Rotohelp.com

by Tim Polko

Schedule recommendations for teams with 8 games

Good for hitters / Good for pitchers
Pittsburgh: 4 Home vs. CIN; 4 Home vs. CHC.

Schedule recommendations for teams with 7 games

Good for hitters / Good for pitchers
Boston: 4 Home vs. TB; 3 Road at CLE.
Chicago Cubs: 3 Home vs. NYM; 4 Road at PIT.
New York Yankees: 4 Road at BAL; 3 Road at TB.

Good for hitters / Bad for pitchers
Cincinnati: 4 Road at PIT; 3 Road at PHI.
Cleveland: 1 Home vs. MIN; 3 Home vs. KC; 3 Home vs. BOS.
Detroit: 1 Home vs. KC: 3 Home vs. TOR: 3 Road at MIN.
Kansas City: 1 Road at DET; 3 Road at CLE: 3 Road at CHW.
Milwaukee: 4 Road at STL; 3 Home vs. ARI.
Minnesota: 1 Road at CLE; 3 Home vs. CHW; 3 Home vs. DET.
San Diego: 4 Road at SF: 3 Road at COL.
Seattle: 4 Road at TEX; 3 Road at OAK.
St. Louis: 4 Home vs. MIL; 3 Home vs. HOU.
Texas: 4 Home vs. SEA; 3 Home vs. ANA.

Bad for hitters / Good for pitchers
Montreal: 3 Home vs. ATL; 4 Road at NYM.
New York Mets: 3 Road at CHC; 4 Home vs. MON.
San Francisco: 4 Home vs. SD; 3 Road at LA.

Bad for hitters / Bad for pitchers
Baltimore: 4 Home vs. NYY; 3 Home vs. TOR.
Tampa Bay: 4 Road at BOS; 3 Home vs. NYY.

Schedule recommendations for teams with 6 games

Good for hitters / Good for pitchers
Chicago White Sox: 3 Road at MIN; 3 Home vs. KC.
Colorado: 3 Home vs. HOU; 3 Home vs. SD.
Philadelphia: 3 Home vs. FLO; 3 Home vs. CIN.
Toronto: 3 Road at DET; 3 Road at BAL.

Good for hitters / Bad for pitchers
Anaheim: 3 Home vs. OAK; 3 Road at TEX.
Florida: 3 Road at PHI; 3 Road at ATL.
Houston: 3 Road at COL; 3 Road at STL.

Bad for hitters / Good for pitchers
Arizona: 3 Road at LA; 3 Road at MIL.
Los Angeles: 3 Home vs. ARI; 3 Home vs. SF.
Oakland: 3 Road at ANA; 3 Home vs. SEA.

Bad for hitters / Bad for pitchers
Atlanta: 3 Road at MON; 3 Home vs. FLO.

Pitchers with 2 starts(to deploy everywhere you own them):
Brian Anderson: Mon:@DET(G.Knotts); Sat:@CHW(D.Wright or E. Loaiza)
Roger Clemens: Tue:@BAL(Jas.Johnson); Sun:@TB(Jer.Gonzalez)
Matt Clement: Mon:NYM(J.Griffiths); Sat:@PIT(R.Vogelsong)
Livan Hernandez: Mon:ATL(H.Ramirez); Sat:@NYM(J.Griffiths)
Kaz Ishii: Tue:ARI(C.Schilling); Sun:SF(Jer.Williams)
Jason Johnson: Tue:NYY(R.Clemens); Sun:TOR(P.Walker or R.Halladay)
Ted Lilly: Mon:@ANA(Ram.Ortiz); Sun:SEA(G.Meche) or Sat:SEA(J.Pineiro)
Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke); Sun:KC(D.May) or Sat:KC(B.Anderson)
Rodrigo Lopez: Mon:NYY(A.Pettitte); Sat:TOR(M.Hendrickson)
Derek Lowe: Mon:TB(Jor.Sosa); Sat:@CLE(C.Lee)
Greg Maddux?: Tue:@MON(T.Ohka); Sun:FLO(C.Pavano)?
Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis)
Darrell May: Tue:@CLE(B.Traber); Sun:@CHW(E.Loaiza or J.Garland)
Tomo Ohka: Tue:ATL(G.Maddux); Sun:@NYM(J.Seo)
Vicente Padilla: Tue:FLO(C.Pavano); Sun:CIN(A.Harang)
Carl Pavano: Tue:@PHI(V.Padilla); Sun:@ATL(G.Maddux or H.Ramirez)
Andy Pettitte: Mon:@BAL(Rod.Lopez); Sat:TB@(Jor.Sosa)
Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez)
Brad Radke: Tue:CHW(E.Loaiza); Sun:DET(G.Knotts or N.Cornejo)
Kirk Rueter: Mon:SD(B.Lawrence); Sat:@LA(H.Nomo)
Johan Santana: Mon:@CLE(J.Davis); Sat:DET(N.Robertson)
Jae Weong Seo: Tue:@CHC(M.Prior); Sun:MON(T.Ohka)
Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller)
John Thomson: Tue:SEA(G.Meche); Sun:ANA(Ram.Ortiz)
Brett Tomko: Mon:MIL(W.Obermueller); Sun:HOU(Jer.Robertson)
Pete Walker?: Tue:@DET(N.Cornejo); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)???
Jerome Williams: Tue:SD(A.Eaton); Sun:@LA(K.Ishii)

