What a week it was for fantasy baseball as we got back into the grind after the All-Star break. The Giants were atop the hitting planner and managed to score 40 runs in four games at Coors Field. We have no games in Colorado or Baltimore this week to take advantage of. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of opportunities in the schedule to take advantage of some juicy matchups. As usual, I take you team by team and let you know who to target this week for offensive production. Each offense is ranked in the charts based on total games played, matchups, and venues.

For more help getting ready for Week 17 check out Eric Cross’ Waiver Wire Adds, Nathan Dokken’s Starting Pitcher Rankings, and Paul Mammino’s Two-Start Pitchers.

AL Hitting Planner

AL East

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP BAL 18 7 0 3(ARI) 4(LAA) 5 2 BOS 23 7 4(NYY) 3(TB) 5 2 NYY 25 7 0 3(MIN) 4(BOS) 4 3 TB 22 6 3(BOS) 3(TOR) 2 4 TOR 30 6 3(CLE) 3(TB) 0 5 1

The Orioles have seven games on the schedule. Unfortunately, all their games are on the road. They will miss Zack Greinke’s turn in the rotation when they visit Arizona for a three-game series. They follow that up with a four-game set against the Angels. Renato Nunez has gotten off to the best start in June with a .310 average and three home runs in the month. Although he’s much better against left-handed pitching and the Orioles are set to face only two left-handers. Trey Mancini, Jonathan Villar, and Renato Nunez are Orioles you can consider starting based on volume.

Boston has a full set of seven games this week as well with a home series against the Yankees and three road games in Tampa Bay. James Paxton and C.C. Sabathia look to be the only left-handed starters this week against the Red Sox. Boston is the best team this season collectively against right-handed pitching. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers have continued to stay hot. Andrew Benintendi meanwhile continues to struggle with a .217 average this month. He’s moved down to the fifth spot in the order. Against left-handed pitching, he’s hit seventh and sat on occasion. It might be time to sit Benintendi in shallower leagues.

The Yankees are another team with seven games this week. All their games will be on the road in Boston and Minnesota. Aaron Hicks has gotten off to a great start in the second half with a .325 average in July to go with three home runs. The Yankees face four right-handers and three-left handed starters this week. Didi Gregorius has hit .200 in July and has hit .172 against left-handed pitching. I’m getting Aaron Hicks in my lineups and sitting Gregorius.

It seems as though Austin Meadows has led every game off with a home run the last few days and almost did so again with a triple off the top of the wall Friday. Meadows is starting to heat up again but will be a risky play with four left-handed pitchers on the schedule including the Boston trio of Chris Sale, David Price, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Yandy Diaz has three home runs this month and has been the Rays best hitter against lefties with a .327 average.

Toronto has some tough matchups as they face the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays for three games apiece. The Indians and Rays have been among the best teams in pitching all season. Danny Jansen has turned things around over the last month and has hit .333 in July with four home runs. Given the catcher landscape, I’m still starting Jansen this week. Freddy Galvis has been hot as well with a .309 average this month.

AL Central

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP CWS 8 7 3(MIA) 4(MIN) 0 5 2 CLE 1 7 0 3(TOR) 4(KC) 4 3 DET 5 6 2(PHI) 4(SEA) 2 4 KC 27 6 4(CLE) 2(ATL) 5 1 MIN 10 7 3(NYY) 4(CWS) 5 2

Jose Abreu has been playing and talking like a man who doesn’t want to be traded. Abreu has a .315 average and two home runs in July. Abreu and the White Sox have a full week of home games against the Marlins and Twins. James McCann has slowed down after his first-half performance earned him an All-Star nod. McCann has hit .200 in July with a 38% strikeout rate. McCann’s BABIP was sky-high in the first half and it appears regression is happening. While he was playing everyday between DH and catcher, the additions of A.J. Reed and return of Welington Castillo have given the White Sox opportunity to bench McCann once or twice a week. Now might be the best chance you have to sell high on McCann.

