Fantasy Baseball Forecaster for Week 22: Sept. 12 to 18 (2024)

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• Projected starting pitchers for the next 10 days

• Hitter matchup ratings for the next 10 days

• Week 22 hitting ratings

• Week 22 pitcher rankings

• Let's call fantasy's Week 22 "Catch-up Week," both in ESPN head-to-head leagues, where it is the second week of two-week semifinals matchups, and on the diamond, where eight make-up games, the most to date in a single scoring period (among those announced at the week's onset), are scheduled. Six of these eight are make-ups of games previously postponed in early April due to the lockout, also the most to date, and the second-most in any scoring period all year outside of the 49 that will be made up during the season-ending "Week 24," which spans 10 days and includes 47 games originally slated for March 31-April 3 but rescheduled for Oct. 3-5.

• Despite all the make-ups, the week features an entirely reasonable 91 total contests, but the effect is perhaps the largest imbalance in team' total games in decades. One team, the Cincinnati Reds, has a whopping nine games, while an additional five are scheduled to play eight times. On the opposite end, a whopping seven teams are set to play only five times, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

• These make-up games begin with the first of a Texas Rangers at Miami Marlins doubleheader on Monday at 1:10 p.m. ET, which means an earlier-than-usual start to the fantasy week. Be sure to set your lineups earlier, as this is the only day game among nine total for the day.

• For the remainder of your daily lineup planning, Tuesday begins with the first game of a Pittsburgh Pirates at Reds doubleheader, the double-dip caused by yet another of those make-ups, with Game 1 scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET and broadcast on ESPN+. It is one of two day games and 17 total on Tuesday. Wednesday has six day games, the earliest again being Pirates at Reds at 12:35 p.m. ET (but a single game this time), among 15 total. Thursday has two day games, the first being Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians at 1:10 p.m. ET, among eight total. Friday has one day game, Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs at 2:20 p.m. ET, among 15 total. Saturday has six day games and begins with the first game of a Minnesota Twins at Guardians doubleheader, with Game 1 scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET, among 17 total. Sunday's games begin with White Sox at Detroit Tigers at 12:10 p.m. ET, one of 14 day games and 15 overall, the day's slate concluding with Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball at 7 p.m. ET.

• Additional ESPN+ games for Week 22 include Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at 9:40 p.m. ET, Atlanta Braves at Giants on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. ET, Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday at 3:07 p.m. ET, Pirates at New York Mets on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET, Reds at St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET, and Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET.

• The nine-game week will probably have a polarizing effect on the Reds. On one hand, their hitters will benefit from the four games at their hitting-friendly home, Great American Ball Park, by playing those four against a Pirates pitching staff that has the fourth-worst ERA since the trade deadline (4.86), and by getting 1-of-5 weekend games against a Cardinals spot starter. On the other, Reds pitchers, who have an eighth-worst 4.45 ERA since the trade deadline, might be exhausted from all the work, especially their league-worst bullpen (4.73 relief ERA for the season). It's generally wise to use the closer of a team that plays this often, and Alexis Diaz (88.6% available in ESPN leagues) has the skills to adhere to that advice, but Nick Lodolo (75.0% available) is otherwise the only other recommended fantasy play, thanks to his home start against the Pirates. Hunter Greene (76.2%) could be activated in time for a Saturday start, but he threw 28, 48 and 66 pitches in his first three minor league rehabilitation outings and probably wouldn't carry a big enough pitch count to be worth using him in an unfavorable road start at St. Louis.

• Among the five teams scheduled for eight games in Week 22, the Marlins' matchups stand out as among the league's most advantageous. They will play 5-of-8 at their pitching-friendly home ballpark, including hosting a Philadelphia Phillies team that had been slumping (3-7 during a 10-game span from Aug. 28-Sept. 8) before their weekend sweep of the Washington Nationals while dealing with key injuries (Zack Wheeler, Nick Castellanos), then the Marlins visit those same Nationals, who are 20-43 since the beginning of July. Marlins hitters have limited relevance in mixed fantasy leagues, with usual top-four-in-the-order men Jon Berti (79.3% available), Avisail Garcia (62.2%) and Joey Wendle (89.9%) worth mentions primarily due to their prominent roles and the schedule volume, but two-start pitcher Trevor Rogers (40.7%) stands out in a big way. He was excellent in his final minor league rehabilitation start (6 no-hit IP, 12 K for Triple-A Jacksonville on Aug. 25) and has back-to-back quality starts with a 28.3% strikeout rate in two starts since activation.

