Our weekly digest of everything fantasy baseball. Facts don't lie and The Lineup is full of 'em. Projections for the week of Aug. 13-19. Stats through Aug. 10:



Tampa Bay Devil Rays, OF
Stats: .606 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 12 R, 2 SB
Comment: Possible back-to-back AL Player of Week winner with the way he's playing.

Washington Nationals, OF
Stats: .462 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 5 SB
Comment: Nook is dazzling the Nationals fans with his play in the outfield and on the base-paths.

Florida Marlins, SS
Stats: .333 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 5 SB
Comment: Jose who? Besides the SB category, Ramirez is looking better than his counter-part at Shea.


Chicago White Sox, RP
Stats: 0-0, 3 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 4 SO
Comment: Has not given up an ER, BB or hit since July 17

Tampa Bay Devil Rays, SP
Stats: 2-0, 0.69 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 16 SO
Comment: Cruising in the second-half so far with a 4-1 record, a sparkling 1.16 ERA and 45 SO in 38.2 IP.

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Stats: 2-0, 1.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 9 SO
Comment: After a rough July, fantasy owners are happy to see Marcum get back on track with strong starts against Texas and Kansas City.



Minnesota Twins, 1B
Stats: .148 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB
Comment: No HR or RBI in all of August so far, not the type of numbers you expect from last year's clutch AL MVP.

Philadelphia Phillies, SS
Stats: .120 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB
Comment: Hitting just .189 in August with no HR. Being bounced between third spot and leadoff in the lineup with absence of 2B Chase Utley.

Cleveland Indians, OF
Stats: .156 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB
Comment: The entire Indians lineup is playing terribly right now and Sizemore is a big reason for their struggles.


Boston Red Sox, RP
Stats: 0-0, 19.29 ERA, 3.86 WHIP, 2 SO
Comment: Rough start to his stint at Fenway. Has given up 9 hits in his 3.1 innings of work since joining the Red Sox.

New York Mets, SP
Stats: 0-2, 13.50 ERA, 2.13 WHIP, 5 SO
Comment: Mets "ace" surrendered 12 ER to Chicago and Atlanta this week in a couple of clunkers.

Chicago Cubs, SP
Stats: 0-1, 11.12 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 6 SO
Comment: Is he jinxing himself? He stunk earlier in the year when preoccupied about his contract and now he's talking about signing again.


Pittsburgh Pirates, C
Comment: Don't keep Doumit on your bench when he's playing at home. Numbers at PNC Park this season: .315 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 1 SB in 130 at-bats.

Chicago Cubs, C
Comment: Think he's happy to be back in the National League? Check out his career numbers against the Reds (.319 AVG, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 74 R, 13 SB in 116 games) and Cardinals (.308 AVG, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 63 R, 8 SB in 118 games).

New York Yankees, 1B
Comment: Hitting really well at home this year: .325 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R in 77 at-bats.

Washington Nationals, 1B
Comment: You're not going to believe his home splits this season: .402 AVG, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 26 R in 174 at-bats.

New York Yankees, 2B
Comment: Stout home numbers in 2007: .324 AVG, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 38 R, 1 SB in 57 games. Not to mention that he is on a monster roll right now.

New York Mets, 2B
Comment: Intriguing road stats in '07 (.313 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 33 R, 4 SB in 48 games) make him a solid play this week, especially against sub-.500 clubs like Pittsburgh and Washington.

Cincinnati Reds, SS
Comment: He's streaking again and he performs better on the road this season anyway (.291 AVG, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 26 R, 0 SB in 41 games). Ride the hot hand here.

Milwaukee Brewers, SS
Comment: Season stats against St. Louis (.300 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 1 SB in 8 games) and Cincinnati (.375 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 0 SB in 4 games) make him a compelling start this week.

Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
Comment: Enjoying some home-cooking this season: .325 AVG, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 23 R, 3 SB in 57 games at Dodger Stadium.