The Cleveland Indians have the number one offensive ranking on the hitting planner this week with seven games on the schedule. Those seven games will come against the Royals and Blue Jays pitching staffs. The Indians offense has been red hot and it starts with Jose Ramirez, who’s looking like the Ramirez many owners were hoping for with a first-round pick. Ramirez is hitting .340 with four home runs and two steals in July. The buying window is closing fast.

Another Indian I’m buying into is Oscar Mercado, who has three home runs and three steals in the month of July. Mercado has been hitting from the second spot in the order and I expect that to continue. With the offense as good as it’s been, Mercado is a good start in all leagues this week as I expect the Indians to score plenty of runs. Jordan Luplow is a name to watch in deeper leagues as he’s hit .311 with nine home runs this season against left-handed pitching and the Indians are set to face three left-handed starters.

It’s been a rough season for the Detroit Tigers offense but this might be a good week to take a look at some players in this lineup. Nicolas Castellanos has hit .316 this month with two home runs. Niko Goodrum has hit .341 with two home runs and four steals. Both excel against left-handed pitching, Castellanos with a .377 average and Goodrum with a .338 average. Philadelphia and Seattle have been in the bottom five of team ERA since the beginning of June.

Outside of Whit Merrifield, I’m not trusting any Royals in my lineup this week with four games against the Indians at home. Although Jorge Soler is looking like he’s making some strides with a .340 average this month and four home runs. The plate discipline is getting better with a 12.1% walk rate to a 15.5% strikeout rate.

The Twins play seven games with three at home to the Yankees and four on the road against the White Sox. The White Sox have had the sixth-worst team ERA since June 1. Luis Arraez has emerged as a good source of batting average, hitting .348 in the month of July. He could be useful for average and runs in deeper roto leagues. Jorge Polanco could heat up with five righties on the schedule. Polanco has hit .318 this season against right-handed pitching. Eddie Rosario made his return this week and should bolster the offense going forward.

AL West

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP HOU 14 6 3(OAK) 3(STL) 6 0 LAA 17 6 4(BAL) 2(LAD) 6 0 OAK 20 7 4(TEX) 3(HOU) 6 1 SEA 2 7 3(TEX) 4(DET) 0 4 3 TEX 3 7 0 3(SEA) 4(OAK) 4 3

It might be easier to tell you who isn’t hitting well for the Astros. If you don’t have any shares of this offense, well I just pity you. Yuli Gurriel continues to hit out of his mind with eight home runs so far this month. Yordan Alvarez won’t be playing the field as he manages a knee issue. The Astros will be playing a three-game series in St. Louis and will be without the DH, making Alvarez a sit this week. Carlos Correa could return to the lineup this week and it will be interesting to see how the Astros adjust. Gurriel could move to first base while Tyler White heads to the bench.

Similar to the Yordan Alvarez situation, Shohei Ohtani is only playing DH. The Angels play two of their six games on the road against the Dodgers where they will be without the DH. Sit Ohtani this week. They do get four games at home against the Baltimore Orioles, who have had one of the worst pitching staffs all season. Kole Calhoun could be a decent play in deeper leagues with a .300 average and four home runs this month.

Not many players have been better this month than Ramon Laureano with a .439 average and six home runs to go with three steals. Oakland gets a full seven games to see if he can stay hot. Six of those games should come against right-handed pitching, who Laureano has excelled against. Matt Olson has hit well this month with a .292 average and four home runs. Olson could be in for a big second half. I would be buying where I can.

Mike Minor will be the only test for the Mariners as they find themselves ranked highly on the hitting planner. The Mariners play three games against the Rangers followed by four against the Tigers, all at home. The Mariners will miss Matthew Boyd’s turn in the Tigers rotation, who’ve had the second-worst ERA as a team since June 1. Mallex Smith has hit .273 with five steals this month. Look for him to have plenty of opportunities this week. Domingo Santana could be a good play even in 12-team, three outfielder leagues with three games on the schedule against left-handed pitching. Santana has hit .287 with eight home runs against left-handed pitching.

