2017 Fantasy Baseball Weekly Planner: Week 19

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 19 of the MLB campaign is shaping up. 

Leading Off

Right off the bat, a few five-game slates for teams that all feature several fantasy-relevant assets need to be accounted for when planning for the week, as the Red Sox, Braves, Rockies and Rangers all have short schedules on the docket.

The only club with as many as seven home games this week is the N.L. East leading Nationals, who enter play on Sunday with a commanding 13-game lead in the division. Not only do the Nationals love hitting in their home park, as evidenced by an average of 5.6 runs per game on the back of a stout .842 OPS, but Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez, the top two arms in the rotation right now, have a combined 2.41 ERA when pitching in D.C. You will find more on Scherzer and Gonzalez below.

News From the Mound

More from the nation’s capital, as Stephen Strasburg (elbow) is reportedly progressing in his throwing program, but he still remains without a set timetable to return to the rotation. The oft-injured righty has not been on the mound for the Nationals since July 23, and with the previously mentioned lead the team has in their division, there is little reason for Strasburg to be rushed back into action. There seems to be a slight possibility he picks up a start next weekend, but it’s probably best to plan to be without Strasburg for at least one more week.

Robbie Ray of the Diamondbacks is in facing a similar scenario. The All-Star southpaw was struck in the head by a line drive during a start in St. Louis back on July 28 and has been on the Concussion DL ever since. Ray did resume throwing this past Friday and has been traveling with the team, so it appears a return to action is imminent. The D’Backs will not necessarily need a fifth man in the rotation until Saturday when they host the Cubs. That could well be the target for Ray.

Interleague Outlook

Top-50 SP

Analysis

Max Scherzer has pitched just 1.0 inning since July 27. Manager Dusty Baker decided to give the defending N.L. Cy Young Award winner some extra time to rest his ailing neck, as he worked a bullpen session Saturday and plans to return to the mound to set up a two-start week with an outing against the Marlins on Monday.

Scherzer’s teammate Gio Gonzalez will also take the mound against the Marlins on extended rest this week after being away from the team on paternity leave. The veteran lefty’s last start, in which he allowed only one hit and three walks with five strikeouts across 8.0 scoreless frames, came on July 31 down in Miami.

Following an incredibly frustrating first half of the season which included a demotion to the bullpen and a trip to the disabled list, Danny Salazar has been nothing short of ace-like through three starts since returning to the Indians rotation. Over that stretch, Salazar has put up a sensational 1.35 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and and 28-to-5 K/BB rate across 20.0 innings.

Another resurgent starter in search of a big second half after pitching well short of his potential in the early months of the season cracks the Top-10 this week, as Jake Arrieta has certainly figured some things out since the beginning of July. Over his last half-dozen outings, Arrieta has cruised to the tune of a 2.08 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31-to-11 K/BB ratio across 39.0 innings. Perhaps most impressive is that the opposition is hitting a mere .154 against him during that span. 

Next-25 SP

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.