Every week, The Lineup will help you figure out who to start, sit and watch. Facts don't lie and The Lineup is full of 'em. Here is your weekly digest of everything fantasy baseball. Projections for the week of March 30 to April 5. Stats through and including March 27:



Boston Red Sox, SS
Stats:.500 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
Comment: Lugo, who hit at the bottom of Boston's lineup, looked better than expected.

Boston Red Sox, OF
Stats: .333 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB
Comment: Ramirez looks primed for a vintage Manny season, though he did look rather foolish posing at the plate on Tuesday.

Oakland Athletics, C
Stats: .375 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
Comment: Suzuki roped two doubles in the second game against Boston and is a definite breakout candidate in his first full season.


Oakland Athletics, RP
Stats:0-0, 0 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 2 SO
Comment: Foulke has looked sharp. Should Huston Street vacate the closer's role, either by injury or ineffective play, Foulke could be first in line.

Oakland Athletics, SP
Stats:1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9 SO
Comment: Might 2008 be known as the season Rich Harden played healthy all year?

Boston Red Sox, RP
Stats: 1-0, 0 SV, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1 SO
Comment: Okajima picked up the win for Boston in the 2008 MLB season opening game.



Oakland Athletics, OF
Stats: .000 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB
Comment: Buck stumbled in his first couple starts as Oakland's leadoff hitter. Buck struck out three times against the Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox, DH
Stats: .148 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB
Comment: The good news? Big Papi is going to see plenty of good pitches this season if Manny Ramirez keeps it up.

Boston Red Sox, C
Stats:.000 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB
Comment: Varitek did not exactly start the walk-year off on the right foot.


Oakland Athletics, SP
Stats:0-1, 4.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 3 SO
Comment: The encouraging thing here for Blanton is that he only walked one batter. Better outings will come.

Boston Red Sox, SP
Stats:0-1, 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 4 SO
Comment: Lester did not fare well in his start against Oakland. You know Boston can't wait to get Josh Beckett back.

Oakland Athletics, RP
Stats: 0-1, 0 SV, 16.20 ERA, 2.41 WHIP, 2 SO
Comment: A blown save in the season opener is not the way to set the tone for the next few months.


Detroit Tigers, C
Comment: Even at his age, Pudge is a good bet for the first week of the season thanks to his success last season against Kansas City (.270 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 0 SB in 16 games) and Chicago (.333 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R, 0 SB in 14 games).

Philadelphia Phillies, C
Comment: Ruiz played well in 2007 against both the Nationals (.295 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB in 13 games) and Reds (.400 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB in 5 games).

Chicago Cubs, 1B
Comment: If you ask me, Derrek Lee is a tad bit overrated fantasy-wise. This week, however, he's a great start since he hit so well at home last season (.371 AVG).

Tampa Bay Rays, 1B
Comment: Some folks out there think his 2007 was a fluke. No matter what you think, his combined stats against the Yankees and Orioles last season were elite: .327 AVG, 14 HR, 36 RBI, 29 R, 1 SB in 32 games.

Los Angeles Angels, 2B
Comment: A potential batting-champ candidate, Kendrick was on the ball last year against Minnesota (.333 AVG) and Texas (.395 AVG).

Detroit Tigers, 2B
Comment: He's sure to start 2008 off right based on last year's performances against the White Sox (.353 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB in 17 games) and Royals (.361 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 13 R, 0 SB in 16 games).

Los Angeles Dodgers, SS
Comment: Ankle woes are behind him and last year Furcal combined for nice stats versus the Padres and Giants: .288 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 24 R, 14 SB in 29 games.

Colorado Rockies, SS
Comment: Tulowitzki was awful in April last year (.244 AVG) but expect the competitive youngster to come out firing in 2008.

Chicago Cubs, 3B
Comment: Typically a slow starter, Ramirez came out swinging in 2007 (.309 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 12 R in April). Start him comfortably.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 3B
Comment: Reynolds' big-time power could be on full display this week, with matchups in the favorable hitting parks of Cincinnati and Colorado.

Houston Astros, OF
Comment: In Houston's leadoff spot expect Bourn to flash his speed this week. For the season, Bourn could certainly eclipse 50 stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds, OF
Comment: Griffey hit 17 home runs in just 251 home at-bats last season. Seeing as how all his games this week will be played in Cincinnati, he makes a good start.

Milwaukee Brewers, OF
Comment: Hart enjoyed success last year against the Cubs (.333 AVG, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 5 SB in 13 games) and Giants (.314 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB in 9 games).

Baltimore Orioles, OF
Comment: Markakis swatted four home runs and drove in 16 runners against Tampa Bay last season and batted .405 against Seattle in 2007.

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: Always a great first-half player, bet on Penny to excel as he gets a couple of starts against pretty weak offenses in San Diego and San Francisco.

New York Mets, SP
Comment:Look for Perez to begin the season on the right foot with a start against the Braves, who he won four games against last season with a 3.03 ERA.