• The Houston Astros have the most favorable schedule, a seven-gamer that begins with three at the Tigers and ends with four back home against the Oakland Athletics, both of those opponents last-place teams with records at least 36 games worse than that of the Astros. Though injuries and innings limits have become discussion points for Astros pitchers of late, the team nevertheless has a second-best-in-baseball 2.77 ERA since the trade deadline, and it seems like every pitcher they toss into a prominent spot becomes an immediate fantasy star. Rookie Hunter Brown (81.1% available), who tossed six shutout innings and flashed a 95.7 mph slider (one of six thrown at least that fast by and pitcher this season) in his Sept. 5 big-league debut, aligns for a Tuesday start against the Tigers, a matchup plenty favorable to warrant universally activating him. Ryan Pressly (neck) also returned to action on Sept. 9, recapturing his former closer role, so fantasy managers should be sure to restore him to all of their lineups as well. Justin Verlander (calf, 15-day IL) also threw a successful bullpen session on Sept. 11, and afterwards declared himself ready to return during the weekend series against the Athletics. I've projected him for Saturday, which would have him on five days' rest, albeit likely on a limited pitch count, but he's worth immediately activating with the good news just before week's start.

• The Giants might have enjoyed a brief, perhaps-short-lived resurgence by sweeping the Phillies from Sept. 2-4, but Week 22 clearly represents their last-gasp opportunity to make a push towards a wild card. They'll play six home games, three apiece against the Braves and Dodgers, teams with records at least 20 games better than theirs, giving the team one of the week's least favorable schedules. Injuries have depleted the Giants' pitching depth, but Alex Cobb (71.0% available) fortunately aligns for a two-start week, albeit with those challenging matchups. He struggled most recently on the road against the Dodgers (4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER on Sept. 7), but before that had quality starts in eight of his past 11 turns. On offense, the bright spot as far as matchups is that three of the Giants' projected opposing starters are left-handed, which helps more of a matchup candidate like Evan Longoria (98.3%), a .290/.342/.510 hitter against lefties.

• Besides the aforementioned Greene and Verlander, two other high-profile, must-activate-when-healthy pitchers could return during Week 22. Shane McClanahan (shoulder, 15-day IL) has thrown a pair of successful bullpen sessions, and is reportedly on track to rejoin the Rays' rotation on Thursday at Toronto. Max Scherzer (oblique, 15-day IL), who was only deactivated on Sept. 7, was expected to have a minimum stay on the injured list, meaning he'd be eligible to return as early as Wednesday against the Cubs. That would be his usual turn in the Mets' rotation.

• Outside of Week 24, when they'll play 6-of-9 games against the White Sox, the Twins' schedule this week is critical to their American League Central title chances. The Twins are coming off being swept by the first-place Guardians in their Sept. 9-11, three-game home series, so they'll need to quickly reverse that trend heading into a Week 22 featuring three home games against the Royals, followed by four road games against those same Guardians. During the former (Sept. 9-11) series, the Twins faced the Guardians' three regular, healthy starters, but in the rematch, the Guardians will need to piece together two starters plus Cody Morris due to injuries, which skews things in favor of Twins hitters. Jose Miranda (68.3% available) has batted .301/.368/.451 while starting all 45 Twins games since the All-Star break, moving into the 3-4 lineup spots of late, making him a must-have in fantasy. Meanwhile, rookie Joe Ryan (18.2%), 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA in seven career starts combined against these two opponents, is aligned as the team's two-start pitcher.

• Among the five-game teams, the Brewers' schedule is the least attractive, as it includes two road games against the Cardinals followed by three back home against the New York Yankees. Yes, due to the Yankees' injuries and past-month funk, it's a good time to draw them as an opponent, but on paper, they're still a below-average matchup for Brewers hitters and slightly above-average for Brewers pitchers, with the advantage on that side mitigated by American Family Field's hitting-friendly confines. The Brewers' regular top-four-in-the-order hitters, Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and Hunter Renfroe, are their only truly trustworthy mixed-league plays, while Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and closer Devin Williams are their only truly start-worthy pitchers for Week 22.