Another fantasy week draws to a close with several aces on the hill, including two of the American League's finest as Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber are set to toe the rubber. Even so, the spotlight will again be on Petco Park as Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers wrap up their weekend set with Blake Snell and the San Diego Padres.
Sunday also brings bonus baseball as the Boston Red Sox, donning their new yellow and blue "City Connect" uniforms, entertain the Chicago White Sox for a pair.
Good luck securing the win in your head-to-head league while those toiling in rotisserie formats continue to compile those all-important stats. Hey, a home run in April is worth as much as one in September, right? To that end, here are the tips you need to make sure your week-ending lineup is strong, focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues.
Pitching
Jake Odorizzi (R), rostered in 29% of ESPN leagues, Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners: Odorizzi is a late addition to the streamers as the Twins-Angels postponement combined with Seattle shuffling their rotation eliminated Alex Cobb and Justus Sheffield from the initial Sunday recommendations. Odorizzi didn't fare well in his debut earlier in the week, but he did throw 80 pitches, so the "glass is half full" optimist can chalk up his 3-HR outing to "shaking off the rust." The Mariners offense is a tick below the league average, though they strike out at an above-average pace.
Tanner Houck (R), 5%, Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson is back to spark the White Sox lineup. However, with Houck working in a twin-bill, he should not only benefit from a couple of bench players getting some action, but also the brisk conditions still permeating Fenway Park.
Kyle Gibson (R), 5%, Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles: From 2017-2019, Gibson's strikeout rate quietly rose every season before dipping a bit in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. It's obviously early, but it's encouraging to see that Gibson is missing bats again. In fact, his current 14% swinging strike mark would be a new career high. Sunday brings with it an Orioles lineup with the second-highest strikeout rate in the league through Friday's action.
Bullpen: The upcoming week features more off days than usual, so now is the time to stash closers that you can slide into lineup openings. There are four relievers tied for third in the league with three saves, all available in over 50% of ESPN leagues. They are Ian Kennedy, Yimi Garcia, Cesar Valdez and Emmanuel Clase. ... Ryan Yarbrough is still listed in the rankings as the starter, though technically he'll revert to being the primary pitcher with right-hander Andrew Kittredge opening Sunday's AL East affair against the Yankees. Yarbrough had a lot of success in this role and is worth using, even against a New York lineup capable of breaking out at any time.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Hitting
Catcher -- Jose Trevino (R), 2%, Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles (LHP John Means): Jonah Heim called the signals for Texas on Saturday, all but assuring Trevino will be back squatting on Sunday. The last two times the Rangers faced a left-hander, Trevino hit second and cleanup.
First Base -- Jeimer Candelario (S), 43%, Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics (RHP Chris Bassitt): Candelario has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, slashing 355/.429/.516 over that span. Bassitt has been uncharacteristically generous with base runners early on, posting a 1.40 WHIP in his initial 16 1/3 innings of the season.
Second Base -- Enrique Hernandez (R), 24%, Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox (LHP Dallas Keuchel): Fantasy managers who choose to use a player during a doubleheader is risky. He may play both ends, but he could also play just one and even lose an at-bat or two. At a minimum, Hernandez should lead off against a southpaw with a reasonable chance of starting in both the opener and the nightcap.
Third Base -- Starlin Castro (R), 9%, Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (LHP Madison Bumgarner): Castro may not have developed into the perennial All-Star many had anticipated, but he's carved out a nice MLB career -- with his numbers against southpaws being a driving force. Since 2018, Castro has slugged .557 with the platoon advantage.
Shortstop -- Miguel Rojas (R), 16%, Miami Marlins vs. San Francisco Giants (LHP Alex Wood): The pop that Rojas exhibited last season has yet to return, but he's been perfect in three stolen base tries to open the season. He's also carrying over the improved patience that he displayed last season, walking five times with only three strikeouts, keeping him very useful in points-league formats.
Corner Infield -- Rowdy Tellez (L), 6%, Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals (RHP Brady Singer): Tellez has been quiet and would be in danger of losing playing time if Toronto weren't short a couple of key cogs in the form of George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez. Tellez is in a good spot to get it going against Singer, who is also off to a slow start.
Middle Infield -- Freddy Galvis (S), 4%, Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers (RHP Kyle Gibson): Galvis is an ideal streaming option (especially in points leagues) since he can help in so many ways. He doesn't walk, which hurts him in points-league scoring, but he has a bit of pop and still runs.
Outfield -- Avisail Garcia (R), 22%, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Chad Kuhl): Garcia has picked up the pace with Christian Yelich on the sidelines and he has slashed .318/.423/.682 over the past week. Kuhl has walked an unsightly 15 hitters in his first 10 2/3 innings to open the season.
Outfield -- Adam Duvall (R), 30%, Miami Marlins vs. San Francisco Giants (LHP Alex Wood): Duvall is the ultimate plug-and-play against lefties. He's has posted a slash line of .323/.366/.731 since 2019 in such scenarios.
Outfield -- Jordan Luplow (R), 2%, Cleveland at Cincinnati Reds (LHP Wade Miley): Luplow is another "Pavlovian option" with a left-hander on the hill, especially since he's been batting leadoff against them.