The Rangers have a favorable schedule with a week of games on the road against the Athletics and Mariners. Shin-Soo Choo has been hot with a .333 average, three home runs, and two steals this month. Danny Santana has taken advantage of his playing time this season hitting .316 with 13 home runs and 11 steals. The Rangers are looking to get him more playing time and have worked him out at third base. Santana could be a decent add in all leagues as he could have eligibility all over the diamond.

NL Hitting Planner

NL East

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP ATL 15 5 2(KC) 3(PHI) 4 1 MIA 21 6 3(ARI) 3(CWS) 4 2 NYM 16 6 3(SD) 3(PIT) 0 5 1 PHI 19 5 3(ATL) 2(DET) 4 1 WAS 13 7 4(COL) 3(LAD) 0 4 3

Despite playing only five games this week, I like the Braves offense against the Royals and Phillies pitching staffs. No team has given up more home runs than the Phillies since the start of June. Nick Markakis is off to a good start in the second half with a .362 average this month. Ender Inciarte made his return to the lineup on Thursday but sat on Friday. It’ll be worth monitoring the playing time between Inciarte and Austin Riley. I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting either this week with only five games.

The 21st best offense this week is probably the best it’s going to get for the Marlins this season with three games in Chicago to face the White Sox. The remaining three games come at home against the Diamondbacks. Garrett Cooper has been impressive, hitting .295 with four home runs in July. Starlin Castro has been hot as well with a .392 average and two home runs this month.

Remember the Chris Paddack and Pete Alonso matchup earlier this season? The staredown after the strikeout from Paddack was intense. Alonso gets a chance at revenge this week as the Padres go to New York for a three-game series. I’ll be tuning in on Tuesday to see the exciting rookies. Although, Peter Alonso is 3-for-31 with two home runs since the break.

Michael Conforto, on the other hand, is heating up with a .300 average since July 1. Conforto has been better late in the season throughout his career and it could be a good time to buy low. Conforto has hit .275 against right-handed pitching this season and the Mets are set to face five right-handed starters.

Any buying window there might have been for Bryce Harper is closing as he appears to be settling in with his new team. This month, Harper is hitting .313 with two home runs and a steal. The Phillies have a short week with only five games. Two of those game will come in Detroit against the Tigers pitching staff that has been among the worst this season.

All four of the Nationals hitters atop the lineups are hitting over .300 this month as the Nationals find themselves amid the playoff race. Anthony Rendon leads the pack with a .340 average. Juan Soto and Trea Turner have been great, and Victor Robles is off to a good second half start hitting .310 with a home run and four steals in July. The Dodgers visit Washington for three games and bring with them the All-Star trio of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, and Clayton Kershaw.

NL Central

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP CHC 10 6 0 3(SF) 3(MIL) 4 2 CIN 4 6 3(COL) 3(MIL) 6 0 MIL 7 6 3(CIN) 3(CHC) 0 5 1 PIT 11 7 4(STL) 3(NYM) 5 2 STL 12 7 3(HOU) 4(PIT) 7 0

The Cubs get six games this week, all on the road against the Giants and Brewers. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have been red hot to start the second half with a .381 and .386 average respectively. While I like the series in Miller Park, three games in San Francisco and matchups against Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Woodruff will challenge the Cubs offense. Jason Heyward has hit well lately with a .300 average in July but I’m sitting him this week as the Cubs have two left-handed starters on the schedule and Heyward has hit .209 against lefties this season.

The Reds get six games this week in favorable offensive parks as they go to Milwaukee for three games before hosting the Rockies for three. Eugenio Suarez has seen a power surge this month with seven home runs in July. Yasiel Puig is showing the potential of what we thought he could do in Cincinnati with a .388 average and five home runs in the month. Although Puig has also yet to take a walk. His poor plate discipline will make Puig a steaky player. Jesse Winker should continue to lead off against right-handed pitching and the Reds play all of their games this week against right-handed starters.