Pitchers with 2 starts to deploy only in leagues that don't count qualitative stats:
Jason Davis: Mon:MIN(Jo.Santana); Sun:BOS(P.Martinez)
Adam Eaton: Tue:@SF(Jer.Williams); Sun:@COL(C.Tsao)
Jeremi Gonzalez: Tue:@BOS(P.Martinez); Sun:NYY(R.Clemens)
Jeremy Griffiths: Mon:@CHC(M.Clement); Sun:MON(L.Hernandez)
Aaron Harang: Tue:@PIT(Ol.Perez); Sun:@PHI(V.Padilla)
Gary Knotts?: Mon:KC(B.Anderson); Sun:@MIN(B.Radke)?
Brian Lawrence: Mon:@SF(K.Rueter); Sat:@COL(J.Jennings)
Colby Lewis?: Mon:SEA(J.Pineiro); Sat:ANA(A.Sele)?
Gil Meche: Tue:TEX(J.Thomson); Sun:@OAK(T.Lilly or R.Harden)
Wes Obermueller: Mon:@STL(B.Tomko); Sun:ARI(C.Schilling)
Ramon Ortiz: Mon:OAK(T.Lilly); Sun:@TEX(J.Thomson)
Oliver Perez: Tue:CIN(A.Harang); Sun:CHC(M.Prior)
Joel Pineiro: Mon:@TEX(C.Lewis); Sat:@OAK(J.Duchscherer or T.Lilly)
Jeriome Robertson: Tue:@COL(C.Tsao); Sun:@STL(B.Tomko)
Jorge Sosa: Mon:@BOS(D.Lowe); Sat:NYY(A.Pettitte)
Chin-Hui Tsao: Tue:HOU(J.Robertson); Sun:SD(A.Eaton)
Todd Van Poppel: Mon:@PIT(R.Vogelsong); Sat:@PHI(A.Telemaco)
Ryan Vogelsong: Mon:CIN(T.Van Poppel); Sat:CHC(M.Clement)

Diamond Challenge

SP(6)
Randy Johnson: Fri:@MIL(D.Davis)
Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis)
Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller)
Tim Hudson: Fri:SEA(R.Franklin)
Matt Morris: Fri:HOU(R.Oswalt)
Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter)
Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson)
Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)???
Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum)
Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez)

Pedro, Schilling, and Prior are necessary plays, and we see no reason at all not to run Mussina or Halladay. Jason Schmidt also looks like a slightly better play than Wood or Brown. MacDougal remains on our bench, where we expect him to sit through the end of the season.

Hall, Durazo, Luis Castillo, Furcal, Carl Everett, and Dave Roberts are easy choices to sit due to their schedules. While Berkman plays in Colorado, we only have cap room for him or Manny, and Manny plays an extra game while facing Tampa and Cleveland.

We'll hold our last player purchase until next week.

Interview with the Umpire(3rd lg; 32nd div; 546th overall),
Shadow of the Umpire(5th lg; 33th div; 567th overall), &
Dance of the Umpires(4th lg; 22nd div; 567th overall)
Week 25: September 15-September 21

C	Ivan Rodriguez		1070 
C	Javy Lopez		750 
1B	Frank Thomas		920
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Marcus Giles		400
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330 
OF	Vlad Guerrero		2010
OF	Albert Pujols		1750 
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610 
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Hideki Matsui		750 
OF	Carl Crawford		420 
DH	Preston Wilson		1220
DH	Aaron Boone		1010

SP	Pedro Martinez		1700
SP	Curt Schilling		1610
SP	Mike Mussina		1210 
SP	Roy Halladay		890 
SP	Jason Schmidt		790
SP	Mark Prior		750
RP	Eric Gagne		1430 
RP	Joe Borowski		750 
RP	Tim Worrell		740
RP	Matt Mantei		700

Total Salary for Week 25: 	29960

Diamond Challenge 2nd Season

With the Loaiza double here, we'll run Pedro, Schilling, Halladay, Prior, and Esteban, and then as we need extra cap room for offense, we'll run Schmidt over Mussina. Biddle stays seated since he no longer looks like Montreal's closer.

