Josh Johnson (US Presswire)

No team gets an off-day in Week 7, so we have a heaping buffet of double-dip starters for you. You'd think that with a loaded slate like this nobody would have to think about using Josh Johnson, but things aren't that simple for all of us. I'm confident desperately hoping this will be the week that his BABIP finally dips below .400, and just maybe he'll pick up his first win in 2012.

Ozzie sounded encouraged after Johnson's last start, but of course it's his job to sound encouraged. Johnson is still delivering strikeouts at an acceptable rate (7.51 K/9) and he's allowed only one homer in seven starts, so he's doing a few things well. He's obviously had no luck on balls-in-play. That has to change at some point, right?

No?

Not even against the Pirates?

Well, if I can't sell any you cowards on JJ, there are plenty of other options listed below. It took me all day to knit this beautiful quilt of two-start pitchers. Really hope you enjoy it.

Also, please note that interleague play begins this week — the blood feud between the Indians and Marlins is renewed! — so please be mindful of potential DH benchings.

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It would be safe to say that things are not going well at the major league level for the Kansas City Royals right now. The team is mired in fourth place in the AL Central, already 6.5 games back, with a record of 11-19. Kansas City's starting rotation is among the worst in baseball, Eric Hosmer is hitting just .181, and the injuries are piling up. It's not a pretty scene at Kauffman Stadium.

But if you're a Royals fan, you can just do what you've often done it bleak times: Turn your gaze toward the farm system. Appreciate the young talent in the minors.

I'd recommend that you begin at Double-A, where 21-year-old outfielder Wil Myers currently leads the Texas League in homers (11), runs (27), total bases (84), batting average (.342), slugging (.718) and OPS (1.123). Myers also ranks third in hits (40), third in RBIs (25) and fifth in OBP (.405). That's dominance, friends.

Myers entered the season ranked No. 28 on Baseball America's prospect board, so it's not as if the expectations were

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Anthony Rizzo continues to build his case (US Presswire)

So ... here we are again. Anthony Rizzo is humiliating the pitchers of the Pacific Coast League — or at least the right-handed pitchers — just as he did last season.

On Tuesday, Rizzo had his fourth multi-homer game of the young season, hitting a pair of bombs for the Iowa Cubs, driving in six runs. The 22-year-old prospect is now hitting .357/.413/.643. Rizzo leads the PCL in home runs and RBIs, he ranks third in total bases, and he's fifth in OPS.

But of course we've seen this show before. Rizzo hit .331/.404/.652 for Tucson last season with 26 homers and 101 RBIs in just 93 games. Yet when he arrived in the majors, he had no chance at all. Rizzo was badly over-matched, and thus delivered a miserable .141/.281/.242 line over 49 games, somehow striking out 46 times in only 128 at-bats. He had holes in his swing from which nothing could escape, not even light. He couldn't hit lefties or righties. Or ambidextrous pitchers, or underhand throwers, or people with webbed fingers. He was, in a word, bad.

So has anything changed?

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If, in fact, there are Fantasy Gods, then clearly we've done something to anger them. They've been smiting relievers all season.

Jim Johnson, closer: solid as a rock (AP)It's only May 8, yet half the pitchers we'd penciled in as closers at the start of spring training have already lost the ninth inning. Most of the injury-risk guys are broken — Andrew Bailey, Huston Street, Brian Wilson — and so is the game's only presumed no-risk closer, Mariano Rivera.

Go look at the names atop the 2012 saves leader board and you'll find a bunch of pitchers you would have paid to not own this season: Chris Perez, Fernando Rodney, Jim Johnson, Frank Francisco. There's one dude near the top of the list who lost his job on Monday (Javy Guerra), and another who's allowed runs in three of his last five appearances (Grant Balfour). This year, down is up and up is ... well, it's probably hurt.

If I sound a bit shell-shocked, that's because I've already lost Rivera, Wilson, Street and Hector Santiago in the Yahoo! Friends & Family League. I Read More »

Dale Thayer (Getty Images)

That's Padres relief pitcher Dale Thayer pictured above, looking like the Platonic ideal of a closer. He has the crazy eyes, the Fu Manchu mustache, the ridiculous do-nothing titanium necklace.

In some parallel universe, Thayer is a well-known, widely feared major league closer — a guy with badass entrance music and tens of millions of dollars in the bank. But in this universe, the 31-year-old Thayer is a hugely successful reliever who many fans have never actually seen. He's earned 174 saves over the course of a 10-year pro career, but 173 of them occurred in the minors.

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Nats fans (US Presswire)

We're getting an early start on this week's fantasy chat, launching at 5:45 pm Chicago time. Just visit the window below. It's 60 minutes of fantasy fury, every Sunday.

Warning: It's impossible to answer every question during these events, so I try to address the players/topics that pop up most frequently. I apologize in advance if your specific question goes unanswered. Remember, you can always hit us up on Twitter. Please try @YahooNoise, @scott_pianowski or @andybehrens during regular office hours.

Or, if you prefer a big chat room full of hostile fantasy owners, continue beyond the jump...

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Daniel Bard (US Presswire)

If you're not willing to use Daniel Bard in a two-start week when he's facing a pair of not-too-intimidating lineups (KC, Cle), then when are you ever gonna use him? Never. You should just give him to me if you're not planning to roll him out in Week 6, because I've got some pitching issues in a few leagues.

Bard has already bounced between rotation and bullpen this season, his fantasy ratios could use some work (4.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), and that seven-walk game shook everyone's confidence (although, in fairness, Bobby Valentine needs to share some blame for that thing). No one's telling you that he's without flaws.

But Bard still has the live fastball (93.5 mph) and an excellent swinging-strike percentage (10.8), plus his run support shouldn't be an issue. He's only owned in 36 percent of Yahoo! leagues — there was a mass-dropping when he left Boston's 'pen — so most of you have an opportunity to add him for the upcoming tour of the AL Central. This should be a relatively pain-free week — think double-digit Ks and at least one win. Make the add if you're in need, then scroll down for the full Week 6 menu of double-dip starters, ranked and sorted for your convenience...

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Bryce Harper, so far so good (US Presswire)

First of all, let's acknowledge the fact that no person or institution gets to simply declare itself dumb or not dumb. That's for the Internet to decide. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo presumes too much.

That said, take a look at comments made on Friday by Rizzo (via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post):

This afternoon at the National Press Club, Rizzo gave a speech and took questions — the first three of which were about Bryce Harper. Rizzo reiterated the idea that the Nationals were comfortable with sending Harper back to Class AAA Syracuse when they recalled him. But he also acknowledged the obvious.

"We're not dumb, either," Rizzo said. "This guy is performing admirably in the big leagues. We feel he's got a chance to really impact the ball club. He's a special talent. So you have to throw ordinary development curves out the window if you have to. You have to be able to be light on your feet and utilize the assets that you have. If he is performing the way he's performing now, there's no way in hell I can get Davey Johnson to get rid of him."

You might recall that when the 19-year-old Harper was promoted last week, no guarantees were made that he'd stick in the big leagues. After all, he was only hitting .250/.333/.375 at Syracuse at the time of the call-up.

And since that time, all Harper has done is hit.

And make ridiculous catches at the wall.

And fire missiles toward home plate.

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