) | N/A | Longest 2012 HR allowed: 393 feet |
| Five of the 11 runs allowed by Nicasio have come via the home run, but none of the three he has yielded has traveled as far as the average NL homer. | ||||
| 69 | Johan Santana | SF (Bumgarner) | @COL (Guthrie) | Opponents' .318 SLG |
| Santana still has to show that he can rack up innings, but at least he is not getting hurt by extra-base hits. | ||||
| 70 | John Danks | BOS (Bard) | N/A | 12.5 percent swinging strike rate |
| Danks' velocity is down, but hitters are struggling to make contact against him so far. | ||||
Stay in touch with the most passionate Fantasy staff in the business by following us on Twitter @CBSFantasyBB or Al Melchior at @almelccbs . You can also e-mail us at fantasybaseball@cbsinteractive.com .
