Week Ahead: Invest in Heston
Even though he threw the first no-hitter of the 2015 season a few weeks ago, Chris Heston is owned in only about half of all fantasy leagues, and it's not hard to see why. The rookie right-hander has been quite inconsistent, mixing in plenty of clunkers with his gems.
In four starts since tossing the no-no at Citi Field, Heston has a 14-to-8 K/BB ratio over 23 2/3 innings, and opponents are batting .282 against him. Not exactly what you'd call dominant. But in the right match-ups, he is a reliable option, and that's why he is worth highlighting as a two-start pitcher for The Week Ahead.
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Heston's first start will come at home against the same Mets team he held hitless back in early June. His second turn of the week, also at home, is against an even worse Phillies offense. New York and Philadelphia rank 14th and 15th in the National League in runs scored and OPS, and Heston has been excellent when pitching in San Francisco, so you'll want to run with him if you can.
We'll run through a few other noteworthy two-start pitchers below, followed by your usual full list, streamer suggestions and more.
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* Taijuan Walker's emergence has led to a lot of pick-ups, but he's still out there in about 30 percent of both Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. If you can still get him, do so, because he is lined up for two home starts in Seattle and has a 2.01 ERA with a 43-to-3 K/BB ratio since the start of June.
* At age 36, Mark Buehrle is still getting it done. He has rattled off six straight quality starts since the end of May, with a 1.67 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over that span. The good times figure to keep rolling next week when he draws the White Sox and Royals.
* Andrew Heaney has garnered a lot of excitement with two spectacular outings to launch his anticipated MLB career, but I'd recommend pumping the brakes with his first of two starts coming in Colorado.
* Jose Quintana has rebounded nicely from a poor month of April, with a 3.03 ERA in his last 12 turns. Nine of his last 10 starts have been of the quality variety.
* Brett Anderson is somehow still available in 80 percent of Yahoo! leagues. I don't get it. He has been lights-out and is a must-play this week with match-ups against Philadelphia and Milwaukee at home.
Going Twice...
American League
Strong Plays
Mark Buehrle: @CWS, @KC
Taijuan Walker: DET, LAA
Edinson Volquez: TB, TOR
Dallas Keuchel: @CLE, @TB
Jose Quintana: TOR, @CHC
Carlos Carrasco: HOU, OAK
Corey Kluber: HOU, OAK
Jake Odorizzi: @KC, HOU
Decent Plays
Roenis Elias: DET, LAA
Jesse Hahn: @NYY, @CLE
Trevor May: BAL, DET
Phil Hughes: BAL, DET
Andrew Heaney: @COL, @SEA
Chris Young: TB, TOR
Vincent Velasquez: @CLE, @TB
Alfredo Simon: @SEA, @MIN
Carlos Rodon: TOR, @CHC
Miguel Gonzalez: @MIN, WAS
Matt Moore: @KC, HOU
Ivan Nova: OAK, @BOS
At Your Own Risk
Matt Boyd: @CWS, @KC
Kyle Ryan: @SEA, @MIN
National League
Strong Plays
Chris Heston: NYM, PHI
A.J. Burnett: SD, STL
Francisco Liriano: SD, STL
James Shields: @PIT, @TEX
John Lackey: @CHC, @PIT
Jaime Garcia: @CHC, @PIT
Dan Haren: @BOS, CIN
Brett Anderson: PHI, MIL
Johnny Cueto: @WAS, @MIA
Jon Lester: STL, CWS
Decent Plays
Doug Fister: CIN, @BAL
Chad Bettis: LAA, ATL
Anthony DeSclafani: @WAS, @MIA
Jon Niese: @SF, ARI
Bartolo Colon: @SF, ARI
At Your Own Risk
Kyle Lohse: ATL, @LAD
Matt Wisler: @MIL, @COL
Manny Banuelos: @MIL, @COL
Chad Billingsley: @LAD, @SF
Streamer City
The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:
American League
Wednesday, July 8: Ivan Nova vs. OAK
Nova has been very solid since returning to the Yankees rotation, allowing two runs in 12 inning over two starts.
Thursday, July 9: Joe Blanton vs. TB
Blanton has mostly looked good while pitching for the Royals this year, especially at home. The Rays do not boast an intimidating lineup.
Friday, July 10: Justin Masterson vs. NYY
In his return from a lengthy stint on the disabled list this past week, Masterson looked very sharp while hurling five scoreless frames at Tampa.
National League
Tuesday, July 7: Robbie Ray @ TEX
Since joining the rotation at the beginning of June, Ray has been Arizona's best starter. The Rangers are much worse against lefties (684 OPS) than righties (743).
Wednesday, July 8: Charlie Morton vs. SD
Morton has won all four of his home starts, posting a shiny 1.98 ERA along the way.
Thursday, July 9: Tom Koehler vs. CIN
Koehler also has been tremendous in his home park, where he has gone 4-1 with a 1.68 ERA while holding opponents to a .199 batting average.
Total Games
American League
5: BOS, TEX
6: BAL, LAA, NYY, OAK,
7: CLE, CWS, DET, HOU, KC, MIN, SEA, TB, TOR
National League
5: ARI
6: CHC, COL, MIA, MIL, NYM, SD, SF, WAS
7: ATL, CIN, LAD, PHI, PIT, STL
The Infirmary
You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld's Injury Page but here's the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:
Williams Perez: Out until mid-July (foot)
Tsuyoshi Wada: Out until mid-July (shoulder)
Jon Moscot: Out for the season (shoulder)
George Springer: Out until mid-August (wrist)
Giancarlo Stanton: Out until early August (hand)
Byron Buxton: Out until late July (thumb)
Aaron Harang: Out until late July (foot)
Cory Spangenberg: Out until late July (knee)
Tim Lincecum: Out until late July (arm)
Jon Jay: Out until mid-July (wrist)