New York Mets, 3B
Comment: His 2007 numbers actually look better away from Shea Stadium: .291 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 39 R, 12 SB in 58 games.

New York Mets, OF
Comment: Despite missing a lot of action this season, Alou is still getting it done on the road: .342 AVG, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R, 2 SB in 22 games.

Philadelphia Phillies, OF
Comment: Hitting the ball obscenely well this year versus the Nationals (.500 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 8 games) and Pirates (.444 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB in 3 games).

Atlanta Braves, OF
Comment: A terrific play at home this year: .359 AVG, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 22 RBI, 10 SB in 128 at-bats.

San Francisco Giants, OF
Comment: Decent fill-in option this week for those of you hurting from injuries in the outfield. Road numbers this season: .305 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 26 R, 9 SB in 55 games.

Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: Not a bad spot-starter this week since he will be pitching at home. Numbers this season at Network Associates Coliseum: 2.90 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 24 SO in 49.2 IP.

Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: Great career numbers against the Tigers (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 3 SO in 7 IP) and Royals (2-1, 2.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 23 SO in 24.1 IP).

Chicago Cubs, SP
Comment: His two career starts against Cincinnati are encouraging: 1-1, 1.38 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 19 SO in 13 IP.

Boston Red Sox, SP
Comment: In two starts against the Devil Rays this season, Dice-K has gone 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 15 SO in 14.1 IP.


Texas Rangers, C
Comment: Road stats noticeably worse this season: .264 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R, 0 SB in 43 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks, C
Comment: Backup Miguel Montero is playing better recently and Snyder's road stats generate little excitement: .220 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 11 R, 0 SB in 37 games.

Florida Marlins, 1B
Comment: Remember when some folks actually considered him a decent 1B sleeper pick? Let them take a gander at these '07 home numbers: .221 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 18 R, 0 SB in 39 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers, 1B
Comment: Hitting at a robust .415 clip on the road! Too bad he's home this week, with a paltry line of .258 AVG, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R and 0 SB in 97 at-bats.

Cleveland Indians, 2B
Comment: Numbers ain't pretty this year against the Tigers (.225 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 10 games) and Devil Rays (.085 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB in 7 games).

Los Angeles Angels, 2B
Comment: Numbers have suffered greatly on the road this season: .221 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R, 1 SB in 104 at-bats.

St. Louis Cardinals, SS
Comment: Little (no pun intended) production this year against the Brewers (.250 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 7 R, 0 SB in 9 games) and Cubs (.208 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB in 7 games).

Chicago White Sox, SS
Comment: Poor performance on the road this season: .215 AVG, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB in 53 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 3B
Comment: Against the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves, Reynolds has gone a combined 3-for-21 with just 1 RBI and 1 R.

Washington Nationals, 3B
Comment: Having a productive August thus far, but he has had trouble at the dish this year against the Phillies (.229 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 8 games) and Mets (.171 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB in 9 games).

New York Yankees, OF
Comment: Just when he picks his game up, in comes DH/1B Jason Giambi off the DL. There are too many bats for the Yankees to use and until Damon gets regular starts, keep him reserved.

Chicago Cubs, OF
Comment: Cubs are really going to miss Alfonso Soriano this week. Floyd has been ineffective thus far in '07 against the Reds (.250 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 24 at-bats) and Cardinals (.200 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB in 25 at-bats).

Chicago Cubs, OF
Comment: Carrot-topped fan-favorite has been terrible at Wrigley Field this season: .172 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 0 SB in 64 at-bats.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays, OF
Comment: Poor stats this season against the Indians (.148 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB in 7 games) and Red Sox (.227 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB in 6 games).

Baltimore Orioles, SP
Comment: Big year due for a hiccup this week as he throws against the Blue Jays. Career numbers versus Toronto: 2-4, 5.00 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 51 SO in 63 IP.