Keston Hiura has come back to the big leagues with a vengeance hitting .389 with four home runs and five steals this month. Hiura could be a top-19 second baseman from this point on and should be added everywhere. That being said, with a .500 BABIP in July and a high strikeout rate I don’t expect him to continue this pace so if someone is willing to pay up for Hiura I would advise selling high in redraft leagues.

All six games come at home for the Brewers. Five of those games will come against right-handed pitching, so Eric Thames should get plenty of starts at first base. Mike Moustakas and Ryan Braun also have better splits against righties.

The Pirates have been the second-best team in the majors against right-handed pitching. Five of the Pirates seven games this week will come against right-handed starters. The Pirates go to New York to play the Mets to end the week but should avoid Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.

Tyler O’Neill is up with the Cardinals and is off to a great start in July with a .409 average and four home runs. All of O’Neill’s home runs have come against right-handed pitching. All seven games this week for the Cardinals are set to come against right-handed starters. O’Niell should be picked up everywhere for this week.

NL West

Team Off. Ranking Total Games Home Away VS RHP VS LHP ARI 9 6 3(BAL) 3(MIA) 5 1 COL 29 7 0 4(WSH) 3(CIN) 6 1 LAD 26 5 2(LAA) 3(WSH) 5 0 SD 24 6 3(SF) 3(NYM) 4 2 SF 28 6 3(CHC) 3(SD) 4 2

Every week we continue to check who the Orioles are playing. Then, you target those offenses. The Diamondbacks get six games this week with three at home against Baltimore and three in Miami. Ketel Marte is hitting .357 this month and what’s more impressive for him is that he has walked 10.4% of the time while striking out only 2.1%. Christian Walker has also been hitting well with a .281 average and four home runs this month.

The Rockies were outscored 40 to 15 at home against the Giants. I just needed a moment to reflect on that. They’re at the bottom of the rankings in the hitting planner this week. The Rockies are on the road for all seven games with four against the Nationals and three in Cincinnati. Colorado has been one of the worst road-hitting teams in the league. Start your studs like Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story, and Nolan Arenado, but outside of that, I’m not looking to start any Rockies hitters this week.

The Dodgers get only five games on the schedule this week and face a tough Nationals rotation for three games. All five games will come against right-handed starters, which means we see more Joc Peterson. Enrique Hernandez has had a good second half with a .333 average and three home runs in July. I’d be looking to stack the Dodgers during their two-game series against the Angels in daily leagues or DFS. Otherwise, it could be a quiet week for the Los Angels offense.

Well hello there Margot. Manuel Margot is hitting .343 with three home runs and two steals in July. The Padres could be moving an outfielder soon and have already given Margot playing time over Wil Myers recently. Margot could be an add in every five-outfielder league. Franmil Reyes is also showing better plate discipline this month with a 16.7% strikeout rate, leading to a .286 average and two home runs. Reyes could provide serious value especially in points leagues from here on out.

What a week for San Francisco. Amazing what a four-game series in Colorado can do for a team’s offensive numbers. Buster Posey is showing signs of life with a .295 average and two home runs in July. Brandon Belt has also hit well with a .292 average this month. The matchups aren’t nearly as favorable for the Giants on this edition of the hitting planner. San Francisco has six games, three at home to the Cubs, and three on the road in San Diego.

Jorge Montanez is a lifelong sports fan but new to the fantasy industry, joining Fantrax HQ as a writer in June of 2019. Jorge co-hosts the Bases Loaded Podcast, a fantasy baseball podcast covering everything fantasy baseball on a weekly basis. He was raised in Stockton, CA but now resides in Los Angeles, where you can find him at a ballpark playing catch with his two sons on the weekends. Follow Jorge @jmontanez90 on Twitter where he’ll be happy to give his take and answer questions on all things fantasy.

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