Offensively, we certainly don't mind sitting Hall, Durazo, Dave Roberts, or Lowell, however due to his health questions, recent slump, and our need to cut salary somewhere, Nomar hits our bench this week as we deploy Furcal and Orlando Cabrera.

We'll hold our last player purchase until next week.

Umpire The Masquerade(5th lg; 30th div; 277th overall)
Week 25: September 15-September 21

C	Mike Lieberthal		650 
C	Javy Lopez		750
1B	Carlos Deglado		1420
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
2B	Bret Boone		1360
2B	Marcus Giles		400 
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500 
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1030
SS	Rafael Furcal		970
OF	Albert Pujols		1750 
OF	Preston Wilson		1220  
OF	Juan Pierre		1080
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
OF	Carl Crawford		420
DH	Alfonso Soriano		1460
DH	Todd Helton		1850   
 
SP	Pedro Martinez		1700 
SP	Curt Schilling		1610 
SP	Roy Halladay		890 
SP	Jason Schmidt		790 
SP	Mark Prior		750
SP	Esteban Loaiza		680
RP	Eric Gagne		1430
RP	Joe Borowski		750 
RP	Tim Worrell		740
RP	Matt Mantei		700

Total Salary for Week 25: 	27830

Internet Challenge

SP(6)
Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez)
Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii)
Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter)
Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum)
Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo)
Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke)

No starts: Randy, Morris, Oswalt, K.Brown, and Ainsworth.

Pedro, Mussina, Halladay, Schmidt, and Prior are all very easy calls, and then we'll deploy Kerry against the Mets since we like the Mets' offense a lot less than that of the Dodgers, Marlins, or Twins. However, we need offense so much more than pitching, and with Colorado at home and Berkman in Coors, we need more cap room. We'll reluctantly sit Pedro, as well as Gagne with the Dodgers facing Arizona, and Loaiza and MacDougal return to our lineup.

We don't need to run Hall, Durazo, or Everett, and Nomar sits due to his health problems. Our only real decision is whether to run Luis Castillo or Aramis Ramirez, and we'll stick with Ramirez since he faces weaker opposition and is more likely to contribute in several categories.

The Umpire Hunter(7th lg; 131st overall)
Week 25a: September 15-September 18

C	Jorge Posada		1120
C	Javier Lopez		750
1B	Todd Helton		1850
1B	Aubrey Huff		610 
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Marcus Giles		400
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1030
OF	Vlad Guerrero		2010
OF	Albert Pujols		1750 
OF	Lance Berkman		1640 
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
OF	Vernon Wells		750 
DH	Preston Wilson		1220
DH	Aaron Boone		1010
 
SP	Mike Mussina		1210 
SP	Kerry Wood		990
SP	Roy Halladay		890 
SP	Jason Schmidt		790
SP	Mark Prior		750 
SP	Esteban Loaiza		680 
RP	Mike MacDougal		750
RP	Joe Borowski		750 
RP	Tim Worrell		740
RP	Matt Mantei		700

Total Salary for Week 25a: 	29540

Fantasy Baseball & Budget Baseball
(Same rules = same rosters and moves for both teams)

SP(6)
Randy Johnson: Fri:@MIL(D.Davis)
Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller)
Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen)
Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis)
Wade Miller: Thu:@COL(D.Oliver)
Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)???
Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum)
Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson)
Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez)
Rich Harden: Tue:@ANA(Jar.Washburn); Sun:SEA(G.Meche)?

Schilling, Pedro, Halladay, Prior, and Harden are easy calls, and then we'll take Schmidt so we can run all our Rockies at home.

Hall, Ellis, Hudson, Jose Hernandez, and Juan Gonzalez are the simple choices to sit, and then we can't quite find room for Teixeira, Josh Phelps, or even Carlos Delgado.