St. Louis Cardinals, SP
Comment: Wainwright allowed just six earned runs in 20 innings last season against the Nationals and Rockies in 2007.

Arizona Diamondbacks, SP
Comment: Some are concerned about his ugly spring, but he gets two starts on the road this week, where he twirled a 2.88 ERA in 2007.

Comment: Last season Molina produced a poor line in 10 games versus the Rockies and Nationals: .140 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB.

New York Mets, C
Comment: Schneider barely got any work in during spring training and should be rusty to start the season.

San Diego Padres, 1B
Comment: In Petco Park last year, Gonzalez's batting average was 29 points lower than it was when the Padres played away games. He also hit 10 fewer home runs and drove in 28 fewer runners in San Diego.

Chicago White Sox, 1B
Comment: Konerko's decline should be in full effect this week as he hit .225 combined against both the Tigers and Indians.

Texas Rangers, 2B
Comment: Kinsler enjoyed a terrific spring, but it'll be hard to forget — at least initially — how poorly he played on the road last season (.215 AVG in 66 games).

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B
Comment: Already dealing with a strained right hamstring, Kent's status for this week is uncertain. Make sure you have a replacement handy.

San Diego Padres, SS
Comment: Greene shouldn't be expected to have a hot start, he batted an atrocious .216 at home last year.

Houston Astros, SS
Comment: Fantasy owners may want to wait until Tejada is comfortable in the National League. Prior to this season Tejada, an American Leaguer his whole career, owned a .264 lifetime average in inter-league play.

Texas Rangers, 3B
Comment: I like Blalock to bounce back this season, but he's not an advisable start — at least this week. He's on the road, where he's a .249 career hitter.

Pittsburgh Pirates, OF
Comment: Coming off a disappointing season, Bay is not a wise start. Also, April has statistically been the worst month of his career.

St. Louis Cardinals, OF
Comment: Remember that hot start Duncan had last year? Don't expect a repeat as Duncan struggled mightily in 2007 versus the Rockies (.143 AVG) and Nationals (.111 AVG).

Seattle Mariners, OF
Comment: Expect a slow start from Ichiro. April is the only month where his batting average is under .300 it's also his second-worst month steals-wise.

Chicago White Sox, OF
Comment: Lots of people are liking Swisher this season, but last year, he stunk against Cleveland (.237 AVG) and Detroit (.188 AVG). He's going to be seeing a lot of those teams now that he's with Chicago.

Cleveland Indians, SP
Comment: Carmona struggled big time in 2007 against the White Sox (1-1, 17.1 IP, 6.23 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 11 SO) and Athletics (2-1, 14 IP, 7.71 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 13 SO).

Cincinnati Reds, SP
Comment: Everyone's favorite unheralded pitcher should stay on the bench. He owns a mediocre 4.15 ERA in his career during the month of April (his second-worst month).

New York Yankees, SP
Comment: Let's see how Pettitte performs in his first start before assuming he's going to be an effective contributor to fantasy teams.

San Francisco Giants, SP
Comment: Zito will have to earn fantasy owners' trust after an awful 2007 and a very poor Spring Training.


Starbonell is UPDATE! Major League Baseball Editor.

2014 Year that Tama Bay Rays third basemen Evan Longoria will become a free agent due to his demotion to the minors to start the season. Had he began the season on the Opening Day roster, Longoria would have been a free-agent following the 2013 season.

11 Consecutive scoreless innings twirled by Atlanta Braves pitcher Jeff Bennett, making him a lock for the bullpen and a potential starter in Atlanta's rotation should injuries take their toll (and they will with Mike Hampton, 42-year-old John Smoltz and Tom Glavine pitching for the Braves).

9 Home runs allowed by Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erik Bedard during spring training in 24 innings of work.

5 Wins for Los Angeles starting pitcher Jered Weaver (six starts) this spring. He also owns a 1.67 ERA heading into the regular season as the probable starter for the Halos' first game of 2008.


Milwaukee Brewers, SP/RP
Comment: Parra, used almost exclusively in a relief role last season with Milwaukee, has a shot at being a fantasy star this season. It is important to note that if Yovani Gallardo was ready to go by opening day, Parra might have been back in the bullpen or even sent down to the minor leagues. But now that he has the opportunity, fantasy owners should anticipate that he'll make the most of it. He and Carlos Villanueva will be pitching to stay in the rotation the first couple weeks of the season as Gallardo's return will bump one of them from the starting pitching staff.


The Marlins played with a ton of fire during their regular season series finale against the Mets, helping to cap off one of the most disastrous collapses in sports history. While the quality of the Marlins talent took a serious downgrade during the off-season with the unloading of Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, expect the young Florida team to remain a scrappy bunch. The Mets, on the other hand, will be trying to start this season off strong to get the taste of 2007 out of their mouths. Johan Santana will make his Mets regular-season debut in the first game of the series and he will be followed by Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez. Mark Hendrickson, Rick VandenHurk and Andrew Miller will toe the rubber for Florida.

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