Milwaukee Brewers, SP
Comment: His two career starts against the St. Louis Cardinals have resulted in 14 ER in 10 IP, good for a 12.60 ERA.

Milwaukee Brewers, SP
Comment: Suppan has not fared well against the Reds in his career: 2-1, 6.65 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 17 SO in 46 IP.

Boston Red Sox, SP
Comment: Despite 8-4 record at home this year, Wakefield has taken a beating in Bean-town with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP at Fenway Park.


Starbonell is UPDATE! Major League Baseball Editor.

22 Years passed before a trade was made between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, when infielder Mark Sweeney was sent to the Dodgers this week for a player to be named later. The last deal between the two rival clubs occurred in 1985.

11 Earned runs allowed by Milwaukee Brewers SP Yovani Gallardo Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies.

7 Wins Atlanta Braves SP Tim Hudson has in his last seven decisions. He has allowed just 6 ER in 48 innings during that span.

4 Consecutive games in which the Los Angeles Dodgers did not score a single run. The streak ran from August 5-8 and ended on Thursday.


St. Louis Cardinals, OF
Comment: Ankiel's story is nothing short of amazing. After being the runner-up to winning the NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2000, Ankiel's historic control issues and injuries derailed his career. In 2006, he made a shocking announcement that he would be converting to the outfield, but once again spent most of the year injured. This season, however, the once stud pitching prospect-turned-outfielder mashed in the minors, compiling a .267 AVG, 32 HR, 89 RBI, 62 R and 4 SB in 102 games. These numbers were good enough for Ankiel to get the call-up to the Cards on Thursday and he delivered big in his debut, going 1-for-4 with a three-run HR. Fantasy owners in deep mixed leagues or NL-only leagues should at least consider using a roster spot on him, particularly those of you in need of power stats. The only question here is how much Ankiel will play the rest of the year, but if he hits the ground running, he should be a starting outfielder in the short-term for St. Louis.

 RICK ANKIEL'S HOMER


The New York Yankees are slicing through opponents right now, while the Detroit Tigers have struggled this month. The two teams will meet this week (four games, beginning Thursday) for the first time since Detroit ousted New York from the 2006 AL Division Series in four games. But the bigger story here is the return of Tigers OF Gary Sheffield to Yankee Stadium. Sheff has taken shots at Yankee manager Joe Torre and SS Derek Jeter since his departure from New York and it will be interesting to see the type of response he gets at the Stadium in his first plate appearance. Both of these squads are looking like post-season clubs, so this should be a great one. Scheduled starting pitchers for the Tigers are Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, Chad Durbin and Jeremy Bonderman. The Yankees are set to counter with Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens (pending an appeal of his suspension) and Chien-Ming Wang.

 SHEFFIELD CALLS OUT TORRE

• The Lineup: Aug. 4-10 2007
• The Lineup: July 28-Aug. 3 2007
• The Lineup: July 21-27 2007
• The Lineup: July 14-20 2007
• The Lineup: July 7-14 2007
• The Lineup: June 30-July 6, 2007
• The Lineup: June 24-30, 2007
• The Lineup: June 17-23, 2007
• The Lineup: June 10-16, 2007
• The Lineup: June 3-9, 2007
• The Lineup: May 27-June 2, 2007
• The Lineup: May 21-27, 2007
• The Lineup: May 14-20, 2007
• The Lineup: May 7-13, 2007
• The Lineup: April 30-May 6, 2007
• The Lineup: April 23-29, 2007
• The Lineup: April 16-22, 2007
• The Lineup: April 9-15, 2007
• The Lineup: April 2-8, 2007
• The Lineup: March 26-April 1, 2007
• The Lineup: March 19-25, 2007
• The Lineup: March 12-18, 2007
• The Lineup: March 5-11, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 26-March 4, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 19-25, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 12-18, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 5-11, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 22-28, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 15-21, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 8-14, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 1-7, 2007