The Umpire Chronicles(6th lg; 358th overall)
& Umpire with a Soul(5th lg; 761st overall)
Week 25: September 15-September 21

C	Javy Lopez		1480
C	Jason Varitek		1400
1B	Todd Helton		3320  
1B	Frank Thomas		2030
2B	Alfonso Soriano		2570
2B	Marcus Giles		1080
3B	Scott Rolen		2660
3B	Joe Crede		1150	
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	2300 
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1820
OF	Albert Pujols		3150
OF	Manny Ramirez		2690
OF	Lance Berkman		2850 
OF	Larry Walker		2500
OF	Vernon Wells		1780
OF	Hideki Matsui		1500 
DH	Preston Wilson		2410
DH	Eric Hinske		1750

SP	Curt Schilling		3600
SP	Pedro Martinez		2900 
SP	Roy Halladay		2010 
SP	Jason Schmidt		1990 
SP	Mark Prior		1800
SP	Rich Harden		1500
RP	Eric Gagne		2560
RP	Keith Foulke		2330
RP	Tim Worrell		1370
RP	Matt Mantei		1200

Total Salary for Week 25: 	59700

Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball

As we have three moves remaining, we're going to add the hottest players likely to make an immediate impact. Richard Hidalgo is crushing the ball, heads to Colorado this week, and then finishes all of next week at home. Mariano Rivera looks far stronger than Keith Foulke, should pitch in an extra game, and faces Tampa, Baltimore, and the White Sox. Lastly, as we don't have the cap room to run Schilling this week, we're adding Andy Pettitte since he owns the same nice double as Clemens. Milton Bradley is the obvious drop for Hidalgo, and then we'll cut Schilling, since he faces St. Louis next week, and Contreras, since he faces the White Sox.

SP(6)
Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen)
Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis)
Tim Hudson: Fri:SEA(R.Franklin)
Roger Clemens: Tue:@BAL(Jas.Johnson); Sun:@TB(Jer.Gonzalez)
Andy Pettitte: Mon:@BAL(Rod.Lopez); Sat:TB@(Jor.Sosa)
Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)???
Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum)
Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson)
Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke); Sun:KC(D.May) or Sat:KC(B.Anderson)
Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez)

We likely have six doubles here with Pedro, Clemens, Pettitte, Halladay, Loaiza, and Prior, and Rivera enters the lineup for Foulke.

Thanks to the upgrade from Hidalgo, we don't need to run Varitek, Tex, or Delgado, and while we like the schedules of Boone and Larry Walker and trust Durazo thanks to his recent surge, we don't mind letting these guys join Lowell on the bench this week.

Umpire in Brooklyn(5th lg; 117th overall)
Week 25: September 15-September 21

C	Javier Lopez		1480 
C	Mike Lieberthal		1350 
1B	Frank Thomas		2030 
1B	Aubrey Huff		1420
2B	D'Angelo Jimenez	1400
2B	Marcus	 Giles		1080
3B	Hank Blalock		1100 
3B	Morgan Ensberg		1000
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1820 
SS	Rafael Furcal		1800
OF	Albert Pujols		3150 
OF	Lance Berkman		2850
OF	Manny Ramirez		2690
OF	Gary Sheffield		2600 
OF	Vernon Wells		1780
OF	Hideki Matsui		1500
DH	Preston Wilson		2410 
DH	Richard Hidalgo		2190

SP	Pedro Martinez		2900 
SP	Roger Clemens		2720 
SP	Andy Pettitte		2210
SP	Roy Halladay		2010
SP	Esteban Loaiza		1900
SP	Mark Prior		1800
RP	Eric Gagne		2560
RP	Mariano Rivera		2490
RP	Tim Worrell		1370
RP	Matt Mantei		1200

Total Salary for Week 25: 	54710

Today's Fantasy Rx: While we generally support saving one move until the last week if you expect to need a last-minute boost in a single category, any action you take today will have double the effect of any players you add next week. Unless you don't see any logical upgrades, you should look to replace your weakest players now. Target low-percentage players for an additional boost, although you obviously take a greater risk by adding someone not rostered by many other players.

Click here to read the previous article.

Please e-mail your comments to tim@rotohelp.com.



