There are some pretty good two-start pitchers going in week seven of the fantasy baseball season. Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren lead the list of "Must Start" pitchers, while I'm not sure which option would be riskier between Dontrelle Willis and Tim Redding this week.
There are 47 two-start pitchers in all and you'll need to lock your lineup by 1:07 PM ET on Monday as that's first pitch between the White Sox and Blue Jays.
Must Start Dan Haren , Diamondbacks - Monday at FLA (R. Nolasco) and Saturday at OAK (J. Outman) Derek Lowe , Braves - Monday vs COL (J. Marquis) and Saturday vs TOR (S. Richmond) Jair Jurrjens , Braves - Tuesday vs COL (J. Hammel) and Sunday vs TOR (B. Tallet)
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, theRoto Rushis your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Every year in fantasy baseball there are a number of players whose hype exceeds reasonable expectations, because so many freaking people have them tagged as a "breakout." Peter Gammons may have been the first to tag Adam Jones with such a label, but it caught on quickly, and he was a popular fantasy draft selection. (Note that this also applies to my homie Chris Davis, who I think might hit 40 taters, but who was wickedly overvalued coming into drafts. More on this in a second.)
And the man that wants no part of being called "Pacman" -- for obvious reasons -- is suddenly flat-out destroying opposing pitching. Jones was always considered a "five-tool" prospect, with power and speed potential, not to mention just being a great baseball player.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the unthinkable happened to the Dodgers in Thursday.
Having Manny Ramirez suspended? No, that's not unthinkable.
Losing at home to the Nationals? Unthinkable.
The Dodgers went into the game 13-0 at home this year and 21-8 overall, the best record in the majors. The Nationals had the worst record in baseball, 7-18, and had lost their past 10 games at Dodger Stadium.
The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.
The White Sox are in the same place they ended 2008, tied atop a heap of clubs in the AL Central that all have designs on contention in 2009. John Danks' gem Thursday night against the Rays hurtled Chicago into a deadlock with the Tigers and Royals at 5-4.
Just 24, the left-hander is 1-0 on the season with a 0.75 ERA and has 13 strikeouts in 12 innings this season.
The Central division seems almost impossible to figure out at this stage, and indeed it could take until August or even September for the wheat to separate from the chaff.
But if the White Sox end up as the former once again, Danks and the rest of their steady rotation will be a huge reason why.
I always love good redemption stories and the surprises they bring for fantasy owners. But through just one week of the season, looks can be deceiving ... or hints of something entirely palpable. The dilemma with rotisserie league outcasts like Bedard and Hafner is you're dealing with this nagging birdie in the back of your mind telling you this can't be real.
On Tuesday I wrote about the White Sox approaching Mark Buehrle and asking him to make some changes to his offseason workout regimen. More to the point, they'd like him to actually have an offseason workout regimen. With Buehrle approaching 30, the team thinks it would be wise if he spent more time over the winter getting himself in shape to help prepare for the grind of a 162-game season.
Buehrle thinks that's all fine and dandy, but when asked about it he was quick to point out that he's never missed a start due to an injury during his career, and that he thinks his offseason routine is just fine. So he doesn't really see any reason to change anything.
In a few hours Mark Buehrle will be taking the mound for the White Sox on Opening Day for the seventh time in his career, tying Billy Pierce for the most Opening Day starts in the franchise's history. There have been some whispers in Chicago this spring about possible health problems with Buehrle, and it seems the team has been a bit concerned about it as well.
The team had a meeting with the 30-year-old Buehrle this spring in which they asked him to make some changes to his offseason conditioning program. More specifically, they'd like him to actually have one.
As you set your fantasy lineups for week one remember that there are 43 starting pitchers this week who will start twice. I've broken these 43 pitchers into three categories. There are 19 "must start" pitchers, nine solid options, and 15 risky hurlers throwing twice.
For the record, since there is only one game tonight featuring the Braves and the Phillies, and it's a Sunday night game, you'll find that in most weekly leagues Derek Lowe and Brett Myers (tonight's starters) will only have one start in week one, even though they'll be starting twice in their teams first seven games.
Tim Lincecum looks to have a cake walk first week as he faces Milwaukee and San Diego. While Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, John Lannan and Scott Olsen have some of the toughest two-start schedules as they face tough teams in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Florida.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Team who loves to mash the ball.The 2008 White Sox led Major League Baseball in home runs with 235. Even though the team lost Nick Swisher, there are still six hitters in this lineup with 25-plus home run potential; three that could easily amass 30-plus. The infield is all shook up headed into the new season. Only Paul Konerko is back in his position from 2008 at first base. Josh Fields will be given the reigns at third base to see if he can finally live up to his potential. Alexei Ramirez will be shifting from second base to shortstop to fill the spot vacated by Orlando Cabrera. The pitching staff lost Javier Vazquez to Atlanta but still has three credible front-line starters. Gavin Floyd and John Danks exploded onto the scene in '08 and Mark Buehrle is as consistent as they come. The White Sox won their division in 2008 and still have the talent to compete again in 2009.
After trading Javier Vazquez, the White Sox were left with a hole in their starting rotation. Wednesday evening, they added someone who may be able to fill it. Bartolo Colon -- who played for the White Sox back in 2003 -- was signed to a one-year contract with the South Siders.
A rotation spot isn't likely be handed to Colon. Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Jose Contreras have nailed down the top four spots. Considering Colon hasn't thrown more than 100 innings since his Cy Young campaign in 2005, he'll have to prove himself in Spring Training.
There are some pretty good two-start pitchers going in week seven of the fantasy baseball season. Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren lead the list of "Must Start" pitchers, while I'm not sure which option would be riskier between Dontrelle Willis and Tim Redding this week.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the
Starting Five
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On Tuesday I wrote about the White Sox approaching 
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As you set your fantasy lineups for week one remember that there are 43 starting pitchers this week who will start twice. I've broken these 43 pitchers into three categories. There are 19 "must start" pitchers, nine solid options, and 15 risky hurlers throwing twice. 
After trading 
