2017 Fantasy Baseball Weekly Planner: Week 14

It’s virtually impossible to see some things coming, but by preplanning for each and every week of the Fantasy Baseball season, you can often get a jump on the trends that are brewing around the league. Let’s take a look at how Week 14 of the MLB campaign is shaping up.

Analysis (Noteworthy information to keep in mind headed into the week)

• There are no five-game slates to be aware of this week while 14 teams will play seven games over the next seven days. Of those teams, the Rockies, losers of 7-of-8 games heading into play Sunday, will return home to Coors Field on Monday following a rough road trip. Not only will they be going to work inside their incredibly hitter-friendly park seven times this week, but they will be doing so against a pair of vulnerable pitching staffs in the Reds (5.23 ERA) and White Sox (4.38 ERA).

• On the pitching side of things, the Mariners, like the Rockies, will take their home field seven times over the course of the week leading into the All-Star Break. The Seattle staff boasts a 3.96 ERA at Safeco Field contrasted by an ugly 5.36 mark on the road this season. All five current members of the Mariners’ rotation cracked the Top-75 rankings this time around, making Seattle a nice place to go looking for potential streamers or waiver-wire additions.

News From the Mound

• To the surprise of most, Trevor Cahill got off to a stellar start in San Diego this season, working to a 3.27 ERA and 11.1 K/9 over seven outings before a shoulder injury sent him to the DL in mid-May. The 29-year-old righty is expected to return to the Padres’ rotation Tuesday in Cleveland which could set up a two-start week with a second trip to the mound Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.

• Another injured hurler to monitor for a possible return this week is Royals’ southpaw Danny Duffy, who has been on the shelf with an oblique issue since May 28. Duffy is tentatively scheduled for a road matchup with the Mariners on Tuesday which could be followed by a second start in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

***None of the SP above will be in this week’s rankings (below).

Analysis

• Quite a bit of Interleague action this week, as half of the league’s 30 teams will take part over the next seven days. The Brewers are the only team that will see two different opponents from the other league this week, as they host the Orioles for three games then visit Yankee Stadium for three. That weekend series in New York should provide additional plate appearances for Jesus Aguilar, who sports a stout .886 OPS with seven homers in mostly a part-time role for the Brewers so far this season.

Analysis

• Who hasn’t been burned by Adam Wainwright over the past couple of years? The three-time All-Star has been wildly inconsistent since the start of the last season, following up a bad stretch with a great stretch then back again. Yet again, he’s rebounded from a terrible outing in Baltimore a couple weeks ago to put together back-to-back strong efforts. Couple those with a 2.64 ERA at home this season and Wainwright looks like an attractive option for two starts in St. Louis this week.

• Sticking with the “veteran trying to reassert himself” theme, Felix Hernandez has made two starts since returning from a nearly two-month stay on the DL. He has not been great in those games, but he has been serviceable, recording quality starts in both. King Felix is a couple notches below the elite status he previously garnered, but he is still a mid-tier option on what seems to be a favorable two-start slate.

• Is the blister issue finally behind Rich Hill? It certainly seems so, and the Dodgers’ patience has paid off recently. Over his last three starts, Hill has surrendered just four runs on 12 hits and six walks while registering 26 punchouts across 19.0 innings. There might still be time to buy low on the lefty, and that could prove very fruitful in the second half.

Nate Miller is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and has been an analyst in the industry since 2013. You can follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad, where he is always up for fielding any Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Football or DFS questions.