Rotohelp		Sunday Challenge Conversation, '03 Wk. 25 by Tim Polko Today's Fantasy Rx Schedule recommendations for teams with 8 games Good for hitters / Good for pitchers Pittsburgh: 4 Home vs. CIN; 4 Home vs. CHC. Schedule recommendations for teams with 7 games Good for hitters / Good for pitchers Boston: 4 Home vs. TB; 3 Road at CLE. Chicago Cubs: 3 Home vs. NYM; 4 Road at PIT. New York Yankees: 4 Road at BAL; 3 Road at TB. Good for hitters / Bad for pitchers Cincinnati: 4 Road at PIT; 3 Road at PHI. Cleveland: 1 Home vs. MIN; 3 Home vs. KC; 3 Home vs. BOS. Detroit: 1 Home vs. KC: 3 Home vs. TOR: 3 Road at MIN. Kansas City: 1 Road at DET; 3 Road at CLE: 3 Road at CHW. Milwaukee: 4 Road at STL; 3 Home vs. ARI. Minnesota: 1 Road at CLE; 3 Home vs. CHW; 3 Home vs. DET. San Diego: 4 Road at SF: 3 Road at COL. Seattle: 4 Road at TEX; 3 Road at OAK. St. Louis: 4 Home vs. MIL; 3 Home vs. HOU. Texas: 4 Home vs. SEA; 3 Home vs. ANA. Bad for hitters / Good for pitchers Montreal: 3 Home vs. ATL; 4 Road at NYM. New York Mets: 3 Road at CHC; 4 Home vs. MON. San Francisco: 4 Home vs. SD; 3 Road at LA. Bad for hitters / Bad for pitchers Baltimore: 4 Home vs. NYY; 3 Home vs. TOR. Tampa Bay: 4 Road at BOS; 3 Home vs. NYY. Schedule recommendations for teams with 6 games Good for hitters / Good for pitchers Chicago White Sox: 3 Road at MIN; 3 Home vs. KC. Colorado: 3 Home vs. HOU; 3 Home vs. SD. Philadelphia: 3 Home vs. FLO; 3 Home vs. CIN. Toronto: 3 Road at DET; 3 Road at BAL. Good for hitters / Bad for pitchers Anaheim: 3 Home vs. OAK; 3 Road at TEX. Florida: 3 Road at PHI; 3 Road at ATL. Houston: 3 Road at COL; 3 Road at STL. Bad for hitters / Good for pitchers Arizona: 3 Road at LA; 3 Road at MIL. Los Angeles: 3 Home vs. ARI; 3 Home vs. SF. Oakland: 3 Road at ANA; 3 Home vs. SEA. Bad for hitters / Bad for pitchers Atlanta: 3 Road at MON; 3 Home vs. FLO. Pitchers with 2 starts(to deploy everywhere you own them): Brian Anderson: Mon:@DET(G.Knotts); Sat:@CHW(D.Wright or E. Loaiza) Roger Clemens: Tue:@BAL(Jas.Johnson); Sun:@TB(Jer.Gonzalez) Matt Clement: Mon:NYM(J.Griffiths); Sat:@PIT(R.Vogelsong) Livan Hernandez: Mon:ATL(H.Ramirez); Sat:@NYM(J.Griffiths) Kaz Ishii: Tue:ARI(C.Schilling); Sun:SF(Jer.Williams) Jason Johnson: Tue:NYY(R.Clemens); Sun:TOR(P.Walker or R.Halladay) Ted Lilly: Mon:@ANA(Ram.Ortiz); Sun:SEA(G.Meche) or Sat:SEA(J.Pineiro) Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke); Sun:KC(D.May) or Sat:KC(B.Anderson) Rodrigo Lopez: Mon:NYY(A.Pettitte); Sat:TOR(M.Hendrickson) Derek Lowe: Mon:TB(Jor.Sosa); Sat:@CLE(C.Lee) Greg Maddux?: Tue:@MON(T.Ohka); Sun:FLO(C.Pavano)? Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis) Darrell May: Tue:@CLE(B.Traber); Sun:@CHW(E.Loaiza or J.Garland) Tomo Ohka: Tue:ATL(G.Maddux); Sun:@NYM(J.Seo) Vicente Padilla: Tue:FLO(C.Pavano); Sun:CIN(A.Harang) Carl Pavano: Tue:@PHI(V.Padilla); Sun:@ATL(G.Maddux or H.Ramirez) Andy Pettitte: Mon:@BAL(Rod.Lopez); Sat:TB@(Jor.Sosa) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez) Brad Radke: Tue:CHW(E.Loaiza); Sun:DET(G.Knotts or N.Cornejo) Kirk Rueter: Mon:SD(B.Lawrence); Sat:@LA(H.Nomo) Johan Santana: Mon:@CLE(J.Davis); Sat:DET(N.Robertson) Jae Weong Seo: Tue:@CHC(M.Prior); Sun:MON(T.Ohka) Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller) John Thomson: Tue:SEA(G.Meche); Sun:ANA(Ram.Ortiz) Brett Tomko: Mon:MIL(W.Obermueller); Sun:HOU(Jer.Robertson) Pete Walker?: Tue:@DET(N.Cornejo); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)??? Jerome Williams: Tue:SD(A.Eaton); Sun:@LA(K.Ishii) Pitchers with 2 starts to deploy only in leagues that don't count qualitative stats: Jason Davis: Mon:MIN(Jo.Santana); Sun:BOS(P.Martinez) Adam Eaton: Tue:@SF(Jer.Williams); Sun:@COL(C.Tsao) Jeremi Gonzalez: Tue:@BOS(P.Martinez); Sun:NYY(R.Clemens) Jeremy