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Fantasy baseball forecaster for Week 11: June 10-16

Could this be one of those weeks when Jackie Bradley, Jr of the Boston Red Sox racks up big stats for fantasy squads? AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

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  • Day games are scarce during Week 11, as Monday's action begins with a trio of games with 7:05 p.m. ET start times, and there are only five total weekday games and only 24 total day games out of 92 all week. You'll have a little longer than usual to set your weekly lineups as a result, and on only Wednesday (the earliest of the three day games begins at 12:10 p.m. ET) and Thursday (the earliest of two begins at 12:10 p.m. ET) do you have to worry about early starts.

  • Teams that visit Colorado's Coors Field typically enjoy the largest hitting matchups boost, and this week is no different, with the San Diego Padres, who conclude their six-game road trip with four weekend games at Coors, gaining the biggest advantage. The Padres also miss the San Francisco Giants' two best starters, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija, during their two-game, week-opening series at Oracle Park. With six right-handed starters on the Padres' weekly schedule, their lefties stand out: Eric Hosmer (15 percent available in ESPN leagues) is a .302/.347/.500 hitter against right-handers this season, Greg Garcia (more than 99 percent available) is a .267/.370/.406 hitter against righties who typically leads off against them, and Josh Naylor (more than 99 percent available) is a .263/.345/.506 hitter against righties combined between the majors and Triple-A El Paso, and has started eight of the team's past 10 games against a righty starter. Also, don't bench the Padres right-handed power bats: Both Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes have wOBA at least 40 points higher than the league's average against righty pitchers this year. Fernando Tatis Jr., too, is now healthy, back in the Padres lineup and he should be installed directly back into yours.

  • The Boston Red Sox face a pair of bottom-10 pitching staffs in the Texas Rangers (4.90 team ERA, 23rd in the majors) and Baltimore Orioles (5.68, last), giving them the American League's most favorable weekly hitting schedule. While most Red Sox hitters are obvious starts or sits in mixed fantasy leagues, one widely available player -- he's still out there in 65 percent of ESPN leagues -- who has begun to turn his season around is Jackie Bradley Jr., a .294/.410/.647 hitter with 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored in his past 16 games (May 20-June 6). He has shown a history of polar-extreme splits, so get him into your lineup hoping this is one of the good ones.

  • Teams with seven home games usually grade among the better ones from a weekly matchups perspective -- home-field advantage is a thing -- and that the Atlanta Braves will play four of their seven home games against a Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff that has been riddled with injuries and has a 6.08 team ERA (29th in the majors) since May 17 only strengthens their case. The Braves will face nothing but right-handed starters during Week 11 -- assuming the Pirates use a righty as expected on Wednesday -- making Brian McCann (97 percent available in ESPN leagues) a worthwhile catching streaming choice, thanks to his .298/.360/.452 slash rates against righties this season and 24 starts in the team's past 36 games against a right-handed starter. Nick Markakis (17 percent available), the team's usual No. 5 hitter, who is a .287/.386/.452 hitter against righties, should be active in all formats.

  • If any Minnesota Twins regulars remain free agents in your league, Week 11 is a fine time to add them -- all of them. The opposing Seattle Mariners (5.86 team ERA, 27th in the majors) and Kansas City Royals (5.78, 26th) sport pitching staffs that rank among the bottom five in baseball since May 20, and the Twins are home all week. Mitch Garver, the No. 12 catcher on the Player Rater, is available in 66 percent of ESPN leagues, while Miguel Sano, a .250/.368/.660 hitter since his activation from the IL, is also available in 66 percent.

  • The Rockies spent the entirety of their week at home, and be aware that so far this season, they have averaged their highest runs-per-game average (6.30) at Coors in 16 years. While the majority of the Rockies' lineup is already rostered in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues, their lesser-known players are always worth a look in full weeks at Coors. Leadoff man Raimel Tapia (95 percent available) is a .306/.358/.571 hitter at home this season, Ian Desmond (46 percent) a .259/.340/.459 hitter and Ryan McMahon (94 percent) a .253/.349/.453 hitter at Coors.

  • This will probably be one of the Milwaukee Brewers' least attractive weeks in terms of hitting matchups, as while they gain the designated hitter during their two interleague games at the Houston Astros, the two off days that surround that series give the team a five-game week. The Brewers are one of five teams to play only five times, and unlike the San Francisco Giants, who have an even worse five-game schedule, they have a lot of fantasy-relevant hitters. Timeshares at first base (Jesus Aguilar and Eric Thames) and left field (Ryan Braun and Ben Gamel) cause problems for a schedule nearly evenly divided between left- (2) and right-handed (3) starters, and the team will have to face Justin Verlander (Wednesday) and Bumgarner (Sunday) in two of their games.

  • Didi Gregorius returned to the New York Yankees on June 7, his activation coming at a good time considering they'll enjoy a six-game Week 11 with four at homer-friendly Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field and five against right-handed starters. He's available in 68 percent of ESPN leagues, and is worth an add and immediate start considering the Yankees will miss both Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard during the two-game, week-opening subway series against the New York Mets.

  • If you're looking for righty/lefty matchup advantages amongst players more suited for deep-mixed (think 14-plus-team) or "only" leagues, consider: Harrison Bader (59 percent available in ESPN leagues), a .226/.333/.516 hitter against lefties this season, and Jose Martinez (49 percent available), a .335/.405/.570 career hitter against lefties, whose St. Louis Cardinals face two (and possibly three) left-handed starters; Jarrod Dyson (91 percent available), a .262/.343/.389 hitter against righties this season, whose Arizona Diamondbacks face nothing but right-handed starters; David Freese (98 percent available), a .269/.424/.538 hitter against lefties this season, and Enrique Hernandez (63 percent), a .284/.372/.514 hitter against lefties, whose Los Angeles Dodgers face two left-handed starters; Leury Garcia (92 percent available), a .354/.404/.500 hitter against lefties this season, and James McCann (84 percent), a .267/.325/.484 career hitter against lefties, whose Chicago White Sox face four left-handed starters; Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (67 percent available), a .296/.337/.500 career hitter against lefties, whose Toronto Blue Jays face three left-handed starters; and Colin Moran (98 percent available), a .283/.348/.503 hitter against righties this season, and Bryan Reynolds (82 percent), a .330/.400/.511 hitter against righties, whose Pirates face nothing but right-handed starters.