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          Fantasy Forecaster: Tips for setting your lineup on trade deadline day

          With two starts on the docket in Week 17, Nationals fireballer Stephen Strasburg looks to be headed for a monster week in fantasy baseball. AP
          • AJ Mass, ESPN Staff WriterJul 29, 2016, 01:13 PM ET
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            • Fantasy football, baseball and college basketball contributor.
            • Author of book, "Yes, It's Hot in Here."
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          On tap: By the time Week 17 baseball action gets underway, the non-waiver trade deadline will have passed. However, the huge flurry of activity that is likely to come over the weekend is bound to cause a ton of juggling, not only of the scheduled pitchers for the upcoming week but also of the rankings themselves. The best course of action is to wait as long as possible to set your lineups for the week ahead because things could easily change again between the time you wake up on Monday and the time lineups lock in the evening.

          Lucas Harrell has already been dealt from the Atlanta Braves to the Texas Rangers, with Nick Martinez getting sent to the minors by the Rangers. Atlanta has also demoted Matt Wisler to Triple-A after a fourth consecutive outing in which he allowed at least six runs. Those two rotations will be in flux for the upcoming week, assuming no further deals are made.

          Andrew Cashner is on his way to Miami along with Colin Rea to join the Marlins' rotation. Both are likely to stay on turn for the Marlins, although it is certainly possible that manager Don Mattingly will do some sort of rotational restructuring once his new arms arrive. In return, San Diego will receive four players, including right-hander Jarred Cosart, who would presumably jump right into the Padres' rotation.

          While Blake Snell isn't going anywhere, who knows how many of his Tampa Bay Rays teammates might end up wearing other uniforms by Monday. Tampa Bay is said to be listening to offers for Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly and Chris Archer -- even Erasmo Ramirez is believed to have drawn interest from the Orioles.

          Expect at least one of those pitchers to end up changing clubhouses in the next few days, with many more transactions to sift through before we turn the page on the calendar and head into the final two months of the season in earnest.

          Quickly jump to any section, if you want specific intel

          ESPN leagues: Lineup deadlines

          Once again, we've got only Monday night games in Week 17, as ESPN's Monday Night Baseball game kicks things off with the start of the Subway Series at 7 p.m. ET. Fantasy owners have more time to set their weekly lineups this week.

          Remember that game times have tremendous influence upon daily planning, so be aware of every day's first scheduled pitch. This week, they are:

          Monday, Aug. 1: 7 p.m. ET (Yankees at Mets on ESPN's Monday Night Baseball)
          Tuesday, Aug. 2: 7:05 p.m. ET (two games out of a full evening slate begin at that time)
          Wednesday, Aug. 3: 2:20 p.m. ET (Marlins at Cubs, one of three day games)
          Thursday, Aug. 4: 12:10 p.m. ET (two out of five day games start at that time)
          Friday, Aug. 5: 7:05 p.m. ET (three games out of a full evening slate begin at that time)
          Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:05 p.m. ET (Indians at Yankees, one of three day games)
          Sunday, Aug. 7: 1:05 p.m. ET (Indians at Yankees, one of 14 day games)

          Interleague impact

          This week's interleague series:

          • Yankees at Mets (2 games, Aug. 1-2)

          • Mets at Yankees (2 games, Aug. 3-4)

          • Mets at Tigers (3 games, Aug. 5-7)

          • Cubs at Athletics (3 games, Aug. 5-7)

          • Red Sox at Dodgers (3 games, Aug. 5-7)

          Yankees' traditional DH, 2 games in NL ballparks: Alex Rodriguez has already been sitting against right-handed pitchers, so he wasn't likely to see any starts against the Mets' scheduled starters for the Citi Field portion of this four-game series. Carlos Beltran will presumably remain in the No. 3 spot in the Yankees' order, playing right field, with Aaron Hicks going to the bench for this pair of games.

          Mets' probable DH(s), 5 games in AL ballparks: The Mets are certainly hoping that Jose Reyes will be back in the lineup by Wednesday. Reyes is suffering from a Grade 1 strain of his intercostal muscle and, assuming he's healthy, could be slotted into the DH spot as a way of mitigating the risk of reinjury. Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson would be the other primary options to either DH themselves, or provide a day of defensive rest for one of the Mets' regular starters.

          Cubs' probable DH(s), 3 games in AL ballparks: While it's certainly possible that manager Joe Maddon will once again use the DH spot as a way to give players like Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant a mini-day off (as he did against the White Sox), it's likely to be Jorge Soler who fills the DH role at some point this series. Soler is expected to return to the Cubs over the weekend after a lengthy DL stint because of a strained left hamstring. The DH spot could be a nice way of keeping his bat in the lineup rather than giving the outfielder an extra precautionary day or two off.

          Red Sox's traditional DH, 3 games in NL ballparks: Given that David Ortiz has not played first base at all this season, odds are good that he will sit out the majority of this series, save for pinch-hit at-bats when needed. That said, both previous Boston road interleague series this season have lasted only two games, so Ortiz could certainly spell Hanley Ramirez at least once, given the trio of opportunities in Los Angeles.

          Projected starting pitchers

          The chart below lists each of the 30 MLB teams' schedules and projected starting pitchers and provides a projected Bill James game score for each day's starter.

          Projected starting pitchers, Aug. 1-7
          P: The starting pitcher's projected Bill James game score, accounting for past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days), opponent and ballpark. A 50 is typically deemed a "quality start" by this measure, while a 70 is considered a dominant start.

          Pitching scuttlebutt

          • Athletics: Rich Hill is currently scheduled to throw on Aug. 6, but that all depends on how his blister problem resolves itself. If he's unable to make a start this weekend against the Indians, the whole Oakland rotation may be thrown into further disarray.