Griffiths: Mon:@CHC(M.Clement); Sun:MON(L.Hernandez) Aaron Harang: Tue:@PIT(Ol.Perez); Sun:@PHI(V.Padilla) Gary Knotts?: Mon:KC(B.Anderson); Sun:@MIN(B.Radke)? Brian Lawrence: Mon:@SF(K.Rueter); Sat:@COL(J.Jennings) Colby Lewis?: Mon:SEA(J.Pineiro); Sat:ANA(A.Sele)? Gil Meche: Tue:TEX(J.Thomson); Sun:@OAK(T.Lilly or R.Harden) Wes Obermueller: Mon:@STL(B.Tomko); Sun:ARI(C.Schilling) Ramon Ortiz: Mon:OAK(T.Lilly); Sun:@TEX(J.Thomson) Oliver Perez: Tue:CIN(A.Harang); Sun:CHC(M.Prior) Joel Pineiro: Mon:@TEX(C.Lewis); Sat:@OAK(J.Duchscherer or T.Lilly) Jeriome Robertson: Tue:@COL(C.Tsao); Sun:@STL(B.Tomko) Jorge Sosa: Mon:@BOS(D.Lowe); Sat:NYY(A.Pettitte) Chin-Hui Tsao: Tue:HOU(J.Robertson); Sun:SD(A.Eaton) Todd Van Poppel: Mon:@PIT(R.Vogelsong); Sat:@PHI(A.Telemaco) Ryan Vogelsong: Mon:CIN(T.Van Poppel); Sat:CHC(M.Clement) Diamond Challenge SP(6) Randy Johnson: Fri:@MIL(D.Davis) Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis) Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller) Tim Hudson: Fri:SEA(R.Franklin) Matt Morris: Fri:HOU(R.Oswalt) Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen) Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis) Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter) Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson) Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)??? Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez) Pedro, Schilling, and Prior are necessary plays, and we see no reason at all not to run Mussina or Halladay. Jason Schmidt also looks like a slightly better play than Wood or Brown. MacDougal remains on our bench, where we expect him to sit through the end of the season. Hall, Durazo, Luis Castillo, Furcal, Carl Everett, and Dave Roberts are easy choices to sit due to their schedules. While Berkman plays in Colorado, we only have cap room for him or Manny, and Manny plays an extra game while facing Tampa and Cleveland. We'll hold our last player purchase until next week. Interview with the Umpire(3rd lg; 32nd div; 546th overall), Shadow of the Umpire(5th lg; 33th div; 567th overall), & Dance of the Umpires(4th lg; 22nd div; 567th overall) Week 25: September 15-September 21 C Ivan Rodriguez 1070 C Javy Lopez 750 1B Frank Thomas 920 1B Aubrey Huff 610 2B Alfonso Soriano 1460 2B Marcus Giles 400 3B Aramis Ramirez 820 3B Hank Blalock 500 SS Alex Rodriguez 2010 SS Nomar Garciaparra 1330 OF Vlad Guerrero 2010 OF Albert Pujols 1750 OF Manny Ramirez 1610 OF Vernon Wells 750 OF Hideki Matsui 750 OF Carl Crawford 420 DH Preston Wilson 1220 DH Aaron Boone 1010 SP Pedro Martinez 1700 SP Curt Schilling 1610 SP Mike Mussina 1210 SP Roy Halladay 890 SP Jason Schmidt 790 SP Mark Prior 750 RP Eric Gagne 1430 RP Joe Borowski 750 RP Tim Worrell 740 RP Matt Mantei 700 Total Salary for Week 25: 29960 Diamond Challenge 2nd Season SP(6) Randy Johnson: Fri:@MIL(D.Davis) Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis) Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller) Tim Hudson: Fri:SEA(R.Franklin) Matt Morris: Fri:HOU(R.Oswalt) Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen) Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis) Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter) Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson) Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)??? Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez) Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke); Sun:KC(D.May) or Sat:KC(B.Anderson) With the Loaiza double here, we'll run Pedro, Schilling, Halladay, Prior, and Esteban, and then as we need extra cap room for offense, we'll run Schmidt over Mussina. Biddle stays seated since he no longer looks like Montreal's closer. Offensively, we certainly don't mind sitting Hall, Durazo, Dave Roberts, or Lowell, however due to his health questions, recent slump, and our need to cut salary somewhere, Nomar hits our bench this week as we deploy Furcal and Orlando Cabrera. We'll hold our last player purchase until next week. Umpire The Masquerade(5th lg; 30th div; 277th overall) Week 25: September 15-September 21 C Mike Lieberthal 650 C Javy Lopez 750 1B Carlos Deglado 1420 1B Aubrey Huff 610 2B Bret Boone 1360 2B Marcus Giles 400 3B Aramis Ramirez 820 3B Hank Blalock 500 SS Orlando Cabrera 1030 SS Rafael Furcal 970 OF Albert Pujols 1750 OF Preston Wilson 1220 OF Juan Pierre 1080 OF Vernon Wells 750 OF Hideki Matsui 750 OF Carl Crawford 420 DH Alfonso Soriano 1460 DH Todd Helton 1850 SP Pedro Martinez 1700 SP Curt Schilling 1610 SP Roy Halladay 890 SP Jason Schmidt 790 SP Mark Prior 750 SP Esteban Loaiza 680 RP Eric Gagne 1430 RP Joe Borowski 750 RP Tim Worrell 740 RP Matt Mantei 700 Total Salary for Week 25: 27830 Internet Challenge SP(6) Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez) Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii) Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen) Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis) Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter) Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux) Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo) Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke) No starts: Randy, Morris, Oswalt, K.Brown, and Ainsworth. Pedro, Mussina, Halladay, Schmidt, and Prior are all very easy calls, and then we'll deploy Kerry against the Mets since we like the Mets' offense a lot less than that of the Dodgers, Marlins, or Twins. However, we need offense so much more than pitching, and with Colorado at home and Berkman in Coors, we need more cap room. We'll reluctantly sit Pedro, as well as Gagne with the Dodgers facing Arizona, and Loaiza and MacDougal return to our lineup. We don't need to run Hall, Durazo, or Everett, and Nomar sits due to his health problems. Our only real decision is whether to run Luis Castillo or Aramis Ramirez, and we'll stick with Ramirez since he faces weaker opposition and is more likely to contribute in several categories. The Umpire Hunter(7th lg; 131st overall) Week 25a: September 15-September 18 C Jorge Posada 1120 C Javier Lopez 750 1B Todd Helton 1850 1B Aubrey Huff 610 2B Alfonso Soriano 1460 2B Marcus Giles 400 3B Aramis Ramirez 820 3B Hank Blalock 500 SS Alex Rodriguez 2010 SS Orlando Cabrera 1030 OF Vlad Guerrero 2010 OF Albert Pujols 1750 OF Lance Berkman 1640 OF Manny Ramirez 1610 OF Hideki Matsui 750 OF Vernon Wells 750 DH Preston Wilson 1220 DH Aaron Boone 1010 SP Mike Mussina 1210 SP Kerry Wood 990 SP Roy Halladay 890 SP Jason Schmidt 790 SP Mark Prior 750 SP Esteban Loaiza 680 RP Mike MacDougal 750 RP Joe Borowski 750 RP Tim Worrell 740 RP Matt Mantei 700 Total Salary for Week 25a: 29540 Fantasy Baseball & Budget Baseball (Same rules = same rosters and moves for both teams) SP(6) Randy Johnson: Fri:@MIL(D.Davis) Curt Schilling: Tue:@LA(K.Ishii); Sun:@MIL(W.Obermueller) Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen) Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis) Kerry Wood: Wed:NYM(A.Leiter) Kevin Millwood: Thu:FLO(D.Willis) Wade Miller: Thu:@COL(D.Oliver) Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)??? Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum) Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez) Rich Harden: Tue:@ANA(Jar.Washburn); Sun:SEA(G.Meche)? Schilling, Pedro, Halladay, Prior, and Harden are easy calls, and then we'll take Schmidt so we can run all our Rockies at home. Hall, Ellis, Hudson, Jose Hernandez, and Juan Gonzalez are the simple choices to sit, and then we can't quite find room for Teixeira, Josh Phelps, or even Carlos Delgado. The Umpire Chronicles(6th lg; 358th overall) & Umpire with a Soul(5th lg; 761st overall) Week 25: September 15-September 21 C Javy Lopez 1480 C Jason Varitek 1400 1B Todd Helton 3320 1B Frank Thomas 2030 2B Alfonso Soriano 2570 2B Marcus Giles 1080 3B Scott Rolen 2660 3B Joe Crede 1150 SS Nomar Garciaparra 2300 SS Orlando Cabrera 1820 OF Albert Pujols 3150 OF Manny Ramirez 2690 OF Lance Berkman 2850 OF Larry Walker 2500 OF Vernon Wells 1780 OF Hideki Matsui 1500 DH Preston Wilson 2410 DH Eric Hinske 1750 SP Curt Schilling 3600 SP Pedro Martinez 2900 SP Roy Halladay 2010 SP Jason Schmidt 1990 SP Mark Prior 1800 SP Rich Harden 1500 RP Eric Gagne 2560 RP Keith Foulke 2330 RP Tim Worrell 1370 RP Matt Mantei 1200 Total Salary for Week 25: 59700 Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball As we have three moves remaining, we're going to add the hottest players likely to make an immediate impact. Richard Hidalgo is crushing the ball, heads to Colorado this week, and then finishes all of next week at home. Mariano Rivera looks far stronger than Keith Foulke, should pitch in an extra game, and faces Tampa, Baltimore, and the White Sox. Lastly, as we don't have the cap room to run Schilling this week, we're adding Andy Pettitte since he owns the same nice double as Clemens. Milton Bradley is the obvious drop for Hidalgo, and then we'll cut Schilling, since he faces St. Louis next week, and Contreras, since he faces the White Sox. SP(6) Mike Mussina: Thu:@BAL(P.Hentgen) Pedro Martinez: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@CLE(J.Davis) Tim Hudson: Fri:SEA(R.Franklin) Roger Clemens: Tue:@BAL(Jas.Johnson); Sun:@TB(Jer.Gonzalez) Andy Pettitte: Mon:@BAL(Rod.Lopez); Sat:TB@(Jor.Sosa) Roy Halladay: Wed:@DET(S.Loux); Sun:@BAL(Jas.Johnson)??? Jason Schmidt: Wed:SD(M.Bynum) Kevin Brown: Fri:SF(K.Correia or D.Hermanson) Esteban Loaiza: Tue:@MIN(B.Radke); Sun:KC(D.May) or Sat:KC(B.Anderson) Mark Prior: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:@PIT(Ol.Perez) We likely have six doubles here with Pedro, Clemens, Pettitte, Halladay, Loaiza, and Prior, and Rivera enters the lineup for Foulke. Thanks to the upgrade from Hidalgo, we don't need to run Varitek, Tex, or Delgado, and while we like the schedules of Boone and Larry Walker and trust Durazo thanks to his recent surge, we don't mind letting these guys join Lowell on the bench this week. Umpire in Brooklyn(5th lg; 117th overall) Week 25: September 15-September 21 C Javier Lopez 1480 C Mike Lieberthal 1350 1B Frank Thomas 2030 1B Aubrey Huff 1420 2B D'Angelo Jimenez 1400 2B Marcus Giles 1080 3B Hank Blalock 1100 3B Morgan Ensberg 1000 SS Orlando Cabrera 1820 SS Rafael Furcal 1800 OF Albert Pujols 3150 OF Lance Berkman 2850 OF Manny Ramirez 2690 OF Gary Sheffield 2600 OF Vernon Wells 1780 OF Hideki Matsui 1500 DH Preston Wilson 2410 DH Richard Hidalgo 2190 SP Pedro Martinez 2900 SP Roger Clemens 2720 SP Andy Pettitte 2210 SP Roy Halladay 2010 SP Esteban Loaiza 1900 SP Mark Prior 1800 RP Eric Gagne 2560 RP Mariano Rivera 2490 RP Tim Worrell 1370 RP Matt Mantei 1200 Total Salary for Week 25: 54710 Today's Fantasy Rx: While we generally support saving one move until the last week if you expect to need a last-minute boost in a single category, any action you take today will have double the effect of any players you add next week. Unless you don't see any logical upgrades, you should look to replace your weakest players now. Target low-percentage players for an additional boost, although you obviously take a greater risk by adding someone not rostered by many other players. Click here to read the previous article. Please e-mail your comments to tim@rotohelp.com.
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	September 14^th 2003			Your Daily Fantasy Rx