          • Astros: Doug Fister will be going on the paternity leave list over the weekend, but it's expected that he'll be back with the team in time to make his start on Monday, keeping the Houston rotation on track for the week.

          • Braves: Julio Teheran (lat) is set to return to action on Saturday, and while his subsequent start is currently set for Aug. 5, if he feels up to it -- and because of the wheeling and dealing Atlanta has already done -- he may be moved up a day to Thursday.

          • Cardinals: After Jaime Garcia went just five innings on Tuesday, the team has decided to pitch him on short rest Saturday, with Carlos Martinez -- who also pitched on Tuesday in a twin-bill -- going Sunday. With an off day on Monday, the two can revert to their regular order, giving Garcia six days of rest before taking the mound again Aug. 6.

          • Dodgers: Brett Anderson (back) has started his rehab assignment, and will likely need at least two more outings before returning to the Los Angeles rotation. Two weeks away is a likely good estimate here.

          • Orioles: Vance Worley will be skipped over against Toronto this weekend and may be used exclusively out of the bullpen until Ubaldo Jimenez has another clunker. Jimenez, who is likely to start again on Wednesday, struck out eight over five innings in a no-decision on Thursday at Minnesota.

          • Pirates: Ryan Vogelsong (eye) threw seven strong innings at Triple-A on Wednesday and should be ready to rejoin the Pirates in Week 17, most likely with two starts on the slate (Tuesday and Aug. 7). Steven Brault would be the likely Sunday replacement should anything go wrong in Vogelsong's return.

          • Red Sox: There's been some concern over the effectiveness of Steven Wright's knuckleball when the humidity is too high. That said, manager John Farrell isn't planning on altering his rotation based upon the daily weather report. Expect Wright to start, regardless of the conditions in Los Angeles, on Aug. 5.

          • Reds: Homer Bailey has been activated from the disabled list and is making his return from Tommy John surgery on Sunday. Obviously, he'll be monitored closely and given plenty of rest between starts for now, but assuming all goes well, he should be back on the hill again come Aug. 6.

          • Twins: Tyler Duffey is scheduled for two starts in Week 17 (Monday and Saturday), but he may not make the second one if he doesn't shine in the first -- assuming he gets the call at all. Duffey has allowed 11 runs over just five innings in his last two starts. For now, manager Paul Molitor says Duffey will go Monday, but Jose Berrios is lined up to start on the same day at Triple-A.

          • White Sox: Anthony Ranaudo, who conceivably could have been in line for two starts this week, was optioned back to Triple-A Charlotte. Carlos Rodon (wrist) is just about ready to return and is tentatively set to start on Sunday. Assuming Chris Sale doesn't get moved, he'll be the White Sox pitcher doing double duty in Week 17.

          AJ's Week 17 pitcher rankings

          Note: The following rankings list specific assignments, where announced (or logically projected), otherwise they're projected opponents without dates. If a date is not listed, it means that the pitcher is expected to be part of his team's rotation and these are his most likely opponents for Week 17. As assignments continue to be announced, these will be updated with new dates and/or opponents. If a pitcher is excluded, his Week 17 matchups were too uncertain to project/rank, but he will be added when his assignments are known.

          Hitting ratings

          The chart below lists each of the 30 teams' total number of scheduled games, home games and games versus right- and left-handed pitchers, and provides a matchup rating for the week's games in terms of overall offense, offense for left- and right-handed hitters, and base stealing. Matchup ratings for each individual game are listed under the corresponding date.

          Hitting matchup chart, Aug. 1-7
          H: Hitters' matchup rating, which accounts for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors.
          L: Hitters' matchup rating accounting only for left-handed hitters.
          R: Hitters' matchup rating accounting for only right-handed hitters.
          S: Base-stealing matchup rating, which accounts for the opponent's catchers' ability to gun down opposing base stealers.
          Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst.

          Hitting advantages

          Here are this week's volume plays, defined as the teams that play the most home games, or games against right- or left-handed starters:

          • Total games: Red Sox 7, Yankees 7, Rays 7, Blue Jays 7, Indians 7, Royals 7, Twins 7, Astros 7, Mariners 7, Mets 7.

          • Home games: Rays 7, Astros 7, Mariners 7, Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 6, Padres 6, Tigers 6, Yankees 5.

          • Versus LH: Mariners 5, Angels 4, Red Sox 3, Cubs 3, Dodgers 3

          • Versus RH: Yankees 6, Rays 6, Blue Jays 6, Pirates 6, Diamondbacks 6, Padres 6, 12 teams face five right-handed pitchers.

          Houston hitters have been far less productive at home this season, batting 13 points lower on the season in Minute Maid Park. Additionally, a teamwide slump saw the Astros hit just .244 in July, 24 points lower than they did in June. Add to the mix hamstring injuries to Luis Valbuena and Carlos Gomez, and this is a lineup that should probably be avoided in Week 17.

          Not only do the Mets get to play five out of seven games with a DH, adding to their lineup's run-production potential for the week, but they also face five right-handed pitchers. Five different Mets have double-digit home runs against righty starters this season. Throw into the mix that they'll also face left-hander CC Sabathia, who posted a 6.55 ERA against the Flushingites in 2015.

          Yes, the Arizona Diamondbacks are home for six games in Week 17, and it's true that Chase Field has seen the fourth-highest home run production in 2016, according to ESPN's Park Factors. However, they start the week having to face both Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. The weekend series against the Brewers should go much better, but if you're not able to make daily lineup moves, this may be a lineup to